Conference Chair / Co-Sponsor

Assistant Professor, Center for Early Child Health and Development, Department of Public Health, NYU Langone Health; Co-Director, Neuroscience & Education Collaborative, New York University; Former K-12 Teacher; Author, The Teaching Brain: An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education (2014) and “Teachers' Awareness of the Learner-Teacher Interaction: Preliminary Communication of a Study Investigating The Teaching Brain” (2013, Mind, Brain, & Education)

Conference Chair / Co-Sponsor

Co-Founder and Director, Neuro-Education Initiative (NEI); Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University; Author, The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st Century Schools (2012) and Connecting Brain Research With Effective Teaching: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2003), and “Informing Pedagogy Through the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2012, Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education); Co-Author, “Exploring Changes in Teacher Self-Efficacy Through Neuroeducation Professional Development” (2023, The Teacher Educator) and “The Effects of Arts-Integrated Instruction on Memory for Science Content.” (2019, Trends in Neuroscience and Education)

Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Thinking Minds

Autism Self-Advocate; Animal Scientist; Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University; Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Feature of an HBO Emmy Award winning movie about her life; Author, Autism and Adolescence―The Way I See It: What Teens and Adults Need to Know (2024), Autism and Education: The Way I See It: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know (2023), Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions (2023), and Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism (2006, Expanded Edition); Co-Author, Different Kinds of Minds: A Guide to Your Brain (2023), Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals With Autism (2024, 3rd Edition), and The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum (2013)

IRRESISTIBLE: The Rise of Addictive Technology on Children

Associate Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University; Author, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (2018) and Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave (2014)

Face-to-Face Communication Even With a Digital Device in Hand: How Do We Manage It?

Founder and CEO, Social Thinking; Author, Social Media, the Social Mind, and Social Thinking (2013, socialthinking.com) and Think Social (2006); Co-Author, Good Intentions Are Not Good Enough (2016), Socially Curious and Curiously Social: A Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults (2011), and “Measuring the Effectiveness of Teaching Social Thinking to Children With Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA)” (2008, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders)

The Disordered Mind and Memory

University Professor and Kavli Professor of Brain Science; Director, Kavli Institute for Brain Science; Co-Director, Mind Brain Behavior Initiative; Founder, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University; Senior Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Recipient, the Nobel Prize, the Lasker Award, the Gairdner Award, the Harvey Prize, and the National Medal of Science; Author, The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves (2018), Reductionism in Art and Brain Science: Bridging the Two Cultures (2016), and In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (2006)

Social-Emotional Learning: Its Importance for Promoting Mental Health and Nurturing Success in School and Life

Founding Director; Bennett Chair and Professor of Prevention Research in Human Development and Family Studies; Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University; Co-Author, Social and Emotional Skills Training for Children: The Fast Track Friendship Group Manual (2017), "Impacts of the CARE for Teachers Program on Teachers’ Social and Emotional Competence and Classroom Interactions" (2017, Journal of Educational Psychology), and "Thriving in School: The Role of Sixth Grade Adolescent-Parent-School Relationships in Predicting Eighth Grade Academic Outcomes" (2016, Youth & Society)

Autism: A Uniquely Human Experience

Adjunct Professor, Artists and Scientists as Partners, Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Brown University; Director, Childhood Communication Services; Author, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2016); Co-Author, The Scerts Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (2005)

Creating a Social, Emotion Revolution in our Nation's Schools and Workplaces

Founding Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Professor, Child Study Center, Yale University; Co-Creator, The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning, Host, “Dealing With Feelings” Podcast; Developer, How We Feel App; Author, Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive (2019); Co-Author, “Emotionally Intelligent School Leadership Predicts Educator Well-Being Before and During a Crisis” (2024, Frontiers in Psychology) and “Preventative Initiatives to Promote Psychological Adjustment Among Primary Students” (2023, International Journal of Educational Psychology)

The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults

Founder and Director, UCLA PEERS Clinic, an outpatient hospital-based program providing parent-assisted social skills training for preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other social impairments; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles; Author, PEERS for Young Adults: Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges (2017) and The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (2013); Co-Author, Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders (2010)

