This live, virtual webinar is being held Friday, December, 18, 2026 from Noon to 2:30 pm EST.
This learning experience is for all professionals working with newborn to precrawling infants. Participants will explore the concept of the social nervous system and its critical role in early regulation, engagement, attachment, sensory processing, movement, feeding, breathing and communication development.
Drawing from neuroscience, developmental theory, and relationship-based practice, this course examines how infant physiological states influence social interaction and learning. Clinicians will learn to identify signs of autonomic regulation and dysregulation, recognize the impact of caregiver-infant co-regulation, and apply practical strategies to support optimal developmental outcomes during everyday routines.
Through case examples and clinical applications, attendees will gain tools to enhance caregiver confidence, foster infant participation, and promote meaningful connections that serve as the foundation for motor, sensory, cognitive, and communication development in the earliest months of life.
Instructor: Michelle Emanuel OTR/L, CBS, IBCLC, NBCR, CST, RYT
Objectives:
1. Explain the Social Nervous System, specifically for newborn to precrawling infants
2. Discuss social engagement meaning, skills and abilities for the newborn to precrawling infant
3. Understand the impact of implementing Social Nervous System approaches in your interactions with babies and families
4. Analyze social engagement and make treatment suggestions to optimize social nervous system engagement