Youth that becomes entangled in the justice system tend to come from two specific groups – those that have experienced some form of trauma or those that may have intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD) – or worse, those that have both. This session explores the intersection between trauma and IDD, myths that surround it, and effective interventions to help these populations.
Leading the webinar is Dr. Michael Gomez, from the Bradley Hospital Lifespan Institute, one of the teaching hospitals for the Warren Alpert Medical School at Brown University. He previously worked as the director of the Adversity and Resilience Community Center (ARCC), a child trauma behavioral health clinic in West Texas, and was also an Adjunct Professor at Texas Tech University Department of Psychological Sciences.
Specifics of his discussion include:
- A rundown of the most common myths about children with IDD, a real-life example of which, and setting it straight that there are more nuances than just these generalizations.
- Understanding the stages of normal child development as it relates to how they understand the world and cause-and-effect.
- The best approaches to get compliance and cooperation for those working with children across the developmental stages.
- What Fetal Alcohol Disorder is, how it is diagnosed, the criteria for the diagnosis, and other related conditions if not all criteria are met.
- Differentiating Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD) from Intellectual Disability (ID), the criteria for a diagnosis, and assessments used to evaluate for it.
- The relationship between IQ and Executive Function (EF), the components of IQ and what it determines, and what EF impairment is characterized by.
- Understanding Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) based on the present and absent things in the day-to-day life and interactions of someone with this disorder.
- The very specific components and conditions that makeup autism, its pervasiveness, and the gold standard test for diagnosing ASD.
- Comparing and contrasting Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) and Developmental Trauma Disorder based on the amount of exposure to trauma, the type of trauma experienced, the cluster of symptoms, and what is often seen in kids with IDD.
- The higher likelihood of trauma risk for kids with IDD based on their life experiences and their vulnerability to it.
- The Road to Recovery free training from the National Child Traumatic Stress Network Learning Center to better understand the trauma and IDD link and the treatments and services available to address it.
- The effective trauma treatments to seek for children with IDD and trauma to address their challenges.
- What those in the criminal justice field working with kids with IDD and trauma should ask to ensure that the treatment being provided is indeed effective.
- TF-CBT as the treatment that has been proven to work for kids with IDD and trauma and the phases of the treatment program.
- Applying TF-CBT by looking into the different areas the kids may have differences and challenges.
- What CBT may look like for a kid in the egocentric stage.
Questions from the webinar attendees are about:
- Specific needs of adults who have IDD.
- Assisting individuals with ASD for law enforcement.
- Prevalence of IDD and trauma in adopted children and those in foster care.
Other Webinars with this Presenter
- June 15: Beyond Self-Care: The CE-CERT Model for Secondary Trauma and Burnout
- Nov 3: Intervening with Trauma and Intellectual/Developmental Disabilities (IDD) in Families (this webinar)
- Feb 7, 2023: “My court date is next week:” How We Can Best Help Traumatized Youth in Legal Sphere
- April 25: “They didn’t teach us this in law school:” How to Create a Legitimate Trauma-Informed Court
- Sept 12: The Magic Decoder Ring: How Criminal Justice can Work Better with Therapists and Psychologists for Youth and Family Cases
Audience Comments
- “I like how IQ was described as the player and Executive Function was described as the coach.” –Mary
- “The presenter did a very good job at presenting a broad and difficult topic.” — Jessica
- “This webinar provided valuable information in an easily understood format that can be put into practice.” — Jenn
- “Thank you for the myth buster. That was awesome.” — Lydia
- “Dr. Gomez is an amazing presenter, engaging and entertaining on a difficult subject matter. Gave me some excellent information for study and resources to explore. Loved the breakdown on a complex topic and real-world advice. Thank you, will look forward to more trainings by him.” — Michael
- “Great training-I appreciated the analogies to help wrap my mind around the content (and to be able to similarly explain it to parents we are working with in our field).” — Tabitha
- “Dr. Gomez is the most engaging presenter I have witnessed in a long time. Thank you for keeping it interesting.” — Amanda
- “All information I learned was very valuable and informative. I learned that I could not only use this information with our clients but also with my children at home.” — Blanca
- “Demystifying and busting the myths about intellectual disabilities. I enjoyed Dr. Gomez’s ability to take a complex issue like the brain and beak it down to the simplest form for understanding.” — Krysten
- “So interesting. Dr. Gomez is such an engaging speaker. Thank you!” — Melissa
- “Dr. Gomez actually gave me a different way to look at things. I think that’s priceless.” — WYNTER
- “Really enjoyed this speaker’s knowledge and personality. Very helpful info as well, and he kept it engaging.” — Cassandra
- “I really enjoyed this training. I like how he used examples. It made it easier to understand.” — Dena
- “Dr. Gomez is a very dynamic speaker. I especially enjoyed hearing more about FASD, as well as EF. I enjoyed the breakdown of examples of each EF function. Great stuff!” — Nancy
- “His knowledge, he was full of information.” — Rocio
- “The video on CBT and Potty Training, the description of a therapist using the Dumbo analogy, the examples given, the stories, and the pace was good (probably easier for those of us with a clinical background). I’m looking forward to more.” — Dr. Darrin
NACP and D-SAACP Advocates can earn 1 CEU by attending this webinar through the National Advocate Credentialing Program (NACP)® and the DoD Sexual Assault Advocate Certification Program (D-SAACP). Founded in 1975, the National Organization for Victim Assistance (NOVA) is the oldest national victim assistance organization of its type in the United States and is the recognized leader in victim advocacy, education and credentialing. To learn more about NOVA, visit trynova.org.
