“Is It Autism?”

Recognizing and Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for Autism

Whenever I ask therapists to list their needs for future workshop topics, overwhelmingly the #1 answer I receive is AUTISM!

Many of us struggle to decide if our youngest clients are late talkers, are a little “quirky,” or if they truly meet the guidelines for an autism diagnosis.

In this course, you’ll gain the skills and confidence you need to reliably identify the signs and symptoms of autism in toddlers and young preschoolers using the official DSM-5 criteria. We’ll discuss that complex information in detail and break it down so that you truly understand what autism is and isn’t.

Even when you’re not responsible for giving an official diagnosis, you can be assured that you’ll be equipped to help parents understand what’s going on with a toddler who is missing developmental milestones and exhibiting red flags that may suggest autism.

More importantly, you’ll be able to provide the best, evidence-based intervention for your youngest clients who are clearly at risk. You’ll learn strategies to address the core deficits of autism that can be incorporated into initial treatment plans of toddlers and young preschoolers enrolled in speech therapy and early intervention programs.

Counseling and coaching parents who are just beginning to recognize that their child has a developmental problem can be challenging, intimidating, and even scary for therapists who don’t feel that they have the expertise to answer a parent’s tough questions. After this course, you’ll be better equipped with the information you need to navigate these important, real life discussions.

This course is offered in two parts and may be purchased separately or together.

Part One – Is It Autism? Recognizing Toddlers with Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorder focuses on screening and diagnostic information for toddlers and preschoolers (as opposed to older populations) helping you become more confident in your ability to accurately identify the signs and symptoms of autism in your youngest clients. (4.5 hours)

Part One Course Objectives:

• Separate “late talkers” from children with red flags for autism and other global developmental delays/disorders using criteria firmly grounded in evidence-based practice
• Definitively determine which toddlers should be referred for further evaluation for autism (and which ones shouldn’t!) using a list of behaviors that are easily observable during assessment and early therapy sessions
• Reliably identify the diagnostic criteria for ASD in your youngest clients with video examples so you’ll know what to look for with your own caseload
• Explain core deficits of autism to parents using easy-to-understand descriptions
• Identify co-occurring conditions and diagnoses which may prevent or delay an autism diagnosis in toddlers

This course is offered for 0.45 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).

Part Two – Is It Autism? Treating Toddlers and Preschoolers with Red Flags for Autism Spectrum Disorder focuses on intervention! Laura teaches and demonstrates how to use 10 different treatment approaches to target social, cognitive, and language skills in young children ages 1 to 4 who have been diagnosed with autism or who have red flags in their development -social, communication, and behavior challenges- which put them at risk for continued delays. You’ll see video clips from REAL LIFE therapy sessions to further explain these treatment strategies with a list of additional resources to help you sharpen your clinical skills. (6.5 hours)

Part Two Course Objectives:

• Incorporate principles of evidence-based practice for ASD into your sessions with toddlers
• Design first sessions for toddlers with fabulous, fun, and family-friendly intervention activities to target the core deficits of autism for your most difficult clients
• Coach parents and caregivers effectively through this process
• Receive ‘copy ready’ handouts to share with families and teams
• Get TONS of developmentally-appropriate treatment resources for toddlers so that you can revisit this information over and over again
• Excellent for ALL Pediatric Therapists who assess and treat toddlers and young preschoolers (SLP, PT, OT, Developmental Therapists)

This course is offered for 0.65 ASHA CEUs (Intermediate level, Professional area).

Order now:

Part One Only – $80

Part Two Only – $110

Entire Course – $175

Price includes DVDs, course manuals, and required CE paperwork for ONE participant.
**Additional participants may be added for $50 each. Please select ADD CE PARTICIPANT during checkout and enter the additional participants’ names as instructed.**

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION

How DVD Courses Work for CE Credit for Therapists

This course is offered on DVD and may be ordered separately as Part One or Part Two or purchased as the combined set. In order to receive continuing education credit for your professional license or state and national certification, complete the set of forms included in your packet, return them to us by mail or email, and then we’ll send you a certificate of completion. For SLPs – because we’re an approved ASHA CE Provider, we will file ASHA credit for you when you complete the ASHA CE Participant form included in your packet.

Satisfactory Completion

Participants must complete an Assessment of Learning Outcomes, a Program Evaluation Form, a Request for Certificate of Completion, and an ASHA CEU participant form (if applicable) to complete the course and receive a certificate of completion. Those forms can be mailed back in the pre-addressed envelope included with your purchase or emailed to forms@teachmetotalk.com.

Course Presenter 

Laura Mize, M. S., CCC-SLP, is a pediatric speech-language pathologist specializing in young children ages birth to five with communication delays and disorders in her private practice outside Louisville, Kentucky. She earned a B.S.from Mississippi University for Women and an M.S. in Speech-Language Pathology from The University of Southern Mississippi. Laura holds her Certificate of Clinical Competence from ASHA. Her website teachmetotalk.com, her podcast “Teach Me To Talk: The Podcast,” training DVDs and therapy manuals reach a world-wide audience of parents and professionals who work with children with developmental speech-language delays and disorders. Her materials are used by pediatric therapists and speech-language pathologists in private practice, early intervention programs, grad schools, preschool programs, and continuing education conferences throughout the USA, Canada, South Africa, Philippines, Hong Kong, Singapore, Israel, Australia, India, Zambia, and The UK.

Speaker Disclosure 

Financial – Laura Mize owns teachmetotalk.com and The Laura Mize Group and therefore receives a salary, compensation for speaking, and royalties from teachmetotalk.com product sales.

Nonfinancial – Laura Mize has no financial or nonfinancial relationships with any author, publisher, or SLP whose work she recommends in this course.

ILLINOIS EARLY INTERVENTION PROVIDERS

The course is approved!

FEEDBACK FROM PREVIOUS COURSE PARTICIPANTS:

“This is the third course I’ve taken from Laura and I always enjoy her work. Thanks for presenting wonderfully user-friendly information about autism that I can go back and use TODAY.” Kathie, SLP, Indiana

“Excellent job! This is the kind of conference I’ve been waiting for – for 15 years! It should be a requirement for all early intervention therapists.” Dawn, SLP, Ohio

“I would highly recommend this course to ANY SLP who sees pediatric populations. Great evidence-based, immediately applicable strategies!”  Katie, SLP, Minnesota

“This chart you provided has completely changed how I do therapy with toddlers and explain treatment to parents!” Gretchen, SLP, Texas

“Laura, please have more trainings! I have spent years wasting time and money going to trainings that had no benefit or practical information. Yours was wonderful, interesting, informative, practical, and motivating!” Melissa, DT, Indiana

“Incredibly useful information for busy therapists!! I’m excited to go back and share with my team members who are PT and OT! I wish they had come too!” Joy, SLP, Illinois

“I deeply appreciated the functional examples to support coaching.” Anne, SLP, Missouri

Additional Courses for Pediatric SLPs and other therapists with CE Credit