PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT

---

PACT Professional Development Days (PDD) for the 2025-2026 School Year

Fall 2025- Virtual- Thursday, Oct. 23 & Wednesday, Oct. 29 at either 3-5pm or 7-9pm

Spring 2026-In-Person-Thursday, March 19 from 9am-1pm in Rockville. Our Spring PDDs will alternate between Rockville and Fairfax each spring in consideration of all of our members’ locations. 

PACT is pleased to offer two virtual workshops this Fall 2025: "Nurturing Neurodiversity in Preschoolers: Practical Tools for Real Impact" by Andrea Howard, Ph.D and "Sensory Processing Differences (SPD): What Out-of-Sync Children Want their Teacher to Know" by Carol Kranowitz(CWO-163307). 

We have scheduling options for your convenience; sessions will be held Thursday, October 23 from 3-5 PM and 7-9 PM, and Wednesday, October 29 from 3-5 PM and 7-9 PM. You may choose to attend both of the 3-5 PM sessions, both of the 7-9 PM sessions, or both sessions on a single date! See below for more details about the workshops content and presenters.

Workshops Content Descriptions:

"Nurturing Neurodiversity in Preschoolers: Practical Tools for Real Impact" by Andrea Howard, Ph.D

Thursday, October - 23 3pm to 5pm OR Wednesday, October 29-7pm to 9pm

Description: This presentation aims to provide education for preschool teachers and staff in working effectively with children with Autism and their families. Major areas of focus include learning the symptoms of Autism, identifying effective classroom accommodations, meeting the needs of children with developmental differences alongside their typically developing peers and building partnerships with families to improve impact.

Learning Objectives:

1. Participants will identify symptoms of Autism as they present in preschool-age children.

2. Participants will identify at least three accommodations that can be used in the

preschool classroom setting to meet the needs of diverse learners. 

3. Participants will learn key skills in sharing developmental concerns with parents

to ensure that children receive adequate support across settings.

"Sensory Processing Differences (SPD): What Out-of-Sync Children Want their Teacherto Know" by Carol Kranowitz

Thursday, October 23-7pm to 9pm OR Wednesday, October 29-3pm to 5pm

Description: “Out-of-sync” children with sensory challenges may be bewildered by the world as well as bewildering to their grown-ups. This presentation will review the ways Sensory Processing Differences play out, describe how kids strive to get — or to get away from — certain sensory stimuli, and offer fun and functional strategies to help children get in sync. 1 COK/Curriculum, 1 COK/Child Development

Presenters' Biography

Andrea Howard, Ph.D., is a licensed clinical psychologist and the Diagnostic Program Director at Pathways by Behavioral Framework, a diagnostic clinic that provides comprehensive psychological evaluations for individuals ages 1 to 21. Dr. Howard is licensed as a psychologist in Maryland and the District of Columbia and is PSYPACT-approved to provide services to clients in many other states, including Virginia. Dr. Howard specializes in the diagnosis of Autism and other developmental disabilities, working closely with families to provide access to supports within home, community, and educational settings. Dr. Howard received her Ph.D. in School Psychology from the University of Cincinnati. She completed her pre-doctoral internship at the Pittsburgh Psychology Internship Consortium before relocating to the DC Metro area to complete her postdoctoral work in public charter

schools, Early Head Start centers, and private practice. Dr. Howard’s work is heavily influenced by her training in applied behavior analysis, cognitive behavioral therapy, and the work of diagnosis as child advocacy. She has had a distinguished career in school and child-clinical psychology across environments, including early childhood centers, schools, pediatric hospitals, and private clinics. Her research has focused on using functional assessment to increase the effectiveness of self-management interventions, as well as using self-monitoring to improve classroom behavior for children with emotional and behavioral disorders. Dr. Howard previously taught within the Behavior Analysis program at the University of Cincinnati and served as a practicum supervisor for graduate students in clinical psychology programs for several years prior to her employment at Behavioral Framework. Dr. Howard joined the team at Behavioral Framework in the spring of 2022 to lead Pathways by Behavioral Framework. In her role, Dr. Howard completes diagnostic evaluations, provides supervision of graduate-level trainees, and oversees the growth of the department. In addition, Dr. Howard provides community-based training to parents, school staff, and psychologists in her mission of educating others about best practices for meeting the needs of children with Autism.

Carol Kranowitz, when she was the music and movement teacher at St. Columba's Nursery School in Washington, DC, Carol observed many "out-of-sync" children with Sensory Processing Differences (SPD). To help these children participate in ordinary experiences, she learned to identify their sensory challenges and steer them into early intervention. To help their parents and teachers "get it" about SPD, Carol has given hundreds of presentations. The seminal book in her "Sync" series is “The Out-of-Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Differences.” Her mission is to empower families and educators to incorporate joyful sensory-motor experiences into the daily life of every child.

Credit Hours and Core of Knowledge Area

Members who attend the full two-hour session of either workshop this Fall 2025 will receive 2 Core of Knowledge credit hours. 

Registration

Registration and payment can be completed HERE. Please sign up individually to ensure your email is recorded. Registration and Payment are due by Thursday, October 16. By completing the Fall PDD registration, you are also receiving a membership to PACT for the 2025-2026 school year and will have access to our Spring Professional Developmental Days. 

Access to the Zoom Link for Fall Professional Development Days

A Zoom link will be e-mailed to registered members 24 hours prior to each session. Please join your training session at least 15-20 minutes early to check audio/video, sign in, and hear announcements from PACT. 

Assessments and Evaluations

Members will be asked to complete a content assessment and presenter evaluation of the virtual course via a Google form. The link will be e-mailed to participants following the PDD and should be completed within 24 hours. **Requirements by MSDE also stipulate members from MD must pass the assessment with a score of 70% or higher.

Certificates

In accordance with MSDE regulations, participants MUST attend the full two-hour virtual presentation and complete a content assessment along with a presenter evaluation before receiving their certificate. Further details about completing the assessment will be covered at the pre-PDD business meeting. Personalized certificates will be emailed within 2 weeks of each Professional Development Day.

Interested in Being a Presenter?

Trainers who would like to present a workshop at a future PACT Professional Development Day, please contact Bernadine Occhiuzzo and Doreen Bunten