Please carefully read through the following as you consider your breakout session proposal(s):
ABOUT THE ABC CONFERENCES
The first ABC Conference in 2010 was organized by The University of Chicago, Illinois Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (ICAAP), Almost Home Kids and the Illinois LEND (Leadership, Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities) program at the University of Illinois at Chicago. The earliest conferences focused on evidence-based and concrete strategies to address the struggles primary care and other health care providers encounter related to Autism, Behavioral Challenges, and Complex Medical Needs (ABC). Since 2013, the ABC Conferences have offered ample exhibit opportunity for non-profit and for-profit organizations to share resources and information about their services.
For the first time in 2014, the conference focus was expanded to bring together additional providers from allied health, home visiting, child care and early education, Early Intervention, special education, and other fields. 2015 marks the first year that an ABC-Downstate (ABC-D) Conference was held to serve the professional development, networking, and support needs of child-serving professionals in Southern and Central Illinois.
The original conference “ABC” has expanded to Advocating for children’s health, Behavioral/developmental health, and Complex health needs. This is consistent with the evolution of American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) policies and priorities as well as our broader understanding of “special needs” children to include children who have experienced trauma, adversity, and negative social determinants of health. This expansion enables ICAAP to deliver additional significant information important to child-serving professionals concerned about autism and other developmental disorders, behavioral health, and complex medical needs.
ABC Conference participants can expect to learn about the broad landscape of services and programs that are available to support children with special needs from birth through childhood, and develop skills to make effective referrals and partner with other agencies and systems. Each track (A, B, and C) features sessions that converge with different systems, developmental services, medical interventions, and innovative partnerships that benefit children served across interprofessional groups. The keynote sessions address the overall theme of the conference. More information about past ABC Conference can be found at http://illinoisaap.org/conferences/abc/.
ABOUT THE 9TH ANNUAL ABC CONFERENCE
Children and families from all demographic and socioeconomic backgrounds in Illinois experience trauma, adversity, and chronic stress. Social determinants such as where we live, work, and play, can further exacerbate positive or negative physical, emotional, and behavioral health issues. The critical factor that determines if a child, family, and/or community can manage trauma, adversity, and chronic stress successfully is resilience: the process by which the child, family, and/or community moves through a traumatic/stressful event, utilizing various protective factors for support, and returning to “baseline” in terms of an emotional and physiologic response to the stressor.
Caregivers and other support systems – including child serving professionals – have the unique opportunity to bolster key protective factors for children and families to prevent long-term negative outcomes. Those critical protective factors include:
- Caregiver Resilience
- Social Connections
- Concrete Support in Times of Need
- Knowledge of Parenting and Child Development
- Social and Emotional Competence of Children
Protective factors are only one tool used to build resilience. The 9th Annual ABC Conference will deliver additional valuable information about how to build resilience in children, families, communities, and ourselves, and advocate for those we serve.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
At the conclusion of the conference, participants, in the context of their work, will be better able to:
- Recognize opportunities for building resilience in children, families, communities, and ourselves
- Identify techniques for building resilience that can enhance the lives of children, families, communities, and ourselves
- Incorporate resilience-building techniques using an interprofessional approach when serving children, families, and communities
TARGET AUDIENCE
The target audience for the ABC conference includes primary care providers and their teams, including pediatricians, family physicians, nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and allied health care professionals including nurses, therapists, and social workers. In addition, providers from other settings including early care and education, special education, home visiting, community service providers, legal aid, and more are encouraged to attend. The conference will offer ample opportunity for attendees to network with like-hearted and like-minded professionals from multiple child-serving systems that have a stake in the lives of children, families, and communities.
BREAKOUT SESSION TRACKS
The conference planning committee encourages proposals that demonstrate an adaptable approach to working with/on behalf of all children, including children with special needs children. Sessions involving parents/community members are welcomed. Our preference for breakout sessions would also in some way consider the conference theme.
A - Advocating for children's health:
Any workshop highlighting examples of success in the accomplishments listed below are encouraged.
- Child-serving professionals have the power, credibility, and expertise to advocate on behalf of children's health and well-being, which may also include advocating for their families and the communities in which they live.
- Many of the major threats to children’s health today cannot be addressed adequately in the clinical setting alone.
- Community advocacy takes into consideration the environmental and social factors influencing child health, such as exposure to violence, safe places to play, poverty, child abuse, and access to healthy foods.
B - Behavioral/developmental health:
Behavioral/developmental health includes and/or is influenced by:
- Social-emotional health
- Mental health disorders
- Social determinants of health
- Caregiver (mental) health
- Provider compassion fatigue
- Autism Spectrum Disorder
- ADHD
C - Complex health needs:
Complex health needs may include:
- Medical complexity (diagnosed disability or disorder).
- Poor health outcomes as a result of social determinants of health.
- Impact on a child’s behavioral and physical health a result of trauma exposure and chronic stress both with and without helpful intervention