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

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 is a brief description of both seminars:

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.

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.) experience 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 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 the client to achieve their full "social potential."

This one-day seminar is designed to teach professionals the exciting new research on how the unique neurophysiology of those with neurobiological disorders can negatively affect their ability to interact socially. Specific treatments for a wide variety of the most common neurosocial problems experienced by those with neurobiological disorders will be discussed. Attendees will be provided a vast array of resources from professional organizations, web sites, technology, institutions, etc., where they can access information to help their clients so they can learn about their disorders and how to help themselves. Participants will leave this workshop realizing they must treat both the neurobiological disorders and the skills deficits of their disabled clients in order to insure that they are able to socialize to their full potential, as well as to give those professionals the tools to accomplish this.

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

This seminar is an “advanced” version of the aforementioned “Neuosocial Disorders” seminar, focusing much more on animal correlates of social interaction problems and problems of alexithymia, social anxiety, memory problems, prosopagnosia (problems recognizing faces, facial expression, age and gender of a face as well as making facial expressions correctly), social problems caused by genetic and neurotransmitter difficulties, Nonverbal Learning Disorders and Asperger’s Disorder as well as Central Auditory Processing Disorder (CAPD). Specific suggestions are offered regarding how to screen for these disorders as well as how to treat them at home, work and in the classroom.

Assessment and Treatment of Dyslexia in Adolescents and Adults: No Adults Left Behind
Treating Dyslexia from Adolescence to Adulthood

Increasingly our communities and society include a large number of adolescents and adults whose lives have been negatively and seemingly irrevocably changed by some form of Reading Disorder-Dyslexia. Often, it not only affects academic and career efforts but negatively impacts interpersonal and social relationships as well. Although mental health professionals understand how undiagnosed Reading Disorder-Dyslexia can negatively affect the school performance and self-esteem of their child clients, the impact of these disorders on their adolescent and adult clients may not be fully understood. The severity of impairment caused by Reading Disorder-Dyslexia in adolescent and adult clients may be underestimated. These clients often do not respond to conventional forms of therapy.

This one-day seminar is designed for practitioners wanting to know about this disorder, as well as those who are seasoned diagnosticians wishing to hone their skills. Attendees will be provided simple, clear models for understanding the complex genetic and neuroanatomical origins of the disorder, symptoms seen in those individuals and the tremendous emotional overlay that has resulted from a lifetime of living with the symptoms of this disorder. Assessment and accommodations will be discussed, as well as therapeutic suggestions for the emotional overlay of the disorder. The negative effect on social interactions, relationships, work and academic life of these individuals will be discussed with practical information about what can be done to help these concerns. An in-depth discussion of psychological/psychiatric co-morbidity and how to address these disorders will also be given. Each participant will leave the seminar with a comprehensive "toolbox" of suggestions and resources prepared by Dr. Blake that will be immediately applicable after the seminar.