Join us for the 2024 HealthySteps Symposium: Unpacking Autism
The Symposium will be held at the Long Beach Convention Center on Tuesday, July 30 from 9:00 am – 4:00 pm (the day before the start of ZERO TO THREE’s 2024 LEARN Conference). It is a free, full-day professional development add-on exclusively for the HealthySteps network. Lunch will be provided.
Session Description
The numbers of young patients identified with emerging signs and diagnoses of autism spectrum disorder (ASD) are increasing, as are the opportunities for HS Specialists to support these vulnerable patients and their families by providing support and guidance to navigate complicated systems, symptoms, and emotions. This interactive symposium will provide foundational information and skill building to guide that work. Discussion will begin with current data on prevalence, demographics, early signs and identification, and implications for diversity and equity. Expert faculty will then lead workshop activities on caregiver engagement regarding screening and assessment results, facilitating access to treatment and services like early intervention, and guidance on positive parenting. Participants will learn strategies for helping caregivers navigate a lack of community resources, negotiate challenging systems and bureaucracy, and what to do while waiting for services.
This session addresses two primary areas of the HS Competencies, as outlined in the table below.
| Area | Specific Competencies (by #) |
|---|---|
| Area 2. Child Development & Well-Being | 2-K1, 2-K4, 2-K11, 2-S1, 2-S4, 2-S6, & 2-S11 |
| Area 6. Community & Early Childhood Systems of Care | 6-K1, 6-K2, 6-S1, 6-K2, 6-S4, 6-S6, & 6-S7 |
Learning Objectives
Participants will be able to:
- Recognize early signs of ASD in young patients and how to use naturally occurring teachable moments with families to explore concerns.
- Increase competence in navigating reflective discussions with caregivers regarding ASD screening results and diagnoses.
- Utilize knowledge of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) to support caregivers’ navigation of challenging systems and bureaucracy.
- Identify strategies for supporting families coping with long wait times for services.
Resources
Identification, Evaluation, and Management of Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder
The American Academy of Pediatrics | Clinical Report | January 01 2020
Presenters
Larry Yin, MD, MSPH
Larry Yin, MD, MSPH, serves as Division Chief of General Pediatrics at Children’s Hospital Los Angeles. Board-certified in general pediatrics and developmental-behavioral pediatrics, Dr. Yin is also Director of the University Center of Excellence in Developmental Disabilities at CHLA and serves as a California Governor appointee to the State Council on Developmental Disabilities. He participates on several state task forces focused on decreasing disparities in services for individuals with developmental disabilities. Among his leadership roles, Dr. Yin was a past region IX co-chair of the Academic Pediatric Association; a California Act Early Ambassador; an executive council member on the Council on Children with Disabilities in the American Academy of Pediatrics. He has also served as a volunteer physician for the Special Olympics.
Dr. Yin has devoted a large portion of his career to caring and improving outcomes for children with neurodevelopmental disorders and special health care needs. He has authored, co-authored and contributed to hundreds of publications, abstracts and presentations on developmental disabilities, autism spectrum disorder, pediatric obesity and health disparities in underserved populations. Dr. Yin is a fellow of the American Academy of Pediatrics, member of the Society for Pediatric Research, and a member of the Academic Pediatric Association. Dr. Yin was awarded the Robert M. McAllister Faculty Mentoring Award in 2017 and has been consistently recognized by trainees for outstanding teaching.
Katharine Zuckerman, MD, MPH, FAAP
Professor, General Pediatrics, Oregon Health & Science University
Katharine is a general pediatrician and health services researcher. In her clinical practice, she provides primary care to children with disabilities and their healthy siblings. Her research focuses on health care quality and disparities for children with autism spectrum disorder and other communication disorders in early childhood. She is especially interested in identification of disabilities in low-income and racial/ethnic minoritized populations, through digital/mobile health, and in primary care and non-medical settings. Her research involves a variety of approaches, including survey research, analyses of large databases, qualitative techniques, and community-based interventions. The goal is to learn more about the barriers that families and providers experience, and to develop evidence-based strategies to improve equity in care. In this work, she collaborates with local community partners as well as national stakeholders in the fields of developmental disabilities and health care disparities. She is also involved in disability policy work on a local and national level, most recently through the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on Children with Disabilities Executive Committee and Autism Subcommittee. Because a diverse workforce is necessary to reduce disability disparities, Katharine is also committed to furthering the career development of diverse health care professionals, through leadership in mentoring programs focusing on trainees who are under-represented in medicine and/or STEM. Overall, her career goal is to improve access to care and reduce disparities for young children experiencing disability and their families, through research, education and policy.
