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   Parents Education Network

Speaker Series


Upcoming events

    • September 24, 2010
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Strategies for Promoting Self-Esteem and Advocacy in Students who Learn Differently

    Claudia Koochek
    Charles Armstrong School, Head of School

    Research shows that children with learning differences are more likely to suffer from lack of self-esteem than their peers. Parents have the greatest influence on a child's belief about himself or herself. In this session, parents will be introduced to strategies for fostering self-esteem and advocacy skills in their children
    as well as an understanding of how to nurture their child's perception of himself or herself as a learner.

    Mrs. Claudia Koochek worked with the students at Charles Armstrong School as a specialist or teacher for fifteen years before becoming part of the administration.  She received her Master's degree in Special Education from the Universidad Evangelica in San Salvador, El Salvador and her B.A. in Psychology from the San Francisco State University.  Prior to coming to the United States twenty years ago, she worked at the Eugenia Duenas School for the Blind teaching fifth grade. 

    Age Range: This presentation is geared towards 1-8 grade students.

    Friday September 24, 2010.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • October 08, 2010
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Assistive Technology 

    with Jan Tuber


    More details to follow....


    Friday October 8, 2011.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    Location:
    Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • October 22, 2010
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Buzz:  A Year of Paying Attention

    Katherine Ellison (www.katherineellison.com) and Jack Epstein.

    Katherine will be talking about and reading from her new book, "Buzz: A Year of Paying Attention," about how she spent a year focusing on trying to have a more peaceful relationship with her son.
     
    Katherine Ellison is a Pulitzer-prize-winning former foreign correspondent and the author of four books, including The Mommy Brain: How Motherhood Makes You Smarter. After more than a decade reporting on wars, natural disasters, and soccer matches, she had the luck to get paid to spend a year trying to figure out why she couldn't get along with her 12-year-old son, who has been diagnosed with ADHD and Oppositional Defiant Disorder. Katherine has also been diagnosed with ADHD. Jack Epstein, Katherine's husband, is the Foreign Service editor at the San Francisco Chronicle, a longtime foreign correspondent, and author of "Along the Gringo Trail."

    Friday October 22, 2010
    9 am - 11 am


    Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • November 05, 2010
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Meltdowns to Shutdowns:  An LD Model of Difficult Behavior

    Damon Korb, MD, FAAP. Behavioral and Developmental Pediatrician, Director of the Center for Developing Minds


    A learning disability model of difficult behavior.   When children, and even adults, become upset they respond outwardly with a Meltdown or inwardly by shutting down.  This discussion focuses on the neurodevelopmental underpinnings that lead to oppositional behavior and a review of appropriate treatment options.
     
    The conversation covers children from 2 1/2 to adults, but the focus will be on children and adolescents.

    Damon Korb, M.D., a board certified behavioral and developmental pediatrician, examines the neurodevelopmental brain functions that determine how a child learns, behaves and socializes. With the opening of the Center for Developing Minds in 2005, Dr. Korb has now held pivotal roles in the establishment of three unique clinics in Santa Clara County that serve children with developmental variations.

    Friday November 5, 2010.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • December 10, 2010
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Using Visualization and Positive Self-Talk to Manage Test-Taking Anxiety and Situational-Specific Anxiety   

    Jeffrey Lazarus, M.D.
    (www.jefflazarusmd.com)

    Jeffrey Lazarus, M.D., is a Menlo Park pediatrician who specializes in the treatment of situational anxiety and test-taking anxiety utilizing clinical hypnosis. Children with ADHD, Asperger’s  and other learning disorders often struggle with these challenges.

    Dr. Lazarus' talk presents specific techniques students can utilize to conquer performance-inhibiting anxiety, as well as several case studies of individuals who have effectively managed these issues. His talk features video clips of a teenager undergoing hypnosis, as well as examples of how visualization and positive self-talk can help children, adolescents and young adults manage anxiety.

    Adolescents and teens with strong academic capacity can suffer greatly when situational anxiety inhibits their ability to effectively perform. While learning and studying are critical in academic performance, they are only part of the battle. The other piece boils down to confidence.  Being an effective student requires the ability to perform under pressure and demonstrate one’s skills and knowledge on command, in a high-stress, test-taking environment.

    Dr. Lazarus will provide parents and teachers with a series of take-home tips they can use with their students to overcome anxiety and maximize performance.

    Age Range: This presentation will address elementary-aged children through young adults.

    Dr. Jeffrey Lazarus, MD, has been a practicing pediatrician for almost 30 years. After graduating from Rush Medical School in Chicago, Illinois, Lazarus completed his pediatric residency at Stanford Hospital in Palo Alto, Dr. Lazarus practiced general pediatrics in Cleveland, where he was an Associate Clinical Professor at Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. 

    In an effort to offer his patients more options, Dr. Lazarus obtained special training in clinical hypnosis to address issues not effectively treated by traditional medicine. He is one of only 13 pediatricians in the United States to be certified as an approved consultant by The American Society of Clinical Hypnosis.

    Dr. Lazarus just published a study on the effectiveness of clinical hypnosis in treating tics and tourettes. Click here to watch a recent news segment from CBS News,  to get a sense of Dr. Lazarus' work.

