Carroll Speaker Series (for Parents)

Sarah Ward has over 20 years experience in diagnostic evaluations, treatment and case management of children, adolescents and adults with a wide range of developmental and acquired brain-based learning difficulties and behavioral problems not limited to but including:

• Attention Deficit Disorder
• Verbal Learning Disabilities
• Non-Verbal Learning Disabilities
• Asperger Syndrome
• Other Social-Cognitive Learning Disabilities
• Traumatic Brain Injury
• Acquired Brain Injury

Her particular interest is in the assessment and treatment of executive function deficits.

Sarah also provides consultation and expert witness testimony regarding the symptoms and functional presentation of deficits associated with brain based learning disabilities and the appropriateness of academic placement and treatment programs. She became a specialist in the assessment and rehabilitation of traumatic brain injury with an emphasis on the treatment of executive functions. She subsequently began to train graduate students in speech and language pathology, medical and special education professionals on the symptoms and treatment methods to improve the language, cognitive, executive function and social skills of brain based disorders.

Sarah is a Past President of the Massachusetts Brain Injury Association, member of the Massachusetts Acquired Brain Injury Advisory Board and the National Institutes of Health Model Systems Traumatic Brain Injury Grant Advisory Board and is a member of the American Speech and Language Hearing Association. She holds a faculty appointment at the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions where she provides instruction to graduate level students in the assessment techniques, development of therapeutic objectives, and intervention strategies for individuals with traumatic brain injury.

Sarah is dedicated to developing innovative treatment strategies and educating the community to understand, care for and celebrate the learning and behavioral based differences in individuals with brain based learning differences. A popular speaker, Sarah regularly presents locally, nationally and internationally on the topic of executive functions to a variety of professional and parent organizations, school and lay groups.

Melissa is a Program Director at the Center for Reading and Language Research at Tufts University, where she received her Doctorate in Child Development.

Dr. Orkin trained in the assessment and remediation of reading and learning disabilities with Dr. Maryanne Wolf and has served as a reading teacher in the classroom, and in clinical settings. Melissa has conducted extensive research on how motivational practices can be integrated into remedial reading instruction to foster self-regulation and reduce avoidance behaviors, and provides professional development trainings for administrators, teachers and psychologists on best practices.

Dr. Orkin has instructed on Reading Disabilities at the Harvard Graduate School of Education, contributed to publications on a variety of educational topics including literacy development and executive function skills, and regularly presents at annual professional meetings in the fields of reading disorders, education, and child development.