Virginia Spielmann (she/her), PhD, OTR/L 
Executive Director
STAR Institute
Host

Virginia is a well-travelled speaker, coach and educator on topics including sensory integration, DIR/Floortime, child development and infant mental health. She has conducted trainings in Kenya, Australia, the Philippines, Vietnam, Hong Kong, and the USA and leads workshops at international conferences.

Virginia is a founder and former Clinical Director of SPOT (Speech, Physical, and Occupational Therapy) Interdisciplinary Children's Therapy Center in Hong Kong, where she led a large and widely respected inter-disciplinary team.

Virginia obtained her BSc in Occupational Therapy in Oxford England (2002) and her Masters in Occupational Therapy from Mount Mary University, Milwaukee (2018). She is a DIR/Floortime Training Leader and Expert and clinical consultant for the Interdisciplinary Council for Development and Learning (ICDL). Her extensive pediatric experience includes children on the autism spectrum, as well as those with Sensory Processing Disorder, infant mental health issues, adoption, developmental trauma.

Virginia has considerable post-graduate training, she is certified on the SIPT and is currently completing her Ph.D. in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on mental health, with Fielding Graduate University, in Santa Barbara. She is a published author and contributed to the STAR Frame of Reference as part of the 4th Edition of Frames of Reference for Pediatric Occupational Therapy, alongside Dr. Miller and Dr. Schoen.

(More Than) Five Tools to Help Your Village Move from “Misbehavior” to “Understood Needs”

Caring for a neurodivergent child, teen, or adult often means navigating behaviors that other people are quick to label as rude, defiant, manipulative, dramatic, attention-seeking, or “just misbehavior.” Those labels can make everything harder. They increase shame, escalate conflict, and leave caregivers stuck defending the person they love while trying to figure out what support is actually needed. 

(More Than) Five Tools to Help Your Village Move from “Misbehavior” to “Understood Needs” helps caregivers and their village replace blame-based interpretations with practical, observable, needs-based support. When behavior is treated as data instead of defiance, caregivers gain better questions, better language, and better options. Participants will leave with a shared framework they can use with family members, educators, therapists, respite providers, and other support people to reduce judgment, notice patterns, communicate needs more clearly, and respond in ways that are more humane, collaborative, and useful. 

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Carrie Alvarado, PhD, OTR 
Chief Operating Officer
Autism Community Network

Dr. Carrie Alvarado serves as the Chief Operating Officer for Autism Community Network (ACN), which is a non-profit in San Antonio Texas that provides autism diagnostic and peri-diagnostic support for families of children 0-6 years of age. Carrie has a PhD in Infant and Early Childhood Development with an emphasis on Infant Mental Health and Developmental Disorders. Dr. Alvarado was the first in the United States to become a Pediatric Autism Communication Therapy (PACT) Accredited Practitioner. She serves as an Associate with PACT UK. Carrie is a DIR®Floortime™ Certified Expert Clinician, and she serves as an Assistant Faculty for the Profectum™ Foundation. 

Dr. Alvarado also serves as the lead for the Clinical Advisory Committee for STAR Institute in Colorado. Dr. Alvarado is passionate about building bridges where none yet exist, about innovating and expanding the boundaries of our knowledge, and about meeting families and fellow clinicians where they are and empowering them to find the gifts they all have to give.

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Amy Laurent (she/her) PhD, OTR/L 
Developmental Psychologist, Occupational Therapist, Co-Director
Autism Level UP!

Dr. Amy Laurent is a developmental psychologist and a registered pediatric occupational therapist. She is a co-author of the SCERTS model, a comprehensive, evidence-based model for supporting autistic individuals across the lifespan. She frequently lectures and provides training throughout the United States and internationally on topics related to neurodiversity and helping others to understand and honor the implications of "different ways of being" in relation to navigating the physical and social world. Her research interests include emotional / energy regulation and active engagement in natural contexts. Dr. Laurent strives to practice what she preaches and uses her love of play and movement to meet her own regulatory needs.

Jacquelyn Fede (she/her), PhD 
Psychologist, Autistic Self-Advocate
Autism Level UP!

Jacquelyn Fede, PhD is a super fun, Autistic Self-Advocate, developmental psychologist and program evaluator.  Her research interests include immigration policy, autism, and community engagement.  She uses her experience to help educate others about autism through lecturing, blogging and consulting on evaluation projects.  A full scholarship Division 1 athlete in college, Dr. Fede continues to meet her sensory needs by seeking extreme physical activity.  She also enjoys the use of creativity and art for expression.

