Supporting Pragmatic Growth in Early Childhood

Date: December 11, 2025 (7-8:15PM EST)

Speaker: Sarah Van Auken M.S. CCC-SLP & Jessica Vario M.S. CCC-SLP

Hosted by: Dr. Scott Mesh

Format: Online Webinar (Interactive)

Target Audience: Early Childhood Teachers, Therapists, and Professionals who work with Young Children

Join for FREE: get a Certificate of Attendance at the end.

- CE Certificate/CEUs $9

○ 1.0 CTLE CE Hours (CE Certificate)

○ 1.0 NYSED SW CE Hours (CE Certificate)

○ 0.1 ASHA CE Credits (via ASHA Registry)

○ 1.0 ASWB CE Credits (CE Certificate)

REQUIREMENTS TO OBTAIN CE Certificate/CEUs:

○ You MUST attend the webinar from start to finish

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

○ You MUST answer & submit the evaluation form after the webinar (will be sent via email)Failure to fulfill requirements may result in delays receiving your certificate/credits, or in some cases, non-receipt of your certificate/credits.

○ ADDITIONA REQUIREMENT IF YOU PURCHASE ASHA CREDITS: You must answer the quiz

Webinar Description:

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 highlights 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

Objectives:

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

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

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

Speaker's Bio

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.

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 BioDr. Mesh is a clinical psychologist and the co-author of the book “Early Childhood Assessment: A Practical Guide to Psychological and Developmental Evaluations in the Early Intervention Program.” He has worked with families for over 30 years. Dr. Mesh is the Co-Founder and CEO of Los Niños Services, an award-winning Early Childhood Special Education program in New York City, and the Founder of Young Child Learning which provides professional development to teachers and all professionals working with young children. He consults with professionals and parents on the challenges they face in helping young children achieve their full potential. Dr. Mesh is the author of upcoming book Tapas: Tasty Inspirational Poems(www.inspire.nyc).

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.