Michael Golds Memorial ADHD Conference 2008 Speaker Information

Keynote Speaker:  Yvonne Pennington, Ph.D.

Keynote Address:  “Raising Amazing Kids to Adulthood Even if One Has ADHD” 

Description:  Dr. Pennington’s son, Ty Pennington, is star on ABC’s hit show, “Extreme Makeover Home Edition”.  She has interviewed many friends and family who knew Ty, her and their family during their younger years.  She will share her struggles and successes, as well as, the views of others on what makes up good parenting.

Biography:  Dr. Yvonne Pennington is a child and adult psychologist, marriage and family therapist, registered play therapist and supervisor.  She is also a certified Sandplay Therapist, and Teaching Member of ISST.  Dr. Pennington has been in the mental health field for thirty-six years, and is frequently asked to present at local, state, regional, national and international conferences.  She has served on the Board of Learning Disabilities of North Atlanta, GA, and was former director of the ground-breaking Northside Child Development Institute at Northside Hospital, which specializes in ADHD and learning disabilities.  She is the author of the e-books:  School Survival Skills, Personal Best Club: A Social Skills Workbook and soon to be released Raising Amazing Kids: Parenting Successful Offspring, Even if One Has ADHD.  She has also authored a book and DVD with the title Pennington Positive Parenting.  This book is available online.  She is available at www.psychology.am.,   and www.yvpennington.com and www. ypsychology.com.

Session One:  “Unveiling the Underlying Issues of ADHD and What to Do About Them” 

Description:  Dr. Pennington will demonstrate how the underlying issues of ADHD effect children and adults.  She will demonstrate several interventions that can empower us to do something about each of them.

Featured Speaker:   J. Russell (“Russ”) Ramsay, Ph.D. is a licensed psychologist and Assistant Professor of Psychiatry in the Department of Psychiatry at the University of Pennsylvania School of Medicine.  In 1999 he co-founded and still serves as the Associate Director of Penn’s Adult ADHD Treatment and Research Program.

Session One:  “Adult ADHD 101:  Everything You Need to Know About Adult ADHD”

Description:  The purpose of this session is to provide a comprehensive overview of adult ADHD, including symptoms, assessment and treatment, for adults who suspect they may have ADHD or for individuals already diagnosed who are interested in treatment and coping options.

Session Two:  “Cognitive Behavior Therapy (CBT) for Adults with ADHD”

Description:  The purpose of this session is to provide and overview of CBT, a form of psychotherapy that has been modified to help adults with ADHD change their coping patterns and has been found to be an effective adjunct to medications.

Biography:  Dr. Ramsay has authored numerous professional articles and book chapters, and has lectured internationally on the principles of Cognitive Behavior Therapy and various issues related to adult ADHD.  He is co-author (with Dr. Anthony Rostain) of the book Cognitive Behavioral Therapy for Adult ADHD: An Integrative Psychosocial and Medical Approach (2008, Routledge) and he serves on the editorial board of the Journal of Attention Disorders and the Journal of Psychotherapy Integration.  He also serves on the Professional Advisory Boards of the Attention Deficit Disorder Association (ADDA) and the Bucks County, PA chapter of Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (CHADD).  Dr. Ramsay is currently working on a book that reviews the non-medication treatments available for adults with ADHD.

Speaker:  Terry Dickson, M.D.

Session One:  “Neurobiology of ADHD”

Description:  This session is intended primarily for professionals working in the field of ADHD and will cover a review of the basic neurobiology of ADHD.  He will discuss the basic neuroanatomy and neurophysiology of the parts of the brain linked to ADHD from a clinical and practical standpoint.  Visual aids will be used for the discussion of brain anatomy.  In addition he will discuss how brain imaging has helped to increase our knowledge of ADHD and will cover topics of current research in the neurobiology of ADHD such as genetic research.

Speaker:  Philip Parker, M.D.

Session One: “Medication Treatment for ADHD:  How the New Delivery Systems are Bringing Us Back to the Future.”

Description: Dr. Parker will discuss how the use of medication treatment of ADHD depends in large part on the characteristics of the delivery system being used and not just the specific molecule (drug) being delivered.  He will discuss specific medications that have been used in the past, present and those that will be used in the future.

Speaker:  Mary Roberts, M.D.

Session One:  “Diagnosis and Medication Issues in the Treatment of Complex ADHD”

Description:  Dr. Roberts will differentiate between simple and complex ADHD and discuss medication strategies for complex ADHD.

Speaker:  Anju Sawni, M.D.

