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• Hard Talks, Soft Landings (EI edition): Navigating Difficult Conversations About Development, Support Needs & Medical Referrals

  • When
    Friday, August 21, 2026
  •  
    12:30 PM - 2:00 PM
  • Location
    Online Webinar (please note this is Central Standard Time)
  • Spaces left
    198

  Register

  
  

  Hard Talks, Soft Landings (EI edition): Navigating Difficult Conversations About Development, Support Needs & Medical Referrals 
  

  Conversations about developmental concerns and referrals can feel like walking a tightrope—balancing honesty with empathy and expertise with family voice. In early intervention, these moments are shaped by culture, multigenerational beliefs, and lived experiences, including past trauma and systems mistrust.
  

  This interactive webinar gives developmental therapists a clear, relationship-based roadmap for talking with families about possible delays and next steps. Participants will practice sharing observations without judgment, responding to emotional reactions, and introducing referrals in a way that builds trust and supports family choice. Through real-life scenarios and practical language tools, therapists will leave more confident and prepared to navigate these important conversations with clarity and care.

  More from our presenter

  Tracy Patton is a nationally recognized speaker, early childhood consultant and proud “mess maker,” helping educators, caregivers, and communities make sense of children’s behavior—and their own. With over 25 years of experience and a foundation in child development, trauma-informed care, and grief support, Tracy delivers interactive, sensory-rich workshops that turn everyday moments into powerful opportunities for connection and learning. Through her company, Once Upon Some Messy Fun, she brings social-emotional learning to life using play, storytelling, sensory activities and hands-on experiences—equipping adults with practical, relationship-based strategies to support self-regulation, navigate big feelings, strengthen partnerships, and prevent burnout. From classrooms to living rooms to conference stages, Tracy helps people understand one simple truth: all behavior is communication—and when we respond with connection, everything changes.
  

  Early Intervention Credits:  TBD

  There will be a free reflective practice session offered after the webinar for all IDTA Members ONLY. This will require a separate registration. 

  Please note, a strict no cancellation policy will be enforced for all IDTA webinar

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• REFLECTIVE PRACTICE: Hard Talks, Soft Landings (EI edition): Navigating Difficult Conversations About Development, Support Needs & Medical Referrals

  • When
    Friday, August 21, 2026
  •  
    2:00 PM - 3:00 PM
  • Location
    Online Webinar (please note this is Central Standard Time)
  • Spaces left
    49

  Register

  Reflective Practice Session directly after Webinar.  Separate registration required. 

  Reflective Practice Session for the Webinar:

  Hard Talks, Soft Landings (EI edition): Navigating Difficult Conversations About Development, Support Needs & Medical Referrals

  Join us for a one-hour reflective practice session following the Hard Talks, Soft Landings webinar. This interactive session invites participants to discuss and process new information about supporting infants and toddlers and their families in Early Intervention (EI). Together, we will reflect on key topics including the use of IEL resources, evidence-based strategies, and collaborative approaches to family-centered care. Participants will share insights, consider practical applications, and identify ways to enhance EI services for children birth to age three.
  

  Early Intervention Credits - TBD
  

  This is a closed training and is only open to IDTA Members who attended the Webinar. 

  
  

  
  

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• 2026 Illinois Developmental Therapy Association Conference

  • When
    Friday, October 02, 2026
  •  
    8:30 AM - 3:30 PM
  • Location
    Moraine Valley Community College 9000 West College Parkway Building M, Palos Hills, IL 60465

  
  

  The IDTA is proud to announce our 11th annual conference exclusively for the developmental therapists in the field. This will be an excellent opportunity to connect with your peers, gain tips to further your practice, honor the achievements of  Developmental Therapists with the Wehman Award of Excellence, Benny D Rising Star Award, and celebrate all that has been accomplished in our field.

  This Years theme: 

  The DT in ME

  
  

  We are excited to have Dr. Benton Johnson II as our keynote speaker. 

  
  

  
  

  
  

  
  

  This year, we are excited to have morning breakout sessions after the keynote so that attendees can discover, choose, and learn from a topic of interest!

  Join us as we expand our knowledge of what we as developmental therapists can do to facilitate meaningful interactions for our EI families as they navigate the world around them. Be sure to keep checking our CONFERENCE LANDING PAGE for more details as they come in!

  Mark your calendars, book your hotel room, and prepare for a fun and knowledge filled day among your fellow Developmental Therapists.

  Have a question? Email us at conferencechair@illinoisdta.org

  *EI Credit has been applied for

  
  

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