Workshop Information
Tracking
Tracking is a tool used to guide participants to the workshops that will be of the greatest interest and use to them. Raising the Bar will feature 3 tracks for workshop participants: Family, Education, and Health. Each track is designed to provide comprehensive information on a variety of topics that address the needs of a specific audience:
- FAMILY (FAM) These workshops target the unique needs of parents and caregivers. Topics include working with the school system, coping skills for parents, behavioral strategies to use at home, medicine use, substance abuse prevention, and cyber bullying. A Small Group Workshop will also be offered to provide parents the opportunity to speak with professionals in the field of ADHD evaluation and treatment.
- EDUCATION (EDU) The Education workshops are geared to teachers who work with students who have ADHD. Topics include classroom management and intervention strategies with students, working with parents, targeting passive learners, and the unique challenges of working with teens who have ADHD. A Small Group Workshop will also be offered to provide teachers with the opportunity to speak with professionals in the field of ADHD evaluation and treatment.
- HEALTH (HLH) These workshops are designed for professionals in the health field, both physical and mental health. Topics include ADHD interventions, the latest in research findings, medicine use, and transitioning students with ADHD from high school to college.
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Workshop Descriptions
Workshop One
- FAM: Raising Children with ADHD Download Presentation
Most behavioral intervention programs for children with ADHD incorporate similar skills to address the behavioral difficulties associated with inattention, hyperactivity, and impulsivity. These skills focus on improving the positive relationship between a parent and child while instilling consistent limit-setting and discipline strategies to decrease problematic behaviors. This presentation will address these key components of behavioral interventions and discuss their application not only for behaviors at home, but also their ability to be translated to school behaviors and academic success. This session will include parent intervention techniques and behavioral training components (positive reinforcement/time with child, differential attention, effective commands, discipline strategies/response cost); translating these skills to school behavior / parent advocacy, and time for discussion. Presented by Beth Garland Ph.D., Texas A&M University. - EDU: Strategies for Elementary School Classrooms Download Presentation
This workshop is for elementary school educators working with students with ADHD. The discussion will focus on information about classroom management techniques and one-to-one interventions that appear effective in improving academic and behavioral outcomes. The workshop will provide specific information and strategies that educators can feasibly use within the course of the regular school day. Presented by Brandon Schultz Ed.D., James Madison University. - HLH/EDU: Social Skills Interventions Download Presentation
Presented by Amori Yee Mikami, Ph.D., University of Virginia.
Some youth with ADHD have difficulty making or keeping friends and fail to cooperate with their classroom peers. Teachers, clinicians, and parents can struggle to change children's poor peer interactions, and sometimes treatments for ADHD symptoms or academic achievement do not carry over to improve peer relationships. This workshop will present research-grounded treatment strategies intended to specifically target social problems in this population. Strategies for elementary-school age children with ADHD will be emphasized, but potential ways to extend treatments for adolescent youth will also be discussed. - FAM: Small Group Discussion**
This is a small group session for parents to meet with Dr. Steven Evans (James Madison University) and Dr. Zewelanji Serpell (Virginia State University) to discuss topics related to the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. Participants should come with questions or topics that they wish to have addressed. The session leaders will provide information based on the scientific research as well as years of experience working with these youth. This will be an informal discussion and the group will be limited to 15 people. Call 540-568-6484 to request participation.
