By our Smarty friends at The Fletcher School
Since 1982, The Fletcher School (K-12) has been a leader in serving children with Specific Learning Disabilities (SLD) and ADHD. Through their outreach arm, The Rankin Institute, they educate and empower community members like you by providing the resources and knowledge you need to best serve children with learning differences — be it in school or at home. 
This winter, The Rankin Institute is offering several workshops and trainings to educate teachers, parents, and professionals on the various types of SLDs and techniques to help children with learning differences reach their full potential. Explore their programs and join the community of dedicated parents and professionals striving to best serve and support those who learn differently!
Upcoming Rankin Institute Workshops:
“MY CHILD HAS WHAT?” WORKSHOP SERIES
This series provides information and strategies on specific disorders and diagnoses such as attention deficits, reading and math disorders, auditory processing deficits, anxiety, and related medications. Workshops are taught by professionals in the field related to the topic.
Gimme Just a Little More Time: Auditory Processing Disorder
Tuesday, January 9, 7:00pm – 9:00pm ($10)
This workshop will examine the impact of auditory processing disorders and offer strategies for
improving performance. Presenter: Barrie Morganstein, Ph.D. of Southeast Psychological Services. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate. Register.
Huh?: Receptive & Expressive Language Disorders
Tuesday, January 16, 7:00pm – 8:30pm ($10)
This presentation will discuss the difficulty of using and understanding spoken language, including articulation and phonological delays and fluency disorders. Presenters: Martha Kinney, M.A., CCC-SLP and Margo Dixon, M.A., CCC-SLP of The Speech Vine, LLC. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate. Register.
ADDITIONAL COMMUNITY WORKSHOPS
Mindfulness: How Sitting Still Can Get You Further
Tuesday, January 30, 7:00pm – 8:30pm ($10)
This workshop will explore a practical understanding of mindfulness through the lens of basic neuroscience. Understood in this way, the benefit of mindfulness training is clear, not just for the student working with learning differences, but also for adults involved, whether teacher, parent, coach, etc. The presentation will include experiential practices with mindfulness meditation. Presenters: Lindsay Bridges, M.D. of The Charlotte Center of Mindfulness, and Jennifer Hawthorne, Psy.D. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate. Register.
What You See Is Hard to Get: Visual Processing
Tuesday, February 6, 7:00pm – 8:30pm ($10)
This presentation will explain visual processing and the disorders associated with it as well as demonstrate techniques to help children compensate in the classroom. Presenters: Ginna Gosney Clute, M.Ed. of Charlotte Country Day School, and Jeanmarie Tommasulo, MS, OTR/L of Southern Peidmont Pediatric Therapy. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate in this workshop. Register.
Parenting and ADHD: Balancing Emotions and Discipline to Build Healthy Relationships
Monday, February 12, 7:00pm – 8:30pm ($10)
ADHD is more than difficulty remaining seated or maintaining focus in a classroom. Self awareness and behavioral regulation create obstacles in relationships with peers, siblings, and parents. Parenting a child with ADHD is no easy task. Monitoring your own emotions is crucial in building and repairing your relationship, especially during a conflict. Integrating methods to match your child’s learning style while balancing emotions with clear expectations can provide the structure necessary for effective, meaningful discipline. Ultimately, we want to embrace opportunities for independence in decision making by teaching how to make the “right” choice and how to appreciate and recover from failure, including the emotions involved in each scenario. In this presentation we will focus on the tool of communication in building trust and respect, the roles of anger and blame, and the importance of self-care. Presenter: Chris Nealy, MSW, LCSW of Halcyon Mental Health, PLLC. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate in this workshop. Register.
The Ins and Outs of Sensory Processing Disorder
Tuesday, February 20, 7:00pm – 8:30pm ($10)
Sensory processing is essential to the development of self. It affects cognition, self-control and self-esteem as well as social and motor skills. This workshop will cover how the brain processes external and internal stimuli to thrive and grow or even protect itself. Strategies will be presented for self-regulation to enhance the learning for a child. Presenter: Shelley Dean, OTD, OTR/L of the Crossway Pediatric Therapy. Both parents and professionals are invited to participate in this workshop. Register.
What Is Orton-Gillingham: Subscriber Course
Wednesday, February 7; Wednesday, February 21; Wednesday, March 14; 7:00pm – 9:00pm. ($75)
This is a three-part course offered to parents and other professionals to familiarize them with the Orton-Gillingham approach to teaching. This course is an excellent introduction for those who are considering further training in the Orton-Gillingham approach. The course will cover:
– An introduction to Orton-Gillingham
– Characteristics of dyslexia
– The neurological basis for multisensory teaching
The Fletcher School
5800 Sardis Road
Charlotte, NC 28270
704-365-4658
www.thefletcherschool.org
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