Maternal Child Health Webinar Series

HANDOUT

Individuals with Autism and other Developmental Disabilities (IDD) frequently experience crises that are driven by under-recognized medical factors—particularly sleep disorders and other biological contributors. This webinar will explore how medical complexity intersects with behavioral crisis in Autism and IDD populations, and how fragmentation between medical and mental health systems can worsen outcomes. Presenters will share Denver START’s evolution from pilot to fully certified program, highlighting medical and system-level lessons learned from implementing a coordinated crisis prevention model. Through case examples and program data, participants will gain practical strategies to improve early identification of medical drivers, strengthen cross-system collaboration, and reduce crisis, even in communities without a formal START program.

Learning objectives:

• Recognize common medical contributors, including sleep disorders, that present as behavioral crises in individuals with Autism and other Intellectual and/or Developmental Disabilities.
• Learn from case examples demonstrating how medical complexity drives behavioral dysregulation and how coordinated systemic interventions improve outcomes.
• Apply practical strategies to improve early identification of medical drivers, enhance cross-system collaboration, and reduce crisis—even in communities without START.

Speakers:  

• Adam Ovadia, MD, Medical Director, Denver START Program
• Mariam Alami, LSW, Associate Director, Denver START Program

Intended audience: Medical providers including psychiatrists, pediatricians and primary care providers, psychologists, social workers, mental health clinicians, emergency department providers, crisis responders, case managers, health system administrators, and program leaders.

Archived Webinar: (to be posted soon)

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In this webinar, we will present autism diagnostic criteria, including diverse presentations, school-based examples, and a focus on middle/high school youth. We will describe autism from a neurodiversity framework and discuss common misconceptions. We will discuss screening tools that may be helpful in school-based health center settings to determine who may be appropriate for an autism evaluation referral. Finally, we will present the next steps and resources for school teams and parents.

Learning objectives:

• Describe potential autistic traits in school-aged and adolescent students who may be appropriate for an autism evaluation referral
• Discuss neurodiversity and how to support students using a neurodiversity framework
• Identify resources and next steps to support students with suspected autism and their families
  

Speakers:

• Ainsley Losh, PhD, Assistant Professor, Section of Developmental Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine
• Kaylin Russell, PhD, Clinical Psychology Postdoctoral Fellow, JFK Partners, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Intended audience: Staff and providers at Colorado school-based health centers, school personnel, and all others who are interested.

Webinar will be posted following the event.

Handouts:

1. Bullying and Autism Part 1 - DiGuiseppi

2. Bullying and Autism Part 2 - Bartholomay

Incredible Years Preschool Parent Program

Coping Power Program

Colorado Family Support Programs

Bullying and Autism: Frequency, Consequences, and Interventions

Thursday, April 10, 2025

10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (MT)

In this webinar, we will present research findings on bullying in autistic teens from the Study to Explore Early Development (SEED). We will describe how frequently autistic teens experienced bullying compared to other teens. We will also show how the frequency differed for different types of bullying, including verbal, physical, social, and cyber bullying. We will then explain some of the mental health consequences that bullying may lead to, including depression, anxiety, and self-injurious behavior. Finally, we will give a brief overview of evidence-based interventions that may be effective in addressing bullying among autistic teens at the individual, family, and school levels.

Learning objectives:

• Understand how rates and types of bullying differ between autistic teens and teens from the general population
• Recognize mental health consequences that bullying may lead to
• Explore interventions that may address bullying

Speakers:

Carolyn DiGuiseppi, MD, MPH, PhD, Principal Investigator, Colorado SEED, and Professor of Epidemiology, Colorado School of Public Health

Kristi Bartholomay, MS, Graduate Research Assistant, SEED, Colorado School of Public Health

Intended audience: Individuals with autism and their families, service providers, school personnel and all others who are interested

Archived webinar:

HANDOUT - Resiliency - 9-18-24

Speaker: Kristen Kaiser, MA, MPH; Instructor and LEND Family Discipline Director; JFK Partners, Developmental Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Parenting neurodivergent children at any age requires parents to function at warp speed. Parents and caregivers are always handling the current barrier for their children, processing the trauma of challenges from the past, and trying to plan for the best outcome moving forward.

