Medical Speech-Language Pathologist Dr. Cheri Florance Discusses Connections Between Superior Visual Thinking and Underdeveloped Verbal Abilities

September 3, 2004

DELAWARE, OHIO -- Dr. Cheri Florance, author of The Maverick Mind: A Mother's Story of Solving the Mystery of Her Unreachable, Untouchable, Silent Son and President of Brain Engineering Laboratories, will lecture as part of the Sagan National Colloquium public affairs series at Ohio Wesleyan University on Wednesday, September 8, 2004 at 7:30 p.m. in OWU's Hamilton-Williams Campus Center Benes Room. Dr. Florance will explain "The Maverick Mind," which relates to this year's Colloquium theme on "Dimensions of Creativity." Dr. Florance will discuss what Winston Churchill, Tom Cruise, Albert Einstein, Marilyn Monroe, Pablo Picasso, and Moses have in common with Whitney, an autistic child with hearing and cognitive disabilities. In her multi-media presentation, Dr. Florance will explore how brains are engineered and how to maximize dimensions of creativity.

As detailed in her book The Maverick Mind, Dr. Florance discovered how to teach her son Whitney to learn to communicate in more conventional ways and excel in school, sports, and life. Although she faced opposition from doctors, teachers, and psychologists, Dr. Florance was able to develop a scientific breakthrough to help her son and others like him. She discovered that Whitney's visual intelligence was so advanced that it was hindering his ability to create language. By encouraging his over-performing visual intelligence to help his auditory system learn language, Dr. Florance developed a successful treatment to the syndrome she had identified.

An adjunct professor at Ohio State University College of Medicine and Public Health, Dr. Florance treats an international clientele with the Florance Maverick Syndrome in her private practice. She is the recipient of the Career-Development Award from the National Institutes of Health and is one of the youngest people to be named Fellow by the American Speech, Language and Hearing Association.

The Sagan National Colloquium is in its 19th year at Ohio Wesleyan. All lectures are free of charge and open to the public. More information is available at snc.owu.edu or 740-368-3995.