Please join us for an exciting day of learning! See below for Keynote speaker information.

Please note: ALL attendees must be current WMCA Members and have paid 2025/26 dues.  If you need help doing so, assistance will be available at the conference registration.
Please fill out this Google Form to complete WMCA Membership

Keynote 1
Title: When ‘Try Harder’ Doesn’t Work: Understanding ADHD Motivation

Session Description:
You regularly work with students who genuinely want to succeed—but still struggle to initiate tasks, follow through, or recover after setbacks.

For many students, especially those with ADHD, motivation is not triggered by logic—it’s governed by a completely different internal system. Some rely on stress-based activation, using avoidance, pressure, or even shame just to get moving.

This keynote introduces a neuroscience-informed lens for understanding these patterns. Rather than focusing on compliance or effort, we’ll look beneath the surface to examine what’s happening when a student hesitates instead of engages. Participants will leave with a clearer way to interpret delayed action—and how to invite initiative without pressure or power struggles.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how ADHD impacts motivation through differences in time awareness, emotional intensity, and effort estimation.
• Recognize when students are using avoidance, procrastination, anxiety, anger, or shame as activation strategies—and understand why these patterns emerge.
• Distinguish overwhelm from opposition when students appear disengaged.
• Apply supportive language shifts that invite collaboration instead of pressure.
• Guide students toward healthier activation strategies that build momentum without emotional strain.

---

Keynote 2
Title: Emotional Regulation and Learning: Why do students freeze, shut down, or scroll—even when they have the skills to succeed?

Session Description:
Students don’t lose ability—they lose access. When uncertainty, stress, or shame enters the picture, the ADHD brain shifts from problem-solving to self-protection. This session explores the neuroscience of emotional regulation as the true gateway to learning and engagement. Through case studies and practical translation of brain science, we’ll examine why capable students sometimes shut down, avoid work, or retreat into screens the moment things feel hard. Rather than interpreting these responses as disinterest or defiance, participants will learn how to recognize signs of overwhelm and respond with strategies that restore cognitive access. Attendees will leave with tools to support regulation in real time and create learning environments where students feel grounded enough to persist.

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this session, participants will be able to:

• Explain how stress and emotional intensity shift the brain from cognitive engagement to self-protection.
• Identify common dysregulation patterns—including shutdown, avoidance, irritability, or digital escape—and understand their neurological basis.
• Distinguish between intentional refusal and overwhelm-based withdrawal.
• Apply regulation-focused strategies that help students regain access to problem-solving and participation.
• Implement practices that promote emotional safety without lowering expectations.