APPLETON EDUCATION FOUNDATION

As the inaugural series, 2008’s “Shaping the Brain” was recognized as an innovative educational forum, attracting more than 2,200 people. This first-of-its-kind series welcomed four nationally-renowned researchers to the Fox Cities and helped our community understand how babies and toddlers process the world around them and how we each play such an integral role in their development.

To read more about any of the topics or presenters in the 2008 series, click the links below. You can also browse our 2008 article archives, download free resources from the series or purchase DVDs of the individual presentations or four-disc set.

What Does that Gurgle Really Mean? Early Language and Your Toddler
How Babies Learn
Children’s Emotions and the Developing Brain
Shaping Your Child’s Brain

What Does that Gurgle Really Mean? Early Language and Your Toddler
Presented by Susan Ellis Weismer, PhD

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS
With years of experience in language processing, Dr. Ellis Weismer will take parents and caregivers through the stages of child language development, from cooing to forming full sentences, as they complete their journey through early childhood. She will also share comparisons among typically developing children, late talkers and toddlers with autism spectrum disorders (ASD), and talk about how to identify language learning difficulties and disorders early on.

ABOUT DR. ELLIS WEISMER
Also focusing her research efforts on school-age children and adolescents with language impairment, Dr. Ellis Weismer has published several notable studies and received honors from the Wisconsin Speech-Language-Hearing Association in 2003.

CREDENTIALS
PhD, Indiana University; Professor – Communicative Disorders; Associate Dean for Research for the College of Letters and Science

How Babies Learn
Presented by Jenny Saffran, PhD

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS
Director of the Waisman Center’s Infant Learning Lab, Dr. Saffran’s hands-on research gives us a better understanding of babies’ incredible language processing abilities. She talks about how babies learn at different stages and explains the skills most critical to building their vocabulary. Dr. Saffran also discusses the ways parents and caregivers can encourage babies’ language development.

ABOUT DR. SAFFRAN
Dr. Saffran has been recognized for her work as an honoree of the Presidential Early Career Awards for Scientists and Engineers and 2007 Scholar Award grant recipient from the James S. McDonnell Foundation.

CREDENTIALS
PhD, University of Rochester; Group Coordinator, Communication and Cognitive Processes Group; UW-Madison Distinguished Professor of Psychology

Children’s Emotions and the Developing Brain
Presented by Seth David Pollak, PhD

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS
Dr. Pollak sheds light on the processes and patterns of a child’s normal emotional development. His ongoing studies with kids help show how emotions are shaped by nature and nurture, the effects early experiences may have later in life and how child maltreatment can shape emotions. With a special interest in Down syndrome, Dr. Pollak also discusses the emotional impact this genetic disorder can have.

ABOUT DR. POLLAK
Truly committed to his studies, Dr. Pollak initiated an outreach project for children adopted from international orphanages and was named the 1998-2000 recipient of the Science Scholar Award from the National Down Syndrome Society.

CREDENTIALS
PhD, University of Rochester; Faculty Co-Director, Research Participation

Shaping Your Child’s Brain
Presented by Richard Davidson, PhD

PRESENTATION HIGHLIGHTS
Providing an inside look at brain development, Dr. Davidson describes how a baby’s brain develops and changes throughout life. He’ll share his findings on brain studies of normal children and those at risk for affective disorders such as depression and anxiety. He also explains how we regulate our emotions and the incredible advances in brain imaging to explore and understand how our brains function.

ABOUT DR. DAVIDSON
Dr. Davidson was named one of the world’s 100 most influential people by Time magazine in 2006, worked with the Mind and Life Institute and has traveled to India to complete brain studies with the Dalai Lama and monk community.

CREDENTIALS
PhD, Harvard; Faculty Core Director, Waisman Center Scientific Core; Faculty Core Director, Brain Imaging Core; Vilas Professor, Psychology and Psychiatry

Learn more about the 2008 Series
Read article archives • Download free materials • Buy presentations on DVD

AEF Logo

HOME | CONTACT US | LINKS