Speaker BiosConference Speakers:  PAUL B. YELLIN, MD, FAAP
Keynote Speaker
Associate Professor of Pediatrics, NYU School of Medicine
Director, The Yellin Center for Student Success
Former National Director of the student Success Program at the All Kinds of Minds Institute®
Dr. Yellin brings a unique perspective to the field of learning differences and NLD. Not only has he spent the past five years directing a national program that has cared for more than 4,000 children from all over the world with learning differences, he is also the father of an 18 year old who was diagnosed with NLD more than 10 years ago. Sharing a neurodevelopmental approach based on his work with Dr. Mel Levine at the All Kinds of Minds Institute®. Dr. Yellin will provide a framework for better understanding our children and helping them find success in school and beyond. Presentation:
Managing NLD-Perspectives of a Pediatrician and Parent Vist the Yellin Center Website
 JONATHAN MOONEY
Featured Speaker
Author of "The Short Bus"
Presentation:
We're Not Broken: Empowering Labeled Students "We're Not Broken" is a powerful presentation that supports parents in celebrating the strengths, gifts and talents of their exceptional child.
Research shows that self-esteem is essential to students' success. However our culture, schools, and medical community conceptualize people with disabilities as inherently broken and medically defective. To empower students with disabilities, parents can understand disability as a social construct, not a medical condition. In this presentation, Jonathan tells parents what's right about their children and instills ideas to change social perceptions. He coaches parents to help teachers and school administrators realize their labeled students' assets. Jonathan outlines a four-step strategy that all parents can implement to radically change their child's educational experience. He helps parents build students' resiliency, meta-cognition, leadership skills, and self-advocacy. He also explains how asset-based approaches fit into IEP settings, school-to-work transitions, and in building partnerships with schools and other institutions. "Once labeled "severely learning disabled" Jonathan journeys across America to find others who have used humor, imagination, and resiliency to create satisfying lives beyond "normal."
 DENNIS DEBBAUDT
Author, Video Producer and Law enforcement trainer.
Presentation:
Internationally known speaker and author on law enforcement and people with neuropsychological disorders.
For the past 16 years, Dennis Debbaudt, an >investigator, author and training video producer, has developed autism and related disabilities training materials for law enforcement, first response and criminal justice professionals throughout the United States, Canada and United Kingdom, including the Department of Homeland Security, Pennsylvania State Police and Chicago Police Department. Dennis has also reported about safety and risk issues for persons with high functioning autism, Asperger Syndrome and related conditions. Dennis is inspired by his son, Brad, a young man who has autism. More information at :
http://www.autismriskmanagement.com
 PETER FLOM, Ph.D.
Bnquet Speaker
Presentation:
"How to BE With NLD" Peter L. Flom, Ph.D. is an adult with NLD. At the age of 5, his parents were told he would never attend college . Instead of accepting this, his mother started the Gateway School. Peter graduated college at age 20 and now has a MA in special education, and a PhD in psychometrics. He works as a statistician at Brainscope, Inc., and also at National Development and Research Institutes, Inc., in New York City, in addition he is an independent consultant. Peter is married, and is the father of two boys. In this talk Peter will share his perspective on living a life while having NLD, as a child, teenager and adult. He will discuss some of the issues facing adults in the worlds of work and parenthood and the ways in which he has successfully developed coping strategies. Peter will also share things he has learned over the course of his life about being abled and disabled and things he wishes he had known earlier. Finally he will give a list of things not to say to people who are learning disabled (or their parents), and tell you why he thinks euphemisms are for the differently brained. Download Bio
 Dr. LEONARD J PRESS, OD, FCOVD, FAAO
OPTOMETRIC PHYSICIAN
Presentation:
Vision Therapy for NLD Persons with NLD have relative strengths in verbal performance but relative weakness in visual spatial and other visual perceptual domains. This presentation reviews critical areas of visual efficiency and visual processing. A diagnostic model and the approach to treatment will be presented. Speaker Bio Related Sites:
 DAVID MARTIN, Ph.D
Presentation:
Instrumental Enrichment thinking-strategies program. The session will provide a theoretical background and examples of thinking-strategy activities from the program, Instrumental Enrichment, developed by Reuven Feuerstein in Israel. The effects of the program on special-needs learners and ways of implementing the program in both school and home will also be described. Speaker Bio
 STEPHEN DRAKE,
Research Analyst, Policy Analyst and Organizer
Presentation:
"No one told me I shouldn't be able to do this."
