Autism Interventions through the Lens of Polyvagal Theory: Improve Social Engagement, Increase Emotional Regulation, and Reduce Anxiety

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All members of the PESI, Inc. planning committee have provided disclosures of financial relationships with ineligible organizations and any relevant non-financial relationships prior to planning content for this activity. None of the committee members had relevant financial relationships with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

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For Planning Committee disclosures, please see the statement above.  For speaker disclosures, please see the faculty biography.

 

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Handouts

Speaker

Stephen Porges, PhD Related seminars and products

Kinsey Institute, Indiana University and Department of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina- Chapel Hill

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Stephen W. Porges, PhD, is a distinguished University Scientist at Indiana University, where he is the founding director of the Traumatic Stress Research Consortium within the Kinsey Institute. He holds the position of Professor of Psychiatry at the University of North Carolina and Professor Emeritus at the University of Illinois at Chicago and the University of Maryland, and is a founder of the Polyvagal Institute. Dr. Porges served as president of both the Society for Psychophysiological Research and the Federation of Associations in Behavioral & Brain Sciences and is a former recipient of a National Institute of Mental Health Research Scientist Development Award. He has published approximately 400 peer-reviewed scientific papers across several disciplines including anesthesiology, biomedical engineering, critical care medicine, ergonomics, exercise physiology, gerontology, neurology, neuroscience, obstetrics, pediatrics, psychiatry, psychology, psychometrics, space medicine, and substance abuse. His research has been cited in more than 50,000 peer-review publications. In 1994, Dr. Porges proposed the Polyvagal Theory, a theory that links the evolution of the mammalian autonomic nervous system to social behavior and emphasizes the importance of physiological state in the expression of behavioral problems and psychiatric disorders. The theory is leading to innovative treatments based on insights into the mechanisms mediating symptoms observed in several behavioral, psychiatric, and physical disorders.

He is the author of The Polyvagal Theory: Neurophysiological foundations of Emotions, Attachment, Communication, and Self-Regulation (Norton, 2011), The Pocket Guide to the Polyvagal Theory: The Transformative Power of Feeling Safe (Norton, 2017), Polyvagal Safety (Norton, 2021), co-author with Seth Porges of Our Body Polyvagal World (Norton, 2023), and co-editor with Deb Dana of Clinical Applications of the Polyvagal Theory: The Emergence of Polyvagal-Informed Therapies (Norton, 2018). Dr. Porges is also the creator of a music-based intervention, the Safe and Sound Protocol™, which currently is used by approximately 3,000 therapists to improve spontaneous social engagement, to reduce hearing sensitivities, and to improve language processing, state regulation, and spontaneous social engagement.

 

Speaker Disclosures:
Financial: Dr. Stephen Porges is a Courtesy Professor with the University of Florida College of Medicine, a Distinguished University Scientist of Indiana University, and a Professor with the University of North Carolina. He receives royalties as a published author. Dr. Porges is co-owner of Polyvagal Music, LLC. He receives a speaking honorarium, book royalties, and recording royalties from PESI, Inc. He receives royalties and is a stockholder with integrated Learning Systems/Unyte.
Non-financial: Dr. Stephen Porges is an emeritus member of the American Psychological Association, the Association for Psychological Science, and the Society for Psychophysiological Research. He holds a patent on Televagal equipment.

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Objectives

1. Describe the principles and features of the Polyvagal Theory and how they can be applied in the management, education, and treatment of an individual on the autism spectrum. 
2. Summarize how the Polyvagal Theory can explain several clinical symptoms observed in autism. 
3. Explain how deficits in the regulation of the Social Engagement System relate to the core features of autism.  
4. Describe a neural process (neuroception), which evaluates risk in the environment and triggers adaptive reactions, can explain some of the defensive behaviors and hypersensitivities observed in autism. 
5. To understand how specific features of “acoustic” stimulation may calm the nervous system and contribute to the improvement of social engagement behaviors. 

Outline

• What families of autistic individuals want and expect from the scientific community 
• Several core features of autism are emergent properties of a dysregulated autonomic nervous system and a depressed social engagement system  
• Autism is frequently associated with difficulties in being accessible to co-regulation and being chronically locked in a state of defense 
• Rehabilitating a depressed social engagement system through methods that elevate social behavior as a neuromodulator in the treatment and support of individuals on spectrum  
• Heterogeneity of underlying neural mechanisms in those with an autism diagnosis leads to limitations in predictions of outcomes with suggested strategies   

Target Audience

• Licensed Clinical/Mental Health Counselors 
• Marriage & Family Therapists 
• Nurses 
• Nursing Home/Assisted Living Administrators 
• Occupational Therapists 
• Occupational Therapy Assistants 
• Physical Therapists 
• Physical Therapist Assistants 
• Psychologists 
• School Administrators 
• Social Workers 
• Speech-Language Pathologists 
• Teachers/School-Based Personnel