David J Schonfeld, MD

	Supporting children in times of crisis
	David J Schonfeld, MD
	Director, National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement

My session will be composed of two presentations, each one hour in length:

Doing your best to prepare for the worst – principles in school crisis preparedness This session will summarize the main principles to consider in preparing your school to respond effectively to a crisis event and provide an overview of an organizational model for school crisis teams. Drawing from over twenty years experience working with school systems to prepare for and respond to a wide range of crisis events, the presentation will offer practical suggestions and illustrative examples.

Supporting children in times of crisis Disasters and crisis events can have profound and long-lasting effects on children that result in significant difficulties with learning, academic failure, and emotional and behavioral problems. This presentation will review the common reactions of students and school staff to crisis situations, the risk factors for difficulties with adjustment, and some of the underlying reasons why parents, teachers, and other school personnel often underestimate children’s adjustment difficulties. Examples will be drawn from over 20 years experience of consulting to school systems throughout the country and abroad on crisis preparedness and response.

Dr. Schonfeld is a developmental-behavioral pediatrician and the Thelma and Jack Rubinstein Professor of Pediatrics, Director of the Division of Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics, and Director of the National Center for School Crisis and Bereavement at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital Medical Center (www.cincinnatichildrens.org/school-crisis). He has authored articles, book chapters, and a handbook (published by ASCD) on school crisis preparedness and has written and spoken extensively and consulted to school systems throughout the United States and abroad on the topics of pediatric bereavement and the mental health needs of children in crisis situations. In addition, Dr. Schonfeld is actively engaged in school-based research involving children’s understanding of and adjustment to serious illness and death and school-based interventions to promote adjustment and risk prevention. He is the current Chair of the Committee on Pediatric Research and a member of the Disaster Preparedness Advisory Council for the American Academy of Pediatrics and President of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.