Before we dive into a day of expanding our toolkit for teaching neurodiverse groups of learners, Dr. Emily will center us in the importance of understanding how anxiety impacts a student’s ability to learn and how we can use the power of our relationships with students to create a safe space for them to take risks, make mistakes, and try again. Many neurodivergent students have asynchronous profiles which means that they may be gifted in one area but struggle in another. This leads many neurodivergent students to experience a higher level of anxiety when learning compared to their neurotypical peers. Dr. Emily will walk us through understanding of how variability within a child’s cognitive, memory, language, and sensorimotor development can impact their emotional regulation, executive functioning, and academic achievement. You will learn how to spot, prevent, and respond to anxiety in your students and help them emotionally regulate in order to ready their body and brain for learning.

Breakout Session 1 | Select One:

Diversifying Instruction for Student Engagement | Kerrie Goray, Middle School Teacher, Hill Learning Center | Small Training Room 
Audience: 4-8                                                       Strand: Executive Functioning, Reading & Writing
To process information, students need to interact with it in a variety of ways. In this session, you will learn some new activities and tools which can be applied in different subject areas that you and the students can use to develop deeper understanding. This session is primarily for teachers of middle school students. Tools include Google Tools, Google Chrome extensions, apps, and websites.

Understanding ADHD & Its Impact on Learning| Dr. Emily King | Large Training Room 
Audience:1 - 12                                                   Strand: ADHD, General Audience
In this breakout session, teachers will learn about the brain science behind ADHD, characteristics of all three types of ADHD, and how to differentiate ADHD from giftedness, learning disabilities, anxiety, and autism. Educators will leave with a better understanding of how a student's distractibility, hyperactivity, and working memory impact learning with the goal of supporting these areas of need in order to help students reach their potential. 

Audience: 1 - 12                                                   Strand: Executive Functioning, General Audience
How can a teacher support and build Executive Functioning skills in the classroom? In this presentation, educators will gain a clear understanding of what EF entails through our innovative visual metaphor. Educators will walk away with EF teaching tactics and resources that they can implement in their lessons to support all learner profiles.

Breakout Session 2 | Select One:

Algebraic Thinking Using Hands-on Materials for grades 6-8 | Sandy Silverman and Pat Porcelli, Hill Learning Center | Small Training Room 
Audience: 6-9                                                        Strand: Math
Algebra = Fun! Come learn how to use the Concrete, Representational, Abstract (CRA) model to teach your middle school students the concepts behind solving equations. You will learn how to use physical materials to solve 1-step, 2-step, and multi-step equations, including those with variables on both sides of the equal sign. We will demonstrate how to use the CRA model for linear equations in the form y=mx+b and even how to solve a system of equations.

Scaffolding Paragraph Writing for Reluctant Writers | Kathy Sullivan, Hill Learning Center | Glaxo Training Room 
Audience: 2-12.                                                    Strand: Executive Functioning, General Audience
For some students, writing is overwhelming, and they don't know where to start... so they don't. In this session, you'll learn how to use sentence stems and narrow the options to help reluctant writers craft paragraphs. With a strong framework, students will begin to see themselves as capable writers.

Leveraging an Academic Resource Center: Supporting Neurodiversity through Partnership | Jessica Kulp, Cannon School | Large Training Room 
Audience: Pre-K - 12                                            Strand: Executive Functioning, General Audience
This breakout session will highlight the collaborative role of an academic resource center in fostering inclusive learning environments. This session will explore how these centers harness research-based support, tools, and strategies to empower students, educators, and parents in service to neurodivergent learners. Attendees will discover the benefits of partnerships between academic resource centers and educational stakeholders in promoting a supportive framework that acknowledges diverse learning profiles and nurtures academic success for all students.

Breakout Session 3 | Select One

Active Participation to Engage All Learners | Kathy Sullivan, Hill Learning Center | Glaxo Training Room 
Audience: K - 12                                                    Strand: Executive Functioning, General Audience
You'll learn active participation techniques to embed in the lessons you are already teaching and how to adopt the rule that "everyone does everything". When students are given think time, actively participating through speech, writing and actions, their comprehension, positive behavior and retention increase. Learn how to collect data on the number of response opportunities in your classroom and prepare to adopt the "no raised hands" routine.

Beyond Borders: Empowering Neurodiverse Students through Executive Function Mastery and Global Citizenship | Leah Poole, Ravenscroft School | Large Training Room 
Audience: Pre-K - 12                                             Strand: Executive Functioning, General Audience
Explore a transformative framework at the intersection of neurodiverse education, executive function mastery, and global competencies. This session unveils practical strategies aligning with UN Sustainability Goals, fostering an inclusive classroom. Discover how this holistic approach not only unlocks neurodiverse students' potential but also prepares them to thrive as ethical leaders in a diverse and interconnected world.