Overcoming Barriers to Progress:

Overcoming Barriers to Progress:
Vital Pathways to Advance Development

This conference helps you understand the barriers to progress and “how to” move forward through case discussions, examining underlying processes, hands on workshops, and the opportunity to learn how to interact and play with your child using the techniques of Floortime™ to promote progress.
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Sunday, October 13, 2013

Welcome & Program Overview
Serena Wieder, PhD
Comprehension Across the Spectrum: A Longitudinal Story of a Child’s Triumphs and Struggles with Language Development
Sima Gerber, PhD, CCC-SLP
This plenary will address the somewhat “hidden” but pervasive problem of comprehension challenges in children with Autism Spectrum Disorders. It will address the relationship between comprehension and production of language in both typical and atypical language acquisition. The origins of language comprehension from the early development of gestures and words in context to the decontextualized comprehension of the structures and meanings of language to the understanding of written text will be explored by telling the story of one child’s language development over a 7-year period of language intervention. The correspondence between the child’s DIR® Functional Emotional Developmental Levels and developmental language stages over the course of treatment will be reviewed and the goals and strategies of DIR®-informed language intervention at three points in the child’s treatment will be illustrated. Finally, the child’s use of unconventional forms of language, namely echolalia and scripting, seen as his “solution” to dealing with both comprehension and formulation difficulties and the shifting functions of these forms, will be a theme throughout the story.
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Facilitating Parent-Child Floortime™ Interactions Across Language and Communication Stages: Following the Parent’s Lead
Sima Gerber, PhD, CCC-SLP
In this workshop, strategies for addressing comprehension challenges in natural parent-child interactions will be discussed. Based on input from the mother of the child presented in the morning plenary, typical roadblocks faced by parents of children with comprehension difficulties over the course of development will be considered and options for answering the question, ‘”What do I do now?” will be generated. The strategies presented are intended to be helpful to parents as well as professionals who are (or would like to be) working (and playing) with parents.
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Relationship Based Augmentative Approaches with Non-Verbal Learners: The Continuum of Augmentative Approaches Tailored to Individual Needs
Panel: Lynn Abelson, MA, CCC-SLP, OTR/L; Phoenix Center; Elisa Chrem, MA, CCC-SLP, Imagine Academy; Lauren Blaszak and Lisa Romaine, MA; Celebrate the Children School; Moderator:Serena Wieder, PhD
Relationships provide the foundation for all intervention and are essential in assessing comprehension and supporting students with complex communication needs. The panel will describe and illustrates variety of augmentative approaches which presume competence to stimulate interest and provide access to multiple modes of communication based on an individual’s profile, opening the door of opportunity for all individuals regardless of disability.
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The Domino Effect on All Aspects of Development When Visual Spatial Knowledge is Curtailed
Serena Wieder, PhD with Leonard J. Press, OD
Understanding where you are in space andwhere other things are relative to you – is essential to anything you want to do, how you think, how you learn, how you feel, how you relate and communicate with others, how you play, how you move and organize and navigate your world. This plenary will examine the symphony of developmental milestones supported by vision, the accommodations made to not “get lost in space”, the ways to identify difficulties, and why integrating the silos of intervention is essential through case illustrations. Based on Visual/Spatial Portals to Thinking, Feeling and Movement by Serena Wieder, PhD and Harry Wachs, OD.
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The Eye-Brain-Body Continuum and its Role in the Visual/Spatial Cognitive Profile
Serena Wieder, PhD with Leonard J. Press, OD
The traditional eye examination is limited to investigations concerning the integrity of the eye, the absence of disease, and any indications for glasses to see clearly.  While important, this is merely the entree for a deeper understanding of how the eyes communicate with the brain, and how the brain uses visual information to build its spatial framework.  This presentation will differentiate ocular and visual components of the Visual Spatial Cognitive Profile, and how they fit into a therapeutic framework.
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Demystifying Floortime for Professionals and Parents Beginning Floortime
Tal Baz, MS, OTR/L and Griff Doyle, PhD
This is the workshop you have been waiting for! Participants will learn Floortime™ strategies to address challenges related to DIR® social-emotional developmental capacities: Regulation and Shared Attention, Engagement, Intentional Two-Way Communication, Complex Social Problem Solving, Symbolic Thinking, and Representational Ideas. We will show how these core capacities unfold in unique ways when development is compromised by also looking at typical development and play, and will outline and demonstrate the specific strategies and principles used in Floortime™ to scaffold and develop each child’s interactive capacities at different ages, wherever he might be in his developmental journey.
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Do You “See” It? Recognizing Challenges and Intervention Options
Leonard J. Press, OD and Mehrnaz D. Azimi Green, OD, FCOVD
This workshop will guide learners in the observation of Visual Spatial Capacities and illustrate activities related to the VSC Profile and their importance for learning, relating and functioning. A case presentation will highlight how to use DIR® principles and Floortime™ strategies to engage a child on the Autism Spectrum and how these interventions can be integrated into Floortime™ play, school and home activities and various interventions related to movement and sensory integration.
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Integrating Visual-Spatial Thinking in the School Curriculum
Karen McDowell and Michelle Parkins,OTR/L; Celebrate the Children School
The student’s ability to accurately take in information from the environment and relate it to himself, others and mentally hold and manipulate images to connect to what he already knows is essential to plan, interact, and discover new knowledge. Classroom examples with younger and older students will illustrate how the inclusion of visual thinking elements such as time, space, perspective, and movement are essential to the student’s comprehension and progress.
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Honoring Evelyn J. Blanck, LCSW with Profectum's 1st Community Service Award



