Transitioning for Teens and Young Adults with Mitochondrial Disease

Join us with Dr. Hope Schreiber from Tufts Medical Center to talk about successful transitions for teens and young adults with mitochondrial disease.

Based on a pilot study conducted by Dr. Schreiber and published in the Journal of Child Psychiatry in December 2012, we will talk about attitudes, behaviors and skills that were most common in teens and young adults with mitochondrial disease facing transition to college or independence. We will also talk about tips for parents and young people in order to balance managing the disease while making the best choices for the future.

THIS CALL WILL NOT BE RECORDED, so please plan to join us live.  A summary will be posted online.

About The Speaker

Hope Schreiber, PsyD, ABPP/CN is a clinical neuropsychologist working in the Psychiatry Department of Tufts Medical Center and Associate Clinical Professor in Tufts University School of Medicine. She has worked in both outpatient and inpatient settings for over 20 years, and has particular interest in learning and executive functioning in adolescents and young adults. She directs the College Learning Disorders/ ADHD Program at Tufts Medical Center, and has co-edited a book entitled Adult Learning Disorders: Contemporary Issues, published in 2008. Her research interest in mitochondrial disorders developed through her work with Mark Korson, MD. Many of the teens and young adults she was referred for neuropsychological evaluation show organizational and executive function problems. Learning more about how to enhance such students’ educational progress has become an area of interest.

Pilot Study on Executive Function and Adaptive Skills in Adolescents and Young Adults With Mitochondrial Disease – Hope Schreiber, 2012

High-functioning adolescents and young adults with mitochondrial disease are now attempting transitions to postsecondary environments. This pilot and case study explores factors that interfere with their successful transition through behavior-rating scales addressing academic skills and behavior. In the Behavior Assessment System for Children, Second Edition, Spearman correlation matrices showed that students’ attitude to school was associated with depression and anxiety.