The Disordered Mind and Memory

University Professor and Kavli Professor of Brain Science; Director, Kavli Institute for Brain Science; Co-Director, Mind Brain Behavior Initiative; Founder, Center for Neurobiology and Behavior, Columbia University; Senior Investigator, Howard Hughes Medical Institute; Recipient, the Nobel Prize, the Lasker Award, the Gairdner Award, the Harvey Prize, and the National Medal of Science; Author, The Disordered Mind: What Unusual Brains Tell Us About Ourselves (2018), Reductionism in Art and Brain Science: Bridging the Two Cultures (2016), and In Search of Memory: The Emergence of a New Science of Mind (2006)

Promoting Social Skills for Kids Through Play, Games, and Activities (K-5)

Licensed Mental Health Counselor; Founder, Encourage Play LLC; Founder/CEO, Coping Skills for Kids; Former School Adjustment Counselor; Host, Calm & Connected Podcast; Author, Coping Skills for Teens Workbook: 60 Helpful Ways to Deal With Stress, Anxiety, and Anger (2020), Social Skills for Kids: Over 75 Fun Games & Activities for Building Better Relationships, Problem Solving and Improving Communication (2018), and Coping Skills for Kids Workbook: Over 75 Coping Strategies to Help Kids Deal With Stress, Anxiety, and Anger (2016)

The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults

Founder and Director, UCLA PEERS Clinic, an outpatient hospital-based program providing parent-assisted social skills training for preschoolers, adolescents, and young adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders and other social impairments; Associate Clinical Professor, Department of Psychiatry and Biobehavioral Sciences, Semel Institute for Neuroscience and Human Behavior, University of California, Los Angeles; Author, PEERS for Young Adults: Social Skills Training for Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder and Other Social Challenges (2017) and The Science of Making Friends: Helping Socially Challenged Teens and Young Adults (2013); Co-Author, Social Skills for Teenagers with Developmental and Autism Spectrum Disorders (2010)

Promoting a Positive Emotional Climate for Learning: From Research to Practice

Co-Founder and Director, Neuro-Education Initiative (NEI); Professor, School of Education, Johns Hopkins University; Author, The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model for 21st Century Schools (2012) and Connecting Brain Research With Effective Teaching: The Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2003), and “Informing Pedagogy Through the Brain-Targeted Teaching Model (2012, Journal of Microbiology and Biology Education); Co-Author, “Exploring Changes in Teacher Self-Efficacy Through Neuroeducation Professional Development” (2023, The Teacher Educator) and “The Effects of Arts-Integrated Instruction on Memory for Science Content.” (2019, Trends in Neuroscience and Education)

The Significance of Friendship and Peer Relationships for the Quiet, Socially Anxious Child: A Developmental Perspective

Professor of Human Development and Quantitative Methodology; Founding Director, Center for Children, Relationships, and Culture, University of Maryland; Author, The Friendship Factor: Helping Our Children Navigate Their Social World -- And Why It Matters for Their Success and Happiness (2003); Co-Author, “Peer Relationships and Influences in Childhood” (2017, Neuroscience and Biobehavioral Psychology); Co-Editor, Handbook of Peer Interactions, Relationships, and Groups (2018, 2nd Edition)

Simultaneous Interventions: Tips for Teaching Social Competencies With Strategies for Anxiety Management

Founder and CEO, Social Thinking; Author, Social Media, the Social Mind, and Social Thinking (2013, socialthinking.com) and Think Social (2006); Co-Author, Good Intentions Are Not Good Enough (2016), Socially Curious and Curiously Social: A Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults (2011), and “Measuring the Effectiveness of Teaching Social Thinking to Children With Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA)” (2008, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders)

Using Improv and Sketch Comedy to Practice "Real Time" Social Skills and Collaborative Skills

