Presentations Held by the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber Educational Institute
For more information, choose from the options below.
Bridget A. Taylor, Psy.D., BCBA |
- A.Leland Albright, M.D.
Cerebral Palsy: Updates in Movement Disorders
Dr. Leland Albright is one of the world's leading researchers of movement disorders in children with Cerebral Palsy. He has devoted much of his career to treating and researching Cerebral Palsy, and is one of the pioneers in CP research in children related to the areas of Dystonia, Baclofen pumps, and deep brain stimulation. Dr. Albright received his M.D. from the Louisiana State University School of Medicine, and until recently, he served as the Children’s Neurosurgery Chair at the University of Pittsburgh. He also served as an assistant professor of neurological surgery at the University of Louisville Health Sciences Center in Kentucky. In 2006, Dr. Albright moved to the University of Wisconsin at Madison to take a position in the Pediatric Neurological Surgery department. He has published approximately 160 papers in medical journals, 35 book chapters and has edited three textbooks. His recent presentations include topics such as "Neurosurgical Treatments of Pediatric Movement Disorders."
BACK TO TOP
- Joseph Barber, M.D.
Seminar on Autism Spectrum Disorders; High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Transition to Adolescence and Beyond
Dr. Joseph Barber is a licensed practicing pediatrician/child neurologist at Erie Pediatrics, which is affiliated with the Children’s Hospital of Pittsburgh. Dr. Barber has served as director and coordinator of various programs, including the Down syndrome program at the Dr. Gertrude A. Barber National Institute. He has given numerous presentations in the Erie region on topics dealing with acute and chronic neurological problems seen in children and the assessment and intervention methodology for children with neurodevelopmental disorders. His personal interest area concerns children and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders. An Erie native, Dr. Barber attended medical school at the University of Pittsburgh. He went on to complete residency training at the University of Virginia and Washington University in St. Louis, Missouri. He then completed fellowship training in Child Neurology at St. Louis Children’s Hospital. He is a Fellow in the American Academy of Pediatrics and a member of the Child Neurology Society.
BACK TO TOP
- Andrew Bondy, Ph.D.
The Pyramid Approach to Education
Andrew Bondy is the president and co-founder of Pyramid Educational Consultants, Inc. Dr. Bondy is an innovative leader in the field of autism and applied behavior analysis. He directed a statewide public school system for students with autism for fourteen years. He also wrote The Pyramid Approach to Education, a training manual that offers an integrated orientation to developing effective educational environments, blending applied behavior analysis with functional activities and creative communication strategies. Dr. Bondy has presented numerous papers, lectures and workshops in regional, national and international conferences and conventions on behavior analysis, PECS and the Pyramid Approach to Education. He has remained active in research and writing, and continues to develop new and innovative methods of helping children with autism and related developmental disorders. Dr. Bondy received his MA and Ph.D. from the UNC Greensboro, and completed his clinical internship in 1976 at the University of Kansas Medical Center.
BACK TO TOP
- Barbara Bridges , R.N., M.S.N., M.S.H.C.M., M.B.A
Therapeutic Care-giving
Barbara Bridges is a registered nurse with more than 30 years of experience. After receiving her undergraduate degree in nursing from the University of Washington, she attained graduate degrees from the University of Washington and California State University at Los Angeles. Currently, she operates her own business, BJB Geriatric Educational Services, offering private consultation to family caregivers, and seminars on Alzheimer's/dementia caregiving. She is an Alzheimer's Association support group facilitator and the author of Therapeutic Caregiving: A Practical Guide for Caregivers of Persons with Alzheimer's and Other Dementia Causing Diseases.
BACK TO TOP
- Susan Conners, M.Ed., M.A.
