Varleisha Gibbs – Advanced Self-Regulation

Varleisha Gibbs, Ph.D., OTD, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist with a passion and expertise in developmental and neurological conditions. She has dedicated her career to connecting science to practice and advocating for family-centered approaches. She is the inaugural chair/director, and associate professor of the Master’s of Occupational Therapy at Wesley College in Dover, Delaware.

Speaker Disclosures: Financial: Dr. Varleisha Gibbs is the founder/ president of Universal Progressive Therapy, Inc. She is a faculty member at the University of the Sciences Philadelphia and receives compensation. She is a speaker who receives an honorarium for PESI, Inc. Nonfinancial: Dr. Varleisha Gibbs has been published in a peer-reviewed journal Occupational Therapy and Healthcare.

Christine Wing, Ph.D., CCC-SLP, has worked intensively with children at risk for or demonstrating significant behavior problems for over fifteen years. She has worked closely with educators, mental health professionals, and therapists in both educational and health care settings. Dr. Wing integrates her clinical work as a certified speech and language pathologist with her own research on the relationships between language and behavior problems. She has provided speech and language services as co-owner of an integrated therapy practice with an occupational therapist and a physical therapist, as well as music therapists and psychotherapists. She has developed case studies demonstrating the use of communication-based strategies for children with challenging behaviors and provides consultation to professionals across the United States.

Speaker Disclosures: Financial: Dr. Christine Wing has an employment relationship with Strategic Solutions, Inc. She has presented at numerous state and national conferences. She receives a speaking honorarium from PESI, Inc. Nonfinancial: Dr. Christine Wing has no relevant nonfinancial relationship to disclose.

Laura Ehlert, Psy.D., is a child clinical psychologist who has worked with children and adolescents with severe emotional/behavioral issues for over 25 years. She holds a doctorate degree in Clinical Psychology where her training focused on developmental issues of childhood, and child psychopathology issues. Over the years, she has worked with thousands of youth in a variety of settings including hospitals, residential treatment centers, partial hospital programs, school day treatment and outpatient mental health settings. Dr. Ehlert maintains a private practice in Burnsville, Minnesota, where she specializes in working with clients who struggle with information and sensory processing deficits and associated emotional, behavioral and mental health issues. Professionals who have worked with Dr. Ehlert in the past have often commented that interventions she offers succeeded where others have failed.