Aside from navigating complex systems of care, parents and caregivers are also navigating the medical model of their child’s condition, while simultaneously attempting to normalize those differences for the child, family, community, and culture. It’s no wonder that around middle school, we start to see self-care, attendance at support groups, advocacy events and school functions drop off precipitously.

Parents and caregivers are tired and worn down trying to make sure their children have a beautiful life in a society not created with them in mind. Join us for this webinar to learn about strategies for coping and building resilience.

Learning Objectives:

• Learn about the social, emotional, and economic impact of parenting and caregiving for neurodivergent families
• Understand the barriers families face and some of the risk factors parents and caregivers face for negative mental health outcomes
• Learn about resilience: what does it mean to be resilient, and how to develop coping strategies to build resilience for parents, caregivers, and their families

Archived webinar: (Runtime: 55 mins)

Thursday, June 20, 2024
10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (MT)

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Based on existing literature and clinical experience, this webinar will review considerations for educational programming for children with co-occurring hearing differences and autism. Particular attention will be paid to communication access and strategies to foster language development for children who have co-occurring autism and reduced hearing. Applications of autism-informed strategies with D/HH children will be discussed.

Learning objectives:

1. Summarize how symptoms of autism can impact language development of D/HH children
2. Identify at least two educational strategies for supporting D/HH autistic children in the classroom
3. Identify at least 3 considerations when developing inclusive educational programming

Intended audience: teachers of the deaf, early intervention providers, families of deaf/hard of hearing children, educators, neurodivergent individuals and their families, speech/language therapists, psychologists, medical providers

Presenter: Deborah Mood, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine, Developmental Pediatrics

Archived Webinar:

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Autistic adolescents with intellectual disability are a complex and underserved population who are at particular risk for anxiety. In this webinar, you will gain insight into the nature and content of common anxiety symptoms. Next, we will discuss how cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT) can be adapted to meet the developmental and communication needs of autistic teens with intellectual disability. Concrete strategies such as somatic management, helpful thoughts, and exposure will be reviewed as a means of supporting understanding of how to adapt core CBT techniques.

Learning Objectives:

1. Identify factors that contribute to the development of anxiety in autistic adolescents with intellectual disability
2. Identify common anxiety symptoms in this age group
3. Describe how core CBT techniques (i.e., somatic management, helpful thoughts, and exposure) can be adapted for autistic adolescents with intellectual disability
4. Identify factors that may impact the delivery of CBT in this population

Presenter:
Audrey Blakeley-Smith, Ph.D., Associate Professor, Department of
Psychiatry and Pediatrics, JFK Partners, University of Colorado Anschutz
Medical Campus

Webinar: (Runtime: 1 hour 32 mins)

Research has shown that parents of autistic children have heightened levels of stress and burnout. This webinar will describe recent findings that have identified differences in patterns of burnout and types of resilience between mothers and fathers. Ways that providers can support families and that families can think about building resiliency in their day-to-day lives will also be discussed.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand risk and protective factors for parental burnout.
• Describe differences in burnout and resilience between mothers and fathers of autistic children.
• Identify tools and recommendations for parents who are currently struggling with burnout.

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RESOURCE LIST

Wednesday, March 15, 2023

10:00 - 11:30 a.m. (MT)

Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) impact an estimated 1-5% of people in the United States. Yet, most professionals and community members have not had the opportunity to learn about this common condition and how to best support people with FASD. This presentation will use case-based learning to illustrate how attendees can begin to implement FASD-informed care across the lifespan in their practice. Useful and practical resources will be offered.

