LEARN FROM A DISTINGUISHED
CONFERENCE FACULTY

Brain SPECT Imaging: A Breakthrough Program to Heal ADHD in Children and Adolescents
According to Dr. Daniel Amen, ADHD is often underdiagnosed, incorrectly treated, and poorly understood. Explore the symptoms of ADHD and attention disorders and the effectiveness of treatments including prescription drugs, nutraceutical therapy and alternative treatments such as EEG biofeedback, exercise, and supplements for children and adolescents with ADHD.

Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Child and Adult Psychiatrist; Brain-Imaging Specialist; Medical Director of the Amen Clinic; Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine; author of Healing Anxiety and Depression (2004), Healing ADD (2001) and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (1999)

New Research on Brain Differences in ADHD Children: What It Means for Treatment
This talk will present recent findings in anatomical and functional imaging studies of children who have ADHD. Differences from healthy control children in brain structure and function, and the associations of those regional findings with cognitive and behavioral measures, are improving our understanding of the neural basis of ADHD in children. This improved understanding may help in the development of better treatments for this condition.

Bradley S. Peterson, M.D., Director, Pediatric Neuropsychiatry, Columbia University; Professor in Pediatric Psychiatry, Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons and New York State Psychiatric Institute

New Developments in Diagnosis, Treatment, & Pharmacotherapy of ADHD
Gain a better understanding of the assessment methods and diagnosis of and pharmacotherapy and other treatment interventions for ADHD in children and adolescents.

Jefferson B. Prince, M.D., Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry and Pediatric Psychopharmacology, North Shore Medical Center; Staff, Child Psychiatry, Pediatric Psychopharmacology Clinic, Massachusetts General Hospital; Instructor on Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School

Neuroimaging of Children at Risk of Autism: Is Autism a Multisystem Disorder?
This session will explore the defining behaviors and structural neuroimaging of autism in children. Learn about gene-environment interactions and their relevance to neuroimaging findings, the environmental influences, and genetic vulnerability to autism. Examine the argument that autism might be a multi-system disorder involving the brain, body, immune systems, and biochemical abnormalities.

Martha R. Herbert, M.D., Ph.D., Assistant Professor in Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Research Neurologist, Center for Morphometric Imaging, Massachusetts General Hospital; researcher in learning and developmental disorders

Child Brain Development: Genes, Autism, & Learning Disorders
This talk will describe the influence that genetics and the human genome project have on our understanding of the genetic and non-genetic causes of autism and learning disorders, and what it means for learning.

Christopher A. Walsh, M.D, Ph.D., Bullard Professor of Neurology, Harvard Medical School; Chief, Division of Neurogenetics, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center; Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute

Dealing with Anxiety, Emotional & Learning Problems in Children
Dr. Edward Hallowell, one of the country's leading child and adult psychiatrists, will present an overview of the diagnosis and treatment of anxiety, emotional problems, and learning disabilities. He offers specific, concrete strategies for educating children and adolescents in the classroom and residential settings. Dr. Hallowell may also address related topics of addiction, aggressive and violent behavior, and male/female differences depending on time and interest.

Edward M. Hallowell, M.D., Child Psychiatrist; Professor, Harvard Medical School; Founder, Hallowell Center for Cognitive and Emotional Health; author of several books, including The Childhood Roots of Adult Happiness (2002); Connect: 12 Vital Ties That Open Your Heart, Lengthen Your Life, and Deepen Your Soul (1999); When You Worry About the Child You Love (1997); and co-author of Driven to Distraction (1995)

Adolescent Brains: Stress, Stimulants, & ADHD
This talk will discuss normal brain development and how it relates to ADHD, Schizophrenia, and other illnesses. Explore how the environment can influence development, both from a negative point of view (i.e., stress) and from a more positive view, via the effects of drugs. Also look at the enduring effects of stimulants on children.

