Join live or receive a link to the recording and earn a CE certificate
- This event has passed.
Fine and Gross Motor Fun: Supporting Academic Readiness in Early Childhood and Children with Autism
Thursday, April 11, 2024 @ 3:00 pm - 4:00 pm EDT
Presented by Laura Dowdy, Occupational Therapist, Humble Independent School District (TX); and Katy Mercier, Manager of Professional Learning, Stages Learning Materials
Sponsored by Stages Learning
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Want to know why fine and gross motor development is so critical for early childhood learners? Join this edWebinar to better understand the importance of motor development and how to support academic readiness for our youngest students with disabilities. Viewers learn the science behind motor development and the positive impact that can be made by creating a movin’-and-groovin’ classroom for students.
Viewers also leave with fine and gross motor resources, tips, and activities that can be incorporated into early childhood classrooms starting tomorrow. Plus, the presenters celebrate the announcement of Stages Learning’s 2024 ARIS Thrive Grant Winners in conjunction with Autism Acceptance Month!
This recorded edWebinar is of interest to early childhood teachers and school and district leaders.
About the Presenters
Laura Dowdy has been an occupational therapist for 23 years in a variety of practice settings. She worked with adult neurological rehabilitation supporting recovery in patients after a stroke, traumatic brain injury, or spinal cord injury. After she had her own children, her focus shifted to pediatrics in both the outpatient and inpatient settings addressing sensory, motor, and perceptual needs. She started school-based practice in 2011 and is now the Director of Responsive Services (Dyslexia/Dysgraphia and Section 504). She helped develop the testing and intervention components for dysgraphia in Humble ISD beginning in 2015.
Katy Mercier has over 14 years of experience in early childhood special education. She began her career as a classroom teacher for early childhood special education students in self-contained and inclusive settings. After teaching for 10 years, Katy moved into an early childhood specialist role where she supported teachers in the classroom, assisted with special education program placement and development, and provided professional development for teachers and paraprofessionals across the district. Katy now works as a Manager of Professional Learning at Stages Learning Materials, where she provides training for districts using the ARIS curriculum in their special education and early childhood programs.
Learn more about viewing the live presentation and the recording, earning your CE certificate, and using our new accessibility features.
Join the Teaching Students with Autism community to network with educators, participate in online discussions, receive invitations to upcoming edWebinars, and view recordings of previous programs to earn CE certificates.
For 25 years, STAGES® Learning has been dedicated to creating quality teaching tools to help educators provide the best learning opportunities for students on the autism spectrum. Since our first product, Language Builder: Picture Cards, was introduced in 1997, millions of children around the world have benefited from our products. Today, STAGES’ offerings include award-winning, photo-based teaching tools, manipulatives, games, puzzles, posters and sensory items, culminating in our recently launched complete curriculum for children with autism or other cognitive delays. STAGES’ online learning platform, releasing in time for fall 2022, will provide a digital option to ensure educators can support learners with autism and language delays in even more ways.
