International and Regional Advisory Committee
Many of our invited guest speakers continue to support FOCUS by participating on our Advisory Committees. The executive committee is in contact with these respected experts, receiving helpful guidance so that we can provide current and accurate information to our members. FOCUS recommends the books and resources produced by these leading researchers, educators and medical professionals.
is a clinical psychologist who received his Ph.D. from Yale University and maintains a private practice in Hamden, Connecticut specializing in assessment and treatment of high-IQ children, adolescents and adults with ADD and related problems. He is an Assistant Clinical Professor of Psychiatry at the Yale University School of Medicine and is Associate Director of the Yale Clinic for Attention and Related Disorders.
There’s much more to AD/HD than trouble paying attention. In this video, Dr. Brown describes AD/HD as a cluster of issues that involve the brain’s self-management system or executive functions.
is the John H. and Elisabeth A. Hobbs Professor of Cognition and Education at the Harvard Graduate School of Education. He also holds positions as Adjunct Professor of Psychology at Harvard University and Senior Director of Harvard Project Zero. The author of over twenty books and several hundred articles, Gardner is best known for his theory of multiple intelligences, a critique of the notion that there exists but a single human intelligence that can be assessed by standard psychometric instruments.
has a Bachelor's degree in Education, a Master's degree in Special Education and a PhD (Linguistics and Communication Differences) from the University of Illinois (USA). Early in her career, Loretta worked as a teacher, consultant and school principal in Queensland and London schools, before accepting a position in the New South Wales Department of School Education in 1984. She was appointed the NSW Director of Special Education and Equity Program with the Department of School Education and remained in that post until April 1993.
is a specialist pediatrician who has been influential in introducing modern attitudes toward the treatment of AD/HD worldwide. Dr. Green worked for many years as Head of the Child Development Unit at the New Children's Hospital, Westmead, Sydney and now serves as their honorary consultant. Dr. Green is one of Australia's foremost authors of parenting advice. First noted for his widely popular Toddler Taming and Babies, he is renowned for his work in the management of AD/HD. Dr. Green co-authored the acclaimed Understanding AD/HD: Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and the New Pocket Survival Guide to AD/HD.
was the founding Headmaster of the Eagle Hill School, one of the finest schools in the United States to provide remedial and compensatory educational programs for children with Specific Learning Difficulties and Attentional Disorders. Dr. Griffin is a noted authority on learning differences, particularly those seen in high intellect children. Dr. Griffin has served on the Board of Directors of the Learning Differences Association of America and as Chairman of the Professional Advisory Board of the National Center for Learning Differences.
is a board-certified child and adult psychiatrist and world authority on ADHD. He is a graduate of Harvard College and Tulane Medical School, and was a Harvard Medical School faculty member for 21 years. He is the Founder of The Hallowell ADHD Centers in Boston MetroWest, New York City, San Francisco, Palo Alto and Seattle.
Dr Hallowell is a New York Times bestselling author and has written 20 books on multiple psychological topics. The groundbreaking Distraction series, which began with Driven to Distraction, co-authored with Dr John Ratey in 1994, sparked a revolution in understanding of ADHD.
is a developmental pediatrician and one of Australia's AD/HD experts. Dr. Hutchins has considerable experience in how problems in development, behavior and social interaction overlap when compounded by disorders that cause communication difficulties. In Australia, he vigorously pursues evidence-based practice, collaborative management between children, parents, school and health professionals, and promotes parent support groups.
served as an administrator of residential programs for children with special needs for 30 years. He holds three degrees in Special Education and holds two Honorary Doctorates in Education from the University of Massachusetts (2003) and Mitchell College (CT – 2007). Dr. Lavoie is probably best known for his videos How Difficult Can This Be?, The F.A.T. City Workshop and Last One Picked, First One Picked On: The Social Implications of Learning Differences.
In this excerpt from the PBS program “It’s So Much Work to Be Your Friend,” Rick Lavoie explains to parents how to plan a successful playdate for the LD child.
is an instructor in psychiatry at Harvard Medical School in Boston, the director of child psychiatry for the North Shore Medical Center in Salem, and the medical director for the Northeast regional MCPAP at the North Shore Medical Center. Dr. Prince is involved in research into the characterization and treatment of ADHD across the lifespan, as well as pediatric mood, anxiety, and substance disorders. He is the author or co-author of more than 60 original articles, abstracts, and book chapters, and he has made more than 150 academic presentations nationally and internationally.
M.D. is the Audrey G. Ratner Professor in Learning Development at the Yale University School of Medicine and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity. Dr. Shaywitz has devoted her career to better understanding and helping children and adults who are dyslexic. Dr. Shaywitz is the author of over 200 scientific articles, chapters and books, including the widely acclaimed national bestseller, Overcoming Dyslexia: A New and Complete Science-Based Program for Reading Problems at any Level.
is a Professor of Pediatrics and Neurology, Chief of Pediatric Neurology and Co-Director of the Yale Center for Dyslexia and Creativity at the Yale University School of Medicine. Dr. Shaywitz has a long-standing interest in disorders of learning and attention in children and young adults and has devoted his career to better understanding and elucidating the neurobiological basis of reading and dyslexia. The author of over 300 scientific papers, Dr. Shaywitz has received many honors for his contributions to the understanding of the basic neurobiology of reading and dyslexia.
Regional Advisory Council
Dr. Catherine Chi-Chin Lam
President, The Hong Kong Society of Child Neurology and Developmental Paediatrics
Tara Levinson, PhD, NCSP
an US licensed, HK Registered Psychologist specializing in children and adolescents
Dr. Rosebeth Marcou
is a Board Certified in General and Development/Behavioural Pediatrics (American Board of Pediatrics); specialist in pediatrics
Dr. Tanpa Thondup
Fellow of the London Royal College of Pediatricians, London Fellow of the Hong Kong Academy of Medicine and College of Pediatriciansediatrics
Dr. Chok-Wan Chan
President (retired), The Hong Kong Society of Child Neurology & Developmental Paediatrics