Susan L. Andersen, Ph.D., Director, Developmental Psychopharmacology Laboratory, McLean Hospital; Assistant Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School, Researcher on the affects of stress, abuse, and stimulants on ADHD and brain development

Changing Your Brain-Body: Healing Anxiety, Depression, & Learning Disorders to Improve Learning
Learn to“optimize” children's brains and bodies so they can reach their fullest potential. Using state-of-the-art brain imaging technology, Dr. Amen has spent the last decade helping thousands of patients understand how brain wiring can affect thoughts and emotions. This session explores which brain systems (structures) are associated with particular problems and offers specific, yet simple “brain prescriptions” (cognitive exercises, nutrition, medication, and more) to actually help enhance brain function (rewire the brain) and heal problems such as anxiety, depression, and ADHD.

Daniel G. Amen, M.D., Child and Adult Psychiatrist; Brain-Imaging Specialist; Medical Director of the Amen Clinic; Assistant Clinical Professor, Psychiatry and Human Behavior, University of California, Irvine; author of Healing Anxiety and Depression (2004), Healing ADD (2001) and Change Your Brain, Change Your Life (1999)

MBMI Relaxation Response: How Stress Affects the Brain & how Reducing Stress can Improve Student Memory, Mood, & Performance
Today's students from kindergarten through college are experiencing stressful lives. Excessive stress can adversely affect academic performance, health, and behavior. New research shows that stress and negative emotions affect the brain, health, and learning ability, and meditation actually benefits the brain and body's immune system. Learn the latest neuroscience and educational research findings on how and why the Mind Body Medical Institute's (MBMI) Relaxation Response-Based Programs have significantly helped students improve memory, academic performance, classroom behavior, and increase self-esteem and sense of control.

Herbert Benson, M.D., Founding President, The Mind/Body Medical Institute; Associate Professor of Medicine, Harvard Medical School; author of The Breakout Principle (2003) and The Relaxation Response (1975-2000)
Marilyn Wilcher, Ph.D., Senior Vice President, The Mind/Body Medical Institute (MBMI), Harvard Medical School; Founder, MBMI's Educational Initiative

The Teaching Mind: How to Eat to Enhance Classroom Performance & Decrease Stress (and even weight gain)
Studies show that school performance can be adversely affected by what children eat during the school day. But can eating also affect how teachers perform in the classroom? Explore the relationship between nutrients and mental performance. Examine links between nutrients, exercise, stress, and their effect on the brain, and between dieting and mental/emotional performance. Learn how diet and nutrition can enhance or hinder teaching and learning.

Judith J. Wurtman, Ph.D., Research Scientist, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; renowned authority on how food affects our thoughts and abilities; author of The Serotonin Solution (1997) and Managing Your Mind and Mood Through Food (1988)

Starting a Nutrition/Exercise Program in Your School
Students perform better in school when they eat right and exercise. Brookshire Elementary instituted a comprehensive, three-year program based on current brain research to make significant changes in the health and performance of students, families, and staff through education on nutrition and exercise. Examine the results of a study on the program showing weight declines in overweight students.

Suzanne M. Ackley, Principal, Brookshire Elementary School,
Jana Ricci, Grant Administrator, Brookshire Elementary, FL;
Nancy Ellis, Program Director, Winter Park Health Foundation

Habits of Mind, Brain & Body: Creating Optimal Learners
Find out in this lively and accessible workshop about substantive research showing how emotions, movement, and the tools of meta-cognition can create optimal learning in all of us. Significant bodies of research in neuroscience demonstrate how human learners acquire new skills and knowledge. Correlating studies in the fields of cognitive and educational psychology reveal that optimal learners possess specific learning beliefs and practice distinct learning behaviors. Find out what happens when teachers combine the natural biology of human learning design with educational practices that elicit the psychology of optimal learning behaviors.

