SPEAKER SERIES
2011-2012
All events are free and open to the public.
DATE: October 12, 2011
TITLE: El ABC de education especial (The ABCs of Special Education)
NOTE: Presented in Spanish
PRESENTER: Ada Suarez, W.S.W. and Jose Centano
DATE: October 17, 2011
TITLE: Whether and When to Give Psychiatric Medicine to Your Child
PRESENTER: Kevin Kalikow, M.D.
SUMMARY: Thorough and balanced presentation on the thorny topic of whether or not to give psychiatric drugs to your child and, if so, when.
DATE: October 19, 2011
TITLE: Education especial, la escuela, mi hijo y yo
NOTE: Presented in Spanish
PRESENTER: Ada Suarez, W.S.W. and Jose Centano
DATE: October 26, 2011
TITLE: How Difficult Can This Be? F.A.T. City — A Learning Disabilites Workshop DVD
FILM BY: Richard Lavoie, M.A., M.Ed.
SUMMARY: Insights and strategies regarding anxious children and children with Learning Disabilites.
DATE: November 2, 2011
TITLE: An Overview of Executive Functioning (or How to Help Your Kids Plan and Organize, Initiate Tasks, Manage Time, Self-Regulate, Be Flexible, and Persist in Trying to Accomplish Their Goals)
PRESENTER: Lydia Soifer, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Presentation regarding the critical and complex topic of executive functioning, with emphasis on assisting children, who struggle with executive functioning, to develop and implement strategies for planning and organizing.
MATERIALS: Executive Functioning (PDF Format)
DATE: November 16, 2011
TITLE: Knowledge Is Power: How and Why to Advocate for Your Child with Special Needs
PRESENTER: Attorney Dana A. Jonson
SUMMARY: Discussion of the importance of advocating effectively so that your child can receive appropriate special education services.
MATERIALS: Knowledge Is Power (Powerpoint Format)
DATE: November 29, 2011 and December 5, 2011
TITLE: Getting to Know iPad Apps for Children with Special Needs: Promoting Your Child’s Development
PRESENTER: Michael Weiss, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Discussion of the significance of using iPad apps to help promote specific areas of your child’s development, and a hands-on review of iPad apps related to reading and writing, augmentative and alternative communication, speech-language therapy, occupational therapy, and executive function.
MATERIALS: iPad and Apps Introduction (PDF Format) AND iPad Apps (PDF Format)
DATE: December 7, 2011
TITLE: Negotiating the College Application and Selection Process for Students with LD and ADD/ADHD
PRESENTER: Michelle Berg, Ph.D., and subsequent discussion led by panel of knowledgeable parents
SUMMARY: Discussion regarding how to transition to college successfully (both academically and socially), different forms of support colleges may offer, and the importance of students understanding their individual needs and developing self-advocacy skills.
MATERIALS: College Application Process (Powerpoint Format)
DATE: January 11, 2012
TITLE: Is My Child Developing Normally?
PRESENTER: Tara Glennon, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA; Michael Weiss, Ph.D.; and Amy Gladwell Jones, M.A., CCC/SLP
SUMMARY: Discussion regarding the stages of child development led by experts in three different pediatric areas.
DATE: January 25, 2012
TITLE: Using Nutritional and Lifestyle Changes to Protect Your Family
PRESENTER: Vicki Kobliner, M.S., R.D.
SUMMARY: Presentation regarding how digestive function affects the brain, immune system, and other seemingly unrelated systems and can have a far-reaching impact on children who suffer from obesity, asthma, allergies, autism or ADHD — and ways to develop a whole-foods approach to student meal planning.
DATE: February 8, 2012
TITLE: Brain Gym and Sensory Integration: How to Maximize Your Learning Potential
PRESENTER: Marie Ossi, OTR
SUMMARY: Introduction to Brain Gym, an educational sensori-motor program that uses movement to enhance learning. The movements are similar to those that children naturally experience during their first three years of life, following the developmental steps for eye-, ear-, hand-, and the whole body-coordination, and focusing on seeing, listening, writing and whole body movement.
MATERIALS: Brain Gym (PDF Format)
DATE: March 1, 2012
TITLE: How to Improve Sensory Processing to Improve Learning and Behavior
PRESENTER: Rae Suba, OTR/L
SUMMARY: Presentation regarding sensory processing and critical importance in helping all children focus, attend and reach their functional and academic potential. Included: insights, strategies and tips for supporting a child’s sensory processing.
MATERIALS: Facts and FAQ (PDF Format) AND Infant and Baby Activities (PDF Format) AND Toddler and Young Child Activities (PDF Format) AND Sensory Diet (PDF Format) AND Presentation in Spanish
DATE: March 7, 2012
TITLE: Declarative Language: How to Help Your Child Learn to Think and Converse Just by Talking!
PRESENTER: Nancy Schwartz, Ph.D., CCC/SLP
SUMMARY: Presentation of simple strategies to use in everyday life to enhance children’s communication and thinking skills.
DATE: March 21, 2012
TITLE: The Use of Visuals to Support Social, Academic, Behavioral and Executive Functioning across the Home and School Day
PRESENTER: Lynne Guilmette, M.Ed.
SUMMARY: Presentation of useful strategies for providing visual supports throughout the day, placing strong emphasis on the development of language and communication, relatedness, cognitive flexibility and social cognition in the context of functional real-life activities.
DATE: March 28, 2012
TITLE: Our Canaries: Why All the Asthma, ADHD and Autism?
PRESENTER: Nancy O’Hara, M.D., M.P.H.
SUMMARY: Discussion of factors influencing the increase in childhood diagnoses of asthma, autism and ADHD.
DATE: April 12, 2012
TITLE: DIR/Floortime – Part One: How to Use Play to Develop Your Child’s Social-Emotional Abilities
PRESENTER: Lorraine Ehlers-Flint, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Pressentation of the DIR/Floortime model, which uses play therapeutically to engage children of all ages and to develop their intentional communication, social problem solving, symbolic play and abstract thinking. Discussion of how to observe, analyze and build on a child’s play.
DATE: April 25, 2012
TITLE: DIR/Floortime – Part Two: Using DIR/Floortime Techniques and Strategies at Home and in School
PRESENTER: Lorraine Ehlers-Flint, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Discussion of integration of the DIR/Floortime modelthroughout a child’s day.
DATE: May 2, 2012
TITLE: The Language Literacy Connection: How Language Impacts Children’s Literacy
PRESENTER: Lydia Soifer, Ph.D.
SUMMARY: Explanaition of how the development of oral language relates to learning to read and write, and the clues that children’s speech provides to their learning difficulties. Discussion of how to address these issues, as well as the importance of finding appropriate evaluations and services.
MATERIALS: Language-Literacy (PDF Format)
Visit THE ARCHIVES for descriptions of previous Speaker Series presentations, as well as downloadable materials.