Strong Roots conference aimed at helping families with special needs children

"Strong Roots for a Healthy Future," a conference for parents, teachers, and health care/behavioral professionals who work with special needs children and teens, will be presented July 10-11 at The Hotel Roanoke and Conference Center.

This fourth annual Strong Roots conference is aimed at linking parents and professionals to support groups, networks, and behavioral interventions for kids and teens with attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and other special needs.

Parents can attend the conference for a fee of only $25, and special needs child care will be available for a small fee.

A national expert, Dr. Michael Manos of the Cleveland (Ohio) Clinic, will present “ADHD: A Primer for Today.”

Other sessions will focus on special education regulations, special needs trusts, systems of care, transitions, and preventing family crises. Speakers on these topics will include William Brownley of Brownley Law Group in Reston, Va.; Raymond Ratke, special advisor for Children’s Services for the Commonwealth of Virginia; and Dr. Colleen Kraft, associate director of pediatrics for the Virginia Tech Carilion School of Medicine and Research Institute.

The conference will begin with a networking reception on July 10, followed by speakers throughout the day on July 11.

The major sponsor of “Strong Roots for a Healthy Future” is Medical Home Plus of Richmond, Va. The conference is facilitated by Virginia Tech’s Department of Continuing and Professional Education and the Carilion Clinic’s Continuing Medical Education Office.

Other sponsors include the Capital and Southwest Area Health Education Centers, Southwest Virginia Graduate Medical Education Consortium, Virginia Commonwealth University’s Partnership for People with Disabilities, Virginia Chapter of American Academy of Pediatrics, Virginia Department of Behavioral Health and Developmental Services, Virginia Department of Health, and Virginia Federation of Families.

Find more information about “Strong Roots for a Healthy Future” online.