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From Scattered to Strong Connections: Supporting Pragmatic Growth in Early Childhood

Presented by Sarah Van Auken M.S. CCC-SLP & Jessica Vario M.S. CCC-SLP | December 11, 2025 7PM EST

1 HOUR | LIVE ONLINE via ZOOM | INTERACTIVE

The roots of communication begin long before children can read or write. Early pragmatic skills, like joint attention, co-regulation, pretend play, turn-taking, asking and answering questions, sharing simple narratives, and recognizing emotions, lay the foundation for how children connect with others and later evolve into the narrative and discourse abilities that support future literacy skills. Due to emerging pragmatic language skills in the preschool and kindergarten years, children may struggle to tell clear stories, stay on topic, or sequence events.
Pragmatics and academics grow together.
This session is for  Early Childhood Teachers, Therapists, and Professionals who work with Young Children to learn the powerful role of pragmatics in early development and offers practical strategies, case studies, and real-world examples to help children move from scattered to connected communication, building confidence in relationships and preparing them for future academic success. 

DISCLOSURES [Sarah Van Auken  & Jessica Vario]

Financial Disclosures –  Sarah Van Auken & Jessica Vario have no relevant financial relationships to disclose. 

Nonfinancial Disclosures - Sarah Van Auken & Jessica Vario have no relevant nonfinancial relationships to disclose. 

PURCHASE THIS WEBINAR

Objectives

The participants will be able to…

 

1. Explain how early pragmatic skills spark connection, drive social growth, and lay the groundwork for storytelling, discourse, and literacy success.

2. Recognize powerful, practical strategies, grounded in case studies, to transform scattered interactions into clear, connected stories and meaningful connections.

3. Identify everyday opportunities in play, circle time, and family life to unlock the building blocks for future literacy and academic success.





Agenda

7:00 – 7:05 PM | Welcome & Introductions


7:05 – 7:20 PM | The Roots of Pragmatics in Early Childhood


7:20 – 7:40 PM | Pragmatics and Academics: How Social Skills Support Literacy


7:40 – 8:00 PM | Strategies, Case Studies, and Real-World Examples, Q&A

Registration/Processing Fee: $9

 

Cancellation Policy

If you cancel within 30 days before the event, the registration fee is not refundable. However, you will receive a credit for the registration fee which can be applied to another Young Child Learning event within the following 12 months. The processing fee is non-refundable.

 

This Webinar Offers The Follwoing CE Certificate/Credits

1.0 ASWB CE CREDITS (BEGINNER LEVEL)

Association of Social Work Boards
(ASWB)
Provider Code #1366
Approval Period: 3/30/22-3/30/25

Young Child Learning, #1366, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 3/30/22-3/30/25. Social workers completing this course receive 1.0 General continuing education credits.

This program is offered for  0.1 ASHA CEUS (Introductory Level)

American Speech-Language-Hearing Association (ASHA)

ASHA Certification Maintenance Standards require that all certificate holders (CCC-A and CCC-SLP) must accumulate 30 Certificate Maintenance Hours (CMHs) of professional development during each 3-year certification maintenance interval in order to maintain their ASHA Certificates of Clinical Competence (CCC).

PURCHASE THIS WEBINAR

How to obtain your certificate:

  • You MUST attend the webinar from start to finish

  • You MUST fill out the attendance form (will be sent via email)

  • You MUST ANSWER the QUIZ (For ASHA)

  • You MUST answer & submit the evaluation form after the webinar (will be sent via email)  

ASHA will reflect your CEU credits on your ASHA CEU Registry within 45 days.

Contact [email protected] for any issues/concerns.

