Annual Spring CPD

REGISTRATION IS OPEN

DDP's Spring Continuing Professional Development Day

April 16, 2026
12:00 pm - 4:30 pm

Location:
Spencer Hotel & Conferene Centre
551 Windermere Road | London, ON

Join us for an engaging educational event featuring expert-led presentations on key topics in developmental and intellectual disabilities.

CLICK HERE TO REGISTER

Overall Learning Objectives:

By the end of this program, participants will be able to:

Describe the assessment, diagnosis, and management of sleep disorders including behavioural and pharmacological strategies.
Review evidence-based approaches to the assessment and treatment of obesity in children and adolescents.
Explain the identification, differential diagnosis, and intervention pathways for speech and language disorders in children and adolescents.

12:00 – 1:00	Lunch (Asher’s Dining Room – Main Floor)
1:00 – 1:05	Opening Remarks – Dr. Greg Gillis (Maple Leaf Foods Classroom)
1:05 - 1:40	An Overview of Sleep Disorders Prevalent in Patients with Developmental Disabilities – Dr. Jennifer Barr By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Identify the sleep disorders most prevalent in patients with developmental disabilities. 2. Apply an approach to the assessment and management of sleep disorders most prevalent in patients with developmental disabilities. 3. Determine appropriate indications for referral to a sleep clinic.
1:40 - 1:55	Question & Answer Period
1:55 - 2:30	Assessment and Management of Obesity in Children and Adolescents, Including Antipsychotic-Associated Weight Gain – Dr. Marina Ybarra By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Assess pediatric obesity using a comprehensive clinical and psychosocial framework. 2. Develop evidence-based management plans, including lifestyle, pharmacologic, and referral options. 3. Recognize and manage obesity associated with antipsychotic medications, including appropriate metabolic monitoring.
2:30 – 2:45	Question & Answer Period
2:45 – 3:00	Break
3:00 – 3:35	Understanding Developmental Disorder – Joan Gardiner By the end of this session, participants will be able to: 1. Explain the meaning of the terms communication, language and speech to ensure that correct terminology is used when identifying concerns for patients and/or sending referrals to speech-language pathology (SLP). 2. Identify risk factors for and implications of developmental language disorder (DLD) to support clinical conversations with patients and their families. 3. Recognize the components of language in which impairments might occur to consider patient skill profiles and to identify possible areas for assessment and/or intervention.
3:35 – 3:50	Question & Answer Period
3:50 – 3:55	Completion of Evaluations
3:55 – 4:00	Closing Remarks – Dr. Greg Gillis