Trainings and Workshops | Collaborative Start Lab | UC Davis MIND Institute

The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is an evidence-based intervention focused on infant-toddler learning and development, particularly for children with autism. Delivered in the home by trained therapists and parents during natural play and routines, ESDM emphasizes relationship-building and family involvement. The goal is to enhance development across social-emotional, cognitive, and language domains while reducing autism symptoms. ESDM combines behavioral, relationship-based, and developmental play approaches in a way that is individual yet standardized, using data-driven methods from applied behavior analysis. 

For more information about the ESDM training program visit our website.

The Early Start Denver Model (ESDM) is an evidence-based intervention specifically developed for very young children with autism. ESDM is a play-based intervention that fuses behavioral and developmental principles for an integrated approach. ESDM can be implemented in different natural settings such as the home or the daycare/preschool by trained therapists as well as by parents within play and daily routines. ESDM aims to reduce the symptoms of autism and target all developmental areas. 
 
The ESDM Introductory Workshop, required for those attending the Advanced Workshop, has been developed into an online, independent study with pre-produced lessons and assessments. The course is not monitored, nor does it have an instructor. You may move through the content at your own pace within six weeks. Successful completion prepares you to apply for the Advanced Workshop

To learn more about the online ESDM introductory course, please visit our website. 

The Remote Advanced Workshop aims to equip professionals with the information, skills, and resources necessary to implement ESDM within their organization or practice correctly. During this 7-session course, professionals will be able to practice using the developmentally based curriculum and teaching strategies of the ESDM with expert coaching from a MIND Trainer. Hands-on experience is an essential part of this workshop, and each participant will be asked to select a current client that is available for weekly video-recorded sessions.  
  
Sessions are held online via Zoom in small groups of 5 and will include group discussion, individual goal setting, observation, and personal reflection. 

Professionals practicing as Certified ESDM Therapists for six months or more will learn about the foundational principles of P-ESDM communication, coaching, and teaching strategies over 5-6 weeks. Participants will meet weekly with a certified P-ESDM Coach to review videos of their work with clients/patients they are presently working with.  
  
Weekly sessions will also include didactic and reflective exercises based on family-centered practices, adult learning strategies, behavioral principles, and motivational strategies. Upon acceptance to the workshop, participants will receive access to the most current P-ESDM planning and treatment materials.     

We strive to ensure that every trainee is well-equipped to meet the demanding standards of the therapist certification program. To deliver the essential support for our trainers and trainees, we have outlined the following steps for certification, which require successful completion of the ESDM Introductory and Advanced Workshops before applying for therapist certification. 

We have written a detailed explanation of all the steps of this process and the needed time for completion in the ESDM Therapist Certification Program Overview. 

For more details and to apply for ESDM therapist certification click here.

To learn about our ESDM Apprentice Trainer Program, please visit our website for more details. 

Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching (CPRT) is a naturalistic, behavioral intervention for children with autism. It is a classroom modification of Pivotal Response Training (PRT), designed specifically to meet the additional demands that special education teachers face in public and private school classrooms. Based on the principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), CPRT specifies eight teacher behaviors designed to get and maintain a high level of student motivation, as well as maintain and generalize student skills across a variety of settings and people.

Training

The Classroom Pivotal Response Teaching (CPRT) Training Series is designed to equip education professionals with the knowledge, skills, and resources necessary to effectively implement CPRT within their school or classroom environment. This comprehensive training program combines theoretical foundations with practical application to support students with autism in educational settings.

The training begins with a 7-hour introductory workshop that establishes core CPRT principles and strategies. Following this foundation, participants engage in a personalized coaching series tailored to individual teacher needs. The program includes 4 one-hour group consultation sessions bringing together all participating teachers at a site to foster collaboration, problem-solving, and shared learning experiences.

Throughout the training, education professionals receive ongoing support with CPRT lesson planning, data collection methods, and implementation fidelity. Participants will apply CPRT strategies with students on their current caseload, allowing for immediate application of techniques in real classroom contexts.

This training is ideal for teachers, paraprofessionals, school-based therapists, and education specialists who support children with autism in school settings. The flexible delivery format allows for either in-person or remote participation to accommodate varied professional schedules and locations.

Join us to enhance your teaching toolkit with evidence-based strategies that can be seamlessly integrated into classroom routines to support meaningful educational outcomes for students with autism.

• Learn more about CPRT by visiting our website
• To inquire about training email: hs-cprt@ucdavis.edu