Mind Matters: Early Childhood Development Symposium 2022

Course overview

9am to 3pm EST Symposium with multiple speakers to help the understanding of early childhood brain development and the impacts of change on social-emotional well-being. Keynote Speakers, Dr. Craig Ramey and Dr. Sharon Ramey Objectives 1. To learn about and be able to describe what the Abecedarian Project is and what its main contributions have been tot he field of Early Care Education. 2. To be able to identify why social interactions are so critical to the brain adn behavioral development of young children. Specifically, to understand the six specific competencies that all adults need to focus on in order to ensure maximum healthy development for infants, toddlers, and preschool-age children. 3. To understand how drastic changes in a child's environment such as a pandemic can impact their social-emotional well-being, and brain functioning. Speaker Tamra Cajo, LCSW Objectives 1. Participants will learn how alcohol and other drugs affect the developing brain and cause distinct behaviors in children, adolescents, and adults. 2. Participants will learn about the primary characteristics often seen by those impacted by substances and trauma and what happens when primary characteristics go unrecognized. Participants will learn ways to identify the children affected by prenatal exposure earlier and how to support the child and their family. 4. Participants will learn how the child welfare system can support children's socio-emotinal needs two years after the impacts of a pandemic. Speaker Jennifer Graveson, MS Objectives 1. Participants will learn how the school system is able to identify students with mental health concerns. 2. Participants will learn about types of trauma-response behaviors may be exhibited from students while at school. 3. Participants will learn how the school system collaborates with the school based mental health therapist that is integrated at each elementary school campus. 4. Participants will learn about the tier system of supports and interventions that are used within the school system. 5. Participants will learn how help can be provided to children to support their social-emotional wellbeing after being impacted by a pandemic. Speaker Kim Williams, MS CCC-SLP Objectives 1. Identify 5 areas of child development impacted since the onset of the COVID 19 pandemic. 2. Explain how professionals may modify their observations, assessments, and intervention strategies to include critical elements learned from research trends post-pandemic. 3. List 5 reasons to refer to an Occupational Therapist and Speech Language Pathologist as it pertains to post-pandemic concerns.