Workshop Two
- FAM: Raising Teens with ADHD Download Presentation
This workshop is for parents of teenagers with ADHD and will include information about managing parent-child conflict; being a wise consumer of mental health, education, and medical services for your son or daughter; addressing problems at school; and maintaining a positive relationship with your child. Strategies for addressing drug and alcohol use, driving, and delinquent behavior will be shared. The workshop will also include information about steps parents can take to keep themselves healthy and cope with the stress of parenting teenagers with ADHD. Presented by Steven Evans Ph.D., James Madison University. - EDU: Strategies for Secondary School Classrooms Download Presentation
This workshop will be co-led by a developmental psychologist and an educator currently serving as a skills coach for high school students with ADHD. Presenters will describe a newly developed school-based coaching model of treatment that targets organizational, study, and interpersonal skills. The presentation will highlight the unique characteristics of adolescence and associated difficulties, and demonstrate how these new interventions address these challenges and prepare adolescents to be wise consumers and manage adult life with ADHD. Our initial experiences with implementing the interventions will also be discussed. Presented by Zewelanji Serpell, Ph.D., Virginia State University and Karen Swette-Husain, James Madison University & Spotswood High School. - EDU: Helping Students Become Active Learners Download Presentation
This workshop is for teachers of secondary school students with passive approaches to learning, as is often seen among students with ADHD. The workshop will include specific strategies for helping students process class material more effectively, study more efficiently, and comprehend abstract reading materials independently. The focus of the presentation will be to apply theories to the classroom environment, and will be presented by university researcher Brandon Schultz Ed.D., James Madison University and High School English teacher Jason O’Shell, Page County High School. - HLH: Medication Treatment for ADHD Download Presentation
Presented by a physician that specializes in treating youth with ADHD, Frank Gearing M.D. will discuss the latest medical interventions and his years of experience treating youth with ADHD. This workshop will explain how and why medical treatment can be used effectively with ADHD treatment. Dr. Gearing will also discuss his experience with the current medication used for treatment and answer questions from conference participants. - FAM: Social Skills Intervention Download Presentation
Presented by Amori Yee Mikami, Ph.D., University of Virginia and by Beth Garland, Ph.D., Texas A&M University.
Some youth with ADHD have difficulty making or keeping friends and fail to cooperate with their classroom peers. Teachers, clinicians, and parents can struggle to change children's poor peer interactions, and sometimes treatments for ADHD symptoms or academic achievement do not carry over to improve peer relationships. This workshop will present research-grounded treatment strategies intended to specifically target social problems in this population. Strategies for elementary-school age children with ADHD will be emphasized, but potential ways to extend treatments for adolescent youth will also be discussed. Also included in this workshop is information regarding cyber-bullying, which has emerged as a recent, negative trend for some teenagers. With the increased access to ever-improving technology (e.g., computers, cell phones, internet communications), teens are at a higher risk of being targeted for hostile or threatening messages or situations. Parental awareness and involvement, which will be addressed in this brief talk, are important keys to decreasing the potential, negative effects of cyber-bullying.
Workshop 3
- FAM: Medication Treatment for ADHD Download Presentation
Presented by a physician who specializes in treating youth with ADHD, Frank Gearing M.D. will discuss the latest medical interventions and his years of experience treating youth with ADHD. This workshop will explain how and why medical treatment can be used effectively with ADHD treatment. Dr. Gearing will also discuss his experience with the current medication used for treatment and answer questions from conference participants. - EDU: Strategies for Elementary School Classrooms Download Presentation
This workshop is for elementary school educators working with students with ADHD. The discussion will focus on information about classroom management techniques and one-to-one interventions that appear effective in improving academic and behavioral outcomes. The workshop will provide specific information and strategies that educators can feasibly use within the course of the regular school day. Presented by Brandon Schultz Ed.D. James Madison University. - EDU: Strategies for Secondary School Classrooms Download Presentation
This workshop will be co-led by a developmental psychologist and an educator currently serving as a skills coach for high school students with ADHD. Presenters will describe a newly developed school-based coaching model of treatment that targets organizational, study and interpersonal skills. The presentation will highlight the unique characteristics of adolescence and associated difficulties, and demonstrate how these new interventions address these challenges and prepare adolescents to be wise consumers and manage adult life with ADHD. Our initial experiences with implementing the interventions will also be discussed. Presented by Zewelanji Serpell, Ph.D., Virginia State University and Karen Swette-Husain, James Madison University & Spotswood High School. - HLH/All: College Transitions Download Presentation
This workshop is for families, educators, and clinicians who are helping adolescents with emotional and behavioral difficulties make the transition into college. Students with disabilities are attending college at a higher rate than ever before, and the early transition phase from secondary school to college is a vital component for success. The session leader will provide an overview of the difficulties commonly experienced by students with disabilities in the college environment, as well as practical recommendations to ease college transition stress and to find appropriate assistance on college campus. This workshop will be presented Debbie Thurneck, Psy.D., a former public school counselor who received her doctorate at James Madison University and is now a university-based therapist with experience in the college counseling centers of West Virginia University and Virginia Tech University. - EDU: Small Group Discussion**
This is a small group session for teachers to meet with Dr. Steven Evans (James Madison University) to discuss topics related to the evaluation and treatment of ADHD. Participants should come with questions or topics that they wish to have addressed. The session leaders will provide information based on the scientific research as well as years of experience working with these youth. This will be an informal discussion and the group will be limited to 15 people. Call 540-568-6484 to request participation.