PRESENTATIONS AND TRAININGS
Presentations
Professional Development: A two-hour professional development presentation is offered as an introduction to the fundamentals of organization. This talk is designed as an overview to increase metacognitive awareness for teachers and specialists who work with high-achieving adolescents and/or adults with organizational difficulty resulting from ADHD, executive function weaknesses, and/or language-based learning disabilities. Through a hands-on activity, audience member learn about the importance of categorization and parallel structure for both the organization of material and time and touching briefly on the impact of disorganization on communication, specifically reading comprehension and written expression. Educators and specialists will increase their understanding of why students with many ideas become stuck when writing and write nothing or become overwhelmed when writing and write without clear organization.
Parent Education: Parents are often confused as to why their adolescent who enjoyed creative writing as a child now struggles so fiercely with expository writing (e.g., five paragraph essays) and how the same child who can talk for hours about a topic will sit in front of a computer screen unable to start writing. This presentation provides an organization-based explanation for these struggles and provides tips and resources for supporting your child's development of organization, writing skills, and study skills.
Trainings
The Finding Structure professional development training is a four-session (12-hour) professional course designed for educators and specialists who support students in learning to communicate effectively and efficiently. Although all students can benefit from increasing metacognitive awareness, this training focuses on instruction for students with attention disorders, executive function weaknesses, and language-based learning disabilities who struggle to move from the many ideas in their minds to the written page (writing), those who read but do not retain what they have read (reading comprehension), and those who study, but forget what they have studied when they take the exam. This training helps participants appreciate their own
approach to organization and that of their colleagues' and students'. Through hands-on activities, teachers will about the fundamentals of organization and increase their ability to analyze the assignments they create for organizational structure. They will learn to teach students organization fundaments and be able to understand from an organization perspective why their student is stuck and how to redirect the student to allow continued work. Goals include the following:
This training focuses on teaching educators and specialists to increase students' metacognitive awareness of structure with the goal of heightening interest strategy use and development for reading comprehension, writing, and studying. This training is not a review of organizational tools (e.g., planners, graphic organizers), although some tools (e.g., templates and organizational software) will be used to demonstrate application of skills in the classroom setting.
Professional Development: A two-hour professional development presentation is offered as an introduction to the fundamentals of organization. This talk is designed as an overview to increase metacognitive awareness for teachers and specialists who work with high-achieving adolescents and/or adults with organizational difficulty resulting from ADHD, executive function weaknesses, and/or language-based learning disabilities. Through a hands-on activity, audience member learn about the importance of categorization and parallel structure for both the organization of material and time and touching briefly on the impact of disorganization on communication, specifically reading comprehension and written expression. Educators and specialists will increase their understanding of why students with many ideas become stuck when writing and write nothing or become overwhelmed when writing and write without clear organization.
Parent Education: Parents are often confused as to why their adolescent who enjoyed creative writing as a child now struggles so fiercely with expository writing (e.g., five paragraph essays) and how the same child who can talk for hours about a topic will sit in front of a computer screen unable to start writing. This presentation provides an organization-based explanation for these struggles and provides tips and resources for supporting your child's development of organization, writing skills, and study skills.
Trainings
The Finding Structure professional development training is a four-session (12-hour) professional course designed for educators and specialists who support students in learning to communicate effectively and efficiently. Although all students can benefit from increasing metacognitive awareness, this training focuses on instruction for students with attention disorders, executive function weaknesses, and language-based learning disabilities who struggle to move from the many ideas in their minds to the written page (writing), those who read but do not retain what they have read (reading comprehension), and those who study, but forget what they have studied when they take the exam. This training helps participants appreciate their own
approach to organization and that of their colleagues' and students'. Through hands-on activities, teachers will about the fundamentals of organization and increase their ability to analyze the assignments they create for organizational structure. They will learn to teach students organization fundaments and be able to understand from an organization perspective why their student is stuck and how to redirect the student to allow continued work. Goals include the following:
- An introduction to metacognitive strategy instruction
- A hands-on introduction to creating organization (i.e., introduction of top-down and bottom-up processing)
- A hands-on introduction to finding organization in language (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) through use of the six language structures (i.e., compare/contrast; cause/effect; description, time/order/sequence/process, listing, problem-solution)
- An opportunity to explore application to academic contexts (e.g., writing questions, designing assignments, finding organization in texts, helping students organize their writing, structuring courses, teaching students to study).
