Professional Development Webinars
As part of our Train Experts in Autism for Missouri (TEAM) initiative, the Thompson Center is thrilled to provide over 20 FREE virtual training opportunities for professionals working with individuals with autism.
Discover a diverse range of topics that cater to your specific interests and needs. Registration links and session information can be found below, and we encourage you to sign up for multiple topics. Many sessions are offered more than once for your convenience.
All sessions will be conducted live via the user-friendly Zoom platform. Please note that sessions will not be recorded. Zoom offers a seamless online meeting space, accessible from any computer, smart phone, or tablet with high-speed internet, making it easy for you to engage in these valuable training experiences.
If you have questions or require additional assistance, please contact Jaclyn Benigno at benignoj@health.missouri.edu.
Interested in additional training? Check out our video training library with topics including Overview of Autism, Comprehensive Evaluations, toileting, and more! We strongly suggest watching Overview of Autism before attending the webinars above.
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will define the core characteristics of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, identify subtle symptoms of autism that are often missed or miscategorized, and discuss “gold standard” evaluation components and why they are needed.
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Caregivers and professionals working with children under 10
Session Description: coming soon
Presented by: Julie Muckerman, M.P.H. & Michelle Dampf, M.A., CCC-SLP
Details coming soon
Presented by: Ali DuCharme, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Details coming soon
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will identify limitations in the research about therapeutic interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum and analyze considerations when determining therapeutic interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum.
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Case managers and educators
Session Description:
This session will outline the standards for Transition Planning, focusing on the development of effective and compliant transition plans for special education. Participants will gain insights into policies and strategies for creating plans that significantly improve the lives of their students.
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Caregivers and professionals working with children under 10
Session Description: coming soon
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Session Description: coming soon
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Caregivers and professionals working with children under 10
Session Description: coming soon
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will list common mental health comorbidities associated with autism and assess interaction between autism and various mental health comorbidities.
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will define the core characteristics of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis, identify subtle symptoms of autism that are often missed or miscategorized, and discuss “gold standard” evaluation components and why they are needed.
November 1, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will identify limitations in the research about therapeutic interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum and analyze considerations when determining therapeutic interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum.
November 15, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, social workers, counselors, and other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
In this session, the presenter will list common mental health comorbidities associated with autism and assess interaction between autism and various mental health comorbidities.
November 22, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologist, Social Workers, Counselors, Other professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
This session will define the core characteristics of an Autism Spectrum Disorder diagnosis in adolescents and young adults and identify subtle symptoms of autism that are often missed or mis-categorized. It will also cover “gold standard” evaluation components and why are they needed. This session qualifies for APA CEs.
November 17, 2023
April 5, 2024
Presented by: Ali DuCharme, M.Ed., BCBA, LBA
Audience: professionals working with developmental disabilities
Session Description:
Attendees will learn how activity schedules can enhance classroom structure, improve student independence, and promote task completion and transitions. This session will give practical knowledge on creating and individualizing activity schedules based on student needs, as well as strategies for integrating them into daily routines. Attendees will leave this session with the skills to use activity schedules as a tool for supporting students with diverse learning needs, including those with autism and other developmental disabilities.
October 15, 2024
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Educators and early intervention professionals
Session Description:
This session will provide educational professionals with an overview of strategies to promote appropriate behavior in the classroom setting. The content will include functional information on why problem behavior may occur. Strategies to address the environment as well as teach/reinforce new behavior will be discussed. We recommend you also attend the Functional Behavior Assessment webinar. Note: This session is not intended for BCBAs.
September 16, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Educators, paraprofessionals, and professionals working with students with autism
Session Description:
This session will identify the three barriers to successful transition as well as strategies to building independence in autistic individuals of all ages.
October 24, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Educators and paraprofessionals
Session Description:
This session will identify effective instructional strategies to address independence and promote expected behavior for students with autism. This session will discuss common barriers to independence and how to address these including the use of antecedent strategies and environmental modification. Additional resources will be provided to participants.