Speaker's Biography

Sarah Van Auken is a speech-language pathologist with a rich background spanning a wide range of clinical settings, ages, and diagnoses. She has many years of experience evaluating and treating adult and pediatric populations. At her practice, Speak to Connect, she works with clients through the lifespan to target: voice and motor speech disorders, accent modification, public speaking, fluency, orofacial myofunctional challenges, phonological and articulation disorders, language delays and disorders, dysphagia and swallowing safety and function, as well as pragmatics and social skills. Sarah's specialty lies in helping performers and other professionals, as well as children, heal their voices and refine their vocal prowess. She earned her Master of Science in Communication Sciences and Disorders from Teachers College, Columbia University. In 2011, she received her Bachelor of Fine Arts in acting at the University of the Arts, and worked professionally as an actor and playwright for several years. Her eclectic background and love for the human experience imbue her work as an SLP with compassion, openness, understanding, connection, and creativity.

Speaker's Biography

Jessica Vario is a bilingual speech-language pathologist providing services in English and Spanish, with over a decade of experience. She specializes in evaluating and treating multilingual and culturally diverse children, adolescents, and adults, with expertise in distinguishing a true communication disorder from differences related to language exposure or cultural upbringing. Through her practice, Speak to Connect, she helps clients of all ages develop the skills they need to communicate with confidence. Her clinical expertise spans accent modification, articulation and orofacial myology, expressive and receptive language delays, auditory processing treatment, bilingual language development, underpinned by a particular passion for pragmatic language, helping clients strengthen the social communication skills essential for strong relationships, active participation in learning or work settings, and oral/written expression. Growing up in TV and film, Jessica gained a deep appreciation for perspective-taking, interpreting non-verbal cues, and adapting communication to different audiences, skills she now teaches her clients. She earned her M.S. from Teachers College, Columbia University, and her B.S. from Long Island University, CW Post.

Host's Biography

Dr. Scott Mesh is the Director of Young Child Learning and the CEO and Co-Founder of Los Niños Services which serves 2,000 young children with special needs each year through homecare and center services. He is a Clinical Psychologist with over 25 years of experience working with young children and their families and is an expert on assessing young children for developmental disabilities and autism. He has helped thousands of parents over the years make the transition to gaining help for their children through early childhood special education services. He is a leader in early childhood development and working effectively with parents.

System Requirements

You can access this webinar from various devices and platforms, on both PC and Mac desktops/laptops, as well as Android and iOS mobile devices. Our system requirements for these follow below.

Minimum system requirements

  • Browser: The latest Chrome, Firefox, Safari, Edge, or Opera for desktop/laptop
  • A broadband connection with a minimum speed of 5 Mbps

PC specific requirements

  • Platform: Windows 8.1 or higher with the latest updates installed
  • RAM: 4GB or more
  • Video: Graphics output capability
  • Sound: Sound output capability

Mac specific requirement

  • Platform: Mac OS X 10.12 or higher with the latest updates installed
  • RAM: 4GB or more
  • Video: Graphics output capability
  • Sound: Sound output capability

Mobile specific requirements

  • iOS 15.0 and above
  • Android 7.0 and above

Grievance Policy & Procedure

 
 
Young Child Learning will comply with all legal and ethical responsibilities to be non-discriminatory in promotional activities, program content and in the treatment of program participants.
 
The monitoring and assessment of compliance with these standards will be the responsibility of Young Child Learning. All grievances must be submitted in writing (via e-mail or mail) within 7 days after purchase of the webinar. Any supporting documents must be included with the submitted complaint.
 
For all grievances, contact information (name, phone number, and email) must be provided in the case that the Young Child Learning team may need clarification.

 

Submit complaints in writing to Young Child Learning, 505 8th Avenue, Floor 12A Room 02, New York, NY 10018 or via email at [email protected].

Special Accommodations or Requests

Individuals in need of special accommodations should contact the Admin, Cari Laroza at (212) 787-9700 ext. 3330 to make a request. Include name, contact info, webinar details, and accommodation needs. Our team will review requests and respond within 7-12 business days. Confidentiality is maintained. Compliance with ADA is assured.

 

Requests for special accommodations must be made prior to purchasing the webinar.

 

Individuals will be informed if the request can be accommodated.  Once the individual confirms, the special accommodations will be secured. If the individual finds that they no longer need of the accommodations, they must inform the Admin.

For questions/inquiries:

Contact Cari Laroza (Administrator) for  any questions

at (212) 787-9700 ext. 3330 or via email at [email protected]