Cari Ebert, MS, CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist in private practice in the Kansas City, Missouri area. She received her bachelor’s degree from the University of Iowa in 1993 and her master’s degree from Southern Illinois University at Carbondale in 1995. Cari is a therapist, consultant, author, product developer, and nationally recognized speaker who gets paid to do what she loves most—TALK! She has an energetic personality, and this translates to a high-energy speaking style. Cari has an autistic son, allowing her to engage audiences both as a professional and as a parent of a neurodivergent child.
LOCATION: Kentucky Dam Village Conference Center
PART 1:
TIME: 8:30 a.m.-11:30 a.m.
Autism Strategies and Neurodiversity Affirming Practices
Target Audience: SLP, OT, PT, Administrators, Special Educators, General Educators, Counselors, School Psychologists
Course Summary: This course provides an overview of how to provide strengths-based, neurodiversity-affirming services to autistic children. The strategies and goals addressed in this course are not focused on establishing compliance or fixing deficits identified on standardized tests, but rather on helping autistic children learn and develop new skills through meaningful interactions with the important people in their lives.
Learning Outcomes: As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
1. Summarize strategies for providing strengths-based, neurodiversity affirming services to autistic children.
2. Explain the racial and gender disparities in getting an autism diagnosis.
3. Describe the differences in how autistic children play, learn, communicate, acquire language, and interact with others.
PART 2:
TIME: 12:45-3:45
Making Sense of Sensory
Target Audience: SLP, OT, PT, Administrators, Special Educators, General Educators, Counselors, School Psychologists
Course Summary: This course provides an overview of the external and internal sensory systems along with observable characteristics of sensory dysregulation. Understanding that sensory input drives motor and behavioral output provides the foundation for this course. The way young children take in, process, and respond to sensory information significantly affects the way they learn, develop, and behave. Occupational therapists are the professionals who specialize in sensory processing disorder, but all teachers, therapists, and administrators need to understand how to support children with sensory differences.
Learning Outcomes: As a result of this training, participants will be able to:
1. List and describe the 5 external sensory systems and the 3 internal sensory systems.
2. Explain how unmet sensory needs can contribute to challenging behaviors.
3. Summarize how to create sensory-rich learning opportunities to support young children with sensory differences.
(You are registering for the entire day)
CONTACT PERSON: Laura Miller (laura.miller@wkec.org) or David Daniel (david.daniel@wkec.org)