This training focuses on teaching educators and specialists to increase students' metacognitive awareness of structure with the goal of heightening interest strategy use and development for reading comprehension, writing, and studying. This training is not a review of organizational tools (e.g., planners, graphic organizers), although some tools (e.g., templates and organizational software) will be used to demonstrate application of skills in the classroom setting.
INSTRUCTION
Individual Sessions
Individual therapy sessions are designed to target the specific needs of the client. The therapy plan may include communication goals (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and/or executive function goals (i.e., management of materials, time, and projects). Individual therapy is provide one-two times weekly in 50 minute sessions. The duration of individual therapy is depending on the client's background, cognitive profile, goals, and response to intervention. Progress is marked against the therapy plan and discussed in ongoing conversation with adult clients and in separately scheduled meetings with parents.
Short Course
The Finding Structure Short Course is a ten-session introductory course designed to improve clients' awareness of how systems work. The awareness of and ability to create organized systems allows clients to see structure in tasks, time, and language and be involved in the development of their own tools and strategies to manage their materials, time, and language. This course teaches clients about organization fundamentals, how to identify their top-down and bottom-up approach to organizing information, and how to shift their approach when they become stuck or overwhelmed. This course may be recommended following consultation or assessment and may lead to individual therapy for additional practice or to address specific concerns regarding materials management (e.g., filing systems), and time management (e.g., project planning), or language processing (e.g., reading comprehension; writing a structured essay or report).
Individual therapy sessions are designed to target the specific needs of the client. The therapy plan may include communication goals (i.e., listening, speaking, reading, and writing) and/or executive function goals (i.e., management of materials, time, and projects). Individual therapy is provide one-two times weekly in 50 minute sessions. The duration of individual therapy is depending on the client's background, cognitive profile, goals, and response to intervention. Progress is marked against the therapy plan and discussed in ongoing conversation with adult clients and in separately scheduled meetings with parents.
Short Course
The Finding Structure Short Course is a ten-session introductory course designed to improve clients' awareness of how systems work. The awareness of and ability to create organized systems allows clients to see structure in tasks, time, and language and be involved in the development of their own tools and strategies to manage their materials, time, and language. This course teaches clients about organization fundamentals, how to identify their top-down and bottom-up approach to organizing information, and how to shift their approach when they become stuck or overwhelmed. This course may be recommended following consultation or assessment and may lead to individual therapy for additional practice or to address specific concerns regarding materials management (e.g., filing systems), and time management (e.g., project planning), or language processing (e.g., reading comprehension; writing a structured essay or report).
PLAN DEVELOPMENT
Initial Session and Independent Specific Plan Development
The initial session with a client is primarily an interview and may be, depending on the client’s presentation, be accompanied by initial therapy activities. Following the initial session, an individualized therapy plan is created. An individualized therapy plan is a short (one-two page document) that results from a record review and a client interview. Offered following a consultation when reports of previous neuropsychological and speech-language assessments provide sufficient information to direct treatment, an individualized therapy plan provides goals for therapy and outlines the concepts to be mastered en route to that goal. (Please note that an individualized therapy plan is created after the initial therapy session when no assessment is necessary. An individualize therapy plan is included as part of Cognitive-Communication Assessments, Spoken and Written Language Assessments, and Integrated Assessments.)
The initial session with a client is primarily an interview and may be, depending on the client’s presentation, be accompanied by initial therapy activities. Following the initial session, an individualized therapy plan is created. An individualized therapy plan is a short (one-two page document) that results from a record review and a client interview. Offered following a consultation when reports of previous neuropsychological and speech-language assessments provide sufficient information to direct treatment, an individualized therapy plan provides goals for therapy and outlines the concepts to be mastered en route to that goal. (Please note that an individualized therapy plan is created after the initial therapy session when no assessment is necessary. An individualize therapy plan is included as part of Cognitive-Communication Assessments, Spoken and Written Language Assessments, and Integrated Assessments.)
CONSULTATION
The consultation is the first step in accessing care. This 90-minute, in-person conversation provides the opportunity to meet and discuss the client's history, concerns, and goals and aids in determining the most appropriate next step in addressing the concerns. This consultation will result in recommendations and a rationale for next steps, so clients and/or parents are empowered to move forward with a plan. Next steps may include assessment or treatment in this office and/or referrals to another professional if the needs extend beyond the scope of this practice.
