Dr. Alvarado is the creator and director of the Earliest Connections Clinic, a diagnostic program geared toward identification and intervention for high-risk infants and toddlers. She leads DIRFloortime and PACT (Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy) therapy/teletherapy programs- intensive interventions supporting families impacted by autism through dyadic coaching. Dr. Alvarado's primary research interests include sensoriaffective integration, reflective video feedback, and parent-mediated interventions. Her dissertation established preliminary validity of the Sensoriaffective Interactional Attunement Scale (SAIAS), a measure geared toward promoting synchronicity and relatedness between caregivers and their children. She is currently developing the Emotional Intelligence and Praxis in Play Scale (EIPPS), evaluating the presence, sophistication, flexibility and organization of themes of EI in child-led, symbolic, dyadic play. Dr. Alvarado is passionate about building bridges, innovating and expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, and meeting families and fellow clinicians where they are and empowering them to find the gifts they all have to give.

Disclosures:
Financial: No relevant financial disclosures.
Non-Financial: Dr Alvarado is a Faculty member of Profectum Foundation.

Dr. Foley is a founding board member of the New York and Pennsylvania State Associations of Infant Mental Health. He is a senior faculty member of the DIR Profectum Academy. Dr Foley is a retired tenured faculty member of the program in School-Clinical Child Psychology at Ferkauf Graduate School of Psychology and Director Emeritus of the Graduate Program in Infant Mental Heath and Develomental Practice at Adelphi University. Dr. Foley is the co-author of three books and has written over 40 scholarly articles and chapters. Sensory Integration and Mental Health: Nurturing Self-Regulation in Young Children is soon to be published by National Zero to Three. Dr. Foley lectures widely nationally and internationally.

Disclosures:
Financial: Consultant for New York Center for Child Development & NYC/OMH Training and Technical Assistance Center and Larry Zier Associates , receives consulting fee.
Non-Financial: Conference Committee Planning Member, Faculty member of Profectum Foundation. Member of New York Association of Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health

Connie Lillas, Ph.D., MFT, RN, is the Director of the Interdisciplinary Training Institute with a background in high-risk maternal-child nursing, family systems, developmental psychoanalysis, and is a National Graduate ZERO TO THREE Fellow. Connie has a full-time private practice, specializing in dual diagnosis across both developmental delays and mental health concerns for birth-to-five-year-olds and their families. She donates her community service time to a pilot called Fostering Family Partnerships where she serves as a Court Team Liaison for child welfare reform in South Central Los Angeles. Her duties include training court personnel from judges to social workers to infant mental health specialists. In addition, she trains local, national, and international cross-sector communities on the use of the Neurorelational Framework (NRF, 2009) as a common and unifying language that all sectors can use in an effort to decrease discipline-specific fragmentation and to increase cross-sector collaboration. Her book is a part of W. W. Norton’s Interpersonal Neurobiology Series.

Disclosures:
Financial: Dr Lillas is an author, with W. W. Norton receives Intellectual Property Rights and Royal. Author with NRF Institute Research to Resilience receives Consulting Fee, Intellectual Property Rights and Speaking Fee
Non-Financial: Dr Lillas is a Faculty Member of Profectum Foundation.

I received my PhD in Cognitive Science in 2001 from the University of California, San Diego and did my Post-Doctoral training in electrophysiology at CALTECH. I have been on the faculty at Rutgers since 2008. My research combines theory and experiments to study how primates plan, execute, learn and adapt to natural voluntary motions. Clinical application is an integral part of my research effort. I study stroke patients, Parkinson’s patients and derive general indexes of performance that emerge from geometric and topological relations between extra-personal and internal representations of the primate brain. My clinical research has shown that these indexes are under cognitive control. They consequently facilitate the measurements and the diagnosis of specific sensory-motor deficits, the identification of their source and the design of therapies to improve motor learning and performance in activities of every-day life.

Recently I am extending these computational measures of sensory-motor performance in adults to the developmental stages of pre-pubertal individuals. In particular my laboratory will assess a broad range of natural voluntary behaviors in children who suffer from autism and other developmental disabilities. The main goal of this component of my research is to provide early intervention therapies to improve communication skills and social interactions in these young individuals.

Because research from my laboratory must have translational value I focus on natural (unconstrained) movements. I aim for scalable algorithms and general computational principles that remain conserved independently of the form in which the data was originally collected. This approach has stimulated various collaborative efforts and facilitated independent assessments of movement and neural data collected by other research groups. In this regard I will further develop the theoretical component of my research on motor learning, motor adaptation and motor planning of natural movements in a collaborative effort that includes electrophysiology, computer science and behavioral experiments involving both normal subjects and subjects with a compromised system. The main objective of this interdisciplinary collaborative effort is to identify general principles and laws of mental operations required in voluntary behavior that generate testable predictions at different levels of abstraction.