All Day Long, All Day Strong: Moving Beyond Reactive Support for Regulation  

Many people don't thing about regulation until it is absent. Dysregulation often brings an "all hands on deck" response, with family members reacting and attempting to support recovery. However, effective regulation support is an all day long, all day strong endeavor. The old adage an ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure fits here. This presentation will focus on helping families create robust regulation plans that diminish the experiences of dysregulation and the need for recovery
 

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:  

• discuss a person’s energy levels and the impact of these levels on active engagement and the relationship to dysregulation given environmental context
• identify factors impacting a person’s energy level and how these factors may pose challenges or provide support depending on context
• describe the components of a regulation plan that includes proactive and preventative strategies in addition to reactive ones

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Alexa Herrera (she/her), OTD, OTR/L 
Occupational Therapist
STAR Institute

Alexa graduated from Colorado State University with a Bachelor of Science in Health and Exercise Science. She then went on to complete her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at Belmont University. Alexa’s doctoral capstone was on the role of occupational therapy in postural orthostatic tachycardia syndrome (POTS) and sensory modulation in POTS. She has spoken on POTS at the AOTA Inspire Conference and Dysautonomia International Annual Conferences. 

Alexa has experience practicing in outpatient, early intervention, and home health settings. Alexa is passionate about providing neurodiversity-affirming care. She also has experience with adapting augmentative and alternative communication (AAC) devices to facilitate access and navigation. Alexa has completed the STAR Institute Intensive Mentorship Program Level 1.

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Hannah Robertson (she/her), OTD, OTR/L 
Occupational Therapist
STAR Institute

Hannah graduated from the University of Iowa with a Bachelor of Arts in Health and Human Physiology, with a minor in psychology. She then went on to complete her Doctorate of Occupational Therapy at St. Ambrose University. During her time at St. Ambrose University, she worked closely under a faculty mentor to support efforts towards establishing test-retest reliability and collecting normative data for the Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration (EASI) standardized assessment. Hannah's doctoral capstone project was on the role of occupational therapy in neurodiversity affirming feeding therapy. 

Hannah has clinical experience in sensory integration, outpatient and school-based pediatrics, and acute care. Her special interests include continuing research to support evidence-based practice and providing neurodiversity-affirming care to clients and their support systems. She is passionate about celebrating clients as they discover their most authentic versions of themselves. Hannah has completed STAR’s Level I Intensive Mentorship program and Proficiency Level I, as well as DIR Floortime 201 and SOS Approach to Feeding trainings, further deepening her knowledge in relationship-based, sensory-informed care.

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Allison Cost (she/her), OTR/L 
Occupational Therapist
Wild Fig Occupational Therapy

Allison Cost is a pediatric occupational therapist and the founder of Wild Fig Occupational Therapy. Her work is rooted in neuroscience-informed care, blending sensory processing, movement, and relationship-based approaches to help children build regulation, resilience, and confidence in everyday life.

Alli earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Columbia University and bachelor’s degrees in psychology and sociology from Texas Tech University. Her career has encompassed early intervention, integrative medicine, and leadership roles in health and movement education, giving her a holistic perspective on development across the lifespan. Driven by a passion for health equity, Alli has served in Americorps and twice in the Peace Corps, shaping her culturally informed, creative approach to care.

Alli’s spends her time between New York City and Tucson, getting the best of both worlds. She treats, teaches, consults, and enthusiastically pursues continuing education. Outside of work, she loves to run slowly, write creatively, and plan her next adventure.

Choosing the Right Fit: Finding Therapies and Therapists That Truly Support Your Child

Finding the “right” therapy or therapist for your child can feel overwhelming, especially when every provider, approach, and recommendation sounds important. In this supportive and practical session, caregivers will learn how to better understand the differences and overlaps between type of therapies while gaining clarity on how to identify which therapies that support their child’s unique needs. We will explore different certifications, specialties and therapeutic approaches and how they align with different children, nervous systems, and family goals. Through discussion, reflection, and real-world examples, attendees will leave with practical tools to make informed decisions, ask meaningful questions, and navigate the therapy process with greater confidence and less stress. 

