JANUARY 9 - FEBRUARY 6, 2023
Neurodiversity-Affirming OT Practice (REGISTRATION CLOSED)
An Autism CE Summit
In this transformative summit, you’ll learn strategies that will totally transform your work AND you’ll meet your people: thousands of other OTs who are looking to embrace authentic, neurodiversity-affirming practice. The summit includes eight recorded 1.5 hour talks and eight live Q&As with the neurodiverse panel of instructors. It is registered for 1.2 AOTA CEUs (12 contact hours). This summit will fill your toolbox and renew your enthusiasm for your work.
Continuing Education
from Learn Play Thrive
Investment
This summit includes 12 contact hours of recorded lectures and costs $369
Access
Each day from January 9th to January 13th we’ll release one to two pre-recorded 1.5 hour talks. You’ll have access to the talks until February 6th to watch on your own time. During the week of January 16th, you’ll have the opportunity to attend live Q&As with each instructor (these are optional and not included in the CE credit hours, but are a great opportunity to go deeper in your learning!).
Continuing Education
This course is registered with AOTA for 1.2 CEUs (12 contact hours).
FAQs
Information about completion requirements, accommodations, and more can be found in the FAQs.
JANUARY 9
Learning about Autism from Autistics:
The Neurodiversity Paradigm as the Foundation for Therapeutic Practice
Let’s start here: Autistic people are the experts on autism. And unfortunately, most of what we learned in grad school is way off target. The good news is, we have Autistic SLPs Rachel Dorsey and V. Tissi to help us dive deep into how Autistic people think and learn and what it means to use a neurodiversity model in our work.
Objective One
Differentiate between key terms including neurodiversity, neurodivergent, neurodiverse, autistic, and allistic.
Objective Two
Generate a list of at least 3 clinical practices that are true to the intended meaning of being “neurodiversity-affirming.”
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 16 at 1PM ET to ask Rachel and V your questions!
Meet your
Instructors
Rachel Dorsey,
Rachel Dorsey
M.S., CCC-SLP
Rachel holds a Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from the University of Wisconsin-Madison and has worked in school, clinic, and community-based settings with children and adolescents of all ages.
FINANCIAL: Rachel was paid a speaking fee for her contribution to The Learn Play Thrive Approach to Autism. Rachel receives commission from her course, Goal Writing for Autistic Students and for the Learn Play Thrive Neurodiversity Summit. She is paid a consulting fee by Learn Play Thrive as the SLP consultant. Rachel is a paid consultant for Responsive Feeding Pro, LLC. Rachel is the owner of Rachel Dorsey: Autistic SLP, LLC and receives a salary.
NON-FINANCIAL: Rachel is Autistic and has friends and family members who are Autistic.
V Tisi,
V Tisi
M.A., CCC-SLP
FINANCIAL: V receives a commission from Learn Play Thrive, LLC for sales of Let’s UNMASC and the Learn Play Thrive Neurodiversity Summit. V owns The Speechologist and receives compensation for their work.. V is employed part-time by San Francisco State University and receives a salary for teaching, including a course on Cultural Responsiveness in Speech, Language, Hearing Sciences that includes topics of anti-racism and anti-ableism. V is contracted with The Informed SLP and receives a fee for their work.
NON-FINANCIAL: V runs Speechologist accounts on various social media outlets, is a co-founder and volunteer for SLPs of Color 501(c)(3), and identifies as an Asian-Latiné Autistic person. V is Autistic and has friends and colleagues who are Autistic.
JANUARY 9
Beyond Treatment and Service Provision:
Disability Justice for Our Futures and Our Freedom
Racism and ableism are inextricably bound together. They inevitably show up in our worldviews, shaping how we do our work and how we understand it. In this talk, Lydia X. Z. Brown helps us understand the disability justice framework, vision, and praxis so that our work can begin to truly align with and reflect our values.
Objective One
Analyze the relationship between systemic discrimination and disability, identifying at least three ways this impacts disabled students.
Objective Two
Create a support plan using at least two disability justice-informed strategies.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 16 at 9:30AM ET to ask Lydia your questions!
Meet your
Instructor
Lydia X. Z. Brown,
Lydia X. Z. Brown
J.D., Esq.
FINANCIAL: Lydia receives a salary from the Autistic Women & Nonbinary Network, Georgetown University (including the federally-funded University Center for Excellence in Developmental Disabilities), and American University. Lydia is also the owner/principal of an independent consulting firm, Mycelia Groundwork LLC and receives compensation for their work.
NON-FINANCIAL: Lydia is an unpaid executive director of the Autistic People of Color Fund. They are also currently a candidate in a partisan election for the Maryland House of Delegates, running as a Democrat. Lydia is autistic and has friends and colleagues who are autistic, as well as being a caregiver/support person to other autistic people.
