DIAMONDS IN THE ROUGH CONFERENCE
  • CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
  • SPONSORSHIP
  • ABOUT DIAMONDS
  • WEG
  • CONFERENCE SCHEDULE
  • SPONSORSHIP
  • ABOUT DIAMONDS
  • WEG
2019 Diamonds in the Rough Conference

Change is inevitable.  It's how we PLAN, ADJUST, and THRIVE that ultimately matters.
Two day conference consisting of a half-day Friday CE Workshop and full day Saturday conference. 
The 2019 conference theme was Parenting Children with Special Needs: Preparing to Launch at Every Age.

2019 FEATURED PRESENTERS
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Friday CE Workshop Presenter
David O. Black, PhD is a pediatric neuropsychologist with a focus on transition to adulthood.  Dr. Black’s more recent work has focused on the transition to adulthood and unique challenges inherent in that transition, as well as in the role of stress and anxiety in autism and intervention that may reduce its impact. 


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Saturday Keynote
Debbie Reber is a
New York Times bestselling author and the founder of TiLT Parenting, a website, top podcast, and social media company for parents who are raising differently wired children.  Her most recent book, Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World, came out in June 2018. 


The 9th Annual Diamonds in the Rough Conference placed a special focus on
the skills and supports students need
to successfully launch at each
educational stage.

For parents raising a child with special educational needs, even small
changes can feel big.  Growing in confidence and hope, thinking farther out, and developing plans for a child’s future becomes crucial as children age and mature.

The Diamonds Conference is a unique event at which parents, advocates, and professionals learn, connect, and share, with the goal of empowering children and ultimately launching them to becoming independent adults.

Weinfeld Education Group has invited expert speakers, sponsors, and exhibitors as part of a learning community to help families navigate effectively through these major life changes.


Johns Hopkins University
Montgomery County Campus
9601 Medical Center Dr
Rockville, Maryland 20850

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2019 Conference Sponsors
Commonwealth Academy
Fusion Academy
McLean School
The Auburn School
The Dorm
PrepMatters  - Saturday Keynote sponsor
TLC's The Katherine Thomas School - tote bag sponsor

2019 Diamonds Conference Recap & Photos

On behalf of the entire team at Weinfeld Education Group, thank you for being a part of the 9th Annual Diamonds in the Rough Conference!  It is truly the people gathered together that make this event so special every year.   It really is a learning community that we build each year at the Diamonds Conference.  In total, over 245 parents, professionals and advocates took part in this year’s event. 

It is our hope that you gained new information, made valuable connections and left inspired to go out and do your work.  Thank you for all you do to support children with special learning needs.  Whether it is a child in your own family, a student in your class or a client in your office - you are making a difference in the lives of young people.  Closing the conference with a panel of “launched” young people really reinforced the WEG mission - to have all children realize their unique potential.  I know you share in this vision as well.

We kicked off with a great Friday CE workshop, “Supporting Optimal Outcomes for a Neurodiverse Community” presented by pediatric neuropsychologist and director of the Center for Assessment and Treatment, Dr. David Black.  We are very proud to partner with the Maryland Psychological Association to offer continuing education credits for this training for qualifying attendees.  Providing a CE workshop as a pre-conference event as part of the Diamonds in the Rough Conference has become a tradition that we wish to build upon. 

On Saturday, we “launched” the day with an inspiring keynote by Debbie Reber, bestselling author and founder of TiLT Parenting.  Our conference content featured the talents of 44 expert speakers, covering diverse topics and a wide-range of “ages and stages” - from pre-K to young adulthood.  Ending our day together with a panel of young adults really brought home our shared mission - to have all children reach their unique potential.

Several of exhibitors and presenters donated items for our silent auction benefiting the Palo Grande Education Center in El Salvador, WEG’s designated charity.  

The conference simply would not be possible without the support of our sponsors and exhibitors.  Your support helps us keep attendee fees as low as possible, which connects more parents, educators, and advocates with the information they need to help students with learning differences.  A big thank you to our two-day sponsors: Commonwealth Academy, McLean School, The Dorm, Fusion Academy, The Auburn School, and FLOREO.  Many thanks also to PrepMatters, our keynote sponsor, and TLC’s The Katherine Thomas School, our tote bag sponsor.

