Helping kids master SURPRISE: Evidence-based strategies to support cognitive flexibility in autistic children and teens (August 2, 2022)

Occupational therapy practitioners frequently address occupational performance in autistic children and teens, yet professional development courses and evidence-informed resources to support cognitive flexibility in this population are limited.

This webinar will provide research-based clinical strategies to raise practitioners’ confidence and to build their toolkit in this area of practice. In this webinar, flexibility traits in autism will be reframed as “sensitivity to surprise” or “reactivity to change”. The academic and functional benefits of sensitivity to change will be presented, and neurological reasons for this reactivity in autism will be discussed. Proactive strategies to help autistic children and teens cope with anticipated and unanticipated changes in their day-to-day routines will be shared. Approaches to use with non-speaking autistic students and concrete thinkers will be clearly described. 

After taking part in this webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Cite six dysregulating categories of unexpected change that autistic children and teens may face in daily life.
2. Identify three strengths that are associated with sensitivity to change among autistic children and teens.
3. Describe three general strategies to support an autistic student through both anticipated and unexpected change.

Level 
Intermediate (3-5 years of experience in this specific area of practice)