Monica Ellis-Blied


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  • CAMFT's 2023 annual conference
    In-person May 5 - 6, 2023 - Hyatt Regency, Santa Clara, CA

CONFERENCE SPEAKER

Monica Ellis-Blied

Dr. Monica Ellis-Blied, PhD, MACL, BSP

I am passionate about teaching skills that help improve people's lives with chronic medical illnesses and mental health conditions. I carry many roles, including Clinical Psychologist, adult ADHD & autism assessment specialist, certified Brainspotting therapist, awesome (and humble) wife, mother of 3 neurodiverse children, 11-year Lupus Warrior, and the founder of Faces of Health in Claremont, California. 

To increase access to mental health and stress management skills, in June 2022, I launched the "Faces of Health" mobile app and online, 5-part masterclass. Faces of Health digital products were created to teach easy-to-learn, neuroscience-based mental health skills to everyone, especially people living with chronic illnesses. Learn more at: www.facesofhealth.net 

Neurodiversity & Late Diagnosis of ADHD & ASD
Saturday | May 6, 2023
3:30 pm - 5:00 pm
(1.5 CEs)


Workshop Description:

What image comes to your mind when you picture a 17-year-old or 32-year-old on the autism spectrum and/or who has ADHD? Does that picture you imagined change with the gender of the person? Or their IQ level? This presentation goes beyond the DSM-5 diagnostic criteria for attention-deficit/ hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD), to describe how each brain style may look different depending on the characteristics of the person you are working with. You will learn the common (and often missed) features of these brain styles that surface among individuals who were assigned female at birth (AFABs) and among those who are both intellectually gifted and neurodivergent (i.e., twice-exceptional individuals).

Using a strengths-based approach, Dr. Blied will explain how these individuals' diagnoses may get missed in childhood, how you can begin to identify them in your therapy practice, and how you can support them in seeking formal evaluation. 
You will learn about the co-occurrence of ADHD with ASD, specific medical conditions, and important differential diagnosis considerations. In addition, you will hear specific screening questions you can ask your clients who suspect they may have ADHD and/or autism and may want a formal assessment. You will also find general strategies your clients can utilize to break through some of the challenges of having a neurodiverse brain style in a neurotypical world while pursuing the gifts that are inherent within them. 


Learning Objectives:

  1. Participants will be able to understand the DSM-5 criteria for ASD and ADHD. Describe the features and characteristics of ASD and ADHD and their overlap. 
  2. Participants will be able to explain why individuals assigned female at birth (AFABs), and twice-exceptional individuals might get missed in early childhood.
  3. Develop actionable strategies that are inclusive across cultural and ethnic-centered messaging.
  4.  Participants will be able to identify 1-2 general strategies clients can use to manage the challenges of ASD and/or ADHD in daily life.  

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