As the WEG team begins to reflect on all aspects of the 2019 conference, your feedback is tremendously important.  Thank you to those who completed our event surveys to let us know what we did right, and where we can improve.  You are our partners in making this event happen.  We assure you we will take your comments to heart as we plan for the 10th Annual Diamonds in the Rough Conference.

Again, we share our deepest appreciation to attendees, presenters, organizations, schools, and companies you represent.  Thank you for your role in making the 2019 Diamonds Conference a tremendous success.

 
Hope to see you next year!

 - Rich Weinfeld


What Folks Had to Say About the Conference...
Good Morning! I am very excited about receiving lots of empowering information to ensure our kiddos have EVERYTHING NEEDED for SUCCESS & to reach their fullest potential! 💜#greatexpectations #advocatinglikeamother #purpose #mygiftsfromgod #WEGDiamonds  ~~ Conference attendee
Thank you for including me in this year's Diamonds in the Rough conference and for organizing such a successful and enlightening event.  It was a moving experience to be amongst a concentrated population of other professionals and parents who are as passionate as I am about students with special needs.  WEG is doing such a wonderful service to our community by bringing us together to have discussions, share perspectives, and learn from each other.  Beyond my own enjoyment as an attendee, I was also honored to be on the Kindergarten Readiness panel and hope that parents left feeling connected, supported, informed, and empowered.  I am already looking forward to next year's conference!  ~~ Conference panelist
Continue to follow your present process and format!  ~~ Conference attendee
These young adults [Launched! panel] were simply amazing in sharing their stories.  ~~ Conference attendee
It is a very well-run conference. Thank you for that!!   ~~  Conference exhibitor
Sarah Wayland is an excellent speaker  [Launching 2e Students]. She is able to provide real-world examples based her personal experience. I left with ideas I can use immediately!  ~~  Conference attendee
Terrific conference. Very well organized and well attended. ~~ Conference exhibitor
The Conference was wonderful! Well Done.  I appreciated the opportunity to join the Diploma v Certificate Panel with the excellent team.  It was nice to meet them.  The Key Note, Deborah,  was excellent too... her book is wonderful.  ~~  Conference panelist
Every year I learn a lot even when it doesn’t specifically pertain to my child with an Intellectually Disabled diagnosis. I thoroughly enjoyed the young adult panel and learning about their journey. I wonder if you could include some high school students as well.  ~  Conference attendee
Enjoyed the diverse panel [Employment and Independent Living].  Found out about some great resources especially some that I didn’t realize I need to act on NOW! ~~ Conference attendee
It was so great seeing all the wonderful people I ran into at the conference.  Thank you for the opportunity to speak.  And what a great idea to do the panel of young adults at the end – very moving to hear their stories.  As I’m sure you are aware, the conference is a great resource for parents and professionals.  Well done!!   ~~ Conference presenter
Great presentation on Friday by David Black. It gave me the opportunity to reflect on my work with the children and adolescents I work with in special education at Chelsea School and in private practice. I believe in the approach David presented and have been living it out these past 20 years. Thanks Rich Weinfeld, Jennifer Engel Fisher and the Weinfeld Group for putting on the conference.  ~~ Conference attendee
Very informative session [Employment and Independent Living] to assist with curating employment resources for neurodiverse young adults. Thanks everyone.  ~~ Conference attendee

