Robert J. Doman, Jr., Speaks to Parents and Teachers of Highly Capable Students

November 7th, 2006

The Pacific Northwest recently welcomed Bob Doman as a keynote speaker for the annual conference of the Washington Association of Educators of the Talented and Gifted (WAETAG) held October 19-21 at the new Kitsap Conference Center in the city of Bremerton, WA. Three hundred teachers and parents from across Washington State attended the WAETAG conference to learn new ways of improving educational opportunities for highly capable students in kindergarten through high school.

Bob Doman’s keynote address Friday morning focused on The Millennium Mind: Breakthrough Discoveries in How to Increase Intelligence, Creativity, and Empathy. While explaining how vital auditory and visual sequential processing skills are to developing innate intelligence, Bob enlightened the WAETAG members on their own sequential processing skills by conducting a surprise digit span test with the entire audience. The room full of teachers and parents participated with intense concentration, laughter and some heavy sighs as participants discovered the current limits of their auditory sequential processing skills. As Bob further explained how sequential processing skills can be increased, and how relatively easy it is to do with targeted activities delivered with adequate intensity, frequency and duration, heads began to nod and smile with recognition of the opportunities this knowledge provides teachers and schools.

Bob introduced NACD’s new Simply Smarter software specifically designed to increase auditory and visual sequential processing. He also invited teachers to participate in a special on-line Simply Smarter program designed for schoolteachers to use with their classrooms. The on-line program, which costs only $10.00 per student per year, provides baseline testing and Simply Smarter activities along with free data analysis for participating schools. Bob also encouraged all participants to learn about and get involved with the international humanitarian Simply Smarter Project 9 +/- 2 by visiting www.nacdtheproject.org.

After his keynote, Bob lead a packed break out session where he answered questions and taught techniques teachers can use to increase learning capacity, short-term memory and working memory. Laptop computers were provided at the NACD table in the lobby for conference participants to try out the Simply Smarter software and the baseline testing for the Simply Smarter Project 9 +/- 2.

On Saturday, Bob delivered a second keynote address entitled Beyond Labels: How Neurological Organization Affects Every Student’s Learning Style, Behavior and Interpersonal Relationships. In this lecture Bob placed the gifted child in the context of neurological development. He explained how “giftedness” often occurs in one area of development as a compensation for neurological inefficiencies in another. He talked of the importance of helping children achieve their full potential in all areas of development, and how the neurological system must be assessed and inefficiencies addressed in order to achieve that goal. Immediately following the keynote, Bob lead the final break out session of the conference in which he answered specific questions regarding twice exceptional students who have highly capable abilities along with various learning problems and disorders.

Throughout the conference cameramen captured Bob Doman on film for a documentary about his work with the National Association for Child Development. In between speeches and break out sessions, Bob conducted consultations and interviews on film with parents and teachers, including a fascinating interview with WAETAG President Stephen Martin discussing a new paradigm in education for all children.