A Personal Reflection, Including Insightful Information Concerning: Specific Classroom Strategies for Students with Tourette Syndrome; History, Symptoms, and Treatment of Tourette Syndrome; Current Focus of Research; Tourette Syndrome Association
Susan Conners is the president and founder of the Tourette Syndrome Association of Western New York, and has been very actively involved in TSA activities and leadership for many years. Now an Education Specialist for the national TSA, Ms. Conners is renowned for her motivational Educational Presentations on TS and Associated Disorders as these affect the child in the classroom environment. Ms. Conners is a co-author of the TSA Educators’ Curriculum, and travels widely training professionals and families on Tourette Syndrome in the classroom. She has recently presented on Tourette Syndrome for the NASP and to officials of the US Dept. of Education. The winner of numerous honors for her tireless work as an author, speaker, and advocate for children with Tourette Syndrome, Ms. Conners recently retired as a teacher of French in the Williamsville, NY schools.
BACK TO TOP
- Lynn Dell, M.S., CCC-SLP-L
Asperger Disorder: Effective Program Design and Delivery in the Schools
With 25 years of clinical experience, Lynn Dell serves as the Clinical Director of the Center for Autism and Related Disorders at the Kennedy Krieger Institute. Her areas of expertise include autism training and technical assistance and current research-based treatment methodologies, effective educational programming and curriculum design, assistive technology, augmentative and alternative communication assessment and treatment, reading and language disorders and effective behavior planning and support.
Ms. Dell holds a Bachelor’s Degree in Speech and Hearing Science from the University of Illinois, a Master’s Degree in Speech and Language Pathology from Illinois State University, and an Educational Administration Certificate from Temple University. Ms. Dell also holds a Certificate of Completion for Applied Behavior Analysis through the College of Education of the Pennsylvania State University.
BACK TO TOP
- Temple Grandin, Ph.D.
My Experience with Autism - Live Videoconference
Perhaps one of the most noted high-functioning individuals with autism in the world, Temple Grandin, Ph.D. devotes much of her free time to speaking worldwide on autism as a way of increasing awareness. Dr. Grandin is the author of two books on autism: Emergence: Labeled Autistic (1986) and Thinking in Pictures (1995). In addition to her career designing livestock handling systems, she is an Associate Professor of Animal Science at Colorado State University. In this videoconference, Dr. Grandin focused on visual thinking, careers, sensory problems, and learning language.
BACK TO TOP
- Antonio Y. Hardan, M.D.
Review of Treatment Issues and Latest Developments in the Field of Autism
Dr. Antonio Hardan spent ten years as an Assistant Professor of Psychiatry at the Western Psychiatric Institute of Pittsburgh. He has since taken a position as the Director of the Autism and Developmental Disorders Clinic at Stanford University; although, he remains an adjunct faculty member at the Western Psychiatric Institute. Dr. Hardan has given presentations on topics such as “Psychopharmacological Treatment of Individuals with Autism,” “Psychiatric Disorders in Children and Adolescents,” and “Antipsychotic Medications: Balancing Efficacy and Side Effects Profile.” In 2003, he was nominated for the Golden Apple Award for Child Psychiatry Faculty at the University of Pittsburgh Medical Center. Dr. Hardan received his medical degree from Saint Joseph University, School of Medicine and Dentistry in Beirut, Lebanon, and completed residencies at the University of Rochester and the University of Pittsburgh.
BACK TO TOP
- Laura Hershkowitz, D.O.
Cyperonics
Dr. Laura Hershkowitz currently serves as the Regional Epileptologist at Northshore Clinical Associates in Erie, PA. She has given presentations both locally and nationally on various topics in epilepsy, including “Seizure Diagnosis and Management,” “Pediatric Epilepsy Syndromes,” and “Psychiatric Complications of Epilepsy.” Dr. Hershkowitz received her D.O. from Michigan State, and completed her neurology residency at the Michigan Institute of Neurological Disorders.
BACK TO TOP
- Anne Hoffman, M.Ed.
