(Courtesy of Makor) On March 28, over 200 people from around the country and Israel attended a webinar on the topic of “The Four Sons: Including People of All Abilities at the Seder and Beyond.” The webinar was presented by Dr. Stephen Glicksman, developmental psychologist and director of clinical innovation at Makor Care and Services Network as part of its research and education wing, The Makor Institute. The webinar was made possible and free to the public through a grant from New York City Council.

During the webinar, Glicksman focused on how to keep everyone at the Seder comfortable, engaged and involved despite their various ages, educational backgrounds, specialized needs and temperaments. “Inclusion is embedded into the very text, the very formulation, the very structure of the Pesach Seder,” Glicksman said. “Chazal understood the practical value of multisensory, experiential teaching and the moral value of teaching each child at his or her own level, and nowhere is this inclusive tradition more evident, and expressed more beautifully and explicitly, than during the Pesach Seder.”

Touching not only on how to prepare the Seder evening for individuals with specialized needs such as autism, attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder, sensory issues, impulse control challenges and other developmental needs, Glicksman also discussed the unique challenges of simply having guests of different ages and stages, as well as populations not often mentioned during presentations on inclusion such as those suffering with addiction and those with more profound levels of intellectual disability. A plethora of ideas were suggested to help us reach our goal, as Glicksman put it, of having, “…a Seder that is meaningful and beautiful, and, when it’s over, a fond and positive memory for everyone.”

The full webinar is now available for viewing on www.makornetwork.org.

The next webinar sponsored by the Makor Institute will be given on the topic of psychotropic drugs, given by Dr. Pinchas Lerner, clinical director of Makor on May 17.

For more information about Makor and its wide array of award-winning services, visit www.makornetwork.org  or call 718-853-0900.