Thursday 30th January 2025 at 8PM on Zoom
Because of their neurocognitive and emotional vulnerabilities, children and adolescents with Learning Disabilities and/or ADHD are particularly at risk for stress-related disorders and reactions. Neuroscience explains the problem and gives us the knowledge we need to turn this situation around. In his presentation, Dr. Schultz will explain why children and adolescents with LD and/or ADHD (and other special needs) have a lower threshold for stress due to their repeated experiences with failure.
Learn why students who have a poor understanding of the conditions that impact learning are under chronic stress, and why this impairs learning. Liberally laced with stress-reducing cartoons and stories that entertain as well as educate, this presentation will provide an overview of the brain systems involved in the stress response, and offer many practical strategies that can stop this self-defeating cycle in its tracks. Dr. Jerome Schultz, a former special education teacher-turned-neuropsychologist, now on the faculty of Harvard Medical School, will talk about the phenomenon of “Saving F.A.S.E.” and present the DE-STRESS Model of Intervention introduced in his book: Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It.
To a student who does not understand his or her LD or ADHD, the label of stupid or dumb seems like a logical explanation for the difficulties they have in school or in their social lives. Unless they are taught about the condition, and more importantly, what they can do to overcome the negative impact, these students find themselves in a state of chronic stress. This stress causes a cascade of neurochemicals that re-set the brain to protect it from an enemy it thinks it cannot combat. This excessive production of stress hormones has a neurotoxic effect, making the brain even less efficient. This results in a cycle of frustration and failure, and explains why so many students with LD or ADHD, or a combination of the two, act out, act in, tune out or drop out. Come with questions and leave with answers and no-cost strategies you can implement tomorrow.
About the speaker
Jerome Schultz, Ph.D. began his professional career as a special education teacher. He is currently a Clinical Neuropsychologist on the faculty at Harvard Medical School in the Department of Psychiatry. He received his undergraduate and Master’s degrees from The Ohio State University and holds a Ph.D. from Boston College, and completed postdoctoral fellowships in both clinical psychology and pediatric neuropsychology.
For over four decades, Dr. Schultz specialized in the neuropsychological assessment and treatment of children and young adults with learning disabilities, attention deficit hyperactivity disorder and other special needs. Although he no longer sees patients, Dr. Schultz currently serves as an international consultant on issues related to the neuropsychology and education of children and young adults with special needs. He is a content expert at Understood.org and ADDitudemag.com, where he presents webinars and writes articles, many of which are about stress and anxiety. He has also written articles for ADDitude Magazine, and most recently for Scientific American. His widely acclaimed book, Nowhere to Hide: Why Kids with ADHD and LD Hate School and What We Can Do About It, examines the role of stress in learning, and has served as a practical guide for families and schools across the globe.
Contact Info:
Jerome Schultz, Ph.D.
Link to Jerome’s book: https://bit.ly/3C06kn2
World of a Difference Webinar Series
We have reached out to our much-loved friends and clinical colleagues around the world, who are esteemed leaders in their field, to ask for their support to help us raise funds to finish the construction of our National Child Development Centre by donating their time and expertise to take part in a series of World of a Difference Webinar Series.
The World of a Difference Webinar Series aims to bring together a world of professional expertise in the areas of child development and neurodiversity through this innovative collective effort to support children with additional needs, who we believe, are some of the
most underserved communities in Ireland today, with therapy public waiting lists of 80,000+ that are often 3+ years long.
All proceeds from the World of a Difference Webinar Series will help fund the completion of our National Child Development Centre and ultimately gift children with additional needs the opportunity to transform their future through therapy support.