Incorporating PECS across the Day; PECS – Picture Exchange Communication System; The Pyramid Approach to Education
Anne Hoffman holds a Bachelors degree in Psychology and a Masters in Education. She began working with children with autism in 1991, and started her working relationship with Andrew S. Bondy, Ph.D. and Lori Frost, M.S., CCC/SLP in the summer of 1992 at the Delaware Autistic Program. Anne has extensive expertise in PECS and the Pyramid Approach to Education and is a Senior PECS Consultant and international presenter. She has been involved in the Supervised PECS Summer Camp, the PECS Implementer Certification process, and the mentoring of international Pyramid Consultants.
BACK TO TOP
- Samuel Knapp, Ed.D.
Ethical Issues for Psychologists
From 1987 to the present, Dr. Samuel Knapp has been the Deputy Executive Officer and Professional Affairs Officer of the Pennsylvania Psychological Association. He writes testimony and represents the interests of psychologists before the PA State Board of Psychology and other regulatory bodies, the PA State Legislature and the US Congress. Dr. Knapp has written or edited 15 books and contributed to chapters in many other books. He has also had over 60 articles published on numerous topics, including articles relevant to ethics, licensing, and insurance reimbursement issues. Dr. Knapp received his doctoral degree in counseling from Lehigh University in 1982.
BACK TO TOP
- Jacqueline Marcell
Elder Rage or Take My Father…Please!: How to Survive Caring for Aging Parents
Jacqueline Marcell is a well-known national speaker on elder care and the author of the best-selling book, Elder Rage, a Book-of-the-Month Club selection receiving over 50 endorsements, including those from Hugh Downs, Regis Philbin and the National Adult Day Services Association, which honored her with their Media Award. She also received "Advocate of the Year" from the National Association of Women Business Owners at their Remarkable Women Awards. This one-day seminar addressed issues (i.e. rage and anger) in patients with irreversible dementia, such as Alzheimer’s Disease.
BACK TO TOP
- Christopher J. McDougle, M.D.
Autism, Target Symptoms, and Medication Treatment
Dr. Christopher McDougle is an internationally-recognized expert in the neurobiology and neuropsychopharmacology of childhood-onset neuropsychiatric disorders including autistic disorder, obsessive-compulsive disorder, and chronic tic disorders such as Tourette's disorder. In 2002, Dr. McDougle was selected as a recipient of the 12th Annual Nancy C.A. Roeske, M.D. Certificate of Recognition for Excellence in Medical Student Education from the American Psychiatric Association. In 2003, Dr. McDougle was appointed Associate Editor of the Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders. After seven years on the faculty at the Yale Child Study Center, Dr. McDougle joined the IU School of Medicine as the Raymond E. Houk Professor of Psychiatry and Director of the Section of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry. In September of 2000, Dr. McDougle was named the Albert Eugene Sterne Professor of Clinical Psychiatry and Chairman of the Department of Psychiatry.
BACK TO TOP
- Nancy J. Minshew, M.D.
Cognitive Basis of Behavior
Nancy J. Minshew, M.D., Professor of Psychiatry and Neurology at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine, is a research neurologist who has developed a theory of the cognitive and neural deficits in autism. Her analytic scientific work reflects insights regarding the clinical syndrome won from years of working with hundreds of patients with autism and the results of extensive data collected. Her research, conducted in collaboration with her extensive research team, has completed large-scale neuropsychologic studies, eye movement and posturography studies, structural MRI, and MRS (magnetic resonance spectroscopy) of high functioning autistic individuals. This research has resulted in the definition of deficits in complex cognitive abilities across domains with the exception of the visual spatial domain and evidence of neocortical systems as the primary site of CNS dysfunction.
BACK TO TOP
- Janet Pawlowski, R.N., M.A.
High Functioning Autism and Asperger Syndrome: The Transition to Adolescence and Beyond
Janet Pawlowski is a Registered Nurse, Licensed Psychologist, and Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist in private practice in Erie. Ms. Pawlowski provides psychological consultation, evaluation and treatment of a wide variety of concerns involving children and families including depression, anxiety, attatchment/bonding, relational issues, developmental delays, and chronic and acute medical and mental health issues with individual, family and group therapies. Her specialty includes treatment of Asperger's Syndrome, High Functioning Autism, PDD-NOS, and related profiles. An Erie native, Ms. Pawlowski received her bachelor’s degree in Nursing from Villa Maria College, her master's degree in Clinical Psychology from Edinboro University, and post-master's certification in Marriage and Family Therapy from Gannon University.
