Thirty-eight years ago, while at Harvard Medical School, Dr. Lynn Meltzer founded the “Learning Disabilities Conference.” The first of its kind, this conference brought together theorists, researchers, and teachers to improve the lives of students with learning and attention difficulties.
Over the last three decades, Dr. Meltzer and her team at the Research Institute for Learning and Development (ResearchILD) have shifted the paradigm in special education from focusing on deficits to emphasizing strengths and resilience. ResearchILD’s annual conference is now titled the Executive Function Conference, a natural transition for the mission and goals of our program.
Spotlight on Dr. Lynn Meltzer, Conference Founder and Chair
Lynn Meltzer, Ph.D., conference founder and chair and president of the Research Institute for Learning and Development, will offer the keynote presentation at the 38th Annual Executive Function Conference. Her talk, “Unlocking Limitless Potential: Promoting Motivation, Flexible Thinking, and Stress Management in Students,” will focus on ways to support all students and prepare them for academic and lifelong success.
2023 Theme: Motivation, Engagement, and Behavior
This year’s conference theme is “Executive Function, Motivation, and Engagement: Fostering Social-Emotional Learning and Positive Behavior in Students.” Throughout the conference, we will explore these questions and more:
- How do we promote executive function and social-emotional learning to address students’ behavioral and academic struggles in the classroom?
- How do we build self-understanding, motivation, and flexible thinking to promote engagement and reduce stress in school?
- How do we use executive function strategies to differentiate instruction and address the needs of neurodiverse students with a broad range of abilities?
- How do we build equity in our classrooms and schools?
We look forward to welcoming you for in-depth conversations and learning on November 9 & 10, 2023. Learn more about this year’s conference and register to save your seat.
- Caitlin Vanderberg, M.Ed., SMARTS Associate
SMARTS Executive Function Curriculum: smarts-ef.org
Research Institute for Learning and Development: researchild.org