Sponsors
  • Commonwealth Academy
  • Floreo
  • Fusion Academy
  • McLean School
  • The Auburn School
  • The Dorm
  • PrepMatters  - Saturday Keynote sponsor
  • TLC's The Katherine Thomas School - tote bag sponsor
Exhibitors
  • Center for Assessment And Treatment  (CAAT)
  • Chelsea School
  • Commonwealth Academy
  • Eagle Hill School
  • Fitness for Health
  • FlexSchool
  • Floreo
  • Fusion Academy
  • GTLD Network
  • Kingsbury
  • Landmark College
  • Law Offices of Nicole Joseph
  • Lindamood-Bell
  • MANSEF
  • Maryland Insurance Administration
  • McLean School
  • Power UP by Learning Essentials
  • PrepMatters
  • Sheppard Pratt Health Systems
  • Summit Camp
  • The Arc Montgomery County
  • The Auburn School
  • The Chesapeake Center
  • The Children's Guild
  • The Dorm
  • The Lab School of Washington
  • The Nora School
  • The Siena School
  • The Thrive Center for Emerging Young Adults
  • TLC's The Katherine Thomas School
  • Weinfeld Education Group
  • With Understanding Comes Calm
  • Wye River Upper School
Presenters
  •  David Black, PhD  - Center for Assessment and Treatment - CE Workshop Presenter
  • Debbie Reber - TiLT Parenting - Saturday Keynote Speaker
  • Ali Lackey - Weinfeld Education Group
  • Chase Phillips - Merrill Lynch
  • Clay Kaufman - The Siena School
  • Connie Lorentzen - Connie Lorentzen
  • Devin Goozh Kesterman - Bethesda Elementary School
  • Fran Gage - Montgomery County Public Schools
  • Gretchen Holtzinger Levine - The Katherine   Thomas School
  • Hayley Jacobson - Weinfeld Education Group
  • Heather Alpern - SGT / KBRwyle
  • Janet Price - College Living Experience
  • Jasmine Thomas - Maryland Deparment of Health
  • Jennifer Engel Fisher - Weinfeld Education Group
  • Jessica Boyle - The Ivymount School
  • Joan Wittan - College Consulting Collaborative
  • John Bogasky - Main Street
  • Joseph Kavitski - Fusion Academy
  • Joshua Lash - Towson University
  • Judy Bass, CEP - Bass Educational Services
  • Karla Nabors - Montgomery College
  • Kathleen Nadeau, PhD - The Chesapeake Center
  • Kim Brown - The Lab School of Washington
  • Kristen Collins Eccleston - Montgomery County Public Schools
  • Lorrie Ness - Ness Psychological Services
  • Maddie Pierce - psychologist    
  • Margaret Rudt - Montgomery County Public  Schools
  • Marie Marino - McLean School
  • Matt Bogin - Law offices of Matthew Bogin
  • Michael Orleans - NFP/Meltzer Group
  • Rhona Schwartz - The Katherine Thomas School
  • Rich Weinfeld - Weinfeld Education Group
  • Sarah Wayland, PhD - Guiding Exceptional Parents
  • Sarah Finch Jackson - Montgomery County Public Schools
  • Sydney Campbell - Goucher College
  • Val Wise - Johns Hopkins University
  • Whitney Ellenby - Autism Ambassadors
  • Winston Frazer - Danae, Inc.
Friday, April 12 - CE Workshop
  • Registration, Coffee, and Exhibits
  • Welcome and Opening Remarks
  • CE Workshop - David Black, PhD
  • Networking Brunch
  • CE Workshop (Continued)

Saturday, April 13 - General Conference
  • Registration and Coffee  
  • Welcome & Opening Remarks
  • Keynote - Differently Wired: Raising an Exceptional Child in a Conventional World
  • 1A - Readiness for Kindergarten
  • 1B - Readiness for Middle School
  • 1C - Readiness for High School
  • Exhibit Hall open and Lunch
  • 2A - Launching 2E Students
  • 2B - Launching Students with Autism
  • 2C - Launching Students with Mental Health Challenges
  • 3A - Launching at Every Age and Stage
  • 3B - Diploma vs. Certificate
  • 3C - Employment and Independent Living
  • 4A - The Struggling to Launch Young Adults: From Failure to Success
  • 4B - Readiness for College
  • 4C - Readiness for Financial Independence
  • Launched!  Young Adults Discussing What Worked Panel
  • Closing Remarks and Silent Auction winners

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The Diamonds in the Rough Conference is presented by Weinfeld Education Group
For more information Email Us or call 301.681.6233

#WEGDiamonds