School Social Worker; Therapist, CORE Connections Counseling; Developer of Social Theatre™, an afterschool group theater program designed to teach children social skills based on Michelle Garcia Winner's Social Thinking; Author, Teaching Social Skills Through Sketch Comedy and Improv Games: A Social Theatre™ Approach for Kids and Teens Including Those with ASD, ADHD, and Anxiety (2018)

Social Networks in the Brain: From Agents, to Actions, to Interactions

Postdoctoral Researcher, Laboratory of Neural Systems, The Rockefeller University; Researcher, Neural Circuits for Intelligence, Center for Brains, Minds & Machines, Massachusetts Institute of Technology; Co-Author, “From Agents to Actions to Interactions: Uncovering Multiple Social Networks in the Primate Brain” (2017, Society for Social and Affective Neuroscience) and “A Dedicated Network for Social Interaction Processing in the Primate Brain” (2017, Science)

Developing Social Competence for Students with Social Deficits: From Curricula, to Group-Based Interventions, to Collaborative VR Environments

Professor, Department of Special Education, University of Missouri; Developer of the “Social Competence Curricula,” a program focusing on improving social competence in K-12 education; Developer of the “iSocial,” a 3-D virtual learning environment project; Co-Author, “A Six-Step Decision-Making Process to Guide Social Skills Instruction” (2018, Intervention in School and Clinic)

Co-Teaching and Collaboration: Learning to Work Together to Reach All Students

Master Teacher; CIO, Infinite Horizons; Co-Author, Transformative Teaching: Changing Today's Classrooms Culturally, Academically, and Emotionally (2015), Developing Growth Mindsets in the Inspiring Classroom (2011), Inspiring Elementary Learners (2008), Inspiring Middle and Secondary Learners (2007), and Differentiation for Real Classrooms (2009)

Social Group Influences on STEM Motivation in Young Children

Research Scientist, Institute for Learning & Brain Science, University of Washington; Author, "Making STEM Social to Motivate Preschoolers" (2017, NAEYC); Co-Author, "Social Group Membership Increases STEM Engagement Among Preschoolers" (2017, Developmental Psychology)

Working Together: Intergroup Relationships, Equity, and Problem Solving

Teaching Fellow; Graduate Research Assistant; Doctoral Candidate, Applied Developmental Psychology Program, Fordham University Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, whose dissertation research focused on racial-ethnic diversity in early elementary school classrooms and its links to children’s academic and social-emotional development; Content Researcher, Sesame Workshop; Co-Author, "Teacher–Child Relationships, Classroom Climate, and Children’s Social-Emotional and Academic Development" (2018, Journal of Educational Psychology)

Supporting Student Success: Integrating Social-Emotional Learning in Flexible Classroom Environments

Professor, Teacher Leadership Program; Director of Outreach and Professional Development, Saint Mary’s College of California; Author, 200+ Proven Strategies for Teaching Reading, Grades K-8 (2016), New Inclusion: Differentiated Strategies to Engage ALL Students (2013) and More Than 100 Brain-Friendly Tools and Strategies for Literacy Instruction (2008)

Assistant Professor of Learning Sciences; Principal Investigator, Brain Healthy Project, NEAG School of Education, University of Connecticut; Brain Researcher who studies how students learn in real classrooms using portable Electroencephalography (EEG) and eye tracking technologies; Co-Author, "Neuroscience Research in the Classroom: Portable Brain Technologies in Education Research" (2021, Educational Researcher); "Making BrainWaves: Portable Brain Technology in Biology Education" (2021, bioRxiv), "Morning Brain: Real-World Neural Evidence that High School Class Times Matter" (2020, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience), and "Measuring Brain Waves in the Classroom" (2020, Frontiers for Young Minds)

Director, Social Identity and Morality Lab; Associate Professor of Psychology and Neural Science, Department of Psychology, New York University; Co-Author, “Out-Group Animosity Drives Engagement on Social Media” (2022, Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences), The Power of Us: Harnessing Our Shared Identities to Improve Performance, Increase Cooperation, and Promote Social Harmony (2021), and “The Social Neuroscience of Cooperation” (2020, The Cognitive Neurosciences)

IRRESISTIBLE: The Rise of Addictive Technology on Children

Associate Professor of Psychology and Marketing, Stern School of Business, New York University; Author, Irresistible: The Rise of Addictive Technology and the Business of Keeping Us Hooked (2018) and Drunk Tank Pink: And Other Unexpected Forces That Shape How We Think, Feel, and Behave (2014)

Face-to-Face Communication Even With a Digital Device in Hand: How Do We Manage It?

