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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, and two webinars 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 and one hour continuing education credit is granted for each webinar.
CROSS COUNTRY EDUCATION LIVE (IN PERSON) SEMINARS
Exciting New Live Siminar!
Building a Life Skills Tool Kit: Preparing the Adolescent on the Autism Spectrum for Adult Life
Developing a Life Plan for HIGH FUNCTIONING People on the Autism Spectrum
Those with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) often are not prepared for adult life. Frequently they do not have sufficient understanding of their abilities and skills to make informed educational and vocational plans. They are short of planning and decision making skills to make life plans. They do not know their rights as a disabled citizen and how to self-advocate for themselves. Deficient in social skills they are awkward in academic and vocational settings. They have difficulty making friends, dating and knowing how to appropriately express their sexuality.
The purpose of this seminar is to provide a workable blueprint to help guide young adults with ASD to develop their own adult life plan beginning in middle school. Issues such as vocational/educational planning, including career counseling and guidance will be discussed. An examination of the laws pertaining to the disabled adult will be conducted along with methods of teaching self-advocacy skills in adult settings. How to teach decision making skills will be covered as well as life planning. Social interaction skills appropriate to adult life and dating situations will be discussed. Teaching empathy skills will be covered. How to convey an understanding of one’s own sexuality, what is appropriate sexual behavior, birth control and safe sex, how to ask someone out on a date, do’s and don’ts on a date will be covered. The goal of this seminar will be to assist the young adult with ASD in developing their own life skills tool kit.
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, Hyperacusis, Autism Spectrum Disorders, Developmental Prosopagnosia, Synesthesias, Developmental Coordination Disorder, and How to Know if an Complimentary and Alternative Medicine Approach for ADHD is Evidence-Based 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.
CROSS COUNTRY EDUCATION WEBINARS
The following are brief descriptions of the three seminars Dr. Blake does for Cross Country Education:
Understanding Inattentive ADHD: Evidence-Based Screening and Treatment Strategies (Recently Updated!)
Learn the latest research about Inattentive ADHD and “Sluggish Cognitive Tempo” as well as how they differ from other types of ADHD. Screening and treatment strategies are also discussed.
Everyone is a Stranger: Face Blindness in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders
Learn the latest research about Developmental Prosopagnosia and how it relates to Autism Spectrum Disorders in Children. Symptoms, screening, treatment and classroom accommodations regarding this disorder will be presented.
“No! I Don’t Want to Give My Child a Drug to Treat Their ADHD”: Complementary and Alternative Treatments for ADHD
This webinar uses an objective, evidence-based approach to discuss what treatment options are available when medication is not an option. Discover scientific research on complementary and alternative medicine (CAM) techniques and help determine the best treatment for your client.