Stephen Drake is a researcher, policy analyst and organizer. He'll share his journey of awareness and development of successful strategies -- a journey in which his struggles with "deficits" have turned out to be as important in helping him in his work as his strengths. Stephen made his own self-diagnosis as a grad student in Special Education. Since 1998, he's worked as a disability activist, engaged in public debate, organizing protests, analyzing public policy and other duties related to his position as a research analyst for a national disability rights group. He's found that his obvious strengths help him immensely on the job, but so do some areas that started out "deficits" common in folks with NLD. Stephen will share some of his journey, his own self-evolved coping strategies, and some of his own interpretation of what some of the "core" issues are in terms of NLD in his own life, which are a little different than what is reflected in NLD literature. Download Bio
SUSAN KONIAK, Esq.
Professor at Boston University School of Law
and the founder and President of Sarah's Place. Presentation:
Navigating on the Moon The world is constructed and run by people without NLD-like brains. For the rest of us, managing in that world is like navigating on the moon. It can be done. And this talk will present strategies that the astronaut and the support team (back at Houston, mission control) can adopt to facilitate not just walking on the moon, but leaping and running-not just "getting by" but triumphing over. Susan, a graduate of Yale Law School, an accomplished author and a professor of law herself, has severe cognitive deficits in all the typical NLD domains. She will share just how she found what she calls, "the other way round" to succeed in a world that was made for and by so-called normal folks. How she learned to define herself into taking other people's definitions and how she came to glory in her differences. Speaker Bio
 DAN HERLIHY, BS, MS
A/T Support Specialist, Connective Technology Solutions, Inc.
Presentation:
NOW I SEE IT!
Using Technology for Clarification and Support in the Classroom. This session will address using technology to address the academic and communication needs of students with a Nonverbal Learning Disorder. From using organizational tools like Inspiration 8 that allow for movies, audio and images, to underutilized functions found in common tools like Microsoft Word, learn how these tools can be used by both student and educators. Teachers can clarify information, provide a structure allowing for constant feedback or embedded prompts in writing activities. Students are provided with multiple means for expression and communication of knowledge learned, ongoing feedback in problem solving activities, tools for organization and comprehension. Software programs demonstrated will include Inspiration, IntelliTools Classroom, Kurzweil 3000, Clicker 5, Microsoft Word and other programs as well as utilizing digital cameras and other related resources with them. Download Bio
 AMY TECOSKY-FELDMAN,Ed. D
Presentation:
An Introduction to Interactive Metronome Training:
Improve motor planning & sequencing, coordination, and attention. Interactive Metronome® is a "processing" intervention that improves motor timing and can have positive effects on a range of cognitive processes. This presentation will provide you with a basic understanding of Interactive Metronome®: the equipment, exercises and a demonstration of the training. A brief review of the research and theory will be presented with an exploration of the potential benefits of Interactive Metronome® training for individuals with NLD. Download Bio
 SONIA ORENSTEIN, Ph.D
Presentation:
MANAGING HOME LIFE AND SCHOOL LIFE WITH AN NLD CHILD
AND HOW TO BRIDGE THE TWO
This session will begin with a decompressing of the conference so far. Parents will be given an opportunity to share thoughts and feelings about the experience of taking in lots of material in a concentrated amount of time. This will be connected to how we might imagine our NLD children feel in school all day long, bombarded by words and images that are difficult to absorb. Current science tells us that reflecting on experience is important for brain development and a sense of well-being. By taking the time to reflect on our experience, we will be modeling a function that is vital to parenting an NLD child. The session will be divided into three parts: (1) challenges of everyday home life with an NLD child; (2) challenges of advocating for the NLD child in the outside world, including school and with extended family or friends; and (3) bridging home life and outside life, including key factors in maintaining a balanced perspective on life with an NLD child. Download Bio & Complete Presentation Description
 JANINE STANDISH, M.A., Ed.S, LPC
Presentation:
Preparing Teens with NLD and Related Disorders for the Challenges of Young Adulthood This workshop will examine the various tasks that modern adolescents face as they move toward young adulthood. The following challenges will be explored - independent living, interpersonal relationships, transitioning to higher education/the work force, and driving, as they relate to the adolescent with NLD. Bio: Janine Standish, M.A., Ed.S., LPC received her undergraduate degree from Rutgers University and obtained her M.A. in Psychological Studies and an Ed.S. in Marriage and Family Therapy from Seton Hall University. Ms. Standish has been at the forefront of integrating family therapy skills with an expertise in understanding and treating NLD and related disorders. She is the clinical supervisor of the Asperger's Related Services Department at West Bergen Mental Healthcare (Ridgewood, NJ) and the Center for Children & Youth (Ramsey, NJ) and a licensed professional counselor in the state of New Jersey.
 | McManmon |  | Milenski |
MICHAEL MCMANMON, Ed.D
PAUL MILENSKI, Ed.D
Presentation:
The College Intership Program
A College Curriculum for Students with Non-Verbal Learning Differences.