Founder and CEO, Social Thinking; Author, Social Media, the Social Mind, and Social Thinking (2013, socialthinking.com) and Think Social (2006); Co-Author, Good Intentions Are Not Good Enough (2016), Socially Curious and Curiously Social: A Social Thinking Guidebook for Bright Teens and Young Adults (2011), and “Measuring the Effectiveness of Teaching Social Thinking to Children With Asperger Syndrome (AS) and High Functioning Autism (HFA)” (2008, Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders)

The Overstimulated Child: Physiology, Symptoms, and Reversal of Screen Time Impacts on Mental Health

Integrative Child, Adolescent & Adult Psychiatry, Centre for Life; Child Psychiatrist; Blogger, Psychology Today; Author, Reset Your Child's Brain: A Four-Week Plan to End Meltdowns, Raise Grades, and Boost Social Skills by Reversing the Effects of Electronic Screen-Time (2015) and “Gray Matters: Too Much Screen Time Damages the Brain” (2014, Psychology Today)

Child Development in the Digital Age: Impacts of Prolonged Screen Times on Children and Teens

Clinical Child Psychologist; Director of the Family Health Lab, Central Michigan University; Expert on Children's Media Use and Problematic Media Use in Adolescents

Growing Up Social: Raising Children in a Screen-Driven World

Speaker; Former Journalist; Co-Author, Growing Up Social: Raising Relational Kids in a Screen-Driven World (2014)

The Impact of Social Media on Adolescent Aggression

Assistant Professor, Department of Criminal Justice and Forensic Science, Hamline University; Co-Author, "Cyber-Violence: What Do We Know and Where Do We Go From Here?" (2017, Aggression and Violent Behavior)

Friendships in the Digital Age

Psychologist; Advisory Board Member, Parents Magazine; Blogger for Psychology Today, PBS Parents, and US News & World Report; Creator, DrFriendtastic.com, which features friendship advice for kids; Professor for The Great Courses audio/video series, Raising Emotionally and Socially Healthy Kids; Co-Author, Kid Confidence: Help Your Child Make Friends, Build Resilience, and Develop Real Self-Esteem (Forthcoming, 2019), Growing Friendships: A Kids’ Guide to Making and Keeping Friends (2017), Smart Parenting for Smart Kids (2011), and The Unwritten Rules of Friendship (2008)

Teaching Cyber Civics: Helping Kids Build Healthy Relationships in a Digital World

Co-Founder, Cyberwise; Founder, Cyber Civics, a digital literacy program currently being taught in schools in 42 US states and internationally which was recognized as an "Innovation in Education" finalist by Project Tomorrow and the O.C. Tech Alliance; Former Adjunct Faculty of the Media Psychology M.A. Program, Massachusetts School of Professional Psychology; Author, Raising Humans in a Digital World: Helping Kids Build a Healthy Relationship with Technology (2019)

Teachers as Learners: Developing the Social-Emotional Learning of Teachers

Assistant Professor, Center for Early Child Health and Development, Department of Public Health, NYU Langone Health; Co-Director, Neuroscience & Education Collaborative, New York University; Former K-12 Teacher; Author, The Teaching Brain: An Evolutionary Trait at the Heart of Education (2014) and “Teachers' Awareness of the Learner-Teacher Interaction: Preliminary Communication of a Study Investigating The Teaching Brain” (2013, Mind, Brain, & Education)

Social-Emotional Learning: Its Importance for Promoting Mental Health and Nurturing Success in School and Life

