NASP 2013 Summer Conferences
Albany, NY
July 22–24
Speaker Biographies
Ray W. Christner PsyD, NCSP, is the founder of Cognitive Health Solutions, LLC where he provides a variety of services to clients including psychological testing, psychotherapy, and consultation. He is a licensed psychologist and a licensed professional counselor in Pennsylvania and is certified as a school psychologist by the Pennsylvania Department of Education and the National School Psychology Certification Board (NSPCB). His past work includes providing services in a variety of settings, including public and private schools, mental health centers, medical facilities, and nonprofit organizations. He earned his Master of Science degree and Doctorate in Clinical Psychology from Philadelphia College of Osteopathic Medicine (PCOM), and he received his Master of Science degree and certification in school psychology from California University of Pennsylvania. Dr. Christner is recognized on a state, national, and international level, as he has published and presented on a number of topics including cognitive– behavioral therapy (CBT), school-based mental health, and neurocognitive-oriented psychological assessment. He has published numerous books in the field of psychology and education, and is also coeditor of the School-Based Practice in Action book series. In 2003, Lincoln Intermediate Unit No. 12 (LIU) presented him with the "LIU School Psychologist of the Year Award" and in March 2005, the Association of School Psychologists of Pennsylvania (ASPP) acknowledged Dr. Christner for his work in school psychology by naming him "Pennsylvania School Psychologist of the Year."
Colleen Cicchetti, PhD, received her BS degree from Duke University, a Master's degree in Education from Harvard Graduate School of Education, and a PhD in clinical psychology from Northwestern University Medical School. She has worked at Lurie Children's Hospital for over 20 years, focused on the areas of program development and evaluation, community outreach and parent education, therapeutic summer camp programming, and treatment for children who have been exposed to trauma or victimization. She currently leads the Community-Linked Mental Health Services Program. This program focuses upon model development and implementation to deliver mental health services to children and families in school and community recreational settings. She has been the recipient of awards from multiple agencies and philanthropic organizations to fund many of these community-based programs and treatment initiatives. She represents the department of Child and Adolescent Psychiatry on the hospital Advocacy Board and the Injury Prevention and Research Center, as well as in several local and state interagency initiatives that address children's mental health and trauma treatment: The Illinois Childhood Trauma Coalition and the Illinois Children's Mental Health Partnership, for which she serves as cochair of the School-Age Practices and Policies Committee.
Robin S. Codding is an associate professor of school psychology at the University of Massachusetts-Boston. She received her doctorate in school psychology from Syracuse University and recently became certified as a behavior analyst. Dr. Codding has over 30 publications and was the 2010 corecipient of APA Division 16’s Lighter Witmer early career scholar award for her research on assessment and intervention in the area of mathematics. Dr. Codding has provided over 50 local and national presentations and workshops related to interventions and multitiered service delivery. She currently serves as an associate editor for the Journal of School Psychology and is on the editorial board of School Psychology Quarterly, School Psychology Review, and Journal of Behavioral Education. Dr. Codding also has experience as a behavioral and educational consultant through her work with the May Institute.
Mary Ruth Coleman, PhD, is a senior scientist at the FPG Child Development Institute at the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill. She directs Project U-STAR~PLUS (Using Science, Talents and Abilities to Recognize Students – Promoting Learning in Underrepresented Students). Her projects have included: ACCESS (Achievement in Content and Curriculum for Every Student's Success), a National Significance Project funded by OSEP and applications of RTI for young children through the Recognition & Response Project sponsored by the Emily Hall Tremaine Foundation. Dr. Coleman has numerous publications including the 13th edition of the seminal textbook, Educating Exceptional Children by Samuel A. Kirk, James J. Gallagher, Mary Ruth Coleman, and Nicholas J. Anastasiow (2010). She has served three terms (9 years) on the board of directors for the Association for Gifted, one of which she was president; three terms (9 years) on the board of the National Association for Gifted Children; and two terms (6 years) on the board of directors for the Council for Exceptional Children (CEC). She was president of CEC in 2007.
Steven G. Feifer, DEd, NCSP, ABSNP, is a nationally renowned speaker in the field of learning disabilities and has conducted nearly 200 professional seminars for educators and psychologists. He is dually trained as both a Nationally Certified School Psychologist from James Madison University, and is also a diplomate in school neuropsychology. His doctorate work was conducted at Indiana University of Pennsylvania, with research stints at the National Institute of Health. Dr. Feifer has coauthored six books on learning and emotional disorders in children. He currently works as a school psychologist in Frederick, MD, and is a course instructor for the ABSNP neuropsychology training program. Dr. Feifer was voted the Maryland School Psychologist of the Year in 2008, and also awarded the 2009 National School Psychologist of the Year by the National Association of School Psychologists.
Dawn P. Flanagan, is professor of psychology at St. John's University in Queens, NY. She is also clinical professor at Yale Child Study Center, Yale University School of Medicine. In addition to her teaching responsibilities in the areas of cognitive assessment, psychoeducational assessment, specific learning disabilities, and professional issues in school psychology, she serves as an expert witness, LD consultant, and test/measurement consultant and trainer for organizations both nationally and internationally. She is a widely published author of books, book chapters, and articles. She is also primary author of six online professional development programs. She is a Fellow of the American Psychological Association and a diplomate of the American Board of Psychological Specialties. Dr. Flanagan is best known for the development of the cross-battery assessment approach and the development of an operational definition of specific learning disability, which is now known as the dual discrepancy/consistency “PSW” approach to SLD identification (or DD/C model for short).
Jim Larson, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and Nationally Certified School Psychologist with over 30 years of experience in school, community, and youth diversion settings, including 14 years as a school psychologist in the Milwaukee Public Schools. He is Professor Emeritus at the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater where he directed the school psychology program for 21 years. He has presented both nationally and abroad on the subject of child and adolescent behavioral concerns and has been the recipient of multiple university awards for teaching excellence. He has authored numerous journal articles and book chapters on the subject of youth violence prevention and is the author and coauthor of several books. Dr. Larson was recently honored with the Lifetime Achievement Award by the Wisconsin School Psychologists Association.
Nancy Mather, PhD, is a professor at the University of Arizona in Tucson in the Department of Disability and Psychoeducational Studies. She has served as a learning disabilities teacher, a diagnostician, a university professor, and an educational consultant. She has published numerous articles and books and conducts workshops on assessment and instruction both nationally and internationally. Dr. Mather is a coauthor of the Woodcock-Johnson III and has co-authored two books on interpretation and application of the WJ III. Her most recent book is Essentials of Dyslexia: Assessment and Intervention.
Mark Toscano, Esq, is a partner and shareholder of the Comegno Law Group, which is a law firm with attorneys licensed to practice in New Jersey, Pennsylvania, and Colorado, who specialize primarily in education law and the representation of public, private, and independent schools. Mark has broad experience in the area of special education in that he regularly mediates special education disputes and tries due process hearings, as well as works closely with directors, case managers and members of child study and IEP teams to quickly deal with special education issues on a day-to-day basis. Mark has provided various lectures, seminars, and inservice trainings on all areas of school law, including teaching a graduate level course on school law. Mark has previously been a featured and keynote speaker for the National Association of School Psychologists, as well as provided presentations and workshops for other state and national organizations.