Many students with attention deficit disorder and executive function disabilities are not diagnosed until adolescence. Does the biochemistry of the adolescent brain contribute to the plethora of symptoms associated with these disorders? Does the amount of technology and screen time exacerbate the manifestations of these disabilities in adolescents? Using current research and anecdotal evidence, this presentation will focus on these questions and will provide treatment options in classrooms and educational therapy sessions.
Participants will be able to: identify and differentiate various forms of executive functions; explain how attention deficit disorder manifests itself in adolescence; describe the role of the adolescent brain in executive function and attention deficit disorders; and apply strategies for remediation of attention deficit disorders and executive function challenges.If you find yourself telling your students that English is crazy, and they just have to memorize the spelling of words, then this session is for you. Learn why there is a “g” in sign and how morphology, etymology, and phonology all work together to make perfect sense of words like “two” or “their” and so many more! This presentation will set you on a journey of understanding the English writing system from a linguist's point of view. In addition, the presenters will demonstrate how to use web resources to investigate the most common sight words and provide instructions to facilitate the analysis.
Participants will be able to: describe the underpinnings of English orthography as representative of more than just phonology; explain the importance of using graphemes in teaching; use word sums and matrices to help students see the underlying structure of a word; investigate the etymology of a word in order to explain and teach its current spelling; and explain why most “sight words” are not really sight words at all.Today, many children lack the necessary executive function skills needed to be successful in and out of the classroom. Learn about executive function issues and leave with both low-tech and high-tech interventions and resources that lead to the development of these skills for K-12 students of ALL abilities in any authentic educational setting.
Participants will be able to: define and describe the various executive functions; explain how executive function issues impact learning; and identify low-tech and high-tech intervention resources for executive function weakness.PATH neuro-training via computer interaction uses a unique, patented paradigm that engages the user in visual discrimination and movement training exercises that support development of cognitive pathways to address reading, attention, and working memory challenges. Learn the neuroscience behind the visual processing and attention-activating neuro-pathways that, in controlled-validation studies, have been found to improve the speed and sensitivity of figure-ground movement discrimination. These improvements can remediate visual timing deficits in the visual dorsal stream. Through several case examples, Dr. Lawton will illustrate how the neuroscience behind changing cognitive networks can support improvement in processing speed and reading fluency, as well as the executive control functions of attention and working memory. Her research compares both dyslexic and typically-developing readers who have had PATH neuro-training with those who have had no neuro-training using the PATH to Reading computer-based program.
Participants will be able to: describe the neuroscience behind the cognitive circuitry involved in developing the attention network; explain how visual pathways in the brain develop and can impact reading fluency and working memory; discuss how neuro-training can improve reading, attention, and working memory in children and adults with cognitive impairment; and analyze the effectiveness of new methods that work to improve cognitive skills.
*During the poster sessions on Saturday, Dr. Lawton will be available to demonstrate the PATH technology.
This presentation will discuss how assistive technology can support college planning. Participants will learn about tools and techniques that help identify personality and temperament, explore careers, construct resumes, keep track of testing and application schedules, interpret descriptions in virtual college tours, and guide the completion of college applications, including essay composition.
Participants will be able to: identify specific AT tools needed to complete the tasks associated with college admissions; integrate technology into complex and novel projects, such as the college application; and justify the use of AT tools to assist in time management.Reading brings great rewards for some, but for others it is a painstaking activity. With the right tools, even those who loathe reading can become avid readers, first by learning to read effectively, then reading to learn, and soon becoming lifelong learners. Equipped with stronger literacy skills, these individuals can actively pursue the educational and career advancement opportunities that await them. Learn how assistive reading technologies remove barriers by helping people with various learning differences to read in ways that work for them.
This presentation will focus exclusively on Bookshare assistive reading technologies and will not include information on other similar or related assistive reading technologies.
Participants will be able to: describe how to access and use a variety of assistive reading technologies for people with learning differences; explain the unique characteristics of these technologies and the types of learners who will benefit from each one; and explain the benefits of Bookshare, a key source of accessible ebooks for people who experience reading barriers.
Online learning has the potential to reduce social anxieties associated with the learning environment, develop skills needed in the 21st century and improve executive functioning. This presentation will explore the various learning differences most commonly experienced by educational therapists and their associated treatment recommendations given by neuropsychologists through the lens of online teaching. Our discussion will focus on how today’s assistive technologies empower students with dyslexia, dyscalculia, ADHD, and auditory or visual processing issues.
Participants will be able to: describe the benefits of technology-based learning; explain how today’s assistive technology empowers populations who learn differently; apply different aspects of educational technologies in the context of individualized learning programs to improve various learning skills and reduce anxieties; analyze the effectiveness of novel methodologies for online education; and explain why online learning is highly beneficial in helping students with learning differences and warrants further use in educational therapy.
Educational therapists periodically encounter practice dilemmas that must be handled ethically and effectively. Have you ever struggled to resolve a disagreement with a parent, teacher, or allied professional? Do you find it difficult to manage boundaries when faced with a parent who demands excessive time and drains your emotional energy? What useful information might you learn by analyzing your feelings about that parent? Who can you consult for advice and support? Business practices can also present ethical dilemmas. Is it difficult for you to set fees or discuss fee collection with clients? How do you represent yourself professionally on your business cards, website, or brochures?
A panel of Board Certified Educational Therapists moderated by Risa Graff, MA, BCET, FAET, will discuss ethical issues that often arise in the practice of educational therapy. The panel will offer anecdotes from private practice and settings such as schools, clinics and learning centers. The presentation will include ample time for questions and discussion of specific case examples from the audience.
Participants will be able to: generate solutions when there are disagreements between educational therapists and other professionals or parents; decide when professional consultation is needed in order to understand and maintain boundaries that promote healthy relationships with difficult parents; and identify areas of business practice that often present us with practical and/or ethical dilemmas.
AET promotes the gold standard of excellence in educational therapy practices. Our certification workshop with Ann Kaganoff, PhD, BCET, FAET, and Marion Marshall, MS, BCET, FAET, was videotaped during the 2014 conference and has been edited into four modules:
Part 1: Getting Started - The Five Elements of the Case Study @ 8:30 am
Part 2: Presenting Problem @ 9:30 am
Part 3: Formal & Informal Assessment @ 10:30 am
Part 4: Academic & Non-academic Interventions and Closing Remarks @ 11:15 am
Educational therapists are faced with a world of students who appear to have become “screen zombies,” practically addicted to their electronic devices. Neurologically, when a child is successfully engaged with these activities, a pleasure response in their brain lights up, increasing the child’s motivation and attention to similar activities. Whether you work in a school or private practice, ETs can leverage technology to support student success. This session will discuss the ways in which the integration of technological tools in treatment sessions can produce breakthroughs in literacy, academic achievement, executive functioning, motivation, and emotional well-being for those we serve.
Participants will be able to: explain how a client’s motivation, attention, organization, and academic, and social/emotional skills are enhanced by integrating technology tools into ET sessions; utilize a framework for the development of personalized strategies that integrate technology into regular sessions; identify appropriate technological tools and apply them with students who demonstrate learning, developmental, social/emotional, behavioral, and/or cognitive difficulties.