Monday, October 13, 2013

Individuated but Not Separated: A DIR® Mental Health Perspective in Development
Gilbert Foley, EdD and Tal Baz, MS, OTR/L
This case presentation will revolve around two siblings, ages 5 and 3 years, both carrying ASD diagnoses. In the talk, we will describe the boys' unique sensory-affective profiles and complex but uneven developmental pathways, notably confounded by anxiety. While the boys evolve toward more elaborated and articulated aspects of the self, paradoxically, their tolerance for coping with the vicissitudes of separateness persists as a marker challenge. We will explore the ways in which the developmental trajectories of separation-individuation and sensation-affect influence and interact with each other and how the family, as a dynamic system, supports and facilitates each child's growth. We will describe the multi-disciplinary therapeutic program the boys are involved in, and the ways in which collaboration among family, treatment team and school is forged.
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Floortime in Schools
Michele Ricamato, MA, CCC-SLP and Linda Cervenka, MA, CCC-SLP; Soaring Eagle Academy
In this workshop, participants will learn about Floortime principles, practice and applications as conducted within a school environment across a range of developmental levels. Participants will learn Floortime interactive learning strategies that can be conducted in a school and how to naturally integrate and conceptualize Floortime™ as a component within all experiences throughout the school day.
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Addressing Anxiety and Other Mental Health Challenges in the Context of DIR® Intervention
Gilbert Foley, EdD and Ron Balamuth, PhD
This workshop addresses the co-morbidities between developmental and mental health challenges. It also expands on the plenary case presented by Tal Baz, MS, OTR/L and explores the sources of anxiety in children, the relationship between sensory dysregulation and anxiety, the hierarchy of anxiety management and strategies and techniques for helping children to manage and master anxiety and other emotional challenges in the context of DIR® intervention.
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Developing Regulation
Tal Baz, MS, OTR/L
Regulation is considered as a core developmental capacity, and as such has impact on every aspect of functioning. Nevertheless - clinically, it is still quite illusive and not well understood. In this workshop we will explore the meanings of Regulation in a developmental context, especially the subtle interplay between Self and Co-Regulation, and discuss ways in which both parents and professionals can deepen their understanding, and support the development of regulation throughout ALL the developmental stages
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Understanding Behavior through the Developmental – Biomedical Lens: Using a Team Approach to Finding Solutions
Monica G. Osgood and Eric Hollander, MD
Celebrate the Children School Adolescent Panel Discussing Their Experience of Autism
The focus of this plenary is on the comorbid issues that many children with developmental challenges face such as anxiety, depression, communication deficits, medical complications, trauma and more. School-based case studies will illustrate how multi-disciplinary teams work together to identify underlying causes for behavior and develop intervention plans that foster development, behavioral improvements and support the family.  Dr. Hollander will discuss the role of the medical professional as team member when medical interventions are needed to allow the student to fully benefit from the developmental work. Testimonies from Celebrate the Children students allow participants to hear perspectives from inside the world of Autism.
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Ask the Doctor! Selecting Effective Treatment Options
Eric Hollander, MD
When medications need to be considered, it is important to understand the underlying neurobiology, as well as environmental factors contributing to the challenges in selecting effective treatment options. Clinical and research findings for the treatment of anxiety, attention, OCD, impulsive behavior and Autistic Spectrum Disorder will be discussed and participants will be able to ask general questions.
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We are All Advocates for Progress
Gina Chaney, Amy Steinberg, and Jill Greenberg Kail, Esq. Moderator:Ruby Moye Salazar, LCSW, BCD
Educational Intervention is always a moving target and collaboration between schools, the student and parent and advocates. Examining and redefining goals that presume competence and meet individual needs is an ongoing process essential to advancing development and laying the foundations for the future. A parent, early childhood coordinator, DIR® clinician and advocate address crafting social-Relational goals in the IEP process.
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The 21st Century School Model for Children with Diverse Needs
Monica G. Osgood and Lauren Blaszak; Celebrate the Children School
An introduction to the philosophy, program components, sample schedules, best practice guidelines, principles and strategies of school models that maximize the potential of all students. In this workshop emphasis will be placed on presumed competence and the importance of relationships and “experience” in the classroom. Affective and emotionally meaningful learning will be demonstrated through video examples from both public and private schools.





Three Dimensional Thinking in Autism and Stress Related Disorders
Expanding Frontiers to Advance Development for Children Across the Lifespan

Webcasts from Profectum Foundation's 1st International held April 12-14 in Pasadena, California.  The conference honored T. Berry Brazelton, MD, a pioneer in Early Childhood Development, with the Profectum Humanitarian Award.  View conference brochure
This tribute video was prepared by Exceptional Minds


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The Developmental Models – Bridging Research and Clinical Practice

Development and the DIR Model
Serena Wieder, PhD, Clinical Director, Profectum Foundation
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