Contact: Dave Brubaker

We retained Dr. Anthony Rostain as an expert in ADHD to talk with our upper level students (grades 11 and 12) to enhance student metacognition, a core aspect of our curriculum. The goal was for our students to talk with an expert in issues that impact their learning and behaviors to better understand root causes as well as treatments that include medications and/or behavioral modification. Dr. Rostain’s expertise provided a forum with a solid basis for discussions with the students.

Dr. Rostain's clinical focus is in "developmental neuropsychiatry" which includes patients with Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), Asperger's Syndrome and High Functioning Autism AS/HFA), Tourette Syndrome (TS), Learning Disabilities (verbal and nonverbal) and related social learning disorders. He treats patients of all ages at The Children's Hospital of Philadelphia and the University Of Pennsylvania Department Of Psychiatry. http://www.med.upenn.edu/psychres/Rostain.html

• The students got to hear (and see) medical evidence on the effects and the effectiveness of medications.
• They got to voice some concerns (and objections) they have to use of ADHD medication, and have those concerns answered by an expert.
• They were told by an expert with lots of clinical experience, along with the research background, that finding the right medicine and the right dose can be complicated, but that there are options and that expert help can manage that without adversely affecting their personalities.
• They were shown how ADHD can affect their lives adversely in areas other than school (driving and accident rates).
• They were told that ADHD can adversely affect their life prospects and opportunities, not just their "grades." They heard how drugs can adversely affect both their brains and their medications.
• That multi-tasking is a myth. That cell phones while driving are dangerous distractors. That heavily rhythmic, lyric intensive music is NOT the best choice as a focusing technique.
• All of this was delivered by a knowledgeable, reasonable, and skilled professional which they often can hear better from others outside the school. Queries conducted within grade groups allow students to probe Dr. Rostain’s presentation, and ask additional questions that the group can process. Grade level teachers served as coaches for the process to facilitate a Quaker process during the queries.
• We would love to have another hour for Dr. Rostain to talk about non-medical management techniques (healthy lifestyle, meditation, etc) so we could help students implement those.