Founding Director; Bennett Chair and Professor of Prevention Research in Human Development and Family Studies; Edna Bennett Pierce Prevention Research Center, College of Health and Human Development, The Pennsylvania State University; Co-Author, Social and Emotional Skills Training for Children: The Fast Track Friendship Group Manual (2017), "Impacts of the CARE for Teachers Program on Teachers’ Social and Emotional Competence and Classroom Interactions" (2017, Journal of Educational Psychology), and "Thriving in School: The Role of Sixth Grade Adolescent-Parent-School Relationships in Predicting Eighth Grade Academic Outcomes" (2016, Youth & Society)

Promoting Teachers’ Social-Emotional Competence and Teacher-Child Relationships

Associate Professor of Psychology; Director, Applied Developmental Psychology Program, Fordham University; Co-Author, “Teacher-Child Relationships, Classroom Climate, and Children’s Social-Emotional and Academic Development” (2017, Educational Psychology), “Impacts of the CARE for Teachers Program on Teacher’s Social Emotional Competence and Classroom Interactions” (2017, Educational Psychology), and “Selection and Socialization of Aggressive and Prosocial Behavior: The Moderating Role of Social-Cognitive Processes” (2013, Research on Adolescence)

Creating a Social, Emotion Revolution in our Nation's Schools and Workplaces

Founding Director, Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence; Professor, Child Study Center, Yale University; Co-Creator, The RULER Approach to Social and Emotional Learning, Host, “Dealing With Feelings” Podcast; Developer, How We Feel App; Author, Permission to Feel: Unlocking the Power of Emotions to Help Our Kids, Ourselves, and Our Society Thrive (2019); Co-Author, “Emotionally Intelligent School Leadership Predicts Educator Well-Being Before and During a Crisis” (2024, Frontiers in Psychology) and “Preventative Initiatives to Promote Psychological Adjustment Among Primary Students” (2023, International Journal of Educational Psychology)

Mindful Classrooms: Progress, Problems, and Promise

Associate Professor of Applied Psychology; Co-Director, Mindful Education Lab; Director, the Metro Center For Achievement Research and Evaluation (Metro CARE); Founding Director, Center for Research on Culture, Development and Education, Steinhardt School of Culture, Education and Human Development, New York University; Co-Author, “Minding and Mending the Gap” (2015, Contemporary Educational Psychology); Editor, Improving Academic Achievement (2002)

Understanding Social Learning, Social Networks, and Social Regulation of Emotions

Professor and Director of Graduate Studies, Department of Psychology; Director, Social Cognitive and Affective Neuroscience (SCAN) Lab, Columbia University; Co-Author, “Evidence That Default Network Connectivity During Rest Consolidates Social Information” (2018, Cerebral Cortex), “From Striving to Thriving in the Face of Threats: The Emerging Science of Emotion Regulation Training” (2018, Current Opinion in Behavioral Sciences), “Social Networks in the Brain” (2017, Nature Human Behaviour), and “Social Cognition as Reinforcement Learning” (2016, Cognitive Neuroscience)

Artificial Intelligence and Real Intelligence: Can We Tell the Difference?

Co-Director, Neuroscience Research Institute; Harriman Professor of Neuroscience Research, Department of Molecular, Cellular and Developmental Biology, University of California, Santa Barbara; Co-Founder, Learning & the Brain; Author, Outsmarting Alzheimer's: What You Can Do to Reduce Your Risk (2017); Co-Author, The Alzheimer's Solution: How Today's Care is Failing Millions and How We Can Do Better (2010)

The New Childhood and Empathy in a Digitally Connected World

World-renowned Thought Leader; Assistant Professor, Temple University; Senior Fellow, Joan Cooney Center at Sesame Workshop; Nonresident Fellow, Global Economic and Development Program, Brookings Institution; Member, "Teach For All" Global Advisory Council; Advisor, UNESCO and The World Economic Forum; Author, The New Childhood: Raising Kids to Thrive in a Digitally Connected World (2019), Digital Play for Global Citizens (2018), and "These Are the Digital Playgrounds Where Tomorrow's Global Citizens Can Build Social Skills" (2018, Joan Cooney Center)

