Autism Across the Lifespan: Preschool/Early Childhood

Presented by Kate McNulty, LCSW and Matt Lowry, LPP

Friday, April 10, 2026

10am-12pm PT / 12pm-2pm CT / 1pm-3pm ET

Event held online via Zoom, link to access provided upon registration.

The preschool years, ages 2-5, are a time of accelerated development in the cognitive, motor and social realms (Brown, 2012). As children develop intellectually and make contact beyond their immediate family, any developmental differences they experience become increasingly apparent to others. Pediatricians and other caregivers may comment on unusual behaviors or milestones children are not meeting. Parents are also likely to notice these differences at this stage of life and begin seeking evaluation of any difficulties (Alghamdi, 2023). The colloquial term “spiky profile” refers to these uneven aspects of development; a child may excel in language abilities or other pre-operational functions while not yet meeting benchmarks in motor development. (Cardona, 2016) Those with developmental diagnoses carry these traits throughout their lifetime, affecting academic, social and vocational opportunities (Doyle, 2020). This class will address a variety of theoretical frameworks for understanding this stage of development, including Piaget’s pre-operational theory, Bowlby’s work on attachment and Erikson’s model of Initiative vs. Guilt. Specifically, this program will address the cognitive changes during this developmental period along with the impact of motor differences and their impacts on adult social development. 

Zoom link will be available on course page in “My Courses” upon event registration. 

This program, when attended in its entirety, offers 2.0 CEs for Psychologists, 2.0 IL CEUs for Counselors and Social Workers, 2.0 BBS California CEUs for LPCCs, LPSWs, and LMFTs, or 2.0 NBCC Clock Hours.

Price: $50.00 

Register Link:  https://tcsppofficeofce.com/product/autism-across-the-lifespan-preschool-early-childhood/