September 26, 2024
Presented by: Michelle Dampf, M.A., CCC-SLP
Audience: Speech-language pathologists and early intervention professionals
Session Description:
This session will provide strategies for increasing communication and engagement for children with emergent language skills using evidenced based intervention for improving social-communication, play, and adaptive skills.
September 25, 2024
Presented by: Julie Muckerman, M.P.H.
Audience: Speech-language pathologists, educators, and early intervention professionals
Session Description:
Think about effective augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention as 20% hardware and 80% follow-through. Once a system or device is chosen, the real work begins for educators, speech-language pathologists, families, and students. Adequate support and training are essential to decrease the chances of device or system abandonment. During this webinar, we’ll explain what AAC is and explore strategies, resources, and supports proven to be effective for successful AAC intervention and outcomes.
October 9, 2024
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Early intervention professionals, daycare providers
Session Description:
This session will provide information on recognizing the early signs of autism to help guide referral decision making. Additional information will be provided about autism characteristics in young children and methods for screening and referring to diagnostic and support services when autism is suspected. This session contains some overlapping information with the Overview of Autism session.
September 6, 2023
January 24, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer DeLaporte, M.S.T., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Educators, Case Managers, Administrators, Early Intervention Professionals
Session Description:
This session will identify strategies for building effective school-based teams with paraprofessionals and examine how to take data and effectively plan for paraprofessionals support. This session is most applicable for those who are supervising paraprofessionals.
September 21, 2023
January 25, 2024
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Educators, School Psychologists, Professionals working with students with problem bx
Session Description:
This session will provide an overview of the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) process for professionals working in a school setting. Participants will learn how to collect multiple forms of data, and how to analyze that data to identify possible reasons for the target behavior to occurring. The content of this presentation will focus on the relationship between the environment and appropriate behavior. This session will also provide resources for education professionals to access as they move forward with using FBAs. Although not required, we recommend you attend the Supporting Appropriate behavior webinar prior to attending this one. This session is not intended for BCBAs.
October 16, 2023
April 22, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer DeLaporte, M.S.T., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Educators, Paraprofessionals
Session Description:
This session will identify effective instructional strategies to address independence and promote expected behavior for students with autism. This session will discuss common barriers to independence and how to address these including the use of antecedent strategies and environmental modification. Additional resources will be provided to participants.
November 2, 2023
March 7, 2024
Presented by: Julie Muckerman, M.P.H.
Audience: Educators, Speech Language Pathologists, Early Childhood Providers
Session Description:
This session will identify the benefits of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) implementation, describe various AAC strategies and tools, and provide practical insights for fostering inclusive communication strategies. Whether you’re a caregiver, educator, or simply interested in AAC, this session will inspire you to embrace the diversity of communication methods and help support individuals with communication challenges.
October 10, 2023
January 30, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, Social Wokers, Counselors, Other mental health professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
This session will review the latest research on the most effective mental health strategies and interventions for individuals on the autism spectrum. This session qualifies for APA CEs.
September 22, 2023
February 23, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Psychologists, Social Workers, Counselors, Other Professionals working with individuals with autism
Session Description:
This training will explore common co-occurring diagnoses. Attendees will be able to identify mental health conditions that are frequently associated with autism as well as analyze symptom overlap and how characteristics of various diagnoses interact. This session qualifies for APA CEs.
December 1, 2023
April 26, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Community
Session Description:
This session will dive into the concept of neurodiversity and how subtle or nuanced symptoms of neurodevelopment conditions are all around you.
September 8, 2023
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Community
Session Description:
This session will identify the impact of neurodiversity on social skills and support.
October 13, 2023
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Community
Session Description:
This session will describe the impact of neurodevelopmental differences on the brain’s ability to plan and execute tasks.
February 9, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: community
Session Description:
This session will describe the impact of neurodiversity on communication skills in children.
March 8, 2024
Presented by: Julie Muckerman, M.P.H.
Audience: Educators, Early Childhood Providers
Session Description:
This session will explore the power of Peer-Mediated Interventions (PMI) in fostering inclusive connections for individuals with autism. Discover practical strategies, success stories, and ethical considerations, empowering you to create supportive environments that nurture social skills and promote lasting positive change.