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:  

• Differentiate between Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy, Speech Therapy, and Counseling; including where these disciplines overlap. 
• Understand five subspecialties within Occupational Therapy and how they support different needs. 
• Identify three reflective questions caregivers can ask themselves when evaluating therapeutic fit. 
• Learn three important questions to ask potential therapists before beginning services. 
• Explore three practical strategies for navigating challenges when the “right fit” feels difficult to find. 

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Kathy Platzman (she/her), PhD 
Psychologist
Floortime Atlanta 

Kathy is a Licensed Psychologist in Atlanta, Georgia. Her private practice, Floortime Atlanta [www.floortimeatlanta.com], is transdisciplinary and focuses on both assessment and treatment of individuals with a wide range of developmental conditions and their families. 

She received her doctorate from the University of Chicago, Committee on Human Development. Additionally, she completed a re-specialization in Child and Family Psychotherapy from Georgia State University. 

She was on the research faculty at Emory School of Medicine, Department of Psychiatry, where she worked in the Human Genetics Laboratory taking part in a research team that focused on prenatal drug exposure and long-term developmental consequences thereof. 

Some of her research efforts have been with nonhuman primates at the Harvard School of Public Health’s Nutrition Laboratory, at Georgia State’s Language Research Center, and at Yerkes Primate Center. 

She was the first recipient of the DIR Lifetime Champion Award (2022). 

Put Your Own Oxygen Mask On

This presentation focuses on the importance of self-care for all family members, especially parents of neurodistinct individuals. The DIR (Development, Individual Difference, Relationship) model will be used to provide a framework for better understanding stress and how to manage it. Many sources of stress, both positive and negative, will be identified. Concepts from positive psychology, sports psychology, peak performance, and trauma treatment will be applied to the everyday stress and extraordinary stress. Stress management strategies that are unique to one’s own profile will be emphasized.

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:  

• Name at least three indicators of experiencing stress
• Describe at least two positive aspects to (re)establishing routines to cope with toxic stress and its aftermath.
• List at least two coping strategies that are associated with individual profiles

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Lola Dada-Olley (she/her) 
Attorney. Author. Advocate.

Lola Dada-Olley is Executive Director and Assistant General Counsel at a global banking institution, where she leads the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA) legal team responsible for advancing accessibility and inclusion across consumer-facing products and services nationwide. A TEDx speaker and advocate, Lola brings more than thirty years of lived caregiving experience to her work. She is the mother of two autistic children and the older sister of an autistic, intellectually disabled man—roles that have shaped her voice, her leadership, and her unwavering commitment to building systems that honor every kind of mind. Lola has spoken to audiences on caregiver mental health and wellness, disability inclusion, and accessibility before audiences that include the U.S. Department of Education, the University of Wisconsin, various non-profit organizations, and corporations. Her family’s story was featured in Sensory Overload, the Vox Media documentary that explores sensory sensitivities and the environments that support neurodivergent people.

Beyond the legal and advocacy arenas, Lola is the host of Unapologetically Whole, a podcast dedicated to caregiver mental health, wellness, and the pursuit of wholeness amid demanding, often invisible responsibilities. She is also the author of the memoir Unapologetically Whole: A Memoir About Autism, Caregiving, and Owning Your Story, released on May 12th, a deeply personal exploration of identity, generational caregiving, and the courage it takes to rewrite the narratives handed to us. Lola lives in the Dallas, Texas area with her husband of nearly twenty years and their children.

Unapologetically Whole: Belonging, Caregiving, and Reclaiming Yourself in a Neurodiverse World

Drawing from experiences as an attorney, autism advocate, sibling of a brother with significant support needs, mother of two autistic children, and author of Unapologetically Whole, Lola Dada-Olley explores what it means to thrive while navigating caregiving, disability, race, culture, and neurodiversity.

Through personal storytelling and practical reflection, participants will examine how caregiving can shape identity, how trauma and stigma can influence family systems, and how belonging, community, and selfawareness can help caregivers and professionals move from merely surviving toward living fully and authentically.

The presentation challenges traditional definitions of success and invites attendees to reconnect with all parts of themselves, creating sustainable pathways toward wellness, advocacy, and meaningful participation for neurodivergent individuals and their families.
 

