ADHD Ireland is delighted to bring you a full day conference exploring the topic “ADHD Explained”.
Bringing you three expert speakers covering ADHD throughout all years, from early years from 0 – 7 years and then exploring school years from 8 – 18 years, and finally exploring ADHD in adulthood and throughout a lifespan.
Date: 13th June 2020
For full details of times and for tickets, please click here.
Introduction to our speakers and topics:
ADHD Early Years: Emma Weaver, BA, PG Dip IAPT, Director of Early Years Services ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity
Topic: Optimising knowledge and skills for families and professionals working with children with ADHD, Autism and attachment difficulties.
Emma will explore the factors involved in identifying and supporting children and families including how knowledge and skills training in early years can improve attachment, learning, child development and transition into education.
About our Speaker:
Emma Weaver has worked across several educational and social care settings designing and delivering services for families with children or parents who have autism, ADHD and related neurodevelopmental conditions.
Emma is a specialist trained therapist who utilises a range of interventions including video assisted guidance therapy to train parents, teachers and child care professionals on identifying and understand the needs of the child and integrated working across health, education and social care.
Emma is the lead for early years services at the Foundation as well as being part of the national training team, providing professional development training and coaching in areas such as mental health, education and behaviour support.
Emma’s expertise in developmental psychology to enables families and professionals to develop the knowledge and skills to ensure that early intervention, by the right people at the right time. Emma ensures that agencies work collaboratively with families on how they can adapt the environmental factors in the home and school environment to optimise child development, learning and wellbeing.
Emma is currently undertaking a Professional Doctorate in Developmental Psychology and early Years.
ADHD School Years: Colin Foley, BA PGCE MA, National Training Director at ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity
Topic: Teaching and learning strategies in educational settings
Colin will explain how to identify neurodiverse children and young people in an educational context, teaching and learning strategies such how to scaffold learning to improve academic progress and attainment and how parents can work collaboratively with schools to ensure their child’s needs are understood and addressed. Emphasising a strength based approach to learning, Colin will also explore how the overlap of characteristics and co-occurrence of other learning impairments such as dyslexia, dyscalculia, dyspraxia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia needs to be understood and supported in the home and school.
About our Speaker:
Colin Foley is the training director of the ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity, an integrated health and education multidisciplinary lifespan service in based in Liverpool. The Foundation is the largest patient led service of its kind in the UK and Colin co-ordinates training for over 15,000 professionals very year, covering a range of professional development programmes.
The ADHD Foundation is one of only three organisations in the UK to offer a cradle to grave multi modal service for families and adults affected by ADHD, offering psychoeducative and psychosocial interventions, skills training for families and young people, Family Therapy, CBT, counselling, Stress reduction and behaviour support programmes.
Colin leads the Training department, designing and delivering professional development courses for education health and social care professionals. Colin also event manages the Annual International Conference on Neurodiversity & Mental Health on ADHD, Mental Health and Neurodevelopmental Conditions.
After a twenty five year teaching career in the secondary sector up to Senior leadership level, Colin was the first Specialist Leader in Education to be appointed in his area and led the Outstanding Teacher Programme and the Improving Teaching programme for the National College.
Colin’s work for the ADHD Foundation is grounded in empowering teacher’s to deliver outstanding outcomes for children and young people with ADHD through raising awareness of the specific symptomology of conditions such as ADHD, Autism, Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, Dyscalculia and Tourette’s syndrome and related co-occurring mental health challenges.
Colin is passionate about improving the knowledge, skills and understanding of childcare professionals to improve teaching and learning and raising academic attainment for young people with learning needs to improve life chances and reduce the health, education and socio economic inequalities that impact on the 1 in 5 human beings who are neurodiverse.
Colin believes that providing practical classroom strategies that every teacher can use at all key stages, with knowledge on how to identify learners of concern, reduce learner anxiety, promote their psychological resilience and a ‘strength based approach’ to what learners can achieve, is essential for any outstanding education provider.
ADHD in Adults: Dr Tony Lloyd CEO ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity
Topic: Understanding ADHD, how it impacts on physical and mental health across the lifespan.
Tony will talk about the causes of ADHD and how the environment in home and school impact on how the brain develops throughout childhood, adolescence and into adulthood. Tony will also explain how to ensure that healthy lifestyle choices and why access to early assessment, diagnosis and treatment can improve life chances in education, physical and mental health across the lifespan.
About our Speaker:
Tony has led the Foundation since it was established as a user led charity in 2007, initially as Chair then as CEO from 2010. Tony has been the driving force in promoting neurodiversity in the UK and campaigned for a neurodiverse paradigm in education, health services, employment and human resource management in the UK.
Tony works in partnership with the UK Government, national and international agencies across all business sectors to improve understanding and awareness of the 1 in 5 human beings who are neurodiverse; those with dyslexia, ADHD, autism, dyscalculia and dyspraxia. Tony argues that the very prevalence of neurodiversity is such that 1 in 5 of humankind can not be errors of genetics or ‘disordered’ – but rather are a reflection of the natural diversity of human intelligence and creativity. Tony believes therefore that we must take a strength based approach to recognise the intelligence, ability, employability and remarkable potential of neurodiverse individuals, citing such historical genius as Leonardo da Vinci, Einstein, Mozart and numerous public figures in the 21st century including entrepreneurs, Steve Jobs, Bill Gates, Richard Branson; world champion athletes Simone Biles and Michael Phelps, actors Tom Hanks and Emma Watson. Tony argues that in the 21st century and our rapidly changing culture, economy and lifestyles, we need to redefine what we mean by intelligence, ability and career potential that is relevant for the 21st century so that every child and adult can achieve their potential.
The ADHD Foundation Neurodiversity Charity has led the campaign for adherence to the National Institute for Clinical Excellence Guidelines in the care and treatment of ADHD in the UK. Tony is a leading figure in influencing Government policy and the deign and provision of public services so they better understand and meet the needs of the neurodiverse population to improve life chances through better and more inclusive education that reflects the explosion in neuroscience that enables and encourages innovation.
Tony has also played a key role in the production of and as co author of two national reports on ADHD; A Lifetime Lost or a Lifetime Saved’ published in 2017 and sent to every MP and NHS Commissioner, this report highlighted the scientific evidence underpinning ADHD, prevalence and mental health outcomes. Tony also co authored the ‘Bridging the Gap’ report published in 2017 and launched at the EU in Brussels on transition from CAMHS to AMHS for children’s mental health services, using ADHD as a case study. Tony also contributed to the DEMOS report on the’ Social and Economic Impact of ADHD, published in Feb 2018.
Tony has over 25 years as a mental health practitioner and consultant advisor to several voluntary and charity sector agencies. Tony advises several private sector businesses, NHS and Health Care providers on services specifically for the ADHD population.
Tony has also promoted a more holistic education to meet the needs of children in a rapidly changing world with the provision of school based mental health services and parent skills programmes for parents and especially the parents of children with special needs so that parents are able to play a more proactive role in their child’s education, health and citizenship.
Tony is the recipient of several awards for his work in the field of neurodiversity, ADHD, education and health and was listed in the FT Outstanding 100 top LGBTQ executives in 2017, 2018, 2019 for his work developing the ADHD Foundation and promoting neurodiversity in the workplace.
For any queries on this event, please contact ADHD Ireland on [email protected] or on 018748349.
