It's So Much Work Being Your Friend: Helping the Child with Learning Disabilities Find Social Success

Friday, December 8, 2006
With Rick Lavoie, M.Ed., M.A.T.

Location:

Harraseeket Inn 162 Main Street Freeport, Maine

Program Description: Extensive studies have examined students with learning disabilities who have experienced chronic failure in mainstream classes and adults with learning problems who have been unsuccessful in the work place. Invariably, these studies have clearly demonstrated that this failure is due to the person's SOCIAL SKILLS, not his ACADEMIC SKILLS. The majority of people with learning disorders have marked difficulty perceiving, understanding and responding to social situations. Social isolation, rejection and humiliation are often the result.

This seminar will explore the relationship between learning disabilities and social incompetence and will identify the specific causes for specific social skill deficits. Field tested strategies will be presented that can be used by parents, teachers, coaches and caregivers to assist students in gaining peer acceptance and developing age-appropriate social skills.

Among the topics covered will be:

• The impact of social incompetence upon the daily life of children.
• The direct correlation between social skill deficits and learning disabilities.
• The generic nature of social skill deficits.
• A review of the history of social skill instruction and the weaknesses of the current approaches.
• The impact of paralinguistics (non verbal language) on the development of social competence.
• Helping the child develop friendships and positive peer relationships.
• The use of Social Skill Autopsies to improve interaction skills.
• Teaching the Hidden Social Curriculum to children to improve peer acceptance.
• Factors that enhance children's social acceptance.

About the Speaker: Rick Lavoie has served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs since 1972. He holds three degrees in Special Education and has served as an adjunct professor or visiting lecturer at numerous universities including Syracuse, Harvard, Gallaudet, Manhattanville College, University of Alabama and Georgetown. His numerous national television appearances include CBS Morning Show, Good Morning America, ABC Evening News and Disney Channel Presents.

Rick serves as a consultant on Learning Disabilities to several agencies and organizations including Public Broadcasting Service, New York Times, National Center for Learning Disabilities, Girl Scouts of America, Child Magazine and WETA. He is a member of the Professional Advisor Board of the Learning Disabilities Association.

Rick has delivered his message to over 500,000 parents and professionals throughout North America. He has the distinction of having delivered Keynote Addresses for all three of the major special needs advocacy organizations in the United States (Learning Disabilities Association, Council for Exceptional Children, Children with Attention Deficit Disorder).

Rick has held administrative positions at residential programs for thirty years. These experiences at residential school have provided Rick with a "living laboratory" in which he developed and refined his methods and philosophies related to the education of adolescents with special needs.

Rick is probably best known for his videos "How Difficult Can This Be?: The F.A.T. City Workshop" and "Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of Learning Disabilities". These award-winning films have brought Rick's sensitive and compelling message to countless thousands throughout the world. After viewing the videos, former First Lady Barbara Bush stated, "You really wowed us! I only wish that every parent and teacher in the United States today could also see your program." His new video on behavior management is entitled "When the Chips are Down ..." is now available through LD OnLine.

Rick lives on Cape Cod with his wife.

Program Objectives:

• The participants will understand the link between learning disabilities and social competence.
• The participants will be familiar with terminology and concepts related to paralinguistics.
• The participants will be familiar with the dynamics of childhood reputation.
• The participants will learn five strategies designed to foster and promote social acceptance in the classroom and community.