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:  

• Describe how caregiving, disability, culture, race, and gender intersect to influence identity and well-being.
• Recognize signs of caregiver role strain, parentification, and accumulated trauma within family systems.
• Identify practical strategies for fostering belonging and community for neurodivergent individuals and their caregivers.
• Apply principles of self-awareness, authenticity, and intentionality to promote long-term caregiver sustainability.
• Reframe success and thriving in ways that support meaningful participation, personal fulfillment, and generational impact.

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Anne Tellez (she/her), MS, OTR/L, ASDCS, CPRCS 
Occupational Therapist

With nearly three decades of experience in school-based practice, Anne Tellez is a highly respected occupational therapist dedicated to supporting students with diverse learning and developmental needs. Throughout her career, Anne has worked across a wide range of educational settings, collaborating closely with families, teachers, and multidisciplinary teams to help students access and succeed in their school environments. Anne brings deep expertise in navigating the Individualized Education Program (IEP) process, with a strong emphasis on meaningful collaboration between parents and school teams. Known for a practical, compassionate, and empowering approach, Anne helps families understand their role as essential members of the IEP team and equips them with tools to advocate effectively for their child.

As a presenter, Anne combines real-world experience with a clear perspective, making complex systems feel accessible and manageable. Her sessions focus on building productive partnerships, understanding rights and responsibilities, and fostering student-centered outcomes that support both academic success and functional independence. Anne is passionate about bridging the gap between home and school, ensuring that every child’s strengths are recognized and supported through collaborative, informed, and purposeful IEP planning. 

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Coriander Woodland (they/them), MA, LPC, LAC
Neuro-Affirming Mental Health Therapist

Coriander is an eco-centric, autistic, dynamically disabled, queer mental health clinician with 25 years of experience weaving together trans-disciplinary approaches to support humans across the lifespan. Rooted in a kinship worldview and relational practices, Coriander brings deep expertise via trauma-informed, neuro-affirming care. They have a sweet spot in their heart for supporting newly identified Autistic young adults, and also for supporting Autistic and ADHD survivors of invalidation trauma in reconnecting with their inner agency. They are eager to partner with the Occupational Therapists at STAR to provide multi-disciplinary support for kids, parents, teens, and adults who are open to relationship-based, diversity-affirming support. 



For Coriander, relational practice has expanded into the meta-relational. This means they see all of life as interconnected within dynamic, entangled fields of relation, including our inseparability with the land and multi-species community.

Coriander received their graduate degree in Transpersonal Counseling Psychology with a concentration in Wilderness Therapy (nature-based experiential therapies) from Naropa University. They have clinical experience in outpatient, home-based, school-based, residential, transitional-residential, and wilderness-based settings supporting neurodivergent clients across the lifespan. Their post-graduate training and experience includes parent coaching, play therapies, family therapies, trauma and attachment therapies, sensory-focused inner parts work, and diversity-affirming approaches. They are a certified EMDR therapist and approved consultant and have received speciality training on adapting EMDR for Autistic and ADHD clients.  

Coriander is excited to bring their meta-relational, kinship-oriented approach to the STAR team, where they can support STAR’s commitment to sensory health, disability justice, and uplifting neurological diversity in all its forms.

From Overwhelmed to Oriented: The Diverse Ecology of Co-regulation

Parenting a neurodivergent child in a society built for conformity can be exhausting. We are often pressured to carry the weight of regulation alone, but regulation is never a solo act; it is a shared rhythm woven through our homes, our histories, and the living earth. This session offers a space to reflect on these pressures and notice how the multi-species world is already present with you and your child—through the steady breath of a pet, the smell of a special blanket, or the quiet presence of plants. We will explore how trusting in this wider support system allows us to receive care and wisdom that is hiding in the cracks, honoring both the strengths and the
wounds carried by those who came before us. By recognizing that every nervous system has its own unique ecological niche, we move beyond universal strategies toward a kinship-based understanding of belonging.

Together, we can mourn the distortions of independence and welcome the webs that sustain us, finding dignity in being held together.

After attending this presentation, participants will be able to:  

• Recognize regulation as an emergent property of ecological relationships, identifying how non-human elements and ancestral lineage actively participate in co-regulation alongside the parent-child bond.
• Explore how individualistic frameworks of "self-regulation" contribute to systemic isolation and caregiver exhaustion, obscuring the ecological realities that sustain families.
• Shift toward a kinship-based understanding of belonging, practicing ways to receive multi-species and ancestral care to counter dysregulation and restore relational safety for both caregiver and child.