Enhancing Cognitive Health and Adaptive Functioning Across the Lifespan

2023 Course Overview

Information for the 2024 course is not yet available.

Cognitive health drives the ability to think clearly and flexibly and promotes adaptive functioning. Patients who struggle with mental health, physical health, or developmental disorders often experience limitations in cognitive health, including impaired attention, memory, executive function, and cognitive flexibility, as well as other limitations in daily functions such as sleep and adherence to medication regimens. 

Emerging evidence-based interventions for cognitive and adaptive functioning can improve cognitive health, holding promise as therapeutic treatments for many patients. Training programs that address cognition, social pragmatics, and sleep often have important benefits on a patient's quality of life and even care utilization downstream. All clinicians need to be aware of these treatments and how they can benefit their patients. 

This course will review the current thinking and clinical practice around evidence-based techniques for cognitive optimization and adaptive functioning in the setting of various physical, mental health and developmental disorders across the lifespan. Faculty will provide overviews of several specific interventions and also offer skill-based sessions to learn and practice basic techniques. Participants will gain knowledge, skills and confidence to assess patient needs, identify relevant interventions that would benefit them, and refer patients to applicable cognitive training programs as well as be able to provide brief cognitive interventions themselves. All health specialists and primary care practitioners are welcome! 

Who Should Attend

• Specialty Physicians  
• Primary Care Physicians 
• Psychologists  
• Social Workers 
• Counselors 
• Nurses 
• Nurse Practitioners 
• Physician Assistants 

Learning Objectives

Upon completion of this activity, participants will be able to:

• Outline the current thinking on the various cognitive and functional effects of physical, mental health, and developmental disorders.
• Summarize several interventions that have been developed for cognitive optimization and adaptive functioning in patients with mental health disorders such as anxiety, ADHD, autism, and dementia.
• Review the latest research and evidence of these interventions.
• Discuss how to identify patients who would benefit from cognitive and adaptive training, and the methods that may be most beneficial to them.
• Identify resources and refer patients to appropriate training programs in their area.
• Practice basic skills of patient evaluation and delivery of select training methodologies.
• Effectively deliver feedback to patients and their families regarding their diagnoses and potential cognitive or functional training treatments.

For a list of session-specific learning objectives, please email cme@challiance.org.