Workshop Descriptions

The Educator Toolbox Includes 9 Videos and Handouts

  • How to Get Along with Everyone (1 Hour, 3 Mins.)

    Social struggles are common for people with ADHD, regardless of their age. Friendly chit-chat and banter do not come naturally. Forcing conversations with coworkers, school peers, neighbors, and community members can leave you feeling awkward, rejected, and exhausted. What’s at the heart of this? Caroline Maguire, MEd, will introduce the deep-seated relationship between self-awareness and social connection. The ability to self-evaluate, to “read the room” and to predict reactions—from ourselves and others—is intimately connected to how we contribute and relate. You will walk away with an understanding of your specific limitations and the tools that you or your child needs to build self-awareness. The good news is that with understanding and practice, we can greatly improve self-awareness and in turn, create limitless, meaningful connections.

  • Structural and Cultural Considerations in ADHD (1 Hour, 11 Mins.)

    As is the case with all mental health diagnoses, the conceptualization, assessment and treatment of ADHD is influenced by cultural and structural factors. To promote accurate assessment and more equitable health care, there must be an appreciation of broader societal narratives and practices. Where people live, work, and play has implications for how they think, feel, and behave. Every major US system has been created and reformed in the context of social injustice. The mental health system is no exception. Mental health professionals may not have personally borne the weight of these forces or may have been privileged to advance in their professions in spite of them. Just as mental health professionals must learn patients’ history and functional impairments to effectively treat their symptoms, they also must learn (or, more accurately, relearn) our society’s history and structural injustices to effectively transform its systems and, in turn, its inequitable outcomes.

  • Assistive Technology Tools for ADHD (42 Mins.)

    By gathering skills and research on brain science, visual learning, executive functions, and neuroscience, teachers can change the success students experience in the classroom. Educators will develop a toolbox to help students develop into active, purposeful learners as we reexamine our assumptions about memory and attention.

  • Factors Contributing to College Attrition for Students with ADHD and other Learning Challenges (1 Hour)

    For students with ADHD and learning challenges, issues related to college retention, persistence, and completion are often attributed to issues related to self-stigma; however, little research has been developed regarding the inherent systemic barriers for this population of students. This session will focus on key elements that impact the transition process to college, including family systems, educational awareness, executive functioning skills, and legal barriers, in order to enhance global understanding of how to improve college retention for capable students with learning differences.

  • Innovative Program: MoveMindfully®: A Mind-Body Approach for Youth with ADHD (25 Mins.)

    Mind-body techniques can be helpful for youth struggling with attention, focus, and self-regulation. During this workshop participants explore practical research-based interventions for youth to enhance attention, focus, self-regulation, community connection and overall well-being. Through hands-on learning, reflection, and discussion participants will explore simple breathing exercises, regulating movement, rest techniques, and activities for social-emotional skill development that are easy to incorporate into a variety of settings. Walk away from this experiential session with MoveMindfully® tools for yourself and the youth you support.

  • Gifted and ADHD: What it Means and What to Do For Twice Exceptional Children and Students (55 Mins.)

    "Easy things are hard and hard things are easy" for gifted children identified with ADHD. This session allows caregivers and educators to deeply understand the asynchronous development of bright kids identified with ADHD, what it actually feels like to be “twice-exceptional,” as well as strategies that bring out the best and raise self-confidence in gifted learners identified with ADHD. We also discuss advocacy tools that help the adults in the twice-exceptional child's life understand and implement effective strategies that allow the twice-exceptional learner to thrive.

  • The Impact of Executive Functions on the Transition to Young Adulthood! (57 Mins.)

    Executive function deficits have a profound impact across a child’s entire life span. Many key executive skills that are critical for success in middle and high school are also essential for success in the work world. So addressing deficits in executive skills as early as possible during the school years is crucial. This session provides an overview of key executive skills and strategies to address these deficits whether in middle/high school or in the work world.

  • Managing Hyperactive and Impulsive Behavior When Medication is Not Enough (1 Hour, 14 Mins.)

    Hyperactive and impulsive behaviors create ongoing problems for individuals with ADHD. Often, medication can help manage these issues. However, medication alone is not the answer. Dr. Harrison will present empirically supported strategies for helping children and teens learn to manage hyperactivity at home and in the classroom, and how to use their extraordinary energy for successful outcomes.

  • Why is Untreated ADHD Contributing to the Increasing Suicide Rate Among Black Youth? (1 Hour, 16 Mins.)

    Historically, suicide has been higher among whites than any other racial group. Recent studies have shown this is true except for the growing rate of black youth who have now surpassed their white counterparts. In this talk, we will pay key attention to how ADHD is contributing to the increased amount of suicides in black youth and contributing factors to why this is happening now.