Information Hub / Events Continuing Education
Strategies for Adapting Trauma Informed Interventions for Neurodivergent Clients
1:00 PMTuesday, November 12 2024
12:00 PMTuesday, November 12 2024
11:00 AMTuesday, November 12 2024
10:00 AMTuesday, November 12 2024
9:00 AMTuesday, November 12 2024
8:00 AM
Dr. Pontillo is Owner, Founder, and Director of San Diego Kids First, which started in 2005 as a solo practice, and has now grown into an interdisciplinary clinic of 12 specialists - from educational psychologists, clinical psychologists, occupational therapists and in-home behavior interventionists. She has over 25 years of education, training and experience in pediatric psychology and is regarded as an expert in the field of child and adolescent development, behavior, and learning.
Dr. Pontillo received a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology from the University of British Columbia. She went on to earn a Master’s and Doctorate in Psychology at the University of California, Los Angeles, rated one of the top Clinical Psychology training programs in the U.S. She completed an internship in the School of Medicine at the University of California, San Diego, and then a specialized pediatric early childhood post-doctoral training program at the Developmental Evaluation Clinic at Rady’s Children’s Hospital.
In addition to her work at San Diego Kids First, Dr. Pontillo is a Voluntary Assistant Clinical Professor at the University of California San Diego, Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine. There, she supervises Child/Adolescent Psychiatry Fellows in their final year of training. Additionally, Dr. Pontillo is a Site/Clinical Supervisor at Alliant International University where she provides clinical supervision for doctoral students. Dr. Pontillo has also developed a downloadable online parent training course (entitled “Bright Stars”) for parents and teachers of children with high-functioning Autism Spectrum Disorder. In 2020, she opened San Diego Behavior Solutions, with her colleague Anna Williams, LMFT , where they offer in- home behavioral interventions as well as in-home ERP for youth diagnosed with OCD. Dr. Pontillo has participated in numerous speaking engagements, media interviews, and podcasts over the years.
Dr. Pontillo’s specialties include: Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD), ADHD/attention issues, learning disabilities/ differences, giftedness, anxiety, emotional regulation skills training, social skills training, stress management, oppositional-defiant disorder (ODD), behavioral challenges, and other child developmental delays or concerns. She is trained in CBT (Cognitive-Behavioral Therapy), short-term solution-focused therapy, and psychodynamic therapy. She is an expert in diagnostic assessment, interventions, and designing successful strategies and supports for schools with neurodivergent students.
Course description: We will discuss ADHD, and Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) in terms of clinical presentation and 'red flags' for how to recognize these conditions.We also will discuss how these symptoms may overlap, or differ from post-traumatic symptomatology. We will provide strategies on how to adapt trauma-informed interventions to youth with a diagnosis of ADHD or ASD based on their cognitive, developmental, and behavioral strengths and weaknesses.
Dr. Deborah Pontillo and Kaydon Schanberger will co-present this training. Kaydon Schanberger earned her Masters Degree in Educational Psychology from Texas A & M University and earned her Bachelors Degree in Integrated Studies with an Emphasis in Education from Point Loma Nazarene University. Additionally, she possesses a dual teaching credential in General Education and Mild-Moderate Special Education, and Associate Degrees in both Child and Human Development. Kaydon has had extensive training and experience working with children (within classroom and extracurricular settings) in order to foster their successful inclusion in mainstream environments. She follows a relationship based management style, taking the time to get to know her students and families individually.
At San Diego Kids First (SDKF), Kaydon fills two important roles. First is her role as Specialist in Educational Psychology, offering the following individual and small-group services: Targeted Academic Assessments, Multidisciplinary Evaluations in conjunction with SDFK Clinical Psychologists, Social/Emotional Skills Development (Social Emotional Learning Curriculum), Dysgraphia/Fine Motor & Handwriting Skills Development (Learning Without Tears Curriculum), Dyslexia/Reading Skills Development (Orton Gillingham Curriculum), Individual academic support for Elementary School Learners in all subjects, Participation in 504/IEP planning, participation in 504/IEP meetings; 504/IEP design and implementation, School observations to assist in IEP/504 development, inclusion support, or educational planning, Executive Functioning Skills Development (e.g Homework Completion, Project Completion, Time Management, Study Skills and Inclusion support.
Second, in her role as San Diego Kids First’s Clinic Coordinator, Kaydon assists in the development of new clinical services, provides support to SDKF staff , clinicians, and parents, and is the central liaison in establishing and maintaining SDKF’s relationships with community agencies, clinics, and our referring provider partners.
This course is eligible for 2 continuing education credits.
This course is suitable for Psychologists, LMHCs, MFTs, Social Workers, LPCs, Counselors, and Psychiatrists.
Intermediate
10:00am-10:05am - Introduction/Overview
10:05am-10:50am - Overview of ASD and ADHD symptom presentation, Discussion of overlap vs distinction from PTSD symptoms.
10:50am-11:40am - Strategies to Adapt Trauma-informed Interventions to children with ASD or ADHD
11:40- 12:00pm - Conclusion/Q&A
At the end of the workshop, the participant will be able to:
- List 2 to 3 characteristics of ADHD and/or ASD.
- Describe 1 way to adapt your trauma-informed intervention to a child/teen with ASD or ADHD.