Sessions

Presentation Description:
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Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
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Presentation Description:
This presentation explores the essential skills neurodivergent teens and young adults need to successfully navigate the transition from high school to college and independent living. Designed for parents, therapists, school counselors, and clinicians, this session provides a practical, research-informed framework for understanding what “college fit” really means for neurodivergent students — and how the adults in their lives can help them get there.

Participants will explore three core domains of college readiness: Academic Success (planning, time management, organization, study skills, use of campus resources, and navigating obstacles), Life Management Skills (habits and routines, health and self-care, money management, self-awareness, self-advocacy, and responsibility), and Social and Community Engagement (building relationships, balancing social life, campus involvement, communication, digital safety, and career focus).

The presentation also explores two critical transition skills — self-advocacy and independence — examining why they are particularly challenging for neurodivergent teens, what they look like in practice, and how clinicians and parents can begin building them well before the transition from home. A practical transition timeline guides attendees through the key steps to take in the months leading up to and following the start of college.

Educational goals are to equip participants with a clear framework for evaluating college fit for neurodivergent students. To build awareness of the specific academic, life management, and social skills students need to thrive in college. To provide actionable strategies for developing self-advocacy and independence during the high school years and to support clinicians and parents in playing an informed, proactive role in the college transition process

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Assess the key elements of college fit — including academic support, campus culture, and disability services — to identify the right next step for a neurodivergent student after high school

Articulate the critical skill areas neurodivergent teens need to develop across academics, life management, and social and community engagement to thrive in college

Apply practical strategies to build self-advocacy and independence in neurodivergent teens before and during the transition

Presentation Description:
Autistic individuals are more likely than their neurotypical peers to identify as LGBTQ+, yet many experience unique challenges navigating systems that may not fully understand or affirm either aspect of their identity. This presentation explores the intersection of neurodivergence and gender and sexual diversity through a neuroaffirming lens, examining current research, minority stress, and the impact of societal stigma on mental health and well-being. Participants will gain practical strategies for creating safe, affirming therapeutic relationships, supporting identity development, promoting resilience, and helping autistic LGBTQ+ clients navigate complex social, educational, and family environments with authenticity, dignity, and hope.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Describe the unique experiences and mental health considerations of autistic LGBTQ+ individuals, including the impact of intersectionality and minority stress on psychological well-being.

Apply neuroaffirming and gender-affirming clinical strategies that promote psychological safety, identity development, resilience, and client-centered care for autistic LGBTQ+ individuals.

Identify practical interventions and resources that help autistic LGBTQ+ clients build supportive communities, enhance emotional well-being, and safely navigate challenging social and environmental contexts.

Presentation Description:
This presentation will focus on recent science about autism in girls, including what we have learned about behavioral presentations across childhood and adolescence, camouflaging and masking, co-occurring conditions, and brain differences. Dr. Nordahl will also discuss a social support group that she founded in 2021 that serves neurodivergent girls and gender diverse teens. The goal of this session is to provide families and professionals with knowledge about how to identify and support autistic girls across development.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Describe how camouflaging and masking behaviors make identification of autism in girls more challenging

Name how behavioral presentation and trajectories may differ between autistic boys and girls

Discuss how autistic girls may benefit from specific support groups tailored to their needs and interests.

Presentation Description:
This presentation will provide an overview of the topic of youth suicidal and self-harm behavior. This presentation will provide practical tips for providers on how to complete a comprehensive suicide risk assessment and how to implement evidence-based strategies for risk management. The presentation will also review existing evidence-based treatment approaches. The presentation will also provide evidence-based tips for parents on how to keep at risk teens safe and how to navigate existing treatment options.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Describe existing evidence-based treatment strategies for youth at risk for suicide.

Explain practical strategies for keeping youth at risk for suicide safe.

Describe components of a comprehensive suicide risk assessment with youth.

Presentation Description:
This presentation will provide an overview of the most common anxiety disorders in children and adolescents, their impacts on family, school, and social functioning, and effective treatment strategies. Special emphasis will be placed on recognition of factors that may maintain anxiety and interfere with positive treatment outcomes.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Recognize common symptoms of anxiety and associated impairments in youth with problematic anxiety

Describe the common impacts of child anxiety on school, social and familial functioning

Explain the rationale and benefits of personalized intervention strategies for mental illness

Presentation Description:
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Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
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Presentation Description:
This session offers a fact-based, non-alarmist framework for understanding how media and technology shape childhood and adolescence, from the early years through young adulthood. Drawing on contemporary research and building on the practical guidance from Media Moms & Digital Dads, Dr. Yalda T. Uhls explores how social connection and social-emotional development are affected by digital engagement and offers parents and professionals evidence-informed tools they can apply immediately at home and in practice. The talk moves beyond fear-driven narratives about screens toward a balanced, developmentally grounded approach to supporting kids in a digital world.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Identify current, evidence-based trends in how children and adolescents engage with digital media across developmental stages, from early childhood through young adulthood.

Describe how social connection and social-emotional development are shaped by healthy versus problematic technology use in youth.