The session McManmon and Milenski will give an overview of a comprehensive pro-social curriculum for college students on the spectrum. It will include classes and individual sessions covering unique modules in reframing theory of mind, sensory integration, hidden curriculum and executive functioning. Other creative processes will be discussed such as; utilization of social mentors, self-disclosure and self-advocacy. The role of supplementary therapies such as; hyperbaric oxygen therapy, neuro-feedback and auditory integration therapy will also be explained. Bio McManmon Bio Milenski
 MICHELE NOVOTNI, Ph.D
Author
Presentation: "What does everybody else know that I don't" Its frustrating to know you are making social mistakes and yet know know what you are doing wrong. And more important not know what you are "supposed" to do. If you or someone you know is struggling and want to improve you social interaction, don't miss this presentation. Download Bio Related Websites:
ALLEN KROPP
Deputy Chief Attorney, Office for Civil Rights
Presentation:
Transition Plans and the Law
IDEA/504 Students and the Transition to College
The presentation focuses on the procedural requirements facing students, parents and staff under IDEA, Section 504 and Title II. We will address the issue of students with disabilities arriving on college campus believing that they will automatically receive the same services in college as they received in high school. Links of Websites Relevant to the U.S. Department of Education, Office for Civil Rights Speaker Bio
 MARCIA ECKERD, PhD
Presentation:
"How do I know if a child has NLD,
what are all those tests, and what next?" This workshop will explain the process of evaluating a child for NLD and creating an action plan for follow up. The goal is to de-mystify the testing process and results, and discuss what this tells you about how a child processes his or her world, and how this impacts life at home and needs in school. Tests that are most helpful (and may not be in your report) will be mentioned. We will also explain how we turn test results into practical recommendations, and the pitfalls to expect at different grade levels. Download Bio
 SHERRY NEWBERRY
Co Author of Nonverbal Learning Disabilities:
A Guide to School Success-Middle/High School Sherry Newberry shares her experience as a professional who works with students with NLD in a variety of settings. Whether it is how to best present a writing assignment or how to ask a classmate to a dance, she has come to appreciate these students as creative, informed and personable. Rather than focusing on the limitations of this disability, Sherry Newberry believes that with a quality comprehensive evaluation, a well-informed team, appropriate approaches, and the input of the student, academic and social success can be achieved. Putting theory into practice for students with NLD:
Teaching strategies used in every day instruction As an educator, I learned that I needed to change my entire orientation to the specialized instruction of the students with NLD. Rather that employing an open ended approach, structure, to a level I had never attempted with middle and high school students, was necessary. Often, I would feel abrupt, direct and almost cold in my interactions with these students. What I found was that my clear, direct and very specific style helped. Students responded to this predictable approach. They knew my expectations and understood that we shared a goal of academic success. It was truly a negotiated process between my students and I that built my understanding of nonverbal learning disabilities. The knowledge that I gained outside of the classroom laid the path for further development of skills. The daily interactions I had with my students, however, gave me the constant feedback, positive and negative, to tell me if I was going in the right direction. It felt like a resource room game of Marco Polo. Best practice as an educator is to respond to the feedback of our students to develop lessons and teaching style. This was the truest of words for my work with students with NLD. In all my years of teaching, I never more needed my student's faith and commitment to learning to believe that we could succeed. In many ways, we met this goal. This presentation focuses on the lessons that I have learned from my students combined with the theoretical practice of my professional training. The goal is to provide parents and educators with a framework for working with students with NLD. Shifting the teaching style is one step. The other is to know that best practice with students with NLD, not only benefits these students, but also other children in the classroom. Download Bio
JOAN TOGLIA, MA, Ph.D., OTR A Framework for Addressing Visual Spatial Abilities and Executive Functions in NLD This session will focus on understanding and addressing the visual spatial and cognitive aspects of NLD. The inter-relationships between working memory, visual spatial abilities, visual thinking and executive functions (flexibility, organization, planning) will be discussed and different approaches to intervention will be reviewed. An integrated treatment framework that emphasizes strategy and metacognitive training across a wide range of activities and contexts will be presented with specific applications to visual spatial activities, mental imagery, and executive functions. Methods of addressing the issue of transfer and generalization across contexts to influence both academics and everyday life activities will be discussed. Speaker Bio | 
