Strategies to Support Neurodivergent System-Involved Youth and Young Adults with Sensory Sensitivities

Nicole Kelly, PsyD & Nancy Acosta, PsyD

Training Description

With a growing awareness neurodivergence, it’s important for those who support system-involved youth to learn strategies to effectively support them. This training will provide an overview of sensory sensitivities individuals with neurodivergence can experience. Providers will also learn how to support these system-involved youth in creating a sensory friendly environment at home and how to support them in requesting accommodations at school and work.

Learning Objectives

· Participants will be able to identify at least one example of a sensory sensitivity system-involved youth may experience.

· Participants will be able to identify at least one strategy to support a system-involved youth or young adult who gets overwhelmed in highly stimulating environments.

· Participants will be able to identify at least one strategy to support a system-involved youth or young adult with noise sensitivity.

Agenda

9:00-9:15am  Welcome and Introductions

9:15-10:45am  Autism and sensory sensitivities

· Autism diagnostic criteria

· Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities with sound

· Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities with internal cues

· Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities with the feel of things

· Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities with movement

· Neurodivergence and sensory sensitivities with sight

· Neurodivergence and highly stimulating environments

10:45-11:00am  Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)

11:00am-12:45pm  Strategies of support

· Strategies of support for sensory sensitivities with sound

· Strategies of support for sensory sensitivities with feel of things

· Strategies of support for sensory sensitivities with movement

· Strategies of support for sensory sensitivities with sight

· Strategies of support for highly stimulating environments: school

· Strategies of support for highly stimulating environments: work

· Vignettes

12:45-1:00pm  Wrap-up & Closing

Meet Our Trainer

Nicole Kelly is a clinical psychologist who has worked with trauma survivors for 14 years. She currently consults with agencies on trauma-informed care, programming for commercially sexually exploited youth, vicarious trauma, and leadership development. Nicole has been training multidisciplinary audiences on trauma-related topics since 2015 and provides guest lectures at local universities on human trafficking.

Nancy Acosta is a bilingual therapist who has 7 years of experience working with trauma at a sexual assault center. She has provided services to children and adults in various settings including outpatient community mental health centers, college counseling centers, crisis centers, and in an integrated behavioral health setting. She has completed training in Eye Movement Desensitization Reprocessing Therapy as well as Cognitive Processing Therapy. She has experience providing training and supervision to doctoral level graduate students in trauma related topics including crisis intervention, vicarious trauma, and grounding techniques. In addition to developing a training manual for a student training program at a rape and crisis center, she also has experience supervising practicum students and providing support to staff and advocates. Nancy has experience working as a behavioral health consultant with multidisciplinary staff to improve recognition, treatment and management of behavioral problems and conditions.

This course meets the qualifications for (3.75) BBS CE hours for LCSWs, LMFTs, LPCCs, and LEPs as required by the California Board of Behavioral Sciences & is provided by Fred Finch Youth Center, CAMFT Provider #045295.