Gessner Geyer, M.A., Ed.M., Director, Brainergy, Inc.; holder of two masters degrees from Harvard University, including one from the Mind, Brain & Education Concentration, Harvard Graduate School of Education

MBMI Relaxation Response: Practical Stress Management Applications in the Classroom
Learn how to use the Mind Body Medical Institute's (MBMI) Relaxation Response-Based Programs to help students reduce stress and improve their memory, academic performance, classroom behavior, and self-esteem.

Jennifer M. Johnston, LMHC, Director, Education Initiative and Yoga Programs; Clinical Researcher, Mind/Body Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School
Jeff Dusek, Ph.D., Trainer, Education Initiative and Yoga Programs; Researcher, Mind/Body Medical Institute, Harvard Medical School

The Impact of Socioeconomic Status on Children's Stress Hormone Levels, Emotional Processing, & Memory Performance
Explore the link between stress, socioeconomic status, and memory performance in children. Discover how stress and depression in low socioeconomic mothers affect children's stress hormone levels, emotional processing, memory, and attention-span. Also learn the long-term effects of stress.

Sonia J. Lupien, Ph.D., Director, Laboratory of Human Psychoneuroendocrine Research, Douglas Hospital Research Centre, McGill University; Assistant Professor, Department of Psychiatry in McGill’s Faculty of Medicine; pioneer in the research of stress hormones on memory in children and adults

To Sleep Per Chance to Learn! Sleep-Dependent Memory & Plasticity in the Human Brain
Learn about the relationship between sleep and memory and its real-life implications in learning. Explore sleep and memory stages, the connection between sleep and motor-skill learning, visual-skill learning, and sleep-dependent brain reorganization.

Matthew P. Walker, Ph.D., Instructor of Psychiatry, Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center and Harvard Medical School; a researcher in sleep, dreaming and memory

Adolescent Sleepiness: Gender Differences & the Impact of Sleep on Depression, Self-Esteem, & Grades in School
Learn the results of a study on adolescent sleep patterns that shows gender differences do influence sleep patterns and that sleepiness can affect mood, self-esteem, and performance in grades six and up.

Katia Fredricksen, B.A., Doctoral Candidate, Department of Psychology, University of Massachusetts, Boston; sleep researcher with Professor Jean Rhodes; co-author of Sleepless in Chicago: Tracking the effects of adolescent sleep loss during the middle school years (2002)

Research on Emotional Memory
Researcher Suzanne Corkin, will discuss her pioneering research findings on emotional memory and brain activation at the time of encoding and retrieval of the various memory stimuli. She will correlate memory performance with brain activation in specific regions of the brain and compare patterns of brain activation between younger and older people.

Suzanne H. Corkin, Ph.D., Professor of Behavioral Neuroscience, Dept. of Brain and Cognitive Sciences, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; co-editor of The Molecular Bases of Dementia (Annals of the New York Academy of Sciences, 2000)

Linking Emotions with Classroom Memory: The Use of Action
Learn how emotions can enhance and hinder learning and memory performance in the classroom. Explore the processing systems in emotional memory, how emotional memory is linked with action, and how to use emotions and actions in the classroom to improve motivation and learning.

Jeb Schenck, Ph.D., Adjunct Professor, University of Wyoming, middle and high school biology teacher; memory researcher; author of Learning,Teaching and the Brain (2003)

Brain Systems & Memory
Explore the evidence for different forms of learning and memory that are mediated by different brain systems. This talk will focus on the cognitive and brain mechanisms of one particular form of memory, called declarative memory.

Howard B. Eichenbaum, Ph.D., Director, Center for Memory and Brain; Director, Cognitive NeurobiologyLaboratory; Professor of Psychology; Boston University; pioneer in the research of the neurological basis of memory; author of Cognitive Neuroscience of Memory (2002)

Learning and Memory: from Molecules to Mind
New tools from brain imaging techniques to molecular neuroscience have opened the workings of the brain in ways never before imaginable. These tools have begun to reveal the fundamental mechanisms of how we develop, learn, and remember. This presentation overviews brain-study at different levels of resolution from large-scale whole brain imaging to gene expression in individual brain cells.

