Afternoon Session: 1:00 pm to 4:30 pm (Check in begins at 12:30 pm)
Presenters: Horacio Sanchez
Session Description
Poverty is the single most significant issue impacting mental health and public education today. However, agencies attempting to address the needs of disadvantaged youths are doing so without knowing how poverty is transforming the brain. Trying to address the issues of the poor with only partial information is like completing a puzzle with crucial pieces missing. When assembling the puzzle, you can make out the general picture, but many vital details of the image are lost. The brain transformations resulting from being economically disadvantaged speak to the heart of the cognitive and behavioral issues faced by anyone providing services to this at-risk population. The neuroscience of poverty offers a clear picture of why academic and behavioral problems are occurring and how to design a more precise response to best address the issues.
Topics that will be covered:
Identify the structural and functional changes poverty is causing to the brains of the poor.
Modifications, education, and treatment approaches can make to improve outcomes with disadvantaged youth.
Understand how bias related to poverty influences the behaviors and attitudes of providers, undermining their success.
Identify strategies that minimize the negative influences of poverty bias.