Disclosures:
Financial: Dr Torres receives Honoraria, Consulting Fee, Intellectual Property Rights, Royalty, Hold Patent on Equipment from Socially Interactive Learning Avatar Software, SiLAS - as a Shareholder and Consultant
Non-Financial: Dr Torres is a Rutgers University, Tenured Professor, Head of Lab

Dr. Serena Wieder is the Clinical Director and a founding member of the Profectum Foundation, dedicated to advancing the development and infant mental health of all children, including children, adolescents and adults with autism and special needs through training and educational programs. She also co-founded the Interdisciplinary Council on Developmental and Learning Disorders with the late Stanley Greenspan. Dr. Wieder is a Board Member of Zero to Three and also serves on advisory boards to various programs serving infant mental health and other special needs. She established DIR-Israel and provides consultation and training to international and national programs.

As a clinical psychologist, Dr. Wieder has pioneered important approaches to diagnosing and treating infants and toddlers with infant mental health and developmental disorders. She co-developed the DIR model with Stanley Greenspan, edited two diagnostic manuals for infants and young children, and created models for interdisciplinary post-graduate case based training and work with parents. She has co-chaired and organized national and international conferences integrating development, neuroscience and intervention approaches for nearly 20 years. Dr. Wieder also developed approaches to integrate visual-spatial knowledge to advance emotional and cognitive development. Her research interests concern
follow up studies of children on the autism spectrum who have received DIR model comprehensive interventions and the evaluation of training and educational programs.

Dr. Serena Wieder co-authored Engaging Autism, The Child With Special Needs and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health with Stanley Greenspan, M.D. They also co-edited Infants in Multi-Risk Families as well as the ICDL Diagnostic Manual for Infants and Young Children (DMIC) and the original Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy and Early Childhood (DC 03). Most recently, Dr. Wieder co-authored Visual Spatial Portals to Thinking, Feeling, and Movement with Harry Wachs, O.D. She has published numerous journal and book chapters and presents at multiple conferences nationally and internationally.

Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Wieder is in private practice and receives salary. Dr Wieder is author of Engaging Autism and Infant and Early Childhood Mental Health, co-authored with Stanley Greenspan. They also chaired the ICDL Diagnostic Manual for Infants and Young Children and Zero to Three Diagnostic Classification of Mental Health and Developmental Disorders of Infancy; The Child With Special Needs and receives royalties from these books. Dr Wieder has also co-authored a book with Dr Harry Wachs, Visual/Spatial Portals to Thinking, Feeling and Movement, and receives royalties.
Non-Financial: Dr Wieder is the Clinical Director of Profectum Foundation.

Cynthia Harrison is the President of CommuniCare Therapy, a rehabilitation company that provides speech-language pathology, occupational therapy, physiotherapy, registered dietetics, and social work. She is a speech-language pathologist and her area of clinical focus is the provision of assessment and treatment of children, adolescents and adults with autism, disorders of relating and communicating, global developmental delays and their families and is a well known public speaker who trains and educates clinicians and parents in North America and abroad. She holds a Master of Science in speech-language pathology from the University of Vermont and a post graduate certificate in the DIR model. She is very active in her community and serves on a number of Boards and community associations.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: Ms Harrison is a Faculty member of Profectum Foundation.

My name is Anie Knipping, and I'm a social autistic, a layabout with Panic/Anxiety Disorder, and a terminal optimist with clinical depression. My sensory stuff is all over the place, and I've got synesthesia, which lets me see sound and taste colour. I love to educate people on all of it, but it's not always easy to explain without pictures, so I published an illustrated book, 'Eccentricity', to do just that.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: None

Tal Baz, MS, OTR/L is a registered and licensed occupational therapist who has practiced as a DIR Floortime® therapist, supervisor and consultant for more than fifteen years and works both nationally and internationally with families, clinicians, and various school systems. She has a clinical practice in Somerville, MA, and is teaching DIR Floortime® courses through the Profectum Foundation, nationally as well as internationally. Her special interests are in sensory-affective regulation, as it develops within the parent-child relational field. Tal has served on the DIR faculty since 2001.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: Ms Baz is a Faculty Member of Profectum Foundation.

Mona Delahooke, PhD, is a licensed clinical psychologist with more than 30 years of experience caring for children and their families. She is a senior faculty member of the Profectum Foundation, an organization dedicated to supporting families of neurodiverse children, adolescents and adults. She is a trainer for the Los Angeles County Department of Mental Health. Dr. Delahooke holds the highest level of endorsement in the field of infant and toddler mental health in California, as a Reflective Practice Mentor (RPM). She is a frequent speaker, trainer, and consultant to parents, organizations, schools, and public agencies. Dr. Delahooke has dedicated her career to promoting compassionate, relationship-based neurodevelopmental interventions for children with developmental, behavioral, emotional, and learning differences. She is the author of Social and Emotional Development in Early Intervention: A Skills Guide for Working with Children (PESI, 2017) and Beyond Behaviors: Using Brain Science and Compassion to Understand and Solve Children’s Behavioral Challenges (PESI, 2019). Dr. Delahooke’s popular blog and website are at www.monadelahooke.com.

