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Individual Differences
in Learning Association, Inc.


 

NEXT MEETING: Monday, February 8, 2010

TIME: Doors open 7pm; presentation from 7:30pm � 9:00pm
LOCATION: Linden-Linthicum United Methodist Church
12101 Linden Linthicum Lane, Clarksville, MD 21029

IDL presents:

What Brain Research Tells Us About Motivating Children and Adolescents


with

Dr. William Stixrud

of Stixrud Educational Services


Motivation, which is controlled by a complex brain system, creates and guides goal-directed behavior.  For many bright children with learning differences, initiating and sustaining motivation poses a special challenge and can contribute to underacheivement in school, as well as failure to complete daily responsibilities.  Dr. Stixrud will summarize some research on motivation that has informed his thinking about practical strategies to foster motivation at home and at school.


Dr. William R. Stixrud is a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice as a neuropsychologist since 1985. He specializes in the evaluation of children, adolescents, and adults with various types of learning disabilities, AD/HD, and social/emotional difficulties.   Dr. Stixrud also teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including, but not limited to, the effects of stress on the brain, homework and appropriate workloads for school-aged children, self-esteem, and brain development.  Prior to entering private practice, Dr. Stixrud served as a staff neuropsychologist at the Children's National Medical Center and the Georgetown University Medical School.  He currently is a member of the Clinical Supervisory Faculty at Children's Hospital and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center.  Dr. Stixrud also holds an appointment on the Clinical Faculty of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Educational Psychology, interned at the Children�s Hospital of Boston through Harvard University, and completed his post-doctorate work at Tufts University.  He currently lives in Silver Spring with his wife and dog.


 

Monday, February 8, 2010, 7:30 pm, Linden Linthicum Church, Clarksville, MD

Come for a meet and greet at 7pm!!


Please join us! RSVP to info@gifteddifferentlearners.org



  • We always invite you to renew your membership for the school year at any time or join us as a new member with your $25.00 tax deductible contribution to IDL.

    Non-members, we ask you to bring a $5.00 donation

  • Please join us !!

    PLEASE RSVP with us at info@gifteddifferentlearners.org


    Linden-Linthicum church is located in Clarksville on Route 108, directly next to the River Hill Village Center.

 

 

CALENDAR: 2009-2010 School Year

(Note: some sessions are subject to change, IDL does not 'endorse' any speaker but provides information and local resources for parents) 

Wednesday, September 3rd, 2009

Laurie Dietzel, Ph.D. at Centennial High School

Laurie Dietzel is co-author of "Late Lost and Unprepared.." a book written with Dr. Joyce Cooper-Kahn that helps parents and their children with a variety of executive function disorders tap into their potential by dealing with how to 'prepare' and organize.

Monday, September 14, 2009

Introduction to IDL and UDL: Overview and new Directions plus--Meet and Greet  (from 7-7:30)

IDL President, Katharina Boser, Ph.D.

September is always a difficult month to meet with back to school nights. We look forward to seeing those of you who don't have a conflict. As usual, we will have resources available and will spend some time on questions/concerns.We will introduce new members to the main mission and goals of the group and bring books and web resources for viewing and learning. We also will discuss new ideas and directions for children who are 2e in Howard County (LD/ADHD committee etc.) and beyond (UDL advocacy) and the upcoming Conference, "Diamonds in the Rough".

This first meeting will not only reinforce and provide and overview of  'best practices' for children who are twice exceptional but highlight and explain some relatively new concepts in the field such as UDL. Presented by IDL president, Katharina Boser

Lots to learn and to catch up on!-

We will also provide details about the upcoming events and speakers this year.

 


Monday, October 12, 2009

Daniel Eisner, OT Living Logically

TOPIC: How to Coach Yourself and Your Children through any Challenge

"Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day.  Teach him how to fish and you feed him for a lifetime.�

Here are just a few things you will learn�

How to manage (and teach others) stress in real time.

How to improve the quality of "homework time."

How to find your own solution is the midst of any challenge..

How to communicate in the most effective way possible to achieve immediate results.

How to consistently make decisions with clarity and confidence.

Dan Eisner is a Certified Life Coach and an Occupational Therapist with over twelve years experience. After working solely as an OT for 9 years, Dan came to the realization that he could most effectively influence the lives of the people he serves by incorporating a deeper level of involvement through improved Emotional Intelligence (EQ) and in helping his clients to develop their own EQ. The positive response that he received both personally and professionally led him down the path of Life Coaching.

Monday, November 9, 2009:

Chris Bugaj Loudon County, VA Technology integration specialist

 

TOPIC: Eight is Enough: Ways to use what you've got

 

Strategies to help a student achieve can be found all around us in the many tools that we already have available.  Implementing a tool that is already available is usually less restrictive, more effective and efficient for students than imposing something new. Together we will explore eight applications using technology that is probably already available (or can easily be made available) to students in their educational (and home) environments to address reading and writing.  Bringing your own laptop is welcomed but won�t be a necessity, as the audience will be active participants in the experience.