Learning Objectives:

1. Learn the advantages of identifying fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD) and implementing FASD-informed care in your practice.
2. Recognize how stigma interferes with FASD-informed care.
3. Identify at least one resource to continue learning about FASD and FASD-informed care.

Intended audience: psychologists, medical providers, individuals with FASD and their families

Speaker:

Christie L. M. Petrenko, Ph.D.

Research Associate Professor

Mt. Hope Family Center, University of Rochester

This webinar will feature our CDC-funded work on Autism as we hear from four of our SEED investigators with updates on recent findings from SEED cohorts. Presenters and featured topics will include:

What’s Next for the Study to Explore Early Development: the SEED Follow-Up Study – Dr. Carolyn DiGuiseppi
The soon-to-be launched SEED Follow-Up Study aims to gain insights into the life course experiences of children with ASD and to improve our understanding of issues and needs as adolescents with ASD age into adulthood. This presentation will describe plans for the new SEED Follow-Up Study, including how it will be implemented and some of the key topics it will address.

DiGuiseppi slides

Schieve_Maternal and Paternal Infertility Disorders and Treatments and ASD

Sleep Problems, Gastrointestinal Problems, and Anxiety: Which Comes First? – Dr. Ann Reynolds
This presentation will review issues associated with sleep problems in preschool-age children in the Study to Explore Early Development.

Reynolds slides

The relationship between parental depression and anxiety and dysregulation in preschool children with and without ASD – Dr. Tessa Crume
This analysis seeks to determine if depression or anxiety in mothers, fathers or both parents is associated with externalizing and internalizing behaviors as well as sleep problems in children with and without ASD. In preliminary analyses we found that maternal anxiety, depression or both were more common among families with an autistic child compared to families of children without ASD. The prevalence of paternal depression, anxiety or both was not significantly different between families with and without an autistic child. Ongoing analyses will determine if parental anxiety or depression are associated with externalizing, internalizing or sleep issues among children with and without ASD.

Crume slides

Understanding Language and Social Regression in Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD): Findings from the Study to Explore Early Development – Dr. Nuri Reyes
The aim of this presentation will be to report the prevalence of language and social regression in preschool-aged children with ASD from a multi-site community-based sample. This presentation will also report the current developmental status of children with ASD who have a history of regression.

Reyes slides

Intended audience: service providers, health care workers, researchers, educators, individuals with intellectual/developmental disabilities and their families

Archived webinar: 

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Description:
There is a high prevalence of co-occurring mental health challenges in children and teens with I/DD and these challenges have often become even more impactful during the COVID-19 pandemic. This talk will provide concrete strategies for understanding, identifying, and supporting mental health needs in this population.

Learning Objectives:

• Understand common co-occurring mental health conditions in children and adolescents with I/DD
• Identify signs of ongoing or emerging mental health challenges
• Recognize when to refer to mental health providers
• Learn behavioral strategies and supports to manage mental health challenges
• Learn strategies and supports to address COVID-specific challenges

Targeted Audience:
School providers, nurses, HCP providers, clinical providers from non-mental health disciplines (Speech or OT for example), parents, any individual with introductory- to intermediate-level knowledge seeking to broader their understanding of mental health needs for children and youth with I/DD

Speaker:  Rachel Sandercock, PhD, Post-Doctoral Psychology Fellow, JFK Partners

Archived Webinar: Runtime: 1:27

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Policy Council Brief

Description:

State, local, community and family voices, have long advocated for the importance, value, and benefit of early and equitable access to developmental screening and referral, as a tool to ensure that all children can thrive, grow, and learn. Partners will share findings from a recently completed needs assessment and share local solutions that address barriers and opportunities across various early childhood systems and programs to improve the early identification of developmental delay.