JANUARY 10
No One Truly Loves Compliance
Fostering Authentic Connection in OT Practice
None of us became therapists to teach kids to put their authentic participation and emotional well-being second to compliance to authority. In this talk, OT pioneer Greg Santucci will help you explore how co-regulation and safety can be the pathway to true participation for our autistic clients.
Objective One
Plan an intervention using at least one strategy to foster co-regulation with autistic clients.
Objective Two
Analyze the connection between felt safety and participation in daily activities.
Objective Three
Generate a brief description for parents or teachers about the importance of co-regulation and why compliance-based interventions do not make durable changes in behavior.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 17 at 10:30AM ET to ask Greg your questions!
Meet your
Instructor
Greg Santucci,
Greg Santucci
MS, OTR/L
FINANCIAL: Greg receives commission from Learn Play Thrive, LLC for the sale of the OT Neurodiversity Summit. Greg is the owner of Power Play Pediatric Therapy and receives a salary.
NON-FINANCIAL: Greg has friends and colleagues who are autistic.
JANUARY 10
The Way MOST Autistic Kids Process Language
What Every OT Should Know About Gestalt Language Processing
Did you know that most Autistic kids learn language through repeating scripts and over time break the scripts down into unique phrases? And did you know that this is a totally normal way to learn language? In this talk SLP Alexandria Zachos helps us understand how to confidently and affirmingly work with kids who communicate through delayed echolalia.
Objective One
Analyze language samples and determine the current language level of a gestalt language processor.
Objective Two
Apply knowledge about gestalt language processing and child-led therapy to plan a therapy session for a gestalt language processor.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 17 at 1 PM ET to ask Alex your questions!
Meet your
Instructor
Alexandria Zachos,
Alexandria Zachos
M.S., CCC-SLP
FINANCIAL: Alexandria receives commission for the OT Neurodiversity Summit and for the SLP Neurodiversity Summit from Learn Play Thrive. Alexandria is the owner of Meaningful Speech and receives a salary. Alexandria is the owner of Social Butterfly, Inc. and receives a salary.
NON-FINANCIAL: Alexandria has friends and colleagues who are Autistic.
JANUARY 11
What is My Body Telling Me and Why Does It Matter?
Interoception as the Foundation for Understanding and Communicating How You Uniquely Feel
So many traditional interventions for autistic people ask our autistic clients to change their external behaviors to accommodate neurotypical expectations, rather than helping our clients tune into how they feel inside and what they truly need to thrive. In this talk, OT Kelly Mahler and Autistic OT Kim Clairy teach us how interoception is a key component of promoting authentic well-being for our autistic clients.
Objective One
Generate a description of interoception, the 8th sense, that can be used with clients and/or their families.
Objective Two
Analyze the connection between interoception and understanding/communicating how you feel. Plan at least one strategy that they can use to support the interoception growth in clients of all ages.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 18 at 4PM EST to ask Kelly and Kim your questions!
Meet your
Instructors
Kelly Mahler,
Kelly Mahler
OTD, OTR/L
FINANCIAL: Kelly receives commission from Learn Play Thrive, LLC for the sale of the SLP Neurodiversity Summit and the OT Neurodiversity Summit. Kelly is owner of Mahler OT services and receives compensation for speaking services as well as the sales of her self-published resources.
NON-FINANCIAL: Kelly has friends, family members, and colleagues who are autistic.
Kim Clairy,
Kim Clairy
MSOT, OTR/L
FINANCIAL: Kim receives commission from Learn Play Thrive, LLC for the sale of the SLP Neurodiversity Summit and the OT Neurodiversity Summit.
NON-FINANCIAL: Kim is autistic and has friends and colleagues who are autistic.
JANUARY 12
What’s Level Got to Do With It?
Using Energy for Regulation Instead of (Made Up) Emotions
Regulation is so important, but for our autistic clients, naming, describing, and matching emotions isn’t always the best path to get there. Additionally, there’s no one way to be regulated! Different activities call for different amounts of energy, and always aiming for “calm and focused” can lead us off track. In this talk you’ll learn how focusing on energy levels can totally change the way you support your clients to engage in their daily occupations.
Objective One
Create an energy profile for autistic clients in order determine regulatory needs in context.
Objective Two
Apply an energy framework in order to support authentic regulatory strategies and tool use for autistic clients.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 19 at 12PM EST to ask Amy and Jacquelyn your questions!
Meet your
Instructors
Amy Laurent,
Amy Laurent
PhD, OTR/L
FINANCIAL: Amy receives commission for the sale of the Learn Play Thrive SLP Neurodiversity Summit. Amy receives payment for her work as co-director of Autism Level Up. Amy coauthored the All The FeelZzz curriculum and receives royalties for its sale. Amy coauthored the SCERTS curriculum and receives royalties for its sale.
