Dr. Carrie Alvarado will delve deep into the neurodiverse dyad and support participants in discovering the influences that an attuned caregiver can have in serving as a buffer for sensoriaffective signaling, promoting sociosensory development, in their young children. She will delineate some of the barriers that caregivers can face in attuning to their differently developing young children and how caregiver anxiety can shift the developmental trajectory for caregiver and child alike.
Presented at the Virtual Summit: Sensory Health in Autism June 14-16, 2023
The views expressed in the following presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect those of STAR Institute.
Level: Introductory
Length: 1 hour
Timeframe for access: Once you first choose to "Launch" this course, you will have 45 days to access the content as often as you like. Your 45-day window for access will not begin until you first click the "Launch" button.
Presenter:
Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR
Carrie is a Chief Operating Officer and clinical lead for Autism Community Network, a non-profit diagnostic and peri-diagnostic support center for families in San Antonio, Texas.
Dr. Alvarado is the creator and director of the Earliest Connections Clinic, a diagnostic program geared toward identification and intervention for high-risk infants and toddlers. She leads DIRFloortime and PACT (Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy) therapy/teletherapy programs - intensive interventions supporting families impacted by autism through dyadic coaching. Dr. Alvarado serves as the US Lead Associate for PACT UK and she was the first in the United States to be accredited in PACT intervention, in 2019. She also serves on the Clinical Advisory Committee for STAR Institute and as Assistant Faculty for Profectum Foundation.
Dr. Alvarado is an occupational therapist with a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development, with an emphasis on mental health and developmental disorders. Her primary research interests include sensoriaffective integration, reflective video feedback, and parent-mediated interventions. Her dissertation established preliminary validity of the Sensoriaffective Interactional Attunement Scale (SAIAS), a measure geared toward promoting synchronicity and relatedness between caregivers and their children. She is currently developing the Emotional Intelligence and Praxis in Play Scale (EIPPS), evaluating the presence, sophistication, flexibility and organization of themes of EI in child-led, symbolic, dyadic play.
Dr. Alvarado is passionate about building bridges, innovating and expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, and meeting families and fellow clinicians where they are and empowering them to find the gifts they all have to give.
Presenter Disclosures:
· Carrie is the Chief Operating Officer for Autism Community Network and serves on the Clinical Advisory Committee for STAR Institute.
· Financial: She received research funding for PACT intervention and The Sensoriaffective Interactional Attunement Scale discussed in this presentation. She also has intellectual property rights for The Sensoriaffective Interactional Attunement Scale. Dr. Alvarado is a paid consultant for Profectum Foundation and PACT UK which are referenced in this presentation.
· Non-financial: Dr Alvarado has relatives that are autistic individuals.
Learning Objectives:
· Describe how integrated, bidirectional sensory affective signal sending and receiving shapes sociosensory development for all children and how it can be disrupted in neurodiverse infants and toddlers.
· Identify various barriers to attunement that are common in caregivers raising neurodiverse children.
· Incorporate into their own practice three evidence-based strategies that support caregiver attunement, and thus sociosensory development in children.
Who should attend:
Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, educators, child development specialists, mental health professionals, parents, caregivers, and other individuals seeking a better understanding of Sensory Processing in Autism.
Instructional Methods:
PowerPoint Lecture, Discussion
Cancellation Policy:
Because this program is recorded and accessible at your convenience, cancellations are not typically accepted. Please contact education@sensoryheatlh.org if you have any questions or concerns.
Do you have a disability that would require special accommodation?
Please contact us at education@sensoryhealth.org and describe how we can help accommodate your needs.
The views expressed in the following presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect those of STAR Institute.