Presentations by Dr. Robert Naseef:

Robert Naseef, Ph.D., regularly lectures and provides training sessions for parents and professionals in various locations around the country.  

Descriptions of presentations offered: The following presentations are available in full day, half-day, and evening formats. To schedule a presentation from the list below or to tailor a presentation for your group  RNaseef@alternativechoices.com

Special Children, Challenged Parents, Caring Professionals:  Building Links That Endure

Children with special medical needs are simultaneously endearing, lovable, and extremely worrisome, and challenging.  Psychologist, author, and parent Robert Naseef uses his personal and clinical experiences to explore the emotional and developmental challenges for both special children and their parents.  Professionals as well as parents will explore the roadblocks to collaboration as well as strategies to overcome those difficulties.  The presentation's goal  is to help professionals and parents to understand each other and work together more effectively.

 

The Father Factor: Understanding the Special Needs of Fathers

What does a man do with a problem that he can't fix? Men and women often look at the same thing differently, and raising a child with special needs is no exception. This presentation will explore the unique perspective that men bring to parenting a child who is not “typical.” Participants will be guided in expressing their thoughts and feelings in a structured format. The presenter utilizes a slide show of his own son growing up to illustrate common challenges and evoke discussion.

Understanding and Guiding Your Child's Behavior

Children with special needs can be simultaneously endearing, lovable, frustrating and extremely challenging. Their behavior problems can stress their parents to unbelievable lengths.  This workshop provides participants with a way to begin understanding these behaviors and guiding children towards more socially appropriate ways of expressing themselves.  Strategies to manage the stress involved for parents will also be explored.

Issues Facing Siblings of Children with Disabilities

When parents have a child with a disability or special needs, they often wonder and worry about the impact on their other children.  This workshop will explore the sibling relationships that parents had growing up in order to help understand the impact of a sibling's special needs on their more “typical” brothers and sisters.  Maintaining family unity and stability while meeting the needs of all will be the theme.

Children with PDD, Their Families, and Daily Routines

Many if not most children who are diagnosed with Pervasive Developmental Disorder have regulatory difficulties which manifest themselves in their daily routines around eating, sleeping, and toilet-training.  Their families face multiple stressors.  This presentation by psychologist, author, and parent, Robert Naseef will provide an overview of family struggles and practical behavioral approaches to the regulatory issues.  

Living with Autistic Spectrum Disorder: Professional and Personal Perspectives
Autism specialists Robert Naseef and Stephen Shore serve as models of acceptance and rays of hope for those who live or work with those who have autistic spectrum disorder. Stephen was nonverbal until he was four years old.  Because his parents believed in his abilities, they refused residential placement for him. Today, Stephen is completing his doctoral degree
in special education, has authored two books rooted in his experiences with autism, and consults to help people on the autistic spectrum develop their capabilities to the fullest extent possible. Robert Naseef is a psychologist specializing in families of children with special needs.
Naseef and Shore combine their insights to teach in an unusual way. You will learn about autism as a spectrum disorder and how individuals achieve success along the spectrum. You will share knowledge of how sensory issues can affect learning and what it is like for a person who is living with autism. You will come to understand how parents and family members can struggle through grief and the uncertain development of a child. And, even though you may laugh and cry, you will leave refreshed, enlightened, and energized by these two remarkable men and the professional and personal stories they have to tell.  This presentation is also available internationally, for information contact rnaseef@alternativechoices.com or Tumbalaika@aol.com

Biography: 

Dr. Robert Naseef is a psychologist in independent practice in Philadelphia and a consultant to numerous schools and human service organizations. He is a graduate of Temple University. Special Children, Challenged Parents: The Struggles and Rewards of Parenting a Child With a Disability, his first book, has received international recognition. He has lectured internationally and appeared on radio and television. He is the co-editor of Voices from the Spectrum: Parents, Grandparents, Siblings, People With Autism, and Professionals Share Their Wisdom, published in 2006 by Jessica Kingsley.

Dr. Naseef's specialty is working with families of children with special health care needs. He has published many articles in scholarly journals and other publications. You will notice that he has a foot in each world because he himself is the father of a child with autism. He has a special interest and expertise in the psychology of men and fatherhood. Through his experiences as both a parent and as a professional, Bob is able to relate effectively to both audiences and is a sought after speaker at conferences around the country.

Rabbi Harold Kushner, the author of When Bad Things Happen to Good People, endorsed the Special Children, Challenged Parents by Paul Brookes Publishing Company. In Rabbi Kushner's words, "writing with the wisdom of a mental health professional and the compassion of a loving father, Dr. Naseef has given us a book that will instruct and inspire us all."