Strategies to Support System-Involved Youth on the Autism Spectrum
Mon, Apr 15
|Online Event
Nicole Kelly, PsyD & Nancy Acosta, PsyD


Time & Location
Apr 15, 2024, 9:00 AM – 2:00 PM PDT
Online Event
About the Event
Nicole Kelly, PsyD & Nancy Acosta, PsyD
Training Description
Children and teens are being diagnosed more frequently with Autism and related disorders. It’s important for social service providers and those who serve and/or support system-involved youth to understand Autism and related diagnoses to most effectively serve and/or support youth on the autism spectrum. This training will provide an overview of Autism and other related diagnoses as well as strategies to work with youth on the spectrum from a strengths-based and neurodivergent affirming perspective.
Learning Objectives
· Participants will be able to identify at least 1 sign of autism in youth who are between 1-2 years old.
· Participants will be able to identify at least 1 sign of autism in teenage youth.
· Participants will be able to explain a neurodivergent affirming perspective.
Agenda
9:00-9:15am  Welcome and Introductions
9:15-10:45am  Autism overview
· Living with autism
· Identity first language
· Neurodivergent affirming perspective
· Myths of autism
· prevalence of autism
· Girls and autism
10:45-11:00am  Break (CE hours will not be offered for this time)
11:00am-12:00pm  Autism and kids and teens
· Autism spectrum diagnosis criteria
· Neurotypical development 12-24 months
· Warning signs of autism 12-24 months
· Neurotypical development teenage years
12:00-12:30pm  Lunch (CE hours will not be offered for this time)
12:30-1:45pm  Autism and teens and strategies of support
· Neurotypical development teenage years
· Warning signs of teens
· Autism diagnosis as an adult
· Strategies of support in the classroom
· Strategies of support at home
· Vignettes
1:45-2:00pm  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 (4.25) 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.