Diane Berman, LCPC and Adam Berman, B.A.

Weinfeld Education Group, LLC Presents…

Diamonds in the Rough
Smart Kids Who Learn Differently

March 11- 13, 2010
University of Maryland
Shady Grove
9630 Gudelsky Drive
Rockville, MD 20850

Biography:

Diane Berman is an Licensed Clinical Professional Counselor and has a doctoral degree in Psychology. Currently the Director of Counseling Services at an MCPS high school, she has worked in education for over 25 years. She has been a school counselor for 18 years, and her experience includes elementary, middle school and high school counseling. Prior to that Diane taught middle and high school English. She has a part time private practice. A mother of 4 children, she has years of experience conducting parenting classes and support groups. Another area of interest is social skills training for students with Asperger's syndrome and high functioning autism.

Adam Berman is 23 years old and was diagnosed with autism at the age of two. As a result of intense early intervention, Adam was completely mainstreamed in first grade. He went on to graduate with honors from the University of Maryland, a program he completed in 3 years. He is currently a para educator working with special needs students at a middle school in MCPS. He is working on a Master's degree in Acquired Brain Injury at George Washington University. Since high school, Adam has spoken to numerous groups of students, parents, teachers and school administrators about living with autism. He is particularly interested in self advocacy and has spoken to the MCPS school board as well as the state legislators in Annapolis. His eventual career goal is to obtain a doctoral degree, teach college, and do research on brain injury. He is currently writing a book about his experiences as a person with autism..