Kenneth S. Kosik, M.D., Professor of Neurology and Neuroscience, Harvard Medical School, Director, Kosik Laboratory of Cellular Neurobiology, Harvard Institutes of Medicine; Cofounder of the Memory and Disorders Clinic, Brigham and Women’s Hospital

New Brain Imaging Studies of Reading, Reading Disabilities, & Remediation
Explore the latest imaging studies on brain differences of children with dyslexia and the brain areas affected by the disorder. Explore possible causes and remediation strategies to help children with dyslexia.

Guinevere Eden, D. Phil., Associate Professor, Department of Pediatrics and Director, Center for the Study of Learning, Georgetown University Medical Center – one of four national Learning Disabilities Centers funded by the National Institutes of Child Health and Human Development (NICHD)

Dyslexia and the Brain: New Approaches to Reading/Language Intervention
This talk will provide an overview of the reading brain from the evolution of languages and the cognitive models and "stages" of reading, to the current views of dyslexia. Examine how knowledge of the "reading brain" can inform intervention programs and future directions for intervention research.

Maryanne Wolf, Ed.D., Director, Center for Reading and Language Research; Professor of Child Development, Eliot-Pearson Department of Child Development, Tufts University; Research Scientist, Harvard Medical School; editor, Dyslexia, Fluency, and the Brain (2001)

The Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders: Diagnoses & Intervention
Learn about a brain-behavioral model for the diagnosis and intervention of developmental dyslexia. Explore a new paradigm for understanding and remediating dyslexia and specific intervention techniques for critical junctures in brain development.

Steven G. Feifer, Ed.S., NCSP, Neuropsychologist; school psychologist; co-author of The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders (2001) and The Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders: Diagnosis & Intervention (2000)

How the Brain Sees & Hears: Approaches to Auditory & Visual Processing Problems in Children
Explore how the brain processes visual and auditory information, how visual deficits hinder learning to read, and how auditory problems hinder breaking words into sounds. Discover treatment options and diagnosis for both visual and auditory processing problems. Learn how computer assistance technology programs such as "Fast Forward," "Interactive Metronome," and "Visagraph" help students overcome some of these deficits in learning to read.

Neal M. Alpiner, M.D., Medical Director, Pediatric Rehabilitation, William Beaumont Hospital; Medical Director, Adult and Pediatric Rehabilitation, Hurley Medical Center

How Teaching Geometry through Extended Problem-Solving Adventure Stories Benefits Both Girls & Boys
This talk will describe the findings of a recent study evaluating the use of storytelling problem-solving adventure sagas as a medium for teaching extended geometry concepts to kindergarten in two diverse communities. Results support storytelling as a meaningful context for teaching mathematical concepts to young learners, and indicate the usefulness of teaching spatial concepts to young girls in particular.

M. Beth Casey, Ph.D., Professor of Counseling, Developmental and Educational Psychology, Boston College; expert on how biological/environmental interactions affect gender differences in math/spatial skills
Sumru Erkut, Ph.D., Associate Director, Senior Research Scientist, Center for Research on Women, Wellesley College, MA

The Neuropsychology of Math Disabilities in Children: Diagnosis & Intervention
Explore the connection between the brain and math disabilities. This talk will discuss the math instinct in humans and animals, ways that numbers are formatted in the brain, and math disabilities such as verbal dyscalculia. Also explore gender differences and anxiety's effect on math memory and assessment and remediation strategies for math disorders.

