All lectures are free and open to the public. No RSVP required. Please contact Nancy Bugbee, Pres., GD SpedPAC at ntbugbee@verizon.net with any questions. Visit www.gdspedpac.org for directions. Lectures will be held on the follwoing dates:

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 3 - Parents Basic Rights Workshop
SPEAKER: Gayle Greene (FCSN)
LOCATION: Groton-Dunstable Regional H.S. Library, 703 Chicopee Row, Groton
TIME: 7:00 PM

This is a multi-community workshop, proudly hosted by the Littleton, Groton-Dunstable and Tyngsborough SEPACs. All parents and community members are invited to attend a multi-community workshop providing families with an introduction to their rights and responsibilities under the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), Massachusetts Special Education Law and No Child Left Behind (NCLB). It is designed to help parents learn how to be effective partners with the school, to decide the child's eligibility for special education, to plan, make decisions and to monitor the educational progress of their child. Whether you are new parent to the IEP or eligibility process, or, have been writing and rewriting IEPs for several years, this workshop offers something new for all attendees. Ms. Gayle Greene from The Federation for Children with Special Needs will be presenting this workshop.

_________________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY, NOVEMBER 17 - Succeeding and Thriving in Challenging Times: Raising Happy and Healthy Children
SPEAKER: Dr. Robert Evans, Clinical/Organizational Psychologist and Nationally known Speaker
LOCATION: Groton-Dunstable Regional Middle School-South Bldg., Performing Arts Ctr., 344 Main St., Groton
TIME: 7:00 PM

There is no harder job than raising a child. Nothing else touches so much of a person so deeply or so unpredictably and there is no training for it. As the pace of life accelerates, as media influences intensify, and as the future grows less predictable, parents and teachers find it harder to be confident-harder to know how to raise competent, caring children, how to resist negative influences in the surrounding culture, how to help foster strength and resilience. Rob Evans will outline these dilemmas and offer concrete suggestions for successful coping at home and school.

Dr. Evans is a clinical and organizational psychologist and the Executive Director of The Human Relations Service in Wellesley, Mass. A former high school and pre-school teacher and a former child and family therapist, he has worked with schools and families for thirty years. He has consulted to over 1,200 schools, working with teachers, administrators, boards, and parents. His presentations are known for their lively wit and plain talk. He is the author of many articles and two books: Family Matters: How Schools Can Cope with The Crisis in Childrearing and The Human Side of School Change. His newest book, Seven Secrets of The Savvy School Leader, will appear in January.

_________________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 9 - Executive Functioning in the Classroom: Middle School, High School and Beyond
SPEAKER: Dr. Joseph Moldover
LOCATION: Groton-Dunstable Regional H.S. Library, 703 Chicopee Row, Groton
TIME: 7:00 PM.

For children with any sort of learning or developmental challenge, the transitions from elementary school to middle school, from middle school to high school and from high school to college and the vocational world often represent unique challenges. Why? Often the answer may be found in relation to the concept of executive functioning. Growing demands for organization, planning and self-direction may serve to make transitions which are stressful for most adolescents particularly tumultuous for students with challenges in this area of development. This seminar will review the area of executive functioning, discuss the manner in which executive skills are stressed during these periods of transition and provide ideas for supporting adolescents and young adults during these periods.

Dr. Joe Moldover is from the Integrated Center for Child Development (ICCD).

_________________________________________________________________________

TUESDAY, MARCH 16 - BUILDING THE SKILLS THAT BUILD SOCIAL CAPITAL: PUTTING YOUR BEST FOOT FORWARD IN THE REAL WORLD
SPEAKER: Teresa Bolick, Ph.D.
LOCATION: Groton-Dunstable Regional H.S. Library, 703 Chicopee Row, Groton
TIME: 7:00 PM.

Individuals with Asperger Syndrome and other Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) typically possess numerous talents and skills. Yet these strengths may be hidden by inadvertent violations of social expectations. In other words individuals with ASD may not be given the benefit of the doubt because they aren't perceived as contributing to the social capital of the community. This workshop will focus on the practical strategies that parents and professional can employ to assist individuals with ASD in building social capital. Teresa will touch upon appearance, hygiene, manners, volunteer work and making the most of their strengths.

Teresa Bolick is a licensed psychologist with special interest in neurodevelopmental disorders, including Autism and Asperger's Syndrome.