Learning Objectives:

• Summarize key findings from the Colorado Needs Assessment Reflect on the barriers and opportunities identified by the Colorado Early Childhood Screening and Referral Policy Council
• Assess how community partners including Denver Health and Metro Area Early Intervention Programs, are addressing inequities around early identification of developmental delay

Target Audience:

Health Care and Community Partners that have a role in any of the four steps of early identification of developmental delay, including but limited to: Parent Developmental Monitoring, Developmental/Autism Screening, Referral and Support Families to Accessing Developmental Services and Supports

Speakers:

Eileen Auer Bennett- Assuring Better Child Health & Development, Executive Director

Dawn Magnusson- PT, PhD, University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Assistant Professor School of Medicine, Physical Therapy

Kuang Oo-Denver Health, Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant (RIM) Care Navigator

Betsy Ruckard-Denver Health, Refugee Services Coordinator, Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant (RIM) Navigation Program

Michele Ebendick - Tri-County Health Department, Early Childhood Wellness Coordinator

Kristi Knuti Rodrigues, MD, MPH, Denver Health, Refugee, Immigrant, and Migrant (RIM) Navigation Program, Physician Lead

Local Community Partners

Archived Webinar: Runtime: 1:29:12

Description:
This presentation will provide information about trauma‐informed care, focusing on work with children and their families. We will discuss possible sources of trauma, trauma reactions, and an overview of interventions for individuals who experienced trauma. We will also discuss how to approach work with families from a trauma‐informed lens, in order to support individuals with trauma histories and avoid potential sources of re‐traumatization.

Learning Objectives:

1. Recognize and understand possible sources of trauma and trauma reactions in children 
2. Be familiar with potential interventions and therapeutic approaches for individuals who experienced trauma
3. Recognize that trauma can impact all individuals, including very young children and individuals with I/DD
4. Be aware of how to approach work with families with a trauma‐informed lens

The intended audience for this webinar includes: service providers, care coordinators, and other professionals working with children and families

Speaker:
Lauren Berkovits, Ph.D., Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Assistant Professor,
Department of Pediatrics, University of Colorado School of Medicine

Handout

Archived Webinar: Runtime: 1:25:48

Description: 

This webinar will describe a project aimed to improve access to care for children with ASD/DD, targeting underserved urban, rural, and frontier regions of the State of Colorado. This project involves provider education, capacity building, technical assistance, and direct care. We will review components of this program, reduction in wait list, provider satisfaction, and perception of self-efficacy. We also will review how the pandemic resulted in adaptations to the care provided.

Speakers: 

Sandra L. Friedman, MD, MPH
Ann Reynolds, MD
Rebecca Wilson, PsyD
Elizabeth Coan, PsyD
Richard Boles, PhD
Sara Mattie, LCSW

Handout

Archived Webinar: Runtime: 1 hr 30 mins

The Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment and the Special Care Clinic at Children’s Hospital Colorado are part of a collaborative improvement and innovation network (CoIIN) funded by the HRSA Maternal and Child Health Bureau to test and spread promising care delivery strategies and payment models for children with medical complexity (CMC). As part of their CMC-CoIIN work, the Colorado team used the Family Engagement in Systems Assessment Tool (FESAT), a new tool from Family Voices that organizations can use to assess and improve family engagement in systems- level initiatives, helping to ensure that the voices of the individuals, families, and communities who receive services are included in the creation of the policies and practices that govern those services. 

The intended audience for this webinar includes: healthcare providers & students, child care professionals, school personnel, care coordinators, service coordinators and families interested in better understanding how partnering with families can improve services for children and youth. 

Speakers: 

• Angie Goodger, MPH, MHA, Pediatric Care Coordination Systems Consultant, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment
• Lisa Franklin, Program Manager, Parent to Parent of Colorado
• Mary Jo Paladino, MSA, Family Voices, Inc., Leadership in Family and Professional Partnerships (LFPP)

Runtime: 1 hr 10 mins

There currently are long waiting lists for appointments to assess children for autism spectrum disorder and other developmental disabilities (ASD/DD), posing a major barrier to accessing care. Families may travel long distances for diagnostic evaluations and management of medications, other related medical problems, and behavioral issues. There also is a well-documented shortage of developmental behavioral pediatricians in Colorado and nationwide.