Steven G. Feifer, Ed.S., NCSP, Neuropsychologist; school psychologist; co-author of The Neuropsychology of Written Language Disorders (2001) and The Neuropsychology of Reading Disorders: Diagnosis & Intervention (2000)

Descartes’ Baby: How the Science of Child Development Explains What Makes us Human
This talk will present evidence that even babies naturally see physical entities such as objects
(bodies) as fundamentally distinct from psychological entities such as minds (souls). Explore babies’
understanding of their physical and social worlds and how it's reflected in children's artwork, the
developing interplay between our moral emotions and reasoned deliberation, and the intuitive duelism that babies and all humans experience.

Paul Bloom, Ph.D., Professor of Psychology, Yale University; brain imaging researcher and author of How Children Learn the Meaning of Words (2001) and his new book, Descartes’ Baby (April, 2004)

Defying Your Brain: On Rethinking the Nature of Normal Behavior
Children are born with cognitive wiring and temperament - their nature. They are wired for certain talents and, according to Howard Gardner, certain innate intelligences. But what happens when people defy their neurology and turn away from what clearly is their genetic makeup and talent? Professor Thomas Cottle will discuss these issues and what it means for children and child prodigies.

Thomas J. Cottle, Ph.D., Professor of Education, Boston University School of Education; sociologist and licensed clinical psychologist; author of more than 30 books, including his newest books, A Sense of Self: A Work of Affirmation (2003) and Beyond Self-Esteem (2004)

The Neuroscience of Inner Wisdom: Using Metacognition, Meditation, & Mind-Body Tools
Cognitive neuroscientists, neurobiologists, and researchers in educational and cognitive psychology now suggest that the pursuit of wisdom may comprise the activation of neural forms of intelligence which subdue our highly reactive and habituated cognitive narrative structures and simultaneously activate these deep sub-cortical areas of awareness in order to provide us with much-needed experience in “perspective-taking.” Explore some of the ways, proposed by researchers, to develop your “inner wisdom.”

Gessner Geyer, M.A., Ed.M., Director, Brainergy, Inc.; holder of two masters degrees from Harvard, University, including one from the Mind, Brain & Education Concentration, Harvard University Graduate School of Education

Changing Your Mind: Drugs in the Brain -- Medical, School & Behavioral Consequences
Learn how to influence students not to take drugs by understanding the latest research on how drugs affect brain cells, how the brain becomes addicted, and how drugs affect student behavior and health.

Bertha K. Madras, Ph.D., Prof. of Psychobiology, Department of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; Researcher in the biochemistry of addiction; Project Director, “Changing Your Mind: Drugs in the Brain,” funded by the National Institute on Drug Abuse and supported by The Dana Alliance for Brain Initiatives

Adolescent Substance Abuse: New Strategies for Early Identification & Intervention
This lecture will present new research findings on adolescent substance abuse and new therapeutic intervention techniques that can be used in outpatient practice or in schools. Use of alcohol and drugs by teenagers is a serious national problem, yet treatment resources in the U.S. remain scarce. Properly trained primary care providers and educators can play important roles in early identification, brief intervention, and effective referral to intensive treatment, even for those adolescents who are ambivalent about behavioral change. This presentation will include new strategies for screening, diagnostic assessment, and brief behavioral counseling based on motivational interviewing.

John R. Knight, M.D., Director of the Center for Adolescent Substance Abuse Research (CeASAR), Children's Hospital Boston; Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Associate Director for Medical Education, Division on Addictions, Harvard Medical School; Principal Investigator of studies on adolescent substance abuse funded by the National Institute on Alcohol Abuse and Alcoholism (NIAAA), the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation

Discovering Pathways to Learning: Connecting Mind, Brain, & Education in Research & Practice
Biology and cognitive science are natural partners with education for creating usable knowledge for schools and other educational institutions. The presenter is working with an international group to foster collaborations between scientists and practitioners to create this new kind of practical science in which practice informs research as much as research informs practice. A particularly fertile domain for the collaboration is analysis of different pathways to learning. For example, patterns of brain development seem to relate closely with patterns of cognitive and emotional development.