Apply practical, fact-based strategies for guiding conversations with children and clients about technology use that reduce fear-based messaging and increase actionable engagement.

Presentation Description:
Today’s adolescents face increasing challenges with emotional regulation, executive functioning, anxiety, social pressures, and identity development—all while the adults supporting them often feel frustrated, disconnected, and unsure of what to do next. Whether working with neurodivergent youth, highly sensitive teens, or adolescents experiencing emotional and behavioral challenges, the quality of the adult-teen relationship remains one of the strongest predictors of positive outcomes.

Drawing from research in developmental psychology, neuroscience, attachment, and emotion regulation, this session provides practical, evidence-informed strategies that clinicians, educators, and parents can immediately implement to reduce power struggles, strengthen connection, and foster resilience. Participants will learn how to respond rather than react, understand the function of challenging behaviors, and create emotionally safe environments that support growth while maintaining healthy boundaries. Attendees will leave with concrete tools they can use immediately in therapy sessions, classrooms, and at home.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Identify at least three evidence-based communication strategies that strengthen connection and reduce conflict with adolescents across home, school, and clinical settings.

Explain how executive functioning, emotional regulation, and adolescent brain development influence teen behavior and adult-child interactions.

Apply practical, relationship-based interventions that promote co-regulation, improve collaboration, and support adolescents with ADHD, anxiety, and other emotional challenges.

Presentation Description:
Big feelings are a natural part of being human, but many students need explicit support to recognize, understand, and communicate their internal experiences before they can access learning, problem-solving, and meaningful social connection. This workshop explores how nervous system regulation provides the foundation for developing the language of emotions and regulation, empowering students to make thoughtful choices, navigate challenges, and build resilience and confidence.

Attendees will develop a practical understanding of how bottom-up nervous system regulation influences communication, social participation, emotional awareness, and readiness for learning. The workshop will explore strategies that can shift students toward connection rather than protection, making it easier to access flexible thinking, problem-solving, and positive interactions with others. Designed for professionals and caregivers, this training emphasizes practical, neuroaffirming strategies that foster emotional vocabulary, co-regulation, self-regulation, and social participation.

Learning Objectives:
At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Describe how neuroception and bottom-up nervous system regulation influence students’ readiness for learning, communication, and self-regulation.

Identify environmental and relational cues of safety and threat that impact a student’s ability to engage in flexible thinking, communication, and learning.

Apply at least three neuroaffirming strategies to support students’ regulation, resilience, and confidence through co-regulation, scaffolding, and intentional language.

Presentation Description:
Coming Soon

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Coming Soon

Presentation Description:
“Unmotivated” is one of the most common labels attached to ADHD, Autistic, and AuDHD learners, and one of the least useful. Underneath it sits several distinct mechanisms: executive function struggles, demand avoidance, arousal regulation, sensory load, and disruption of monotropic focus (the deep, single-channel attention style common in Autistic learners). Each mechanism calls for a different support, and when the mismatch goes unrecognized, the costs accumulate into burnout.

This session unpacks what motivation looks like in ADHD, Autistic, and AuDHD nervous systems, barriers to learning that might get misunderstood as motivational issues, and how clinicians, educators, and families can match support to mechanism rather than pushing harder on willpower. Blending current research, clinical frameworks, and lived AuDHD experience, Dr. Neff offers a practical formulation for reading behavior through the lens of the nervous system.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Differentiate executive functioning demands, arousal regulation, sensory load, and disruption of monotropic focus as distinct mechanisms that present as “low motivation” in ADHD and Autistic learners.

Apply an interest-based and arousal-based formulation to task refusal, distinguishing a skill-based “can’t” from a motivational “won’t.”

Identify supports matched to the underlying mechanism rather than one-size-fits-all motivation strategies.

Presentation Description:
Executive function difficulties can affect a young person’s ability to initiate, plan, organize, regulate, and complete goal-directed activities. These difficulties are often misunderstood, particularly when a neurodivergent young person can complete a task under some conditions but not others.

In this presentation, Dr. Karen Wilson will draw on current research involving Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, and other neurodevelopmental profiles to examine the heterogeneity of executive functioning, limitations of common assessment methods, and the extent to which intervention effects transfer to everyday functioning.

The educational goals are to help participants interpret executive-function difficulties more accurately, identify supports that reduce unnecessary executive demands while preserving meaningful expectations, and evaluate whether intervention gains extend beyond trained tasks to everyday functioning. The session will also consider how supports can be implemented collaboratively to promote access, agency, and autonomy.

Learning Objectives:

At the conclusion of this program, participants will be able to:
Explain how heterogeneity and differences among executive-function measures affect the interpretation of executive functioning in neurodivergent youth.

Evaluate whether an executive-function intervention demonstrates transfer beyond a trained task to everyday functioning and identify at least one limitation affecting the interpretation of treatment outcomes.

Apply the “See the Load, Build the Bridge” framework to identify at least two possible sources of executive load and select at least two appropriate supports.