EXTERNAL Untangling Trauma: Navigating Diagnostic Complexity to Differentiate PTSD, Autism, & ADHD in Young Children

Presented by Nebraska Resource Project for Vulnerable Young Children

Join our Fall Webinar Series exploring key topics in early childhood development. Featuring insights from Nebraska experts, you will gain practical knowledge on recognizing early signs of developmental concerns, understanding the impact of trauma, and supporting healthy growth and development.

All sessions will be held virtually via Zoom from 12-1 p.m. (CT).

Continuing Education: Attendees will receive a certificate of attendance, agenda, and handouts, which can be used for submitting and requesting CE credit on their own.

Registration is free and open to all professionals!

Young children who have experienced trauma often present with behavioral, emotional, sensory, and regulatory challenges that overlap with characteristics commonly associated with autism and ADHD. This overlap can complicate assessment, delay appropriate intervention, and increase the risk of misdiagnosis. This presentation will examine the developmental impact of trauma and PTSD in early childhood, highlight similarities and key distinguishing features among PTSD, autism, and ADHD, and explore considerations for differential and comorbid diagnoses.

Objectives:

In this webinar, we will:

• Describe the developmental presentation of PTSD and trauma-related symptoms in young children and explain how these symptoms may overlap with characteristics of autism and ADHD.
• Discuss differentiating clinical features of PTSD, autism, and ADHD by applying evidence-informed assessment considerations and developmental history to support accurate differential diagnosis.
• Recognize ways in which trauma and neurodevelopmental differences interact and co-occur.

Audience: 

This event is directed toward mental health providers.

Speaker: Dr. Lynne Clure, Licensed Psychologist, Clure Psychology

Lynne Clure, PhD, is a licensed psychologist and owner of Clure Psychology in Omaha, NE. She completed her PhD in school psychology at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and a pre-doctoral internship at St. Jude Children's Research Hospital through the University of Tennessee Professional Psychology Internship Consortium. During internship, Dr. Clure was trained as a certified therapist in Parent-Child Interaction Therapy (PCIT). She has been a within-agency trainer for PCIT International since 2016 and is now a PCIT International Certified Regional Trainer. She is also a certified Zero to Three DC: 0-5 trainer and is endorsed as an Infant Mental Health Clinical Mentor. Prior to moving into private practice in 2024, Dr. Clure spent 10 years as a pediatric psychologist and training coordinator at Children’s Nebraska. She currently specializes in assessment of neurodevelopmental differences and promoting early childhood mental health.

Additional Sessions:

• 9/8/26: Childhood Development: A Review of Normal
• 9/22/26: Childhood Development: Recognizing Delays
• 10/20/26: Roots of Resilience: Parent-Child Synchrony