Webinar Archives - Stride Autism Centers®

Catch Up on Our Free Webinar: A Guide to Autism Diagnosis and Treatment for Caregivers

Posted on March 28, 2023February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

Did you miss the recent “Orientation to Autism Diagnosis and Treatment” webinar by Stride Autism Centers® and Blank Children’s Developmental Center? Don’t worry, you can still catch up on the valuable information shared during the session.

As a caregiver for a child with autism spectrum disorder (ASD), it can be overwhelming to navigate the steps involved in getting your child diagnosed and accessing appropriate treatment. That’s why Stride Autism Centers® and Blank Children’s Developmental Center partnered to offer a free webinar aimed at providing guidance and support during these early stages.

During the webinar, which took place on March 22, attendees learned about:

Navigating the autism diagnostic assessments
The post-diagnosis applied behavioral analysis (ABA) therapy assessment and treatment process
Strategies to implement at home while on a waitlist

The session was tailored to the earliest days of getting your child diagnosed with autism, helping attendees learn what to expect and how to best support their child through it.

If you missed the live session, you can still watch the recording and benefit from the expert insights shared by the presenters. Simply visit the Stride Autism Centers® website and look for the webinar video.

By taking advantage of resources like this webinar, caregivers of children with autism can gain the knowledge and skills needed to provide the best possible support for their child’s development and well-being. We hope you find this information helpful!

A special thanks to Blank Children’s Developmental Center for partnering with us on this helpful webinar.

Stride’s Founder and CEO Gives Opening Remarks At 17th Annual Goldstick Family Lecture

Posted on October 13, 2021February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

The 17th Annual Goldstick Family Lecture in the Study of Communication Disorders took place on September 30, 2021. The lecture was hosted by the College of Education at the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign, and always draws upon leading scholars in the field of special education.

This year’s lecture was held virtually, with more than 400 individuals from across the United States tuning in to hear from Dr. Connie Kasari, Distinguished Professor of Human Development and Psychiatry, University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA). The focus of Dr. Kasari’s lecture was “Children with Autism and Other Developmental Disabilities at School: Inclusion, Integration, and Improvement.”

More than 17 years ago, Phil and Beverly Goldstick, grandparents of Stride’s Founder and CEO Brad Zelinger, created a fund for the Department of Special Education within the College of Education in honor of their granddaughter who lives with Rett Syndrome, a severe autism-related disorder.

Prior to Dr. Kasari’s introduction, Mr. Zelinger offered some remarks concerning Stride’s mission and background. Mr. Zelinger revealed that growing up with his sister inspired him to form Stride, and that she, along with his grandparents provide him with energy and motivation as he seeks to give back to surrounding communities.

He also spoke about how Stride is a provider of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) therapy for preschool children with autism in Illinois, Iowa, and Nebraska. With a focus on underserved communities, Stride seeks to assist those with autism and their families at the earliest possible moment to help the children lead more independent and joyous lives. Stride’s full-day program places great emphasis on producing a rapid increase in vital skills so that these children ages 2 to 6 can graduate into kindergarten and first grade programs with a greater chance of success.

Toward the end of his remarks, Mr. Zelinger said that he appreciated being able to speak prior to this incredibly important topic. He went on to say that while a lot of attention goes to the transition from preschool to kindergarten or first grade, more needs to be done in these new school environments that aren’t as tailored to meet the needs of children with autism.

Webinar: Defining & Addressing Challenging Behavior, While Celebrating What Makes Your Child Unique

Posted on August 6, 2021February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

On June 17th, 2021, Stride Clinical Director, Dr. Ashley Whittington-Barnish, and Chicago (South Loop) Lead BCBA, Molly White, presented a Virtual Parent Workshop for Chicago Autism Network.

In their presentation, Dr. Whittington-Barnish and Ms. White delved into ways to recognize challenging behaviors and discussed helpful strategies to address them. They also spoke about the important differences between “challenging” behaviors and “unique” behaviors.

Stride’s Clinical Advisor Hosts University of Illinois 16th Annual Goldstick Lecture

Posted on June 2, 2021February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

The 16th Goldstick Lecture presented by the College of Education, University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.

This symposium featured a presentation by Dr. Sandy Magaña, professor in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at the University of Texas at Austin.

Culturally Tailoring Parent-Mediated Interventions: An Iterative Process

In this lecture, Dr. Magaña, Professor in Autism and Neurodevelopmental Disabilities at the University of Texas at Austin, will discuss the need for culturally tailored parent-mediated interventions for parents of children with Autism Spectrum Disorders (ASD) and other Developmental Disabilities (DD) and the process of cultural adaptation. Dr. Magaña will use examples from her own research in which a parent educational intervention was developed for Latino families of children with ASD/DD and later adapted for African American, Chinese American, and low-resource communities.

Webinar: Making the Most of Winter at Home

Posted on May 26, 2021February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

The COVID-19 pandemic threatens both our physical health and social and emotional health. In the following webinar, we will address ways to incorporate and practice social and emotional skills in day-to-day life at home for a preschool age child.

Defining and Addressing Challenging Behavior, While Celebrating What Makes Your Child Unique

Posted on May 26, 2021February 17, 2026 by Brad Zelinger

FREE Webinar!

Thu, June 17, 2021

5:00 PM – 6:00 PM PDT

Presenters will review ways to identify challenging behaviors and discuss the important yet nuanced distinction between behaviors that may limit long-term independence and those that are simply “different” or unique to your child. Strategies for teaching potential replacement behaviors will also be covered.

Dr. Whittington-Barnish: Dr. Ashley Whittington-Barnish is a Licensed Clinical Psychologist, Board Certified Behavior Analyst – Doctoral (BCBA-D), and Nationally Certified School Psychologist (NCSP). Having dedicated over 20 years to working with individuals with autism and developmental disabilities across home, school and center-based settings, Ashley has an enduring passion for supporting young children and their families. In addition to her role as Clinical Director at Stride Autism Centers®, Ashley serves as Associate Professor and University Chair of the Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA) Department at The Chicago School of Professional Psychology’s Chicago campus.

Molly White: Molly White is a Lead Board Certified Behavior Analyst (BCBA) at Stride Autism Centers®. Molly has experience working with individuals ages two to 63 with autism and other intellectual and developmental disabilities. She is passionate about helping underserved populations gain access to necessary therapy, as well as providing effective supervision and training to ABA professionals to ensure the provision of high-quality therapy.

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