Developmental Disabilities Training

My friend Jerrod has a great training coming up in July through the AIAFS, it is called the Forensic Assessment of Developmental Disabilities.  Don't let the title scare you, these two trainers are FASD experts!


Natalie Brown is a licensed psychologist in Washington State and Florida who specializes in forensic evaluation of individuals with developmental disabilities (e.g., fetal alcohol spectrum disorders) and sex offenders. Dr. Brown is the founding Program Director of FASD Experts (www.FASDExperts.com),
a multidisciplinary group of professionals that conducts forensic FASD evaluations throughout the US. She is a faculty member in the Department of Medicine at the University of Washington, where she consults with the Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit on secondary disabilities and conducts research on suggestibility and FASD. Dr. Brown has published numerous articles and book chapters on FASD and conducted trainings for criminal justice and mental health professionals nationally and internationally.

Paul Connor, PhD, is a neuropsychologist specializing in the assessment of adults with developmental disabilities such as Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders (FASD). He is a Clinical Assistant Professor in the Department of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences’ Fetal Alcohol and Drug Unit (FADU) at the University of Washington and maintains a clinical and forensic private practice. He has authored or co-authored over 14 peer-reviewed manuscripts and three book chapters focusing on neuropsychological, neuroimaging, and psychiatric implications of the long term effects of prenatal alcohol exposure into adolescence and adulthood.


Training Description
This training course will focus on forensic assessment of developmental disabilities. This course will also include information on challenges in diagnosis and how to overcome those problems. Participants can expect to learn about the kinds of testing necessary in diagnosing a developmental disability and how to interpret and apply test scores to diagnosis in a forensic setting. Attendees will learn how a neuropsychological evaluation can be successfully utilized to identify developmental disabilities, as well as provide data critical for applying and obtaining services. This course will also address how neuropsychological testing can provide objective data about adaptive functioning, addressing concerns about potential bias from informants who are interviewed about the client’s day-to-day functioning.

Training Objectives
1.Understand the importance of standardized assessment in forensic assessment of Developmental Disabilities.
2.Learn how test results inform forensic opinion.
3.Understand the importance of treatment "planning" in forensic assessment.
4.Determine the referral issues that will guide forensic assessment and testing.
5.Learn how to present large amounts of complex testing data in a fashion that allows for easier understanding.
6.Understand how to confirm potentially biased adaptive functioning reports with objective testing.

If you are interested in attending, email me and I will email you the registration form.  The cost is $55 and it will be held at a Holiday Inn in St. Paul.  I am planning on attending!