    Friday December 10, 2010.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Location: Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • January 06, 2011
    • 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
    • Immaculate Conception Academy, 3625 24th Street, San Francisco
    Panel of College Students with Learning and Attention Difficulties

    Applying to college or choosing a college for the student with learning and attention difficulties is an important and sometimes difficult and confusing process.  Hear from the experts: college students with learning and attention difficulties.  Our students, all founding members of SAFE Voices will discuss their experiences with:

    •    Whether and how to disclose a learning disability
    •    How they determined the best fit and scope of support for their college choices
    •    What they as student with learning and attention difficulties found when they arrived at college
    •    How to navigate and manage college life – academically  and socially

    Thursday, January 6, 2011
    7pm-9pm

    Location:
    Immaculate Conception Academy, 3625 24th Street, San Francisco, CA 94110

    Cost: Free. Suggested donation $10.

    • January 20, 2011
    • 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
    • TBD
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Brain Rules for Parents

    John Medina

    The brain is an amazing thing. Most of us have no idea what’s really going on inside our heads. Yet brain scientists have uncovered details every student and parent should know--such as the brain's need for physical activity to work at its best.
     
    Brain Rules is about what we know for sure, and what we might do about it.
     
    John Medina is a developmental molecular biologist, private research consultant, and author of the New York Times bestseller Brain Rules. He is an affiliate Professor of Bioengineering at the University of Washington School of Medicine and is the director of the Brain Center for Applied Learning Research at Seattle Pacific University. Visit him online at www.brainrules.net.

    Thursday January 20, 2011.
    7 pm - 9pm.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • February 10, 2011
    • 07:00 PM - 09:00 PM
    • TBD
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Fathers Discuss their Experiences with Learning and Attention Difficulties 

    A panel of fathers will share experiences they, and their children, have faced with learning and attention difficulties.

    They will discuss challenges and successes as well as address questions posed by the audience.  

    More details to follow!

    Thursday February 10, 2011.
    7pm - 9pm.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • March 04, 2011
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Why Does He Do That?  Identifying and Empathizing
    with the Social-Emotional Side of Learning Differences 

    Barbara Kalmanson, Ph.D.
    Academic Dean, ICDL Graduate School

    Parents and teachers are often perplexed by the reactions and behavioral responses of children with learning differences. They seem not to hear you even though a clock ticking in the room can overtake their attention;  they can't get dressed because the label in the shirt and the seam in their socks are driving them crazy; they don't recognize Aunt Mary even though they saw her last week;  and settling into homework or other seemingly well-defined tasks are derailed by endless distractions.  What's a parent to do?  This presentation will focus on understanding the constitutional components to the obstacles children face. We will discuss how to use empathy for a child's predicament, and address practical approaches to using one's knowledge of a child's learning profile to make life more comfortable for you and for them.

    Age Range:  All ages.

    Barbara Kalmanson has worked with infants, children and their families, as well as with schools and agencies serving children environmentally and developmentally at risk for over 30 years. She is a founder of the Oak Hill School in San Anselmo. Dr. Kalmanson has extensive experience as a clinical psychologist, a special educator, and an infant mental health specialist, including over 20 years with the Infant-Parent Program at the University of California in San Francisco. She is in private practice in San Francisco and Marin County, and teaches nationally and internationally. Dr. Kalmanson is the Academic Dean of the Interdisciplinary Council on Learning & Developmental Disorders (ICDL) Graduate School doctoral program in Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health and Developmental Disorders.

    Friday March 4, 2011.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    Location:
    Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
    • May 13, 2011
    • 09:00 AM - 11:00 AM
    • Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco
    PEN Speaker Series 2010-2011

    Mindfulness Based Approaches to Executive Functioning Challenges 

    DINO DI DONATO, MFT
    (didonato@pacbell.net)

    Offering psychotherapy, coaching and consulting services to individuals, couples and families, I work from a base of mindfulness based cognitive behavioral therapy and client centered humanistic existentialist therapies.  These therapeutic modalities reflect my own philosophical roots in humanistic existentialist and Buddhist psychology and philosophy. I have seven years experience in working with emotionally disturbed children and their families in a public mental health clinic.  I have been in private practice for ten years. My practice has been predominantly men and women seeking relief from ADHD, depression, bi-polar disorders, anxiety disorders, stress and anger management challenges. I have offered workshops and seminars on ADHD and associated diagnoses, conflict, anger and stress management, sexuality, men's issues and gender related questions. I serve as a lecturer in the graduate Department of Counseling at San Francisco State University.

    Age Range:  The presentation will be geared to help parents and teachers working with children and adolescents.  The basic principles apply from elementary on up.

    Friday May 13, 2011.
    9 am - 11 am.


    Cost: $20 for PEN members. Click here to join.

    FREE online registration for faculty at PEN Member Schools. Contact us if you don't know your discount code.

    Location:
    Exploratorium, 3601 Lyon Street, San Francisco, CA 94123

    PEN's Speaker Series is a membership-based series of lectures and workshops on various aspects of parenting and educating children with learning and attention difficulties. PEN Membership is only $35/year or $350/lifetime. Click here to join.
 

Parents Education Network (PEN), 281A Sixteenth Avenue, San Francisco, CA 94118    Phone: (415) 751-2237

PEN is a registered 501(c)(3) non-profit organization, federal tax ID# 43-2008436.