Christopher R. Bugaj, MA CCC-SLP earned his Bachelor of Science in Education at the State University of New York at Fredonia and earned his Masters of Arts in Speech Pathology at Kent State University.Chris is the host of the A.T.TIPScast, an award-winning podcast on the implementation of assistive technology in public schools as well as the co-author of The Practical (and fun) Guide to Assistive Technology in Public Schools being published by the International Society for Technology in Education in February of 2010. Chris is an active member of the American Speech- Language-Hearing Association and an adjunct professor at George Mason University. He currently works as an assistive technology trainer for Loudoun County Public Schools in Northern Virginia and lives in Harpers Ferry, West Virginia with his wife and two children.


 

Monday, December 14, 2009:  

Fran Bowman Bowman Educational Services

TOPIC: Preparing your Different Learner for College

Fran Bowman has been in the field of special education for 34 years and is author of a guidebook that specializes in teaching reading to dyslexic students. She is part of the graduate education faculty at Goucher College and is helping to launch a new program for students with dyslexia and executive function. Her presentation will focus on the kinds of testing and application issues, schools, technological preparation and time tables for completion that need to be considered to maximize success. She will discuss differences between colleges for LD students and regular colleges with embedded services.  Parents will learn about college counseling services available through the public and private schools. Ms. Bowman will also highlight how to best handle college visits.  This presentation will be of great interest to parents of children who are in middle school and high school.


Monday, January  11,  2010

Joe Potesky MV Financial Group, Bethesda MD

TOPIC: Health Insurance issues for your 2e child

Joe is director of Employee Benefits with MV Financial Group in Bethesda, MD.  He has been in the financial services industry for 20 years with experience with individual planning and group benefits.  He has clients nationally who he has advised in the procurement of the health insurance both for businesses and individuals.  One of his engagements is a national physician placement firm with self-employed professionals all over the country that need to address personal health insurance.  As the proud parent of three children with IEPs, Joe has a huge amount of personal experience with trials and tribulations that people face when getting their health insurance needs met.

 

He will focus this presentation on the following topics:

  •  Healthcare Laws
  • Coverage Options

  • Getting Claims Paid

  • Financing Strategies

 
Joe is a cum laude undergraduate in Finance and an MBA from the University of Maryland, College Park.  In addition, he has his JD from the University of Maryland School of Law in Baltimore, MD.  Joe's professional designations include a Chartered Life Underwriters (CLU) and a Chartered Financial Consultant (ChFC).

 

Monday, February 8, 2010

Dr. William Stixrud  Stixrud Educational Services

TOPIC: Motivation and Learning

What Brain Research Tells Us About Motivating Children and Adolescents
Motivation, which is controlled by a complex brain system, creates and guides goal-directed behavior.  For many bright children with learning differences, initiating and sustaining motivation poses a special challenge and can contribute to underacheivement in school, as well as failure to complete daily responsibilities.  Dr. Stixrud will summarize some research on motivation that has informed his thinking about practical strategies to foster motivation at home and at school.


Dr. William R. Stixrud is a licensed psychologist who has been in private practice as a neuropsychologist since 1985. He specializes in the evaluation of children, adolescents, and adults with various types of learning disabilities, AD/HD, and social/emotional difficulties.   Dr. Stixrud also teaches and lectures on a variety of subjects including, but not limited to, the effects of stress on the brain, homework and appropriate workloads for school-aged children, self-esteem, and brain development.  Prior to entering private practice, Dr. Stixrud served as a staff neuropsychologist at the Children's National Medical Center and the Georgetown University Medical School.  He currently is a member of the Clinical Supervisory Faculty at Children's Hospital and an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the George Washington University Medical Center.  Dr. Stixrud also holds an appointment on the Clinical Faculty of the Division of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry at Georgetown University Medical School.  He received his Ph.D. from the University of Minnesota in Educational Psychology, interned at the Children�s Hospital of Boston through Harvard University, and completed his post-doctorate work at Tufts University.  He currently lives in Silver Spring with his wife and dog.


Monday, March 9, 2009

Maria Dixon, CCC, SLP

 University of Maryland, Department of Speech Sciences

TOPIC: Navigating the Social World: tips and strategies for your 2e child

Maria V. Dixon, M.A., CCC-SLP. Maria Dixon is a Clinical Instructor at The University of Maryland and is a Clinical Instructor at The University of Maryland, Department of Hearing and Speech Sciences.

Maria Dixon specializes in working with children on the autism spectrum. Join us as she answers your questions about how to help your children navigate the social world.

 


**Special Event** Diamonds in the Rough 2010

Thursday thru Saturday, March 11-13 2009

Monday, April 12, 2010

Dr. Grossman  University of Maryland

TOPIC: Medical and non-medical approaches to intervention

Dr. Grossman will discuss the current thinking about the role of medication in treating ADHD symptoms and the concerns that parents sometimes have about using medications to treat  ADHD.  She will cover the pros and cons of the newer medication options and discuss what other kinds of interventions might be appropriate for a youngster with ADHD.  She also will offer suggestions for working with schools to best help youngsters with ADHD and help other professionals and parents understand and implement skills that assist students in overcoming executive function roadblocks. The best part of her job is helping her students become independent learners.

Monday, May 10, 2010

TOPIC: Volunteer and Member Appreciation

Monday, June 14, 2010

TOPIC: End of Year meeting

To check
our guest speakers from our previous school years,
click here and see our guests from the 2007-2008 School Year.

click here and see our guests from the 2008-2009 School Year.

 

 

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