Communicating with Kindness to Parents with Children with Disabilities: Becoming Part of the Circle of Support

Presented by Gary Shulman, MS. Ed. | February 11, 2026 7PM EST

1 HOUR | LIVE ONLINE via ZOOM | INTERACTIVE

Camera and Audio REQUIRED
There is no free access option ($19 to join)

We are all part of a circle of support for the children and families. When a child has a disability (diagnosed or undiagnosed) the parents/caregivers are under tremendous stress and need support and kindness from all professionals in their lives.
This interactive workshop will share strategies to strengthen the bond between professionals in the child’s life and the family so all can be part of a circle of support that facilitates the future success of the child while helping to relieve some of the stress encountered by the whole family. Learn how to respond with kindness and compassion to a parent's concerns about how their child's disability might be affecting the child's learning capabilities, growth and development
One piece of valuable information placed kindly into the life of a family caring for a child with a disability can monumentally and positively change the trajectory of their hope for the future.
Join us for some quality sharing and caring!

Teachers, therapists, social workers, and other early childhood professionals working with young children will benefit from this webinar.

DISCLOSURES [Gary Shulman]

Financial Disclosures – Gary Shulman has no relevant financial relationships to disclose.

Nonfinancial Disclosures - Gary Shulman has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.

Objectives

1. Describe common sources of stress experienced by families of children with disabilities and how these stressors affect family-professional relationships.

2. Identify strength-based language and supportive communication strategies to foster trust and partnership with parents/caregivers.

3. Identify practical, everyday opportunities to share resources, information, and reassurance in ways that empower families and reduce anxiety.

4. Explain how a coordinated “circle of support” among professionals can improve outcomes for children’s learning, development, and overall well-being.

Agenda

7:00–7:05 PM – Welcome and session overview
7:05–7:15 PM – Understanding family stress and its impact on relationships
7:15–7:30 PM – Communicating with kindness and using strength-based language
7:30–7:45 PM – Building a coordinated circle of support for children and families
7:45–7:55 PM – Interactive sharing, reflection, and real-world applications
7:55–8:00 PM – Closing thoughts and next steps

How to Obtain Your CE Certificate/Credits:

You MUST attend the workshop from start to finish
You MUST submit the evaluation form after the workshop (will be sent via email)

ADDITIONAL FOR ASHA CEUs: You MUST answer the quiz after the workshop (this will be included in the evaluation form as another section).

You will receive your certificate/credits within 48 hours after fulfilling the above requirements via email.

For ASHA, your CE Credits will be reflected on your CE Registry account within 45 days after you fulfill the above requirements, and after we send your registration info to their team.

This Workshop Offers The Following CE Certificate/Credits

You will select your Certificate or Credit Type after you pay the registration fee. After that, you'll be redirected to a form where you’ll be prompted to choose the Certificate/Credit Type you wish to receive.

1.0 CTLE CONTACT HOURS

New York State Education Department, Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE)

Provider Code #23394

Approval Period: 3/29/22 - 3/29/2027

Young Child Learning is recognized by the New York State Education Department's Office of Teaching Initiatives as an approved sponsor of CTLE for Professional Classroom Teachers, School Leaders and Level III Teaching Assistants.

1.0 NYSED SW CONTACT HOURS

New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work (NYSED SW)

Provider Code #0365

Approval Period: 8/31/25 - 8/31/28

Young Child Learning is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Social Work as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed social workers. Young Child Learning maintains responsibility for the program. Social work professionals should contact their regulatory board to confirm course approval for continuing education credits.

1.0 ASWB CE CREDITS (BEGINNER LEVEL)

Association of Social Work Boards
(ASWB)

Provider Code #1366
Approval Period: 3/30/25-3/30/28

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

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.

Speaker's Biography

Gary Shulman, MS. Ed. has spent a lifetime supporting vulnerable families and children. He began his career working with children with and without disabilities in an inclusive Head Start program in Brooklyn NY. He then transitioned to become the Special Needs and Early Childhood Coordinator for the Brooklyn Children's Museum for 10 years. His passion for advocacy grew as he worked more and more with parents of children with disabilities. For over 24 years he passionately advocated for the needs of these parents as the Social Services and Training Director for Resources for Children with Special Needs, Inc. in NYC. The last years of his working life, Mr. Shulman served as a private Special Needs Consultant conducting hundreds of training sessions throughout NYC and beyond to help parents and professionals find and access the services and systems required to facilitate maximizing the potential of their children with disabilities. Now in Arlington VA Gary still supports vulnerable families, serving as Commissioner for the Partnership for Children, Youth and Families, Gary continues his workshop presentations and now also enjoys sharing his poetry that he passionately writes with the goal of leaving this world a better place one word at a time.

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.