NON-FINANCIAL: Amy is an updaid board member for the Autism Nature Trail. Amy has friends and colleagues who are autistic.
Jacquelyn Fede,
Jacquelyn Fede
PhD
FINANCIAL: Dr. Fede receives commission for the sale of the Learn Play Thrive SLP Neurodiversity Summit. She receives payment for her work as co-director of Autism Level Up. Dr. Fede coauthored the All The FeelZzz curriculum and receives royalties for its sale.
NON-FINANCIAL: Dr. Fede is an updaid board member for the Autism Nature Trail. She is autistic and has friends and colleagues who are autistic.
JANUARY 13
We Are Not Just the Handwriting Teachers:
Supporting Emergent Writers for True Self Expression
Do you ever get the feeling that your work was supposed to be more impactful than teaching letter formation? The good news is, when we start with a deep understand of emergent literacy, our approach to teaching written expression is totally transformed. This talk will help you make your work with autistic emergent writers more strengths-based, impactful, engaging, and fun. Trust us: it’s a totaly paradigm shift.
Objective One
Analyze the differences between emergent writing and early conventional writing.
Objective Two
Plan 3 authentic writing activities using the principles of emergent literacy.
Objective Three
Implement 3 teaching strategies for emergent writers.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 20 at 3PM ET to ask Gretchen your questions!
Meet your
Instructor
Gretchen Hanser,
Gretchen Hanser
PhD., MS, OTR/L
FINANCIAL: Gretchen Hanser provides professional development workshops both virtually and in-person, and is paid for those workshops. Gretchen receives commission for the sale of the Learn Play Thrive OT Neurodiversity Summit.
NON-FINANCIAL: No disclosures.
JANUARY 13
AAC Essentials for OT:
Using Authentic Strategies to Foster Autonomous Communication
Communication is a right, and there is a better way to teach AAC use than prompting. In this talk, SLP Kate McLaughlin teaches us exactly what we need to know to empower our clients to say what they want to say when they want to say it. This talk will springboard your journey into confidently supporting your emergent communicators in daily life.
Objective One
Differentiate the needs of aided language learners from language learners who speak.
Objective Two
Examine the impact of prompting, including physical prompting, on language learning and autonomous communication.
Objective Three
Plan strategies to support AAC and autonomous communication within occupational therapy sessions.
Join us for the live Q&A
Tune in on January 19 at 10:00AM EST to ask Kate your questions!
Who is this
summit for?
- This summit is for therapists who want to feel confident and effective at using neurodiversity-affirming strategies in their work
- The content is relevant to OTs and other professionals who work with autistic kids in any setting
- Our target audience is therapists who believe that authentic participation in daily life and positive self-identity are the most important goals we can target
- The content in this summit is designed to be transformative for therapists who are new to neurodiversity as well as those who are experienced in learning from the autistic community
This is more than just a summit.
Neurodiverse Panel
The verdict is in: Autistic adults are the experts on Autistic culture. The speakers in this summit include Autistic professionals as well as non-Autistic professionals who have a practice of listening to and learning from the Autistic community.
Community Building
Change doesn't happen in a vacuum, so we're here to bring you together with your OT people. We'll use reflection questions and a community forum to connect you with other likeminded therapists as you grow and transform your approach to working with autistic clients.
Live Q&A
Optional live question and answer sessions give you the chance to ask your pressing questions to some of the most insightful professionals in our field so that you can truly apply your learning to your work with confidence.
Frequently Asked Questions
This summit is for occupational therapists and other professionals working with autistic kids in any setting. It is not designed for parents. This summit is targeted at the intermediate level.
This summit will focus on autistic kids of all ages. Some but not all of the content is also relevant to autistic adults.
Each presentation includes a recorded lecture and a discussion question. You’ll also have the opportunity to attend a live Q&A with each instructor.
Yes! The lectures are pre-recorded and you’ll have access to them for the month of January. The recordings of the live Q&As will also be made available for the month of January.
Yes! If 3 or more people from your company plan to enroll email me the names of everyone enrolling at admin@learnplaythrive.com and I’ll provide a coupon code. It’s 15% for 3 registrants, 20% off for 4 or more, and 30% off for 7 or more.
We offer scholarships to therapists from under-resourced countries. Please visit our scholarship page to learn more.
You will have access to the recordings until February 6th. There will not be any chance of an extension.
If for any reason the course is canceled by the provider before your registration period has expired, you will receive a full refund.
All lectures in the summit have closed captions. If you need additional accommodation, please email admin@learnplaythrive.com. Accommodations will be made to support all learners in compliance with the Americans with Disability Act.
You can send an email to admin@learnplaythrive.com
The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