Disclosures:
Financial: No relevant financial disclosures.
Non-Financial: Dr Delahooke is a Faculty member of Profectum Foundation.

Ira Glovinsky is a fully licensed Psychologist in Ann Arbor, Michigan. He is also an Adjunct Professor at Fielding Graduate University in Santa Barbara, CA and Associate Adjunct Professor in the Early Childhood/Arts Education Program at Brooklyn College. He specializes in pediatric mood disorders.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: Dr Glovinsky is a Faculty Member of Profectum Foundation.

Cortney is a speech-language pathologist with a special interest in illuminating the connection between communication and other developmental domains, especially in the context of relationships. She earned her BA in Psychology from the University of California, Irvine in 2003 and MA in Communication Disorders from Northwestern University in 2008. Cortney will complete the Infant/Early Childhood Mental Health program at Erikson Institute this June. Cortney owns a private practice in Chicago which operates in collaboration with a transdisciplinary team providing therapy and in-depth evaluations using the DIR/Floortime model. In 2019, Cortney qualified as a trainer and expert clinician in DIR-FCD through Profectum Foundation, and she deeply enjoys mentoring professionals across disciplines. She speaks and mentors on various topics related to development, communication, and relationship-based work. Cortney has three young children (7, 7, and 4) who are her favorite instructors in all it means to be human.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: Ms Grove is an Academy member of Profectum Foundation.

Dr. Swink’s three decades of clinical work, research and teaching has been devoted to children with special needs and their families since starting her pediatric training at the University of California, San Francisco and pediatric neurology/epilepsy residency and fellowship at the Johns Hopkins Medical Center.

Dr. Swink was introduced to the DIR model in 2003 and since completing her DIR FLoortime Institute Certificate in 2009, has been integrating principles of the DIR/FCD model into her work with children and families. Dr. Swink’s clinical practice focuses on young children with regulatory challenges, sensory based motor disorders, communication disorders and autism spectrum and related disorders.

At the Child Development Center at Marshfield Medical Center, Dr. Swink leads a multi-disciplinary team working to identify, understand and treat complex neuro-developmental disorders. Dr. Swink’s team strives to integrate the complexities of early development, individual differences and relationships into the assessment and treatment process of every child and family and to promote lasting and positive growth and change. Dr. Swink provides supervision and training to clinicians throughout the Marshfield Medical Center and the Marshfield Clinic pediatric residency training program.

Dr. Swink received her DIR Floortime certificate in 2009 and joined the senior faculty at the Profectum Academy in 2014. Over her career as a pediatrician, neurologist and developmental specialist, Dr. Swink has presented at numerous local and national pediatric, neurologic and developmental conferences and is currently teaching at the Profectum Academy.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: Dr Swink is a Faculty Member of Profectum Foundation.

As founder of the first comprehensive Sensory Processing Disorder research program nationwide and author of groundbreaking Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder and No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Sensory or Motor Challenges, Dr. Lucy Jane Miller's name is synonymous with sensory research, education, and treatment.

Dr. Miller has been investigating, analyzing, and explaining SPD to other scientists, professionals, and parents since she studied under sensory integration pioneer A. Jean Ayres, Ph.D., more than thirty years ago. Since then, studies by Dr. Miller and her colleagues have helped bring SPD widespread recognition, and her work with families has improved countless lives. Thanks specifically to Dr. Miller's mobilization of the research community, SPD now appears in two diagnostic manuals: the ICDL's Diagnostic Manual for Infancy and Early Childhood and The Diagnostic Classification: Zero to Three. Her application has led to consideration of SPD for inclusion in the 2013 revision of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual (DSM-V). Dr. Miller has also developed seven nationally standardized tests for use worldwide to assess and diagnose SPD and other developmental disorders and delays. Dr. Miller's widespread recognition and enormous credibility within the professional community are part of the reason that advanced clinicians travel from all over the United States and other countries to be mentored by Dr. Miller and team at STAR Institute, which she founded three decades ago.

The prominence of Dr. Miller's research, her compassion and connection with sensational families, and her ability to explain the science of SPD clearly and empathetically make her a natural interview subject. She has been featured on NBC's Today Show and ABC's 20/20, in The New York Times and numerous other popular and professional publications. She is the author of more than sixty articles and/or chapters in scientific and professional journals, magazines, and textbooks and is a frequent presenter or speaker at conferences and workshops worldwide. She has received more than thirty funded awards and grants to further research on SPD and other childhood disabilities.

In 2004, Dr. Miller received the Award of Merit from the American Occupational Therapy Association, the profession's highest honor, reserved for those therapists who have made an outstanding global contribution to the field. In 2005, she was awarded the Martin Luther King Jr. Humanitarian award by the state of Colorado for her three decades of work with children who have Sensory Processing Disorder.

Disclosures:
Financial: None
Non-Financial: None