VERMONT ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL PSYCHOLOGIST
FALL CONFERENCE 2015
The Neuropsychology of Math Learning Disabilities Presented by Dr. Steven G. Feifer, D. Ed., ABSNP.
October 28, 2015 at The Hilton-Burlington
Presenter: Steven G. Feifer, DEd, ABSNP is an internationally renowned speaker and author in the field of learning disabilities, and has authored six books on learning and emotional disorders in children. He has 19 years of experience as a school psychologist, and was voted the Maryland School Psychologist of the Year in 2008, and awarded the 2009 National School Psychologist of the Year. He was also honored as the Distinguished Alumni Scholar by Indiana University of Pennsylvania in 2011. Dr. Feifer is a diplomat in school neuropsychology, and currently works as a faculty instructor in the ABSNP school neuropsychology training program. He continues to evaluate children in private practice at the Monocacy Neurodevelopmental Center in Frederick, MD, and regularly consults with numerous school districts throughout the country. Dr. Feifer has authored two tests on diagnosing learning disabilities in children, both of which are slotted to be released by PAR in 2015.
Description: This workshop will explore how young children learn and acquire basic mathematical skills from a brain-based educational perspective. The role of language, working memory, visual-spatial reasoning, and executive functioning will be featured as primary cognitive constructs involved in the acquisition of basic number skills. There will be a discussion on three primary ways in which numbers are formatted in the brain, as well as critical neurodevelopmental pathways that contribute to skills such as automatic fact retrieval, quantitative reasoning, and the development of number sense. The expected learner outcomes will be to better understand three prominent subtypes of math disabilities in children, learn critical assessment techniques to tease out each subtype, and to introduce more efficient ways to diagnose and remediate math disorders in children.
The following objectives will be covered:
Objectives:
(1) Discuss international trends in mathematics, and reasons why the United States lags behind many industrialized nations in math and science.
(2) Explore the role of various neurocognitive processes including language, working memory, visual-spatial functioning, and executive functioning, with respect to math problem solving ability and quantitative reasoning.
(3) Introduce a brain-based educational model of math by identifying three basic subtypes of math disabilities in children, and developing numerous games and intervention strategies for each subtype.
(4) Introduce the 90-minute assessment model of mathematics as well as scores of interventions in order to more efficiently diagnose and remediate math disorders in children.
Schedule:
8:00-8:30 Registration
8:30 - 12:00 Morning Session (Break at 10:00-10:15)
12:00 – 1:00 Lunch (included)
1:00 to 4:00 Afternoon Session (Break at 2:30-2:45)
4:00 Certificates of Attendance Distributed
Registration Deadline: October 19