ASSESSMENT
Cognitive-Communication Assessment
A cognitive-communication assessment is a four-hour targeted functional assessment that evaluates the impact of attention, working memory, and executive function on language processing. Like spoken and written language testing, this assessment begins with a history review and an interview to understand the client's past experiences and current concerns. Although quantitative measures are used to understand attention, working memory, executive function performance and language processing abilities, the balance of assessment involves use of qualitative measures that allow the client's approach to tasks to be observed. Specific attention is given to performance on the processing of lengthy and/or complex reading and writing tasks.
Spoken and Written Language Assessment
A spoken and written language assessment is a four-hour in-depth assessment of spoken and written language. This assessment uses a review of documents, interviews with the client and parents, and quantitative and qualitative measures to determine receptive language abilities (i.e., comprehension) and expressive language abilities (i.e., expression). Receptive language assessment may include measures that evaluate vocabulary and comprehension of word relationships, grammar/syntax, stories, text, and abstract language (i.e. , inference drawing, figurative language, ambiguous language). Expressive language assessment may include measures that evaluate word finding, use of grammar/syntax, sentence-level formulation, and organization of narrative and expository (essay) writing. When indicated assessment of fundamental reading and writing skills may be included to identify skills in phonological awareness, word identification, decoding, and spelling. In some cases, an executive function screening protocol may be included to contribute to the understanding of language performance.
Integrated Assessment
An integrated assessment is a collaborative evaluation that includes either a cognitive/communication assessment or a spoken and written language assessment in addition to a full neuropsychological assessment (conducted by Nathan Doty, Ph.D. of Achieve New England). The cognitive-communication assessment and spoken written language assessment are administered as described above. Comprehensive neuropsychological testing provides specific insight into intelligence, memory, academic skill, and social-emotional and behavioral functioning. These two tests are administered separately on two different days. This assessment is ideal for people who have not had neuropsychological testing or have not had neuropsychological testing recently. The information gathered through the intelligence, memory, and academic testing administered in neuropsychological testing contributes to understanding a clients' language processing difficulty, while the social-emotional and behavioral functioning informs the best approach to instruction. The integrated nature of this joint assessment allows for a dynamic and collaborative approach that results in a single document and a feedback session with both Nathan Doty, PhD and Kim Stewart, MS CCC-SLP where individualized recommendations are provided to present a clear plan to address the well-being of the whole child.
A cognitive-communication assessment is a four-hour targeted functional assessment that evaluates the impact of attention, working memory, and executive function on language processing. Like spoken and written language testing, this assessment begins with a history review and an interview to understand the client's past experiences and current concerns. Although quantitative measures are used to understand attention, working memory, executive function performance and language processing abilities, the balance of assessment involves use of qualitative measures that allow the client's approach to tasks to be observed. Specific attention is given to performance on the processing of lengthy and/or complex reading and writing tasks.
Spoken and Written Language Assessment
A spoken and written language assessment is a four-hour in-depth assessment of spoken and written language. This assessment uses a review of documents, interviews with the client and parents, and quantitative and qualitative measures to determine receptive language abilities (i.e., comprehension) and expressive language abilities (i.e., expression). Receptive language assessment may include measures that evaluate vocabulary and comprehension of word relationships, grammar/syntax, stories, text, and abstract language (i.e. , inference drawing, figurative language, ambiguous language). Expressive language assessment may include measures that evaluate word finding, use of grammar/syntax, sentence-level formulation, and organization of narrative and expository (essay) writing. When indicated assessment of fundamental reading and writing skills may be included to identify skills in phonological awareness, word identification, decoding, and spelling. In some cases, an executive function screening protocol may be included to contribute to the understanding of language performance.
Integrated Assessment
An integrated assessment is a collaborative evaluation that includes either a cognitive/communication assessment or a spoken and written language assessment in addition to a full neuropsychological assessment (conducted by Nathan Doty, Ph.D. of Achieve New England). The cognitive-communication assessment and spoken written language assessment are administered as described above. Comprehensive neuropsychological testing provides specific insight into intelligence, memory, academic skill, and social-emotional and behavioral functioning. These two tests are administered separately on two different days. This assessment is ideal for people who have not had neuropsychological testing or have not had neuropsychological testing recently. The information gathered through the intelligence, memory, and academic testing administered in neuropsychological testing contributes to understanding a clients' language processing difficulty, while the social-emotional and behavioral functioning informs the best approach to instruction. The integrated nature of this joint assessment allows for a dynamic and collaborative approach that results in a single document and a feedback session with both Nathan Doty, PhD and Kim Stewart, MS CCC-SLP where individualized recommendations are provided to present a clear plan to address the well-being of the whole child.