Hosted by Appalachian State University in partnership with Northwest AHEC

The inaugural 2025 Growing Well "Moving Mountains and Community" Conference brought together a diverse and passionate group of professionals, caregivers, and advocates to advance care for children and youth with special health care needs (CYSHCN). Held October 12–14, 2025 at the Leon Levine Hall of Health Sciences at Appalachian State University in Boone, NC, the event was a vibrant celebration of collaboration, innovation, and community-driven care.

This year’s conference three-day conference welcomed 64 participants to the preconference workshop on October 12^th, and 141 attendees at the October 13-14th main sessions, reflecting strong engagement across healthcare, education, and family support sectors. Read the full recap on our blog

Enduring Material Now Available – 2025 Growing Well: Moving Mountains and Community Conference

Couldn’t attend the 2025 Growing Well: Moving Mountains and Community Conference in person or miss a session you wanted to attend? Now’s your chance to access the enduring material and dive into a rich collection of sessions designed to support children and families across the lifespan. From keynote insights on comprehensive care and early intervention to breakout sessions on physical health, mental wellbeing, communication, and advocacy — this content is packed with practical strategies, evidence-based approaches, and community-driven solutions.

Whether you're a provider, parent, educator, or advocate, there's something here for you! Register today to access this valuable content and continue growing well — together. Each session has a $25 registration fee and offers 1.0 Contact Hour (unless otherwise noted). Sessions will be available for three months, until February 10, 2026.

Sessions and Links to Register

• Comprehensive Support throughout the Lifespan – Rebecca Putnam, MD
• Communication and Behavior Language as the Missing Link and the Toolkit – Garry McGiboney, PhD
• Advocacy and Empowerment Transition Planning from School to the Community – Beth Sibley. *FREE*, 0.25 Contact Hour
• Communication and Behavior Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT) and Behavioral Coaching Models – Holli Sink, PhD
• Physical Health Exercise Recommendations for Children with Developmental Delays – Keagan Kiely, DrPH
• Mental Wellbeing Supporting Parents in Early Diagnosis: Practical Applications from Grief to Hope – Tandrea Carter, PhD and Thea Wilson, MEd
• Physical Health Tone Management – Natalia Byrne, MS, PT
• Communication and Behavior Focused Intervention Approaches for Children with ASD – Sarah Vess, PhD, LP, HSP-P, NCSP and Nicole B Doyle, PhD. 1.5 Contact Hour
• Early Intervention in NC and the World – Jennifer Check, MD, MS and Jennifer Hollman, MD
• Advocacy: Partnerships and Relationships – Diane Coffey, Kay McMillan and Talley Wells, EdM, JD
• Physical Health Developmental Coordination Disorder – Kathleen Ollendick, PT, DPT, PCS
• Mental Wellbeing Therapeutic Approaches and Treatment for Children and Youth with IDD and Mental Health Challenges – Jill Hinton, PhD. *FREE*
• Communication and Behavior Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC) for Children with Complex Communication Needs – Carolyn Gilmore, MS, PhD, CCC-SLP
• Collaborative Approaches to Child Welfare and Mental Health – Dana M. Hagele, MD, MPH