From Womb to One: The Foundations of Human Development

Description

Early development sets the stage for everything that follows — from self-regulation and sensory processing to attention, learning, and social engagement. This two-day professional workshop explores the intricate developmental journey from in utero through the first year of life, offering a multidisciplinary lens on how the earliest sensory, emotional, and relational experiences shape the architecture for later functioning in daily life, academics, recreation, and relationships.

Through an integration of neurodevelopmental science, sensory processing theory, and relational frameworks (including the DIR/Floortime model, PolyVagal Theory), participants will deepen their understanding of how early regulation, attachment, and movement experiences influence:

• Activities of daily living: self-care, feeding, and adaptive functioning
• Academic readiness: attention, executive function, and emotional regulation
• Social participation: empathy, communication, and co-regulation
• Recreational engagement: curiosity, exploration, and creative play

Rather than focusing on infant therapy techniques, this workshop provides professionals with a big-picture developmental map, connecting early brain organization to the later capacities that allow children to thrive in learning, relationships, and independence.

Outline / Agenda:

 

Day 1:

9.00 to 10.30am                   Prenatal Development and the Ecology of Safety

10.30 to 11.00am                Morning Break

11.00 to 12.30pm                Birth to 12 weeks – Regulation and Relating

12.30 to 1.30pm                   Lunch

1.30 to 3.00pm                    Sensory Foundations & DIR/Floortime FEDCs 1–2 (0–6 months)

3.00 to 3.30pm                     Afternoon Break

3.30 to 5.00pm                     Attachment Beginnings & Co‑Regulation

 

Day 2:

9.00 to 10.30am                   Motor, Perceptual & Cognitive Emergence (6–12 months)

10.30 to 11.00am                Morning Break

11.00 to 12.30pm                FEDCs 3: Two‑Way Communication

12.30 to 1.30pm                   Lunch

1.30 to 3.00pm                     Early Risks & Pathways to Support

3.00 to 5.00pm                     Caregiver Coaching Strategies in a Multidisciplinary, Holistic Framework

 

Learning Objectives:

By the end of this two-day workshop, participants will be able to:

1. Describe the sequence of early neurodevelopment from prenatal life through the first year, including the sensory, motor, emotional, and regulatory systems that form the foundation for later functional capacities
2. Explain how prenatal and early postnatal experiences influence long-term development in self-regulation, sensory processing, and attachment, linking these to later success in daily living, academic, and social participation
3. Identify early indicators of dysregulation or developmental vulnerability in infants and caregivers, using a strength-based and culturally sensitive observational framework
4. Analyze the interconnection between early sensory-motor development and higher-order capacities such as attention, executive functioning, and emotional resilience
5. Evaluate how multidisciplinary collaboration (occupational therapy, psychology, speech-language, and medical perspectives) enhances caregiver coaching and intervention planning during the first year of life
6. Integrate knowledge of early relational and sensory foundations into assessment, treatment planning, and caregiver education for older children, demonstrating how early experiences shape participation in everyday, academic, and recreational contexts.

Provider Name: Tacitus

Presenter: Maude Le Roux, OTR/L, SIPT, ADHD-RSP, DIR Champion and Expert Training Leader

Bio: Maude Le Roux is a global trainer in multiple methodologies and a mentor to therapists from multidisciplinary teams. She opened her practice, A Total Approach in Glen Mills, PA, USA in 2001. Maude started her training career in 2007 and opened her online academy in 2019. She has designed the Developmental Pathways Model (DPM), which she applies to her own unique assessment and intervention protocol for major diagnosis such as Dyspraxia, ADHD and Executive Functions, Autism, Reading and Writing Disorders, and Trauma and Attachment. Maude served 9 years on the Board of Directors for ATTACh and currently serves on their Advisory Board. She also serves on the Advisory Board for LSWorks (Neuralign program). She is a co-author of two books and more recently wrote a chapter on Trauma and the Body in “Healing Connections” which launched in September 2024. Maude received an award for “Continued child advocacy” through the ATTACh organization in September 2024. She also received the Champion Award through ICDL in November 2024. Maude has a “whole child” approach to care and intervention and equipping the child, while empowering the parent is at the core of who she is as a clinician and trainer.

Target Audience: Occupational Therapists, Speech Language Pathologists, Physical Therapists, Social Workers, Psychologists, Educators

Educational Level: Intermediary

Instructional Methods: PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Video 

Contact Hours: 4 hours, 30 minutes