Event Details
Date/Time/Location
Thursdays
November 5, 12, and 19, 2026
4:30 – 5:30PM
Online
Training Description
Session 1: Regulation Before Reasoning
Before children can problem-solve, cooperate, or “make a better choice,” they need access to regulation. In this session, participants will learn why regulation is the foundation for executive function and why dysregulated autistic children may look defiant, avoidant, shut down, silly, argumentative, or “not listening”. Gabriele will introduce practical co-regulation strategies that help adults meet children where they are before expecting reasoning, flexibility, or compliance.
Session 2: Social Skills and How They “Play” with Executive Function
Social situations place enormous demands on executive function. Conversation, play, peer conflict, group work, and repair all require impulse control, working memory, perspective-taking, cognitive flexibility, emotional regulation, and timing. In this session, participants will explore how social demands can overload autistic children and how adults can reduce pressure while still supporting connection, communication, repair, and self-advocacy. The focus will be on helping children build social capacity without turning every interaction into a performance review.
Session 3: From Rigidity to Flexibility
Rigidity is often misunderstood as stubbornness, when it may actually reflect stress, uncertainty, sensory overload, anxiety, or the heavy executive function demands of change. In this session, participants will learn how to recognize common flexibility challenges. Gabriele will also share concrete tools to help children feel safer, more prepared, and more able to respond flexibly over time.
Training Objectives
Session 1
- Explain why regulation is the foundation for learning, problem-solving, communication, and cooperation.
- Identify signs of dysregulation in autistic children, including subtle cues that may be mistaken for defiance, avoidance, or “not listening.”
- Use practical co-regulation strategies to support a child before expecting reasoning, flexibility, or compliance.
Session 2
- Describe how executive function skills, including impulse control, working memory, perspective-taking, and cognitive flexibility, affect social interactions
- Recognize how social demands can overload autistic children, especially in group settings, peer conflict, play, and conversation.
- Apply supportive strategies that reduce social pressure while helping children build connection, repair, and self-advocacy skills. responses.
Session 3
- Explain why rigidity often reflects stress, uncertainty, sensory overload, or executive function demands rather than stubbornness.
- Identify common flexibility challenges, including transitions, unexpected changes, sibling conflict, appointments, and non-preferred tasks.
- Use concrete tools such as previewing, visual supports, choice-making, transition buffers, and collaborative problem-solving to support more flexible responses.
Target Audience
professionals, parents, caregivers
About the Presenter
Gabriel Nicolet, MA CCC-SLP
Gabriele is a toddler whisperer, child development specialist, parent coach and host of the Complicated Kids Podcast. Gabriele is passionate about showing families how to help their complicated kids thrive and not just survive. She works with children and their families 1:1 and in groups.
Accommodations
We strive to host accessible events that enable all individuals living in our catchment area* to engage fully. To request accommodations or for inquiries about accessibility, please contact Dr. Danielle Liso at 352-265-2241 or card-training@ufl.edu.
*Counties Served by UF CARD: Alachua, Bradford, Citrus, Columbia, Dixie, Gilchrist, Hamilton, Hernando, Lafayette, Levy, Marion, Putnam, Suwannee, Union
If you live in a different county in Florida, find your CARD here.
Contact
Danielle Liso
card-training@ufl.edu
352-265-2241