Creating Flexible SEL Classrooms

2018 Association of Middle Level Educators Educator of the Year; National Board Certified middle school ELA teacher; Author of The Flexible SEL Classroom and The Flexible ELA Classroom: Differentiation for Grades 4-8; Adjunct Professor of New Literacy and Differentiation, Canisius College in New York; Columnist,"Milestones" and "Mentor Me"; President of Frontier Central Teachers Association; Education Partner AFT's ShareMyLesson; Recipient of NoVo Foundation SEL in Action grant 2016 and 2017; Recipient of Teaching Tolerance Educator in Action Grant 2018; Director of Frontier Central School Summer Learning; Association of Middle Level Educators Board of Trustees 2018-2021

Educating Students Who Have Different Kinds of Thinking Minds

Autism Self-Advocate; Animal Scientist; Professor of Animal Science, Colorado State University; Member, American Academy of Arts and Sciences; Feature of an HBO Emmy Award winning movie about her life; Author, Autism and Adolescence―The Way I See It: What Teens and Adults Need to Know (2024), Autism and Education: The Way I See It: What Parents and Teachers Need to Know (2023), Visual Thinking: The Hidden Gifts of People Who Think in Pictures, Patterns, and Abstractions (2023), and Thinking in Pictures: My Life With Autism (2006, Expanded Edition); Co-Author, Different Kinds of Minds: A Guide to Your Brain (2023), Developing Talents: Careers for Individuals With Autism (2024, 3rd Edition), and The Autistic Brain: Thinking Across the Spectrum (2013)

The Science of Why We Are Socially Awkward and Why It Is Awesome to be Awkward

Social Scientist; Relationship Expert; Consultant; Former Award-Winning Professor, University of Maryland and University of Colorado; Author, Awkward: The Science of Why We’re Socially Awkward and Why That’s Awesome (2018) and The Science of Happily Ever After: What Really Matters in the Quest for Enduring Love (2014)

Pathologizing Precision: “Nerdy” Kids in Elementary School Settings

Psychotherapist; Faculty in Psychology, Bennington College; Faculty, Berkshire Medical Center; Author, Nerds: How Dorks, Dweebs, Techies and Trekkies Can Save America... and Why They Might Be Our Last Hope (2011), Worried All the Time: Rediscovering the Joy in Parenthood in an Age of Anxiety (2010), and Nerds: Who They Are and Why We Need More of Them (2007)

Autism: A Uniquely Human Experience

Adjunct Professor, Artists and Scientists as Partners, Department of Theatre Arts and Performance Studies, Brown University; Director, Childhood Communication Services; Author, Uniquely Human: A Different Way of Seeing Autism (2016); Co-Author, The Scerts Model: A Comprehensive Educational Approach for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorders (2005)

Adolescent Brain Development: Implications for Social Development, Peer Relationships, and Peer Pressure

Distinguished University Professor, Temple University; Author, The Ten Basic Principles of Good Parenting (2017), Adolescence (2016, 11th Edition), Age of Opportunity: Lessons from the New Science of Adolescence (2014), and You and Your Adolescent: The Essential Guide for Ages 10-25 (2011, Revised Edition); Co-Author, "Around the World, Adolescence is a Time of Heightened Sensation Seeksing and Immature Self-Regulation" (2018, Developmental Science), "Adolscents in Peer Groups Make More Prudent Decisions When a Slightly Older Adult is Present" (2016, Psychological Science), and "Peers Increase Late Adolescents' Exploratory Behavior and Sensitivity to Positive and Negative Feedback" (2016, Journal of Research on Adolescence)

POPULAR: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Types of Relationships

John Van Seters Distinguished Professor, Department of Psychology and Neuroscience; Director of Graduate Studies, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill; Author, Popular: Finding Happiness and Success in a World That Cares Too Much About the Wrong Relationships (2017); Co-Author, The Great Myths of Adolescence (2018) and "In Search of Likes: Longitudinal Associations Between Adolescents' Digital Status Seeking and Health-Risk Behaviors" (2018, Journal of Clinical Child and Adolescent Psychology); Co-Editor, Understanding Peer Influence in Children and Adolescents (2010)

