Description

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

1. Identify the impact of Adverse Childhood Experiences (ACEs) and attachment disruptions on the development and expression of physical aggression in young adults with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD).
2. Describe the application of Attachment Theory (AT) and Systems Theory (ST) to clinical assessment and conceptualization of aggressive behavior in individuals with IDD.
3. Assess how organizational, familial, and service delivery systems influence the escalation or reduction of aggressive behavior in the IDD population.

Presenter Bio

Sarah Walker is a Licensed Independent Clinical Social Worker in West Virginia and holds a Bachelor of Social Work and Master of Social Work degree from Marshall University and is currently a Doctoral Candidate in the Doctor of Social Work program at the University of Kentucky. Sarah currently serves as a Mental Health Therapist at Mildred Mitchell-Bateman Hospital, with three and a half years of Mental Health Therapist experience in inpatient psychiatric hospitals and one year of Case Management experience in a college counseling center setting.

Sarah’s research interest is individuals with Intellectual and Developmental Disabilities (IDD), and her Capstone Project focuses on how high Adverse Childhood Experience (ACE) scores affect young adults with IDD and physical aggression. She hopes to use her clinical focus in the doctoral program to open a private practice in her hometown of Huntington, West Virginia and create more resources for individuals with IDD.

Delivery Method: Live Interactive Training via Zoom Video Conferencing

Credit Hours: 1.0 (ACE)

Target Audience: This conference is intended for social workers and students.

Accreditation: University of Kentucky College of Social Work, Provider # 1377, is approved as an ACE provider to offer social work continuing education by the Association of Social Work Boards (ASWB) Approved Continuing Education (ACE) program. Regulatory boards are the final authority on courses accepted for continuing education credit. ACE provider approval period: 9/29/25-9/29/28. Social workers participating in this conference will receive up to 15 general continuing education credits.

Claiming CE Credit: Instructions for claiming CE credit will be disseminated at the beginning of each session.

Questions: If you have any questions regarding CE credit or to report a grievance, please contact Christina Krantz at Christina.Krantz@uky.edu. For technical assistance, please contact lmshelp@uky.edu.

Disclaimer: The views and opinions expressed in these presentations are those of the individual presenters and do not necessarily reflect the official policies or positions of the University of Kentucky or the College of Social Work. The inclusion of any topics, perspectives, or discussions is intended for academic engagement and does not constitute endorsement by the institution.