Learning Disabilities Association of Kentucky, Inc.
2210 Goldsmith Lane #118
Louisville, KY 40218
(502) 473-1256 Fax: (502) 473-4695
877-587-1256
Email: LDAofKY@yahoo.com

LDA of Kentucky Summer Conference!!!

Dr. Larry Silver and Dr. Peter Alter

Friday, June 20, 2008

9:00am-4:00pm

Paroquet Springs Conference Center

Shepherdsville, KY (8 miles south of I-265)

Morning Session :

Dr Larry Silver:

Is Your Child's

Learning Disability

The Only Problem?

What you should know

about other related Disorders

This comprehensive mental health professional program includes the "co-morbid" disorders often found with individuals with learning disabilities including Anxiety, Depression, Obsessive Compulsive Disorder, Anger Control/Bipolar Disorder, and Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder. Dr. Silver will focus on the clinical description, diagnosis, and treatment of these disorders ending the day with a group discussion and response to your questions

Dr. Larry Silver is a well-known practicing child and adolescent psychiatrist in the Washington, D.C. area who has served as president of the Learning Disabilities Association of America. For more than thirty years his primary areas of research, clinical, and teaching interests have focused on the psychological, social, and family impact of a group of related, neurologically-based disorders: Learning Disabilities, Language Disabilities, Sensory Integration Dysfunction, and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder.

He has more than 150 publications, including the popular book, The Misunderstood Child. A Guide for Parents of Children with Learning Disabilities is now in its Fourth Edition. His other books include, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder: A Clinical Guide to Diagnosis and Treatment for Health and Mental Health Professionals in its Second Edition and Dr. Larry Silver's Advice to Parents on Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder in its Second Edition. Dr. Silver has received various awards throughout his career, such as the Learning Disabilities Association Award in 1992 for outstanding leadership in the field of learning disabilities and the American Academy of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry's Berman Lifetime Achievement Award in 1996 for his contributions and treatment of learning disabilities.

Afternoon Session:

Dr. Peter Alter

Strategies for Managing Challenging Behavior

This program will cover Defining Challenging Behavior of children with learning disabilities, includes tips for children with behavior issues. Additionally, Dr. Alter will cover classroom set-up for best results, preventing challenging behavior,

dealing with escalating behavior and effectively responding to challenging behavior.

Peter Alter completed his doctoral studies at the Department of Special Education at the University of Florida. Before pursuing his doctorate, he received his Bachelors degree in Psychology from Furman University and his Masters degree in Special Education from the University of North Florida. Peter has spent the last ten years designing and implementing behavior modification programs in a variety of settings including residential treatment facilities, juvenile justice facilities, and the Florida public school system. Most recently, he taught students with emotional and behavioral disabilities in a self-contained elementary setting. He is an Assistant Professor in the Department of Teaching and Learning at the University of Louisville His main areas of interest are functional behavior assessment in early childhood education and designing training activities to help early childhood teachers foster pro-social behaviors of the young children in their care. .

Register NOW!. Seating for this year’s conference is limited. Professional Development Hours are available: Six hours approved for teachers, principals and counselors. Admission is $75 in advance. $90 on the day of the program. Large groups may qualify for a discount. Call LDA of Kentucky at 1-877-587-1256 for details.

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Beacon of Hope Awards 2008

Congratulations to All the nominees!

The recipients are:

Celebration of Ability Award - Youth:

William Hogg, Paintsville High School
Kenneth Jones III, Eastern High School

A $1000 Scholarship will go to both of our co- recipients.

Excellence in Education Award:

(teacher/ school administrator) who has shown creative ways to address the unique learning styles.

-Kathy Riley, Bellevue High School , Bellevue , Kentucky

For more information, see the article from the Louisville Courier Journal

Information about Our Friend Rick Lavoie appearing at Morehead State on May 16

The Learning Disabilities Association of Kentucky, Inc. is a non-profit organization of individuals with learning differences and attention difficulties, their parents, educators, and other service providers. This organization has been a continuous voice in this state for those who learn differently since 1966.

The goals of LDA are:

to embrace the challenge to educate the general public on the characteristics of learning disability, attention deficit disorder, dyslexia, etc.
to support parents of the individuals with learning differences through information sharing and support.
to make available to professionals information that will assist them as service providers; and
to provide direct services that will assist those who learning differently become more productive, independent, and self-motivated contributors to society.

What is a Learning Disability?

A learning disability is a permanent disorder which affects the manner in which individuals with normal or often above average intelligence acquire, retain, and express information. Such difficulties in processing information can significantly interfere with academic and/or social development. Like interference on the radio or a blurry TV picture, incoming or outgoing information may become jumbled as it travels between the senses and the brain.

Learning disabilities are usually recognized as a difficulty in one or more of these areas: reading, comprehension, spelling, written expression, handwriting, mathematics, oral expression, and/or problem solving. A person with learning disabilities may also have perceptual difficulties. It is important to remember that no two people with learning disabilities have the same profile of strengths and weaknesses.

Learning disabilities are often not consistent. While the disability does not ever go away, it might well manifest itself more strongly in certain settings and/or academic areas. For instance, a student might have troubles in grade school that seem to disappear in high school and then return in college. A person with a learning disability might also find that his/her disability is restricted to one area, like math or foreign languages.

Learning disability is not a generic term for having a “special need” in school, even though it is often used that way. It is NOT autism, cerebral palsy, sensory impairment (vision or hearing loss), mental retardation, social or emotional disturbance. These factors can all hinder the learning process, but are not defined as learning disabilities.

Types of Learning Disabilities

• ADD/ADHD
• Dyslexia
• Dyscalculia
• Dysgraphia
• Dyspraxia
• Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD)

ATTENTION DEFICIT DISORDER (ADD/ADHD)

AD(H)D is a disorder characterized by inappropriate degrees of attention, impulsiveness, and/or hyperactivity. Although these areas are considered to be core symptoms, all three characteristics are not necessarily present in those affected. Symptoms are generally first manifested early in childhood and may persist in varying degrees throughout adult life. The difference between ADD and ADHD is the absence or presence of hyperactivity.

Attention deficit disorders are commonly found in the difficulty with sustaining attention and focusing on information for long periods of time. AD(H)D is a medical diagnosis (LD is an educational one), and people diagnosed with AD(H)D are often prescribed medication to stabilize attention and activity levels.

Common Learning Disabilities

Dyslexia is a reading disability typified by problems in expressive or receptive, oral or written language. Problems may emerge in reading, spelling, writing, speaking, or listening. People with dyslexia often show talent in areas that require visual, spatial, and motor integration.

Dyscalculia causes people to have problems with arithmetic and grasping mathematical concepts. While many people have problems with math, a person with dyscalculia has a much more difficult time solving basic math problems than his or her peers.

Dysgraphia is a writing disorder that causes people to have difficulty forming letters or writing within a defined space. People with this disorder need extra time and effort to write neatly. Despite their efforts, their handwriting may be almost illegible.

Dyspraxia is a problem with the body's system of motion that interferes with a person's ability to make a controlled or coordinated physical response in a given situation

Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD) is a permanent disorder which affects the manner in which people understand or remember words or sounds due to a language processing problem in the brain. Parents and doctors can often mistake this as a hearing problem. However, CAPD causes problems with processing and memorizing information, not with actually hearing the information.