Kurt W. Fischer, Ph.D., Charles Bigelow Professor; Chair, Human Development & Psychology; Director, Mind, Brain & Education Concentration, Harvard University Graduate School of Education, co-author of Social Processes in Children’s Learning (2000)

Discovering Pathways to Learning: New Concepts in NeuroEducation & Special Education
Current research in the cognitive neurosciences is changing the way we understand the learning brain during the human lifespan. New views on neuroplasticity, compensatory analysis, cultural neuronal recycling, and digital-analog skills are creating powerful possibilities for relating mind, brain, and education. This new look is particularly important for special education and rehabilitation of disabled persons.

Antonio M. Battro, Ph.D., Neuroscientist, Academy of National Education, Argentina; a recent Robert F. Kennedy Visiting Professor of Latin American Studies at the Harvard University Graduate School of Education; and author of Half a Brain Is Enough: The Story of Nico (2000)

Brain-Based Teaching Strategies: Making Connections to the Classroom
This workshop specifically targets the question: "How do I frame existing lessons so that all learners become engaged in learning?" The goals are to engage all learners simultaneously. Explore the five natural learning systems of the brain, the nine researched "best practices" strategies for achievement, frame methods to invite all learners to participate, ways to "cause" learners to process learning, and ways to use multiple pathways and connections in learning.

Robert K. Greenleaf, Ed.D., Professional Development Specialist, Northeast and Islands Regional Educational Laboratory, Brown University; President, Greenleaf Learning Center

So Each May Learn: Integrating Brain Research, Learning Styles, and Multiple Intelligence
One of the greatest challenges facing educators is accommodating a full range of student diversity while also promoting high levels of academic achievement for all students. Two powerful learning models -- multiple intelligence and learning styles -- provide us with the best means of rising to this challenge. This session demonstrates how to integrate both models into curriculum and instruction and assessment so that all students can meet rigorous academic standards. It will also highlight a set of powerful research-based teaching strategies to engage all styles and intelligences -- so each may learn.

Harvey F. Silver, Ed.D., President, Silver, Strong & Associates, co-author of several books including Standards and Strategies for Raising Student Achievement (2001) and So Each May Learn (2000)

A Tale of Two Cases: Lessons for Education from the Study of Two Boys Living With Only Half A Brain
Have you ever wondered what life would be like with only half of your brain? Through looking together at short video clips and other kinds of data, in this session you will explore the implications for development in two adolescent boys who have suffered the surgical removal of an entire brain hemisphere to control severe seizures. Focusing especially on the boys' abilities to understand and produce emotion in speech and on faces, you will discover some basic principles of brain development and function, as well as uncover important implications for the education and development of normal children.

Mary Helen Immordino-Yang, Ed.M., Doctoral Candidate in Human Development and Psychology, Graduate School of Education, Harvard University

I. Bipolar Disorder in Children & Adolescents: Diagnosis, Misdiagnosis, & Treatment
Learn about the latest research, intervention and treatment strategies for children with bipolar disorder.

Linda Zamvil, M.D., Director, Child and Adolescent Psychiatry, Advocates, Inc.; Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry, Harvard Medical School; co-author of Bipolar Disorder and Depression (2000)

II. Brain-Based Teaching Strategies for Increasing Student Achievement
Both research and practical experience tell us that what teachers do in the classroom is critical to students' success. As schools are confronted with an increasing diversity of students' needs, interests, and learning styles on one hand and constant calls for higher achievement on the other, the effective use of classroom time becomes even more critical. Fortunately, two current lines of research provide us clear insights into how to use this precious classroom time to promote greater academic achievement. This workshop will draw on hundreds of studies on classroom instruction from educational researchers like Robert Marzano, Debra Pickering, and Jane Pollock and on the fields of neurophysiology and educational psychology to provide important teaching strategies to increase student achievement.

Harvey F. Silver, Ed.D., President, Silver, Strong & Associates, NJ