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D-PAC
The Demarest Parent Advisory Council
is pleased to announce
Dr. Jane Healey, Ph.D.
Ridgewood, NJ and New York, NY
will discuss
Executive Functioning:
Getting with the Program
Wednesday, January 13, 2010, 7:00 PM
Luther Lee Emerson School, Media Room
10 Columbus Road
Demarest, New Jersey
What precisely are executive functions anyway? Executive functions is a fancy term used to characterize those skills that we think of as organizational skills, self-discipline, self-awareness, remembering what to do, time management, maintaining attention, and inhibiting our impulses. The executive functions help us get "with the program". Children of all ages and at all intellectual levels may have difficulties in this area. In this talk, we will discuss characteristics of students with executive functioning disorders, and ways of assessing it. We will learn about the field of Neuropsychology, which is a branch of psychology that studies how brain functioning is related to behavior, thinking, and learning. We will learn about the brain bases for the executive functions; and why these functions are
vitally important for the ability to plan, organize, anticipate, change and modify behavior. We will learn that even children who are bright can have executive functioning problems, and what we can do to help them. We will also touch upon how neuropsychological tests can identify executive functioning disorders, and how this information can be used to assist teachers and parents in improving the child and teens 's functioning in the classroom.
Jane M. Healey, Ph.D.
75 N. Maple Avenue
Suite 101-B
Ridgewood, NJ 07450
201/251-8411 (phone)
201/251-0027 (fax)
60 Madison Avenue
Suite 907
New York, NY 10010
212/481-1664 (phone)
Biography updated on 1/2009
Jane M. Healey, Ph.D. is a Pediatric Neuropsychologist who practices in Ridgewood, N.J. and in New York City. She is affiliated with Farleigh Dickinson University (Teaneck Campus) as an Adjunct Professor in the Dept. of Psychology Graduate programs. Dr. Healey was an Asst. Professor of Psychiatry at Mt. Sinai for 12 years, and the former Director of the Child and Adolescent Psychology Department at Mt. Sinai for 9 years before moving her practice to Ridgewood. Dr. Healey obtained her Ph.D. degree at the City University of New York, her predoctoral training at Columbia Presbyterian Medical Center and at Montefiore Hospital, and her postdoctoral training at the Boston VA Medical Center and BU School of Medicine. She has extensive teaching and research credentials in areas of
dyslexia, ADHD, executive functioning and organization, motor coordination, left-handedness and brain laterality, and gender differences in cognitive abilities. She has performed neuropsychological and psychoeducational evaluations of children, adolescents, and adults with neurodevelopmental, learning, attentional, and executive functioning difficulties for the past 30 years. She also specializes in medical and neurological disorders that affect children and adolescents including hydrocephalus, spina bifida, seizure disorders, extreme prematurity, cerebral palsy, Tourette's, and autistic spectrum disorders, as well as traumatic brain injury.
Dr. Healey is well known for her individualized approach to the evaluation of children and adolescents. The time she spends focusing on each childís testing, report, and recommendations far exceeds the norm. Her most important job, she believes, is to help parents understand their child and teen's strengths and
weaknesses and how to help them progress.
She published her first book in 2001 entitled, "Loving Lefties", a book about left-handedness. Currently, she is interested in forming a parents group which would focus on brain development, learning, education, and remediation.
Homework
You have asked for help and we are delivering it!
Please see the Teacher's Tips section.
10 Tips for Families in Tough Times
NYU Child Study Center
Tough times also bring opportunities for families to come together and value the things that really matter. Here are some suggestions:
1. A strong social support network is a strong protective factor against stress. Make sure that contacts with friends, extended family, coworkers, and neighbors are maintained.
2. Be part of a community or religious group. Encourage kids to join scouts or other social groups.
3. Plan to eat meals together. Family meals are a safe place where everyone can talk about their day, listen to each other and try out ideas. Encourage kids to be creative in in planning meals in different places or in new forms - a picnic, brunch, community dinner.
4. Be sure that each family member gets enough exercise and sleep, which are good anecdotes to anxious or depressed feelings.
5. Help others by volunteering and donating time to worthy organizations. It is never too early - have toddlers share toys, have your child go with you when you bring food to a neighbor, encourage your teen to volunteer in a after-school program - These actions allow children to appreciate what they have and gives them a sense of their ability to contribute to the good of others.
6. Explore fun, low cost activities. Plan trips and explore new places (museum, parks, concerts, etc.) in your area. Find unusual and inexpensive restaurants, making the point that you are helping the economy.
7. Establish a regular schedule for family conferences to keep everyone informed on how the drop in income will affect everyone's life. Discuss, in age-appropriate terms:
a. Life style changes, such as changing recreation and vacation plans
b. Discussions about priorities for spending money; planning a budget
8. Involve children in helping out at home - babysitting, household chores.
9. Be a model for your children on how to solve problems, how to deal with a crisis, how to make decisions. When they see you handle a situation with confidence they learn that they too can handle life's challenges.
10. Help children focus on the positive aspects of their lives and on the activities over which they have control.
The good news is that kids are resilient and are generally optimistic. Help them develop a hopeful outlook for the future. Children who believe they can take steps to make their lives better and who believe that adults are working to create a better world have good mental health even in troubling times.
FM Classrooms
Did you know…that approximately 11 of the classrooms at DMS, and 3 at LLE, are “FM” classrooms? This technology greatly reduces the need for teachers to raise voices and repeat information. Minimizing the significance of background noise and distraction, these systems further enhance students’ attention and focus. All children, no matter where they are seated, can hear equally!
Principals, Gladys Grossman and Michael Fox, have requested budget dollars be allocated to complete the phasing in of FM systems in the remainder of the classrooms at LLE and DMS.
The Mission of the Demarest-Parent Advisory Council (D-PAC) is to provide a disctrict-wide resource to parents and guardians of children with special needs, offering access to relevant information, training seminars, workshops and emotional support.
As a group, D-PAC is mandated and supported by New Jersey law. We are a united voice for all students' learning needs, dedicated to encouraging an atmosphere of open communication, understanding and mutual respect among all students, parents and the entire Demarest community.
D-PAC provides a forum through which parents, educators and other concerned individuals may come together to identify needs and resources, as well as to share experiences and learn more about the challenges facing special needs children. As a group, we strive to support and protect access to quality education for all children - especially those with special needs - and as a united voice, advise and partner with the Demarest School District in shaping district-wide services.
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