This course provides a comprehensive exploration of embodied cognition and its practical implications for understanding and supporting children’s behaviors. Participants will examine how cognitive processes are shaped by sensorimotor development, reflexes, social interaction, communication, and self-regulation, and how these foundations influence the behaviors we see in practice.
Building on this framework, the course addresses the complex challenges faced by children impacted by disabilities, trauma, toxic stress, and environmental factors, with discussion of behaviors such as self-stimulation, restricted and repetitive actions, anxiety responses, and self-injurious behaviors. Through case studies, participants will learn to identify underlying sensorimotor needs and connect them to targeted interventions across populations including ASD, VI, MI, MD, and DHH.
