2014 Lectures
The Center for Children and Families welcomed parents and professionals to campus for its sixth annual series of lectures titled “Surviving and Thriving in Adolescence.”
| Emily Tobey, Ph.D. “The Bionic Ear: Challenges of Educating Deaf Teenagers in the 21st Century” |  |  |  |
Cochlear implants restore aspects of hearing to many children with severe-to-profound hearing losses. However, challenges remain regarding how to design intervention programs that enhance the benefits observed with the devices. This talk will examine factors associated with higher performance levels in teenagers and explore how spoken language should continue to be a priority to teachers, therapists and families of children using cochlear implants.
CART (Communication Access Realtime Translation) will be available for this lecture.
| Samuel Ehrenreich, Ph.D. “Adolescent Text Messaging and the Development of Antisocial Behavior” | | | |
Text messaging affords children and adolescents the ability to interact with their peers continuously and instantaneously. Although this communication is an important aspect of many teenagers’ social lives, it may also increase the risk for involvement in antisocial behavior. This talk examines how text messaging may relate to antisocial behavior, and what parents, teachers, and school administrators can do about it.
| Alex R. Piquero, Ph.D. “Preventing Juveniles from a Life of Crime” | | |
Chronic juvenile offenders exercise a tangible and intangible toll on victims, the system, and society more generally. This presentation will provide an overview of the cost of a lifetime chronic offender as well as highlight some policy prevention strategies that are evidence-based and useful for deflecting chronic offending trajectories.
| Joanna Gentsch, Ph.D. “Beyond the Birds and the Bees: Communicating about Sexuality from Childhood to Adolescence” | | | |
Whether you are a parent, teacher or other professional working with children or teens, talking about sex and sexuality can be difficult. Research indicates that having these conversations early and often contributes to many positive outcomes. This talk will help get the conversation started by blending evidence-based findings with practical advice and the sharing of developmentally appropriate resources.