Forensic Interviewing with Children with Disabilities is an eight-part webinar series designed to assist interviewers in advancing their skills of interviewing children with disabilities in the most developmentally appropriate, non-leading, non-suggestive, legally defensible way possible. Participants who complete each of the eight modules in the series will receive a certificate indicating participation and completion of the program.  It is required to complete all eight modules to receive this certificate. Certificates will not be issued for individual modules.

Registrants who are interested in CE credit must participate in all 8 sessions. Please select "Add CEs" and select your discipline. Participants can receive 12 Credit Hours for this program.

• Only individuals who join the live sessions and fulfill the post-event evaluation will be eligible to earn CE credit.

​​More information on Continuing Education Credit.

All sessions will take place from 10:00 am - 11:30 am ET on Tuesdays. The program will take place remotely through the use of live interactive webinars over Zoom.

Full details are below: 

1. Tuesday, February 1st: 10:00AM-11:30AM ET
Children with Disabilities and Abuse Dynamics 
Presented by Staci Whitney 
During this session participants will learn the appropriate use of language  when referring to children with disabilities, historical treatment of individuals  with disabilities, statistics/incident rates related to individuals with disabilities,  and common biases and assumptions related to children with disabilities. 

2. Tuesday, February 15th: 10:00AM-11:30AM ET 
Communication Considerations for Children with Disabilities 
Presented by Staci Whitney 
During this session participants will learn about general communication  considerations for interviewing children with disabilities. These will include many of the same strategies that are utilized in all interviews and  investigations and how they can be appropriately applied to interviewing  children with disabilities, including any necessary accommodations. 

3. Tuesday, March 1st: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
General Considerations for Interviewing Children with Disabilities
Presented by Staci Whitney 
During this session participants will learn pre-interview considerations for  choosing an appropriate interview setting that is trauma-informed and  victim-sensitive. In addition, participants will learn pre-interview  considerations for adjusting the forensic interview to the individual’s needs,  and methods of gathering this information pre-interview. Consideration will be  given to the physical setting, timing of the interview, informed consent,  language, and comfort items in the interview process. 

4. Tuesday, March 15th: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
Advanced Considerations for Interviewing Children with Disabilities Part I
Presented by Dermot Whelan  
During this session participants will learn about disabilities in detail including: intellectual disability, autism spectrum disorder, and attention deficit  hyperactivity disorder. In addition, participants will learn strategies for  communicating with children with disabilities. 

5. Tuesday, March 29th: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
Advanced Considerations for Interviewing Children with Disabilities Part II
Presented by Kate Homan 
During this session participants will learn about disabilities in detail including: physical disability, cerebral palsy, communication disorders, and deaf and  hard of hearing children. In addition, participants will learn strategies for  communicating with children with disabilities. 

6. Tuesday, April 12th: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
Interviewing Children with Communication Disorders
Presented by Kate Homan
During this session participants will learn specifically about communicating  with children with communication disorders, speech language disorders,  including interviewing children who utilize communication devices.

7. Tuesday, April 26th: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
Adapted Protocol For Interviewing Children Who do Not Speak
Presented by Staci Whitney
During this module participants will receive an introduction to interviewing  children who do not speak. Participants will learn how to establish  communication with an individual who can only respond using “yes” and “no”  in addition to learning how use the hybrid question style.

8. Tuesday, May 10th: 10:00AM-11:30AM EST
Investigating Crimes Against Children with Disabilities-Considerations for Law Enforcement 
Presented by Dermot Whelan
During this session participants will increase their knowledge about the needs of crime victims with disabilities and learn about the most effective preliminary investigative steps to take when called to handle a matter involving a victim and/or witness with disabilities. 

Member Registration Price: $400
Non-Member Registration Price: $525


 

Workshop Description: This workshop will provide an overview of the core components of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT) and relevant populations and settings. AF-CBT is a trauma-informed behavioral intervention for families who exhibit or are at risk for problems with anger, aggression, and/or child physical abuse (www.afcbt.org). AF-CBT seeks to improve relationships between children and their caregivers using a comprehensive approach that targets the risks for conflict and coercion and the clinical consequences of its exposure. As such, AF–CBT is designed to work with a broad range of families engaged in verbal and/or physical aggression, whether the referral focuses upon the caregiver who has used harsh physical discipline, the child who has behavior problems, or the highly conflictual or “at-risk” family. The workshop provides a comprehensive overview of the model and its content, research outcomes, and training opportunities. Examples of appropriate families will be provided and discussed to highlight key family processes that underlie the use of coercion and hostility (e.g., relationships, reframing, rules and roles, family routines). Participants are encouraged to raise questions and request further information.

Objectives:

1. Describe the AF-CBT model, including targeted skills and treatment phases.

2. Communicate to one’s agency the clinical considerations for agency-wide implementation of AF-CBT.

3. Identify families who are appropriate for AF-CBT.

Speaker Biography: David J. Kolko, Ph.D., is Professor of Psychiatry, Psychology, Pediatrics, and Clinical and Translational Science, at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine. He directs the Special Services Unit at UPMC Western Psychiatric Hospital, a program devoted to the development and dissemination of evidence-based practices for children/adolescents who are victims and/or perpetrators of physical/sexual aggression being served in diverse community settings, such as juvenile justice, child welfare, pediatric primary care, and mental health. He is co-developer of Alternatives for Families: A Cognitive Behavioral Therapy (AF-CBT; www.afbt.org), an intervention to improve family relationships for those experiencing anger and conflict, aggression and punitive discipline, and child physical abuse, or child behavior problems.