KAPS 2009 Annual Convention

September 9-11, 2009
Hyatt Regency - Louisville, KY

It is time for the 2009 Annual Conference for the Kentucky Association for Psychology in the Schools. Registration is NOW OPEN. Register early for discounted rates. Visit the Conference Brochure to learn more.

The conference is filled with national and state experts in a variety of topics addressing the training needs of school psychologists, counselors, diagnosticians, and special educators. EILA conference credits are available, as well as CPD credits for NCSP renewal.

Note the deadline for early registration occurs 8/26/09. Registration materials are attached. Please plan to attend! Feel free to share with others in your office or district, as there are many sessions which may be of interest to other role groups.

CONFERENCE HIGHLIGHTS:

* Dr. Gerald Sklare will present Friday morning on the topic of Solution-Focused Brief Counseling for the school setting. Dr. Sklare is the author of the second edition of Brief Counseling That Works: A Solution-Focused Approach for School Counselors and Administrators. Participants in his session will learn how to implement this innovative counseling approach that recognizes that solutions to problems often are present but go unrecognized. Solution-Focused Brief Counseling helps identify and use students’ strengths and resources to overcome their difficulties. Helping students discover what works for them, even during difficult times, empowers them to begin to change in the very first meeting.

* Dr. J. Stuart Ablon, co-author of Treating Explosive Kids: The Collaborative Problem-Solving Approach, will present a session on Transforming School Discipline. In this three-hour workshop, Dr. Ablon will teach participants how to apply the Collaborative Problem Solving (CPS) Approach to understand and help their most behaviorally challenging students. Participants will learn to view behavioral difficulties as a developmental delay and to identify the specific cognitive skills deficits in the areas of frustration tolerance, flexibility and problem solving that lead to challenging behavior in the classroom. Participants will be introduced to intervention strategies, flowing from this understanding, aimed at solving chronic classroom problems while teaching lagging cognitive skills. Dr. Ablon will discuss how the CPS approach is applied in the context of a prosocial classroom environment and represents a framework for what can be thought of as differentiated discipline. The implications of the approach for transforming school-wide disciplinary procedures will also be covered, as well as research on its effectiveness.

* Christian Moore returns to KAPS to share the successes of the Why Try program, which provides a framework for effective dropout prevention. This session will provide participants with practical insights and tools to help youth stay in school and succeed in life. Mr. Moore will demonstrate how to use multi-sensory behavioral interventions incorporating visual metaphors, music, video, and physical activities. The Why Try program is a strength-based approach to helping youth overcome, survive, and thrive.

* Dr. Jack Naglieri, Director of the Center for Cognitive Development at George Mason University and author of the Cognitive Assessment System, will offer two sessions on Thursday. The first is a review of the new Autism Spectrum Rating Scale (ASRS). His second session addresses issues related to IDEA, RTI, SLD, and cognitive processing. This workshop provides a thorough discussion of SLD eligibility determination under IDEA 2004 and the Federal Regulations (August, 2006). Particular emphasis will be placed on the strengths and weaknesses of traditional methods and the research on proposed alternatives such as RTI and assessment of basic psychological processes.

* Drs. Thomas and Barbara Smith, president and vice president of Smith Rehabilitation Consultants, will present two sessions on Wednesday. In the morning, they will discuss bipolar disorder its etiology, and current therapeutic concerns and interventions. Their afternoon session will pertain to helping school staff support students with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD). Thomas Smith is a Registered Pharmacist and a Licensed Mental Health Counselor. Barbara Smith is an attorney with years of involvement in working with child advocates. Both Thomas and Barbara are professional educators and have presented to a wide variety of professional groups around the country.

* Dr. Carl Myers will offer a Wednesday afternoon session pertaining to ethics. Dr. Myers will be reviewing current best practices as it pertains to school psychology and ethics. This session will satisfy the NCSP requirement for three hours of ethics training.

* Dr. Kurt Metz, a Diplomate of the American Board of School Neuropsychology, joins us for two sessions on Thursday. In the morning, Dr. Metz will address Executive Functioning and Social Competence in School-Age Learners. Executive functioning skills play a decisive role in the day-to-day social performance of school-age learners, particularly in relation to affective sharing, self-other awareness, and mental flexibility. Discussion will include the correlates between brain structures and social-emotional processes and how these are manifested in the form of learners’ social competence levels in the classroom. Assessment and intervention techniques will be integrated throughout the presentation. In his afternoon session, Dr. Metz will discuss Memory vs. Learning in the Classroom. By utilizing the school neuropsychological conceptual model, the neuroanatomical bases and current theories of memory and learning will be presented and discussed, along with childhood disorders and conditions known to impede academic progress. Assessment procedures designed to measure memory and learning, along with the strategies effective in addressing such deficits, will be an integral portion of the presentation.

* Nick Dubin returns to our conference to discuss Asperger’s Syndrome. Diagnosed with Asperger’s as an adult, Nick offers a unique perspective on the gifts and challenges associated with the syndrome. He also recounts his childhood experiences with bullying.

* Other presentation topics include:
o RTI and behavior
o Minors’ ethical and legal rights
o Legal issues pertaining to IDEA and Section 504
o TV, books, and homework
o Anxiety in African American families
o Developmental considerations in depression
o Teen substance abuse
o Dialectical behavior therapy
o Autism Diagnostic Interview – Revised (ADI-R)
o Implications & accommodations for hearing loss
o Supervision of school psychologists, interns, and practicum students

The conference will be held at the Hyatt Regency Hotel in Louisville, KY. Hotel rooms at the Hyatt Regency Louisville are $115 per night, guaranteed through August 14. They can be reserved by calling (502) 581-1234 or (800) 233-1234, or by going to the Hyatt's special web page: http://louisville.hyatt.com/groupbooking/sdfrlkaps2009