Target Audience

This course is intended for Occupational Therapists working with children on the autism spectrum under six years old. 

Course Information

To register for this course, use the button at the top or bottom of this page to navigate to the Zoom registration page. There is no cost to attend the webinar or receive your certificate. 

Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) like toothbrushing and bathing frequently trigger fight-or-flight stress responses in neurodivergent children, leading many traditional therapy models to rely on desensitization protocols, reward systems, or compliance-based prompt hierarchies. This 1-hour introductory course presents a trauma-informed, neurodiversity-affirming alternative. By shifting the clinical paradigm from "forced endurance" to co-regulation, bodily autonomy, and identifying the “just-right-challenge,” participants will learn how to analyze the biomechanical and sensory friction points underlying task distress and make adaptations to bring the task closer to the child’s window of tolerance. Grounded in the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) framework, this session demonstrates how to transform high-stakes care routines into dynamic Joint Activity Routines (JARs) that foster self-advocacy, mutual trust, and long-term functional autonomy. 

Occupational Therapists in attendance can receive 1 contact hour of continuing education credit. 

Course Completion Requirements

To complete this course, learners must: 

  • Attend the entirety of the presentation. Partial credit is not available.
  • Pass a learning assessment of 10 multiple-choice questions with a score of at least 80%. You may take the learning assessment as many times as needed to earn a passing score.
  • Submit your learner information, and the course evaluation and feedback survey. 


Satisfactory completion will result in the attendees being eligible for 0.1 AOTA CEUs. 

Time-Ordered Agenda

0-4:00: Introduction


4:00-10:00: Paradigm Shift


10:00-17:00: Structured Assessment


17:00-25:00: Analyzing Biomechanical & Multi-Sensory Friction Points


25:00-33:00: Practical Adaptations


33:00-43:00: Joint Activity Routines (JARs) in Action


43:00-55:00: Capacity Building


55:00-1:00:00 Attendee Q&A


+ 5 minutes allotted for the learning assessment

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify biomechanical and sensory friction points (e.g., postural insecurity, oral texture sensitivities) that trigger fight-or-flight responses during grooming routines.

2. Differentiate between compliance-based prompt hierarchies and neurodiversity-affirming, regulatory strategies during high-states care tasks.

3. Select effective environmental, mechanical, or sensory adaptations to encourage a child to participate in an ADL within their window of tolerance.

4. Identify the four core elements of an Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) Joint Activity Routine (JAR) applied to ADL routines.

5. Select a neurodiversity-affirming intervention plan that honors client self-advocacy and stop/pause signals during care tasks. 

Instructors

Kate Brough, MOT, OTR/L

Kate is a licensed occupational therapist and the Head of Occupational Therapy at Soar. Since joining as the clinic’s first OT in 2021, she has helped shape the development of Soar’s occupational therapy program, gradually transitioning from full-time clinical work into a leadership role focused on mentorship and team development.

She has been practicing since 2015 with experience in feeding therapy, sensory integration, and the Early Start Denver Model (ESDM). She is especially passionate about supporting young children through relationship-based, play-centered interventions.

In her current role, Kate focuses on building systems and training programs that help clinicians grow in their roles and provide sustainable, high-quality care. She enjoys supporting others, whether clients or clinicians, as they develop new skills and confidence.

Originally from Colorado, Kate enjoys scuba diving, biking, paddleboarding, and attending the theater.

Disclosures: Kate is a salaried employee of Soar Autism Center. She has no other relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Disclosures: Kate is a salaried employee of Soar Autism Center. She has no other relevant financial or non-financial relationships to disclose.

Accommodations & Contact Information

Captions will be turned on for this presentation. 

For additional accommodations requests, and other questions or comments, please email [email protected].