Free workshop for parents on legal and financial preparations for helping your child
November 30, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Event
If you are in the area of Little Neck, New York or can get there, you may want to attend a free workshop for parents on financial planning and disability benefits for your child.
The presentation will be by Andrew Cohen, Esq. and Mitch Weisbrot, CLU, who have both personal experience as parents as well as professional experience in estate planning and the legal morass that confuses parents. Topics of discussion include:
- Government benefits for individuals with disabilities
- How to accumulate and preserve assets without disqualifying eligibility for benefits
- Establishing guardianship
- Estate planning and wills
- Special needs trusts – how they work and why they’re useful
- Strategies for funding trusts
WHEN: Thursday, December 15, 2011 – 6:30 p.m.
WHERE: Samuel Field Y
58-20 Little Neck Parkway
Little Neck, NY 11362
RSVP: Amanda Smith, (718)225-6750 ext. 204
Funding for this program made possible through New York State Office of People with Developmental Disabilities
New Documentary on Tourette Syndrome to Premier Thursday, September 15th
September 13, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Advocacy, Event
The Brad Cohen Tourette Foundation sent out this announcement:
Different is the New Normal will premier on Thursday, September 15th at 8pm (EST) on THIRTEEN (WNET, public television in NY) and then again on Saturday, September 17th at 3:30am (EST)
It will air on Tuesday, September 20th at 10 pm (EST) on NJTV (public television in NJ) then again Thursday, September 22nd at 4 am (EST), Sunday, September 25th at 5 am (EST) ) and Sunday, September 25th at 11 pm (EST), Tuesday, September 27th at 10:30 pm (EST) on WLIW21 (public television in metropolitan and suburban NYC and NJ)
After the broadcast, it will be on this website for a limited time: http://watch.thirteen.org/
The one hour film is about the life of Chicago native Ariel Small, a teen with Tourette Syndrome who inspires others living with TS to be the best they can be. American Idol star James Durbin makes an appearance as he discusses how he has overcome TS himself. This show is informational, educational, and an honest portrayal of what life is like for someone with TS. Follow one kids journey to be normal and accepted by others and how he became empowered to educate the world about TS.
“Different Is the New Normal captures the pain and frustration many parents and their children experience,” said Neal Shapiro, WNET’s President and CEO. “Ariel’s inspirational story provides an uplifting perspective to this often misunderstood disorder, and will inspire everyone who watches this film to think about people as individuals, not as labels.”
Just like my story, Ariel Small will show America that just because a person has TS, we don’t have to allow TS to win. This inspirational show is nicely done and without a doubt will help others understand what living with TS is all about. I give it two thumbs up and after viewing it, I think you do the same.
Join Me at an All-Day Workshop for Educators & Parents on December 5th
September 12, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Event, Featured
I’ll be conducting an all-day workshop for educators on Monday, December 5, 2011 at the Grappone Conference Center in Concord, New Hampshire. The event is sponsored by the University of New Hampshire Institute on Disability and is geared to regular and special education teachers, school psychologists and social workers, behavior specialists, occupational therapists, administrators, and parents.
Description:
Neurological disorders that emerge in childhood often have significant impact on students’ academic, behavioral, and social-emotional functioning. Participants will learn about the cardinal features of Tourette’s Syndrome, Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, Executive Dysfunction, Mood Disorders such as Depression and Bipolar Disorder, and the memory deficits, sensory issues and “storms” that sometimes accompany them. Strategies and assistive technology to accommodate symptom interference in activities such as handwriting, homework, math calculation, and written expression and big projects will be described. Pitfalls in behavioral interventions, and simple social skills and problem-solving interventions will also be identified.
For more information on the workshop and registration information, download the brochure or register online at www.iod.unh.edu.
Hope to see you there!
Online Event: The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet
February 26, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Event
There’s an online event on privacy from EDUCAUSE that educators will want to know about.
The Future of Reputation: Gossip, Rumor, and Privacy on the Internet
March 2, 2011 1:00 p.m. ET (12:00 p.m. CT, 11:00 a.m. MT, 10:00 a.m. PT)
Daniel J. Solove
Professor of Law, George Washington University Law School
In this talk, Daniel J. Solove discusses how gossip and rumor on the Internet are affecting the lives of school students in some profound and troubling ways.
Teeming with chat rooms, online discussion groups, and blogs, the Internet offers previously unimagined opportunities for personal expression and communication. But there’s a dark side to the story. A trail of information fragments about us is forever preserved on the Internet, instantly available in a Google search. A permanent chronicle of our private lives—often of dubious reliability and sometimes totally false—will follow us wherever we go, accessible to friends, strangers, dates, employers, neighbors, relatives, and anyone else who cares to look.
People—especially teenagers and college students—are increasingly spilling their most personal secrets as well as intimate details about their families and friends, in blogs and on social networking sites. In a world where anyone can publish any thought to a worldwide audience, how should we balance privacy and free speech? How should the law protect people when harmful gossip and rumors are spread about them on the Internet?
Daniel Solove is the John Marshall Harlan Research Professor of Law at George Washington University Law School and the founder of TeachPrivacy, a company that helps schools develop a comprehensive privacy program.
Registration is free, but you do need to register, so register now.
OCDNY workshop for parents of kids with OCD+
February 10, 2011 by Leslie E. Packer PhD
Filed under Advocacy, Event
OCDNY is holding a workshop on March 5, 2011 in Great Neck, New York for parents about their children’s educational rights. I’ve uploaded their flyer to this site for anyone who’s interested:
OCDNY_workshop_30511
(Click on link to view flyer)
The schedule for the program is:
Objectives
- Empower parents with an understanding of educational rights
- Understand what services are available through the school system
- Negotiating better for your child’s individualized education and have peace of mind
Schedule
11:00AM-11:15AM Opening Statements
11:15AM-12:15PM Knowing your child’s legal educational rights
A discussion about the laws regarding your child’s rights and how to go about dealing with the school system’s policies. Presented by Natascha Santos
12:15PM-1:15PM Knowing what services and accommodations are available
A discussion regarding the services that you can request for your child from the education system. Presented by Scott Sokolow
1:15PM-1:45PM Break for Refreshments
1:45PM-2:45PM Questions and Answers
Presented by Natascha Santos and Scott Sokolow, and members of the Bio-Behavioral Staff
2:45PM-3:00PM Closing Statements