This presentation will provide some updates on a program to improve access of care for children with ASD/DD, particularly focusing on children and families residing in underserved urban, rural and frontier regions of the state. We will review some activities that focus on using expertise from our academic medical center to support primary care providers to deliver needed care and services for their patients and families within the context of their medical home.  

The intended audience for this webinar includes: healthcare providers, therapists, service coordinators and families interested in better understanding the initiatives underway to improve access to assessment and management for children with ASD/DD. 

Speakers from Children’s Hospital Colorado, Developmental Pediatrics:

• Sandra Friedman, MD
• Ann Reynolds, MD
• Rebecca Wilson, PsyD
• Elizabeth Coan, PsyD

Runtime: 1 hr 31 mins

Autism spectrum disorder (ASD) is under-diagnosed and under-treated in young children, particularly minority and disadvantaged children. Even with routine ASD screening, many screen-positive children fail to receive appropriate referral, evaluation, or services. Patient navigation, originally developed to address healthcare disparities, could facilitate referral, evaluation, and linkage to early intervention (EI) services. This project evaluated the effect of family navigation for children with positive ASD screening on referral, evaluation and linkage to EI services.

The intended audience for this webinar includes: healthcare providers, child care professionals, school personnel, service coordinators and families interested in better understanding the challenges and opportunities to improve developmental services for children and youth.

Speaker: Carolyn DiGuiseppi, MD, MPH, PhD, Associate Dean for Faculty Affairs, Colorado School of Public Health

Discussants: 

Margaret M. Tomcho, MD, MPH, Denver Health

Jodi Dooling-Litfin, PhD, Director of Developmental & Behavioral Health, Rocky Mountain Human Services

Runtime: 1 hr 26 mins

Current models of care in Colorado result in families waiting for a medical diagnosis to get the services they need. This trend is not unique to Colorado, but is a nationwide challenge. This presentation will
provide Colorado’s process for identifying children and youth with developmental and behavioral challenges, as well as current systems‐level work striving to improve access to developmental diagnoses and services.

The intended audience for this webinar includes: healthcare providers, child care professionals, school personnel, service coordinators and families interested in better understanding the challenges and
opportunities to improve developmental services for children and youth.

Speakers:

• Michele Ebendick, Assuring Better Child Health & Development (ABCD) Colorado 
• Sandra Friedman, MD, MPH, Developmental Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado, Director, JFK Partners
• Angie Goodger, MPH, MHA, CYSHCN, CDPHE

Substance misuse impacts the maternal and child health population disproportionately. With issues such as maternal substance use and substance exposure in newborns gaining a lot of attention across the nation, the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) is expanding strategies to reach across Colorado. This presentation will provide information on the maternal and child health substance misuse projects, opioid overdose prevention efforts, marijuana prevention and education efforts, and collaborative projects with state and local level partners that are addressing these issues.  

Speaker: Shayna Micucci, MSW, Opioid Overdose Prevention Program Coordinator and Maternal and Child Health Substance Misuse Priority Lead, Violence and Injury Prevention-Mental Health Promotion Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

We know that healthy communities are important so why is health equity often left out of our conversations on community engagement? In this dynamic and interactive session participants will learn how employing health equity strategies can make community engagement work more intentional and effective. Participants will be given a brief overview of systems of oppression and equity/health equity. We will then examine the ways in which these systems effect our ability to engage with community. Participants will then discuss the ways in which their own work does or does not utilize health equity strategies. Lastly, participants will be provided with tools on how to apply the health equity strategies learned to their own work.

Speaker: Angel Smith, Health Equity and Community Engagement Specialist, Children, Youth and Families Branch, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

With over 90% of Colorado mothers choosing to start breastfeeding, the need for education and support throughout our communities is higher than ever. From the NICU to the medical office to the child care professional, increased breastfeeding education can lead to better support and healthier outcomes for our babies and families. This presentation will provide information on breastfeeding practices, supportive services, policies and advocacy efforts that can be incorporated into your community. 