Session One:  “Complementary and Alternative Interventions for ADHD”

Description:  Dr. Sawni will review the nature of and the evidence for the following classes of complementary and alternative medicine interventions for ADHD:  Biofeedback, meditation, hypnotherapy, homeopathy, massage, chiropractic, nutritional supplements, fatty acid supplementation, vitamins, and herbs.

Speaker:  Joel Young, M.D.

Session One:  “Comorbidities in Adult ADHD:  Depression, Anxiety, Fibromyalgia, and Fatigue”

Description:  Dr. Young will address the fact that 70% of adults diagnosed with ADHD have co-existing conditions.  He will highlight how these conditions are diagnosed, how they impact one’s life and their proper treatment approaches.

Speakers:  Isabelle Beaulieu, Ph.D., & Roger Lauer, Ph.D.

Session One:  “ADHD and Executive Functioning Problems in Students”

Description:  Drs. Beaulieu and Lauer will focus on demystifying what are executive functions and how problems with these skills can impact schoolwork and daily living.  They will provide practical suggestions and interventions on how to address these problems in both home and school settings.

Speakers:  Barbara Cherkinsky, M.A.,  Dawn Schulte, M.A.

Session One:  “Bridging the Learning Gap with Assistive Technology”

Description:  The speakers will demonstrate for teachers, tutors, parents and students the reading, writing and study skills’ features of Kurzweil software (text-to-speech) and how these can benefit learners who are challenged by ADHD and learning disabilities. 

Speaker:  Wilma Fellman, M.Ed., LPC

Session One:  “Ten Steps to Better Career Decisions, with ADHD”

Description:  This workshop is designed for individuals with ADHD, those who love them, or those who work with them.  This workshop will explore ten steps to better career decision-making, with all of the complexities of ADHD.

Speaker:  Thomas Koepke, Ph.D.

Session One:  “School District Responsibilities Regarding Students with ADHD”

Description: Dr. Koepke will discuss eligibility of students for help under IDEA and Section 504, how Section 504 differs from IDEA and what intervention plans might look like.

Speaker:  Geraldine Markel, Ph.D.

Session One:  “Tales of Triumph from the ADHD Trenches:  Adolescents Through Adulthood”

Description:  this presentation shares the successes experienced by adolescents and adults with ADHD in school/work/life situations. Employing systematic strategies helps those facing crisis, handling a new diagnosis, and dealing with challenges.  Discussion will include information on how common pitfalls can be avoided and breakthroughs realized as well as on the strengths those with ADHD draw on to deal with frustration and failure.  Dr. Markel will all present information on how parents, teachers, clinicians, physicians and coaches can help. 

Speaker:  Terry Matlen, ACSW.

Session One:  “Survival Tips for Women with ADHD”

Description:  In this safe, informal and interactive setting, women with ADHD will be offered the opportunity to connect with others to discuss lifelong challenges of living with ADHD including its affect on self-image and self-confidence.  The presenter and attendees will share tips and strategies on:  getting organized, time management, parenting, relationships, meal planning, school, work and more. 

Speaker:  Fran Parker, Ph.D.

Session One:  “Understanding the Facts of Your Life with ADHD in Preparing and Planning for College:  Developing Skills for this Next Phase of Life”

Description:  Dr. Parker will discuss how to prepare oneself for the independence required for college success and adulthood.  The importance and ways of developing self-management, time-management, self-regulation and self-advocacy skills will be covered.  She will also provide information on how to avoid academic dysfunction, the need for self acceptance and honesty, and how to access services through the disability services’ offices. 

Speaker:  Arthur L. Robin, Ph.D.

Session One:  “Your Defiant Teen”

Description:  Dr. Robin will explain how defiant behavior develops in teens with ADHD as a result of the teen’s temperament, adolescent development, the parents’ characteristics, environmental stresses, and parenting style.  He will also outlin a 10 step program for reducing defiant behavior which blends behavior modification with problem solving communication training.

Speaker:  Ellen G. Schaumberg, M.A.

Session One:  “Resource Rooms for Students with ADHD”

Description:  This talk will provide parents with knowledge of their child’s rights to educational help, how public school resource rooms are run, and how parents and resource room teachers can work together.  Ms. Schaumberg will also touch upon special education services in private schools. 

Speaker:  Orlando L. Villegas, Ph.D.

Session One:  “Assessing ADHD in Minority Groups”

Description:  Dr. Villegas will address the issues involved in the assessment of ADHD in members of minority groups.  Emphasis is placed on the similarities as well as on the differences in the manifested symptoms of a condition that is of neurobiological nature.  Appropriate tools for the assessment process of these symptoms will be discussed.