BACK TO TOP
- Siegfried M. Pueschel, M.D, Ph.D., J.D., M.P.H.
Updates for Down Syndrome
Dr. Siegfried Pueschel is a well-known advocate for people with Down syndrome, a leading expert in the field, and a father of a child with Down syndrome. Dr. Pueschel became director of the first Down Syndrome Program at The Children’s Hospital in Boston, and also provided leadership to the PKU and Inborn Errors of Metabolism Program. In 1975, Dr. Pueschel was appointed Director of the Child Development Center at Rhode Island Hospital in Providence, Rhode Island. Dr. Pueschel has lectured extensively, has authored or coauthored 15 books, and has written more than 200 scientific articles. His academic appointments include Lecturer in Pediatrics, Harvard Medical School; and Professor of Pediatrics, Brown University School of Medicine. He continues to pursue interests in clinical activities, research, and teaching in the fields of developmental disabilities, biochemical genetics, and chromosome abnormalities.
BACK TO TOP
- Susan Senator
Making Peace with Autism
Susan Senator is a mother of three boys, the oldest of whom is sixteen and has autism. A graduate of the University of Pennsylvania, she is a writer and activist for the disabled. Her work has been featured on National Public Radio, the Today Show, and on MSNBC, and well as in the New York Times, the Washington Post, the Boston Globe, Family Fun Magazine, and Education Week. She lives with her husband and sons in Massachusetts, where she writes a column for the local paper and is working on a new book. Ms. Senator shared her personal experiences as the mother of a son with autism. This event was her first appearance in this tri-state area.
BACK TO TOP
- Mark Sundberg, Ph.D.
Recent Advances in the Use of Verbal Behavior for Language Assessment and Intervention for Children with Autism; Teaching Advanced Language Skills to Children with Autism and Developmental Disabilities
Mark L. Sundberg, Ph.D., BCBA received his doctorate degree in Applied Behavior Analysis from Western Michigan University (1980), under the direction of Dr. Jack Michael. Dr. Sundberg is a Licensed Psychologist and Board Certified Behavior Analyst who has been conducting language research with children with autism for 32 years. He is the founder and past editor of the journal The Analysis of Verbal Behavior, and is the co-author (with James W. Partington) of the books Teaching Language to Children with Autism or Other Developmental Disabilities, The Assessment of Basic Language and Learning Skills: The ABLLS, and (with Jack Michael) A Collection of Reprints on Verbal Behavior. He has published more than 40 professional papers, given more than 400 conference presentations and workshops, and taught 80 college courses on behavior analysis, verbal behavior, sign language, and child development. Dr. Sundberg received the 2001 Distinguished Psychology Department Alumnus Award from Western Michigan University.
BACK TO TOP
- Bridget A. Taylor, Psy.D., BCBA
Social Behavior across Life Spans and the Prevention and Treatment of Problem Behaviors
Bridget A. Taylor is a Board Certified Behavior Analyst and Executive Director of the Alpine Learning Group in New Jersey. She holds a Doctorate in Psychology from Rutgers University, and received her Masters degree in Early Childhood Special Education from Columbia University. Dr. Taylor has specialized in the education and treatment of children with autism for the past nineteen years. In 1988, she co-founded the Alpine Learning Group, a well regarded education and treatment center for children with autism. Dr. Taylor has served on the editorial board of the Journal of Applied Behavior Analysis and currently serves on the editorial board of Behavioral Interventions. She is also a member of the Autism Advisory Group for the Cambridge Center for Behavioral Studies. She has authored research articles and book chapters related to autism, and is a regular presenter at national and international conferences.
BACK TO TOP