Healthcare providers, child care professionals, employers and families will better understand and be able to advocate for breastfeeding supportive practices in the NICU and hospital settings and how to create breastfeeding-friendly medical offices, workplaces and child care programs.

Speaker: Stacy Miller, PhD, RD, CLC, Breastfeeding Specialist, Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Unit, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment

Colorado families are bombarded by various health messages every day. We maximize our messaging when all public health programs, health care providers, early care and education professionals, families and others work together to deliver consistent, accurate and consumer-tested messages. Speaking with One Voice provides nine audience-tested and Spanish trans created early childhood obesity prevention messages and supporting content that address important healthy lifestyle behaviors found most promising in preventing overweight and obesity before it begins among Colorado’s youngest children. This presentation has additional focus on healthy maternal weight and active play for early childhood.

Speaker: Emily Bash, MPH, RD, CLC, Nutrition Specialist, Early Childhood Obesity Prevention Unit, Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment.

This event presented the most recent CDC prevalence data for Autism Spectrum Disorders, a study of patient navigation for low income families with young children, and findings from the Colorado Parent Mentoring Program. This webinar is for care coordinators, health department personnel, school personnel, and other professionals working with children. Anyone is welcome to attend this free webinar at the live site or online. 

Speakers:

• Tiffany White, PhD, MSPH, Developmental Disabilities Epidemiologist, Autism Project Coordinator, CDPHE
• Carolyn DiGuiseppi, MD, MPH, PhD, Professor of Epidemiology and Associate Dean for Faculty, CSPH
• Eric Moody, PhD, Assistant Professor, University of Colorado School of Medicine, JFK Partners

Children with co-occurring Deafness or Hard of Hearing (DHH) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) often have a delayed diagnosis, therefore also have delayed intervention. Many professionals are unable to separate behaviors associated with deafness and hearing loss from those associated with autism.  Furthermore, professionals with expertise in autism are often unable to communicate directly with children who are DHH who use sign language, are unfamiliar with deafness and how autism may impact their sign or spoken language communication both receptively and expressively. Children with dual diagnosis are often the most complex children that professionals in deafness and hearing loss need to screen, diagnosis and re/habilitate. The presence of this dual diagnosis can significantly complicate developmental outcomes and requires highly specialized intervention. This webinar is for care coordinators, health department personnel, school personnel, and other professionals working with children. 

Speakers:

• Christie Yoshinaga-Itano, PhD, Research Professor, Institute for Cognitive Science, University of Colorado Boulder
• Deborah Mood, PhD, Clinical Psychologist, Developmental Pediatrics, Children’s Hospital Colorado

This webinar was not recorded.

Significant advances in technology makes telehealth and telemedicine feasible, enhancing access to services and education. Our speakers will address efforts in Colorado to provide access to these methods with particular emphasis on the acceptance by families.

Following this event, the audience will better understand:

• ECHO and how is it different than telemedicine;
• two major changes happening in 2017 that will impact payment for telemedicine in Colorado;
• the philosophy and data behind EI Colorado's decision to allow providers to utilize telehealth;
• how telehealth will benefit families and providers;
• the telehealth training that providers and service coordinators will be offered;
• the delivery of applied behavior analytic services for severe problem behavior delivered via telehealth
• parent acceptance of applied behavior analytic services for severe problem behavior delivered via telehealth

Speakers:

• John “Fred” Thomas, PhD, Director of Telehealth, Children’s Hospital Colorado
• Beth Cole, Fiscal Accountability Manager, Early Intervention, Office of Early Childhood, CDHS
• Patrick Romani, PhD, BCBA-D, Pediatric Mental Health Institute, Children’s Hospital Colorado

This webinar was not recorded.