Nationally Recognized Expert Lecturer and Consultant on Learning Disorders and AD/HD

Dr. Blake is a recognized national authority on Learning Disorders and AD/HD in adolescents and adults. He has specialized for over 20 years in Learning Disorders and AD/HD and lives and works as a licensed psychologist in Tucson, Arizona. The interest in Learning Disorders and AD/HD were spurred by his own struggles trying to overcome his Reading Disorder-Dyslexia and hearing impairment, which were initially diagnosed during his first year of his doctoral program at the age of 26. At the time, the early 1980s, not much was known about adults with Learning Disorders. As Dr. Blake struggled to learn about his own Learning Disorder he decided to make his life's work the diagnosis and treatment of adults with Learning Disorders and AD/HD. When he started his professional life, he was one of a handful of professionals in the country with such a focus. Now he travels the country sharing his personal story and what he has learned about Learning Disorders, AD/HD and other neurobiological disorders with professionals who work with these populations, individuals with these disorders, and their loved ones.

Dr. Blake currently does three seminars nationally through Cross Country Education in Brentwood, Tennessee. These are designed primarily for credentialed professionals in medical and mental health fields. Six hours of professional continuing education credits are offered for each seminar. The following are brief descriptions of the three seminars Dr. Blake does for Cross Country Education and those he dose on his own:

Social Difficulties of Learning, Attentional and Autism Spectrum Disorders: Screening and Treatment

Traditionally, professionals have believed the social interaction difficulties many of those with neurobiological disorders (i.e., learning disorders, AD/HD, nonverbal learning disorders, Asperger's disorder, etc.) are solely the result of a lack of social skills knowledge. They believed if their clients could be given adequate knowledge, their social interaction difficulties would disappear. Yet, after being given extensive social skills training many would continue to appear odd and be rejected in social, work and classroom situations. In the past, the only "solution" was to provide more social skills training, which would often produce the same disappointing results. Recent research utilizing advanced brain imaging techniques has identified neurobiological deficits that underlie these clients' difficulties in social interaction. These deficits must be addressed along with the provision of social skills training for clients to achieve their full "social potential".

Neurosocial Disorders: Creating a Comprehensive Treatment Plan

Understand and identify neurobiological deficits found in AD/HD, Dyslexia, Learning Disorders, NVLD and Asperger's disorder, and learn new and exciting therapeutic applications for successful treatment of these often misunderstood clients.

Assessment and Treatment of Dyslexia in Adolescents and Adults: No Adult Left Behind

Learn the research based methods of assessing and treating Dyslexia and co-existing conditions in adolescents and adults.

Dr. Blake’s Personal Seminars

In addition to the above, Dr. Blake does seminars independent of Cross Country Education on his own. His most popular is I Pulled an All-Nighter for My High School Graduation and Other Adventures of a Dyslexic, Hearing Impaired Psychologist. During this workshop Dr. Blake tells his life story of being a person with undiagnosed Dyslexia and Hearing Impairment trying to survive academically and socially from elementary to graduate school. He shares what he found helpful…and what was not as well as makes recommendations regarding what parents, teachers medical and mental health professionals can do to help children and adolescents learn to cope with and compensate for similar disabilities. Dr. Blake usually, combines this seminar with lectures on Reading Disorder- Dyslexia and Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorders; however; he can add lectures about other Learning Disorders, Central Auditory Processing Disorder and Autism Spectrum Disorders to this seminar. This seminar uses humor along side factual information and is delivered in a heartfelt manner that will leave you laughing at times, tearful at times but inspired and uplifted all the time.