November 7, 2023
February 20, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Educators, Paraprofessionals, Professionals working with students with autism
Session Description:
This session will identify effective strategies to address independence and transition from high school to young adulthood for students with autism. This session will also discuss common barriers to creating a smooth transition and how to address these. Additional resources will be provided to participants.
October 24, 2023
February 12, 2024
Presented by: Jennifer Sykes, Ph.D.
Audience: Caregivers and professionals working with children under 10 years old
Session Description:
This session will review the scaffolding concept and tools to assess current levels before setting goals. The webinar will include 30 minutes of content and 30 minutes of answering your questions.
October 18, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Individuals with autism
Session Description:
This session will identify strategies for creating a professional resume, preparing for interviews, searching for employment, etc.
April 9, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Individuals with autism
Session Description:
This session will identify strategies for communicating with others using technology including professional and casual emails, texts, leaving voicemail messages, etc.
April 16, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Individuals with autism
Session Description:
This session will identify strategies to better understand social norms, values, and beliefs.
April 23, 2024
Presented by: Michelle Dampf, M.A., CCC-SLP
Audience: Speech Language Pathologists, Early Intervention Professionals
Session Description:
This session will provide strategies for increasing communication and engagement for children with emergent language skills using evidenced based intervention for improving social-communication, play, and adaptive skills.
February 27, 2024
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Educators, Early Intervention Professionals
Session Description:
This session will provide educational professionals with an overview of strategies to promote appropriate behavior in the classroom setting. The content will include functional information on why problem behavior may occur. Strategies to address the environment as well as teach/reinforce new behavior will be discussed. We recommend you also attend the Functional Behavior Assessment webinar. Note: This session is not intended for BCBAs.
September 25, 2023
April 15, 2024
Presented by: Michelle Dampf, M.A., CCC-SLP
Audience: Speech Language Pathologists, Early Intervention Professionals
Session Description:
This Session will highlight the importance of play development. Strategies to engage students in plat and to expand students’ play schemes will be presented. Additionally, strategies to facilitate emergent engagement with peers will be discussed.
October 4, 2023
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Vocational Rehabilitation professionals, Other adult care providers (residential staff, job coaches, day programs)
Session Description:
This session will identify the three barriers to successful transition as well as three domains to focus on for transition planning. Three references and tools to help make the transition process smother will be given.
January 29, 2024
Presented by: Cortney Fish, M.S.W., BCBA, LBA
Audience: Vocational Rehabilitation professionals, Other adult care providers (residential staff, job coaches, day programs)
Session Description:
This session will identify the four steps in Behavior Skills Training to teach employments skills as well as the three ways to fade on the job supports. It will also reference 3 resources for teaching independence in the workplace.
February 26, 2024
Presented by: Jaclyn Benigno, M.Ed.
Audience: Vocational Rehabilitation professionals, Other adult care providers (residential staff, job coaches, day programs)
Session Description:
This session will identify three barriers in the college setting for students with ASD as well as three types of accommodations students can request. References and resources for teaching problem solving and goal setting will also be discussed.
March 18, 2024
Presented by: Michelle Dampf, M.A., CCC-SLP
Audience: Educators, Speech Language Pathologists, Early Childhood Providers
Session Description:
Think about effective augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) intervention as 20% hardware and 80% follow through. Once a system or device is chosen and purchased, the real work begins for educators, speech-language pathologists, families, and students. Adequate support and training is needed to decrease the chances of device or system abandonment. During this webinar, we will review strategies, resources, and supports demonstrated to be effective for successful AAC intervention and outcomes. We suggest you also attend the Introduction to Alternative Communication webinar.
October 17, 2023
February 6, 2024
Presented by: Julie Muckerman, M.P.H.
Audience: Speech-language pathologists, early intervention professionals, educators, and residential staff
Session Description:
Join us for an introductory webinar on autism spectrum disorder (ASD). This session provides a foundational exploration of ASD, covering the core characteristics of social communication differences and restricted/repetitive patterns of behavior. We will also dispel common myths about autism. Learn about the diverse ways autism can manifest to better support all students in your learning environment.
September 4, 2024