Outsiders and the Popularity Myth: Why Being Excluded in School Doesn't Mean Anything is Wrong with You

Researcher; Award-Winning Investigative Reporter; New York Times Bestselling Author; Contributing Editor at Marie Claire and Washingtonian Magazine; Recipient of the John Bartlow Martin Award for Public Interest Magazine Journalism, and the Heartsongs Award for contributions to the mental health of children and young adults; Author, Fraternity: An Inside Look at a College Boys Becoming Men (2019), Geeks Shall Inherit the Earth: Popularity, Quirk Theory, and Why Outsiders Thrive After High School (2011, which won Best Nonfiction Book of the Year), and The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids (2006)

Different Minds: The Superpowers of Autism

Self Advocate for Autism; Assistant Professor, Adelphi University; Board Member, Autism Speaks; Advisory Board Member, Autism Society; President Emeritus, Asperger's Association of New England; Author, Beyond the Wall: Personal Experiences with Asperger's and Autism (2003); Co-Author, College for Students With Disabilities (2015) and Understanding Autism for Dummies (2006)

Want to Work on Social Communication with Neurodiverse Thinkers? Try Being Less Neurotypical About It!

Speech-Language Pathologist; Consultant to ASD Nest Support Project, The Metropolitan Center for Research on Equity and the Transformation of Schools, New York University, where she developed Social Development Intervention (SDI): a developmental and social cognitive language intervention for students with ASD; Director, The Social Underground

Brain Research, Literacy, and Some Impacts on Curriculum and Instruction

President, Learning Systems Associates; International Education Consultant; Founder, Tomorrow's Education Network; Co-Author, Quest for Learning: How to Maximize Student Engagement (2017), Bold Moves for Schools, How We Create Remarkable Learning Environments (2017), and The Power of the Social Brain: Teaching, Learning, and Using Interdependent Thinking (2013)

Improving Reading Comprehension, Groups, and Differentiation

Literacy Consultant; Former Staff Developer at the Teachers College Reading and Writing Project, Columbia University; Former NYC Public School Teacher; Creator of the Digital Campus Course entitled, Teaching Reading in Small Groups; Author, A Teacher's Guide to Reading Conferences (2019), Understanding Texts & Readers: Responsive Comprehension Instruction with Leveled Texts (2018), The Writing Strategies Book: Your Everything Guide to Developing Skilled Writers (2017), and Teaching Reading in Small Groups: Differentiated Instruction for Building Strategic, Independent Readers (2010)

What We Say and How We Say It Matters

Former Elementary School Teacher; National Milken Educator Award recipient; Former Program Developer, Northeast Foundation for Children; Author, Tackling the Motivation Crisis (2021), What We Say and How We Say It Matter: Teacher Talk That Improves Student Learning and Behavior (2019), Learning to Choose, Choosing to Learn (2016), and The Well-Balanced Teacher (2012); Co-Author, What Every Teacher Needs to Know K-5 Series (2011)

The Power of We: Getting Started With Face-to-Face Academic Conversations

Former Classroom Teacher and Administrator; Author, The Power of We: Creating Positive and Collaborative Classroom Communities (2018), And What About Your? Getting Started with Interactive Pairs and Small Groups (2018), From Seatwork to Feetwork (2015), The Active Workshop (2010), and The Active Classroom: Practical Strategies for Involving Students in the Learning Process (2008)

Build Social Awareness and Peer Relationships Through Your Writing Instruction

Founding Director, thinkSRSD; Adjunct Professor, Columbia University; Former Learning Specialist, United Nations International School; Co-Author, Releasing Writers: Evidence-Based Strategies for Developing Self-Regulated Writers (2020) and Using Formative Assessment to Differentiate Middle School Literacy Instruction (2012); Editor, Differentiated Instruction in Literacy, Math, and Science (2011)