Yvette Blanchard, PT, ScD
Dr. Yvette Blanchard is a physical therapist and an Associate Professor at the University of Hartford in Connecticut. She also works in early intervention for the school district of East Hartford. Dr. Blanchard has been working with high-risk infants for more than 20 years and has published over 20 articles and book chapters in the field of physical therapy for young children and early intervention for high-risk infants. She is on faculty at the Brazelton Institute at Children's Hospital in Boston where she is the lead NBAS trainer and a NBO trainer. With her colleagues at the Brazelton Institute, she co-authored the NBO manual titled Understanding Newborn Behaviors & Early Relationships: The Newborn Behavioral Observations (NBO) System Handbook published by Brookes in 2007.

Lisa Chiarello, PT, PhD, PCS
Dr. Chiarello is an Associate Professor at Drexel University in Philadelphia, PA and is board certified as a Pediatric Clinical Specialist. Dr. Chiarello has served the APTA Section on Pediatrics as the Region IV Director and chair of the Nominating Committee and is currently chair of the Practice Committee. She practices, teaches, and conducts research in the area of early intervention, family-centered care, parent-child interactions, and play. Dr. Chiarello is a principal investigator for the Move & PLAY multi-site research project funded by Canadian Institute of Health Research and the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research. Her recent publications include an "Update of Competencies for Physical Therapists Working in Early Intervention" and "Comparison of Mother-child and Father-child Play Interactions with Children with Motor Delays" as well as two book chapters on Family-Centered Care and Early Intervention Services.

Heidi Johnson Eigsti, PT, DPT, PCS
Dr. Eigsti has practiced pediatric physical therapy in a variety of rehabilitation and community settings for more than 20 years. Dr. Eigsti received her board certification as a pediatric specialist from the American Physical Therapy Association in 1997 and was recertified in 2007. Her work on a federally funded model demonstration grant resulted in the development of a transdisciplinary early intervention service delivery model (ENRICH) for children ages 0-3 years of age with neurologic dysfunction. She has presented nationally on the topics of early intervention models of service delivery and assistive technology options for young children. Dr. Eigsti provides ongoing consultation to the Colorado Department of Education and Colorado's Early Childhood Connection Programs. She also provides consultation nationwide to state lead agencies responsible for service delivery to infants and young children with disabilities and their families. Dr. Eigsti is an Assistant Professor at Regis University's School of Physical Therapy. She is currently a doctoral candidate for a Doctorate of Science in Pediatric Physical Therapy with her research dedicated to early intervention service delivery.

Lynn Jeffries, PT, PhD, PCS
Dr. Jeffries is a clinical assistant professor in the Department of Rehabilitation Sciences, College of Allied Health at the University of Oklahoma Health Sciences Center. Dr. Jeffries teaches professional and post-professional courses in early intervention and pediatric physical therapy. She is the Oklahoma coordinator for the Move & PLAY study funded by the Canadian Institute of Health Research and the National Institute of Disability and Rehabilitation Research. She consults with SoonerStart, Oklahoma's early intervention program, provides training through Oklahoma's Statewide Training and Regional Supports (STARS) program, and is the project director for a child care provider training grant from the Oklahoma Division of Child Care. She is the field work coordinator for a professional training grant from the US Department of Special Education. Dr. Jeffries is also a faculty member for Oklahoma's Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program

Elizabeth "Elisa" T. Kennedy, PT, PhD, PCS
Dr. Kennedy is an Assistant Professor, Department of Physical Therapy (PT) at the University of South Alabama in Mobile. With a background in physical therapy and special education, Dr. Kennedy is responsible for the educational curriculum related to pediatrics. She also is appointed to the Department of Pediatrics as physical therapy consultant to the high-risk infant follow-up program and serves as a consultant for the autism outreach program. Dr. Kennedy has more than 25 years clinical experience working in neonatal intensive care units, developmental follow-up programs, and early intervention programs. She is the Chair of the Section on Pediatrics Early Intervention Special Interest Group, member of the APTA Specialization Academy of Content Experts, member of the Section on Pediatrics Practice Committee, APTA Section on Pediatrics liaison to the Division of Early Childhood (Council for Exceptional Children), and Training and Developmental Subcommittee of Early intervention Council of Southwest Alabama. Research interests include early identification of developmental disabilities, anticipatory developmental guidance for families, family impact, and professional-family relationships. In 2007, she received a grant from the University of South Alabama Research Council to study family-provider relationships with infants and young children with special needs from the NICU to community.

Toby Long, PT, PhD
Dr. Long is the Director of Training and the Division of Physical Therapy at the Center for Child and Human Development, Georgetown University, Washington, DC. She is an Associate Professor in the Department of Pediatrics. She is the Coordinator for the DC Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Division (DCITDD), Comprehensive System of Personnel Development program. She has provided training to pre- and post-professional students for the last 25 years. She has been the Project Director on four training programs for early intervention providers. She is a faculty member at the University of Indianapolis, Rocky Mountain University, and University of Maryland. She is a past President of the APTA Section on Pediatrics. She was the Training Director of a National Institute on Disability and Rehabilitation Research and Training Center and is currently the Training Director for the Leadership Education in Neurodevelopmental Disabilities (LEND) program. Dr. Long is an internationally known speaker on service delivery to children with disabilities and special health care needs and author of The Handbook of Pediatric Physical Therapy, Second Edition

Mary Jane Rapport, PT, PhD
Dr. Rapport is a Professor in the Department of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation and the Department of Pediatrics in the School of Medicine at the University of Colorado Denver. As the Assistant Director of the Physical Therapy Program, she teaches and provides administrative support in both the entry-level and Transitional Doctor of Physical Therapy Programs. Her scholarship has focused primarily on law and policy in school-based practice and early intervention services. Dr. Rapport has presented at many conferences and workshops, has maintained a productive record of publications, and has a commitment to serve the profession through the APTA.

The presenters and planning committee reserve the option of changing the presenters and order of presentations based on speaker needs and travel arrangements.