SPEAKER SERIES
2014-2015

All events are free and open to the public. 

 
DATE: September 15, 2014
TITLE: Starting the New School Year off on the Right Foot
PRESENTER: Amy Vatner, Esq.
SUMMARY: Guidance for parents of children receiving services under an IEP or a Section 504 Plan, as well as for parents whose children may be eligible for services.
MATERIALS: Parent Strategies (PPT Format)

DATE: October 16, 2014
TITLE: Parents as Leaders: Supporting Your Child with a Learning Disability
SUMMARY: Interactive workshop provided parents and caregivers of children with learning disabilities with skills, ideas, and strategies to support the success of their child at home and in school. Participants learned what a child is communicating via specific behaviors, as well as techniques for reducing stress, improving communication skills, and how to advocate effectively for children with LD.

DATE: November 18, 2014
TITLE: Neuron-Do® – Integrating Physical Movements with Learning
PRESENTER: Dr. Douglas DeMassa
SUMMARY: Interactive workshop provided parents and caregivers of children with learning disabilities with skills, ideas, and strategies to support the success of their child at home and in school. Participants learned what a child is communicating via specific behaviors, as well as techniques for reducing stress, improving communication skills, and how to advocate effectively for children with LD.

DATE: December 1, 2014
TITLE: Introduction to Eating Issues: Getting Your Child on Track to Be a Better Eater
PRESENTER: Todd Kellogg, LMFT, BCBA
SUMMARY: Parents received strategies for addressing — and conquering — a child’s eating-related issues.
MATERIALS: Presentation Overview ; Strategy #1 ; Strategy #2 ; Strategy #3
(Each file is in PDF Format.)

DATE: December 8, 2014
TITLE: Executive Function and Working Memory: A Primer for Parents
PRESENTER: Lydia Soifer, Ph.D
SUMMARY: Presentation to parents, in readily understandable terms, of the complex topics of executive functions and working memory — crucial aspects of a child’s ability to be successful in school. Also provided were ways to apply this important information to everyday tasks.

DATE: February 10, 2015
TITLE: Sensory Diet: Chicken Soup for the Mind and Body
PRESENTER: Rae Suba. OTR/L
SUMMARY: Presentation included discussion of the primary sensory systems, ways to support their growth and development, and strategies for use with children.

DATE: March 10, 2015
TITLE: Sugar and Spice and Some Things Not-So-Nice: The Sometimes Confounding Make-Up of Girls with LD
PRESENTER: David Sylvestro, CSP and Hallie Buckingham, EdD
SUMMARY: Overview of successful strategies for helping pre- and adolescent girls with learning disabilities to develop self-esteem, to maintain more satisfying interpersonal relationships and to practice better self-advocacy skills.
MATERIALS: Presentation Overview ; Characteristics ; Relational Aggression
(Each file is in PDF Format.)

DATE: April 27, 2015
TITLE: Assistive Technology and the IEP
PRESENTER: Shelley Lacey-Castelot, M.S., ATACP
SUMMARY: Discussion of a variety of topics related to how Assistive Technology (AT) can be used to improve the learning of students with special needs.  Addressed questions that many parents have about AT such as: What is AT? When is it needed? What does it do? Why use AT? What does it accomplish? AT or instruction? Or both? Where is AT listed in the IEP?
MATERIALS: Presentation Overview ; AT Mandates ; AT Policy and Practice Quiz
(Each file is in PDF Format.)

Visit THE ARCHIVES for descriptions of previous Speaker Series presentations, as well as downloadable materials.