My Other Sites

This site contains a lot of information for school personnel, but if you can’t find what you’re looking forward, check my other sites, as each site has its own focus.

• Tourette Syndrome “Plus”
• Tourette Syndrome “Plus” Blog
• ChallengingKids.com

And if you still can’t find what you are looking for, please e-mail me. Please note that I cannot respond to e-mail requests for advice on a particular case as it would be unethical to offer advice about a child or teen I’ve never assessed.

The 2015 Conference on School Culture, Climate, and Positive Behavior Support

I’m pleased to announce that I will be a keynote speaker at this year’s Conference on School Culture, Climate, and Positive Behavior Support. I will also be conducting a break-out session. Here’s some information about the event, which will be held August 12-13 in Bedford, New Hampshire:

This Institute will focus on sharing examples, tools, and practices within a multi-tiered system of supports framework in order to help schools and communities to improve their culture, climate, and safety and features a youth strand to engage young people who are interested in learning about how to become leaders of and advocates for positive change to their school’s culture and climate.

Last year’s Institute included over 150 people from New Hampshire and 5 other states, including youth, families, educators, mental health providers, policy makers and community members. The Institute is focused on the intersection between schools, students, teachers, administrators, behavioral health, youth/family organizations, and community systems at the pre-school, elementary, secondary, and post-secondary levels.

This year’s conference theme is Strengths, Strategies, and Systems of Support and will include presentations by national leaders, New Hampshire educators, youth, and community partners with opportunities for teams to work together, including instruction on cutting-edge strategies for school improvement.

This conference is a collaboration between the UNH Institute on Disability, the New Hampshire Center for Effective Behavioral Interventions and Supports (NH CEBIS) at SERESC, Strafford Learning Center, the New Hampshire Department of Education, DHHS – Bureau of Behavioral Health, NH Communities for Children, and Youth M.O.V.E. New Hampshire.

Sign up at iod.unh.edu/Contact/subscribe.aspx to be among the first notified of new conference details and when registration opens.

Conference details and registration information will be available here.

Hope to see you there!

Join me at the Tourette Syndrome Conference in Atlanta!

The Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation is hosting a conference in Atlanta on February 8, 2014. The theme is “Breaking Down the Barriers.” Speakers include Dr. James Leckman of the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. Douglas Woods of  Texas A&M University, Brad Cohen (teacher and author of “Front of the Class”), Sheryl Pruitt of Parkaire Consultants, and yours truly. It’s a great opportunity to learn about TS and its educational and behavioral impact. More information about the conference is available at http://tourettesyndromeconference.com and Early Bird Registration opens December 1. Hope to see you there!

Upcoming conference on Tourette syndrome

The Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation is hosting a conference in Atlanta on February 8, 2014. The theme is “Breaking Down the Barriers.” Speakers include Dr. James Leckman of the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. Douglas Woods of  Texas A&M University, Brad Cohen (teacher and author of “Front of the Class”), Sheryl Pruitt of Parkaire Consultants, and me. It’s a great opportunity to learn about TS and its educational and behavioral impact. More information about the conference will be available at http://tourettesyndromeconference.com. Hope to see you there!

Teaching middle and high school students about Tourette Syndrome

Greenhaven Press publishes a series of books for students called Perspectives On Diseases & Disorders. They recently published a volume on Tourette Syndrome:

This volume includes an overview of tourette syndrome, including diagnosis; symptoms; and treatment, a look at controversies surrounding tourette syndrome, focusing on effectiveness of various treatment including diet, environmental factors, and deep brain stimulation, and personal stories of people living with tourette syndrome such a student that faces bullies, a woman who describes in detail the ‘anatomy of a tic’, and a concert pianist living with tourette syndrome.

One of the chapters in the book is based on material I had prepared for this web site.

If you are looking to incorporate lessons on various disorders into your curriculum, you may want to check out their offerings in this series and the table of contents for each.

Recess is Crucial

A new policy statement from the American Academy of Pediatrics, “The Crucial Role of Recess in Schools,” stresses the importance of recess in physical, social, and cognitive development and performance. According to the AAP, recess should not be withheld as punishment or sacrificed to academic instruction:

Recess is at the heart of a vigorous debate over the role of schools in promoting the optimal development of the whole child. A growing trend toward reallocating time in school to accentuate the more academic subjects has put this important facet of a child’s school day at risk. Recess serves as a necessary break from the rigors of concentrated, academic challenges in the classroom. But equally important is the fact that safe and well-supervised recess offers cognitive, social, emotional, and physical benefits that may not be fully appreciated when a decision is made to diminish it. Recess is unique from, and a complement to, physical education—not a substitute for it. The American Academy of Pediatrics believes that recess is a crucial and necessary component of a child’s development and, as such, it should not be withheld for punitive or academic reasons.

You can download the full policy statement from the AAP here (.pdf).

School re-opens soon – is your child ready?

I know that in some parts of the country, the school year has already started, but if you are in New York like I am, there are still a few more weeks.  I thought this might be a good time to remind parents of some back-to-school tips I had previously shared on my TSPlus blog.

• Back to School Tip #1: Is the teacher ready for your child?
• Back to School Tip #2: Re-establish wake-up time and routines
• Back to School Tip #3: Structure and routine boost homework compliance
• Back to School Tip #4: Can they manage their clothes? Their lunch?
• Back to School Tip #5: Lost at School – Literally?
• Back to School Tip #6: Medication

 

New documentary on Tourette’s

I saw a new documentary called  Different is the New Normal  this week.  The documentary was produced by the parents of a young man with Tourette syndrome, and quite frankly, it is the best documentary I have ever seen in terms of conveying what children and their families may be living with.  If you want to gain some awareness and perspective on what life may be like for your student, I encourage you to watch it.

The documentary will air again on Tuesday, September 20, 2011 at 10 pm (EST) on NJTV (public television in NJ) then again Thursday, September 22nd at 4 am (EST), Sunday, September 25th at 5 am (EST) ) and Sunday, September 25th at 11 pm (EST), Tuesday, September 27th at 10:30 pm (EST) on WLIW21 (public television in metropolitan and suburban NYC and NJ)

After the broadcast, it will be on this website for a limited time: http://watch.thirteen.org/.

Workshop for Educators on December 5th

I’ll be conducting an all-day workshop for educators on Monday, December 5, 2011 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, New Hampshire. The event is sponsored by the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability and is geared to regular and special education teachers, school psychologists and social workers, behavior specialists, occupational therapists, administrators, and parents.

Description:

Neurological disorders that emerge in childhood often have significant impact on students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional functioning. Participants will learn about the cardinal features of Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, Mood Disorders such as Depression and Bipolar Disorder, and the memory deficits, sensory issues and “storms” that sometimes accompany them. Strategies and assistive technology to accommodate symptom interference in activities such as handwriting, homework, math calculation, and written expression and big projects will be described. Pitfalls in behavioral interventions, and simple social skills and problem-solving interventions will also be identified.

For more information on the workshop and registration information, download the brochure or register online at www.iod.unh.edu.

Hope to see you there!

May 6: “Tourette Syndrome in the Classroom and School”

The Tourette Syndrome Association is hosting an event for educators in West Palm Beach, Florida on May 6, 2011.

The conference is open to all Palm Beach County and Regional Educators, Service Providers and Professionals.

Sign up for the FREE full day conference. Click here for more information (PDF™ format)

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