March 19, 2026: Webinar “AUTISM BEYOND THE CHECKLIST: Phenotypes, Mimics, and Debates Shaping 2026”
The webinar takes 3 hours and 3 CE Credits will be awarded for every live webinar by CE credit sponsor to licensed professionals.
CUE Management Solutions, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CUE Management Solutions, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content.
CUE Management Solutions, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0242.Instructor Credentials: Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., ABPP., a clinical neuropsychologist and cognitive neuroscientist, and Diplomate of The American Board of Professional Psychology in Clinical Neuropsychology. His critically acclaimed and bestselling books have been translated into 24 languages.
Tuition: $185 per webinar
Format: three-hour long online webinar
Date and time:
March 19 (Thursday) from 1pm to 4pm Eastern Time (noon–3pm Central Time, 10am–1pm Pacific Time)
Training appropriate for: The course is intended for professionals concerned with mental health and with brain and brain disorders.
The course content level: Intermediate.
AUTISM BEYOND THE CHECKLIST: Phenotypes, Mimics, and Debates Shaping 2026
March 19 (Thursday) from 1pm to 4pm Eastern Time (noon–3pm Central Time, 10am–1pm Pacific Time)
This 3-hour webinar moves beyond a checklist approach to ASD by focusing on diagnostic complexities and why an autism label can be correct but clinically incomplete. It introduces “phenocopy logic” and diagnostic overshadowing, showing how neurological, genetic, and medical conditions can mimic or reshape an autism-like presentation. Using phenotype-focused examples, it reviews common mimics and “ASD-plus” patterns, and how to think about EEG and MRI findings without over-interpreting incidental abnormalities. The session closes with the debates shaping 2026, including neurodiversity, ethics, and psychosocial trends, with practical guidance for communicating uncertainty while keeping recommendations actionable.
Topics to be covered:
1. Diagnostic complexities in ASD, why an autism label can be “correct but incomplete”.
2. Clinical foundations of phenocopy logic, ASD as a “final common pathway”.
3. Diagnostic overshadowing in neuropsychology and its impact on case conceptualization.
4. Shifting from behavioral description to causal understanding.
5. Distinguishing primary vs secondary autistic features.
6. The “social brain” network and how secondary insults can reshape presentation.
7. Sensory dysregulation as a secondary feature.
8. Macrocephaly and ASD, clinical significance and when to worry.
9. The role of neuroimaging in clinical practice.
10. Association vs causation, how to avoid over-reading correlations.
11. Neurological mimics and lesion-based examples, including hydrocephalus mechanisms, agenesis of the corpus callosum, and temporal lobe cysts.
12. Mapping the genetic landscape of secondary ASD, including TSC and the “double hit” model, Prader-Willi syndrome overlap, FASD, 22q11.2 deletion, and Fragile X comparisons.
13. Regression-focused clinical reasoning, including “the EEG trigger”.
14. Neurobiological causation controversies and public narratives, including vaccines, how to communicate safety without conflict, and the impact of social media on perceptions.
Learning objectives for training:
1. Explain why an ASD label can be clinically incomplete, and apply a “beyond the checklist” approach that emphasizes differential diagnosis and layered formulation.
2. Apply phenocopy logic to differentiate primary autism features from secondary autistic features and diagnostic mimics, and recognize diagnostic overshadowing in case presentations.
3. Identify clinical red flags and “workup triggers,” including patterns involving regression, macrocephaly, focal signs, and concerning changes in functioning, that indicate need for additional medical evaluation.
4. Use a structured approach to neuroimaging findings (including MRI) by distinguishing clinically actionable results from incidental abnormalities and avoiding over-interpretation in feedback and reports.
5. Describe key neurological mimics and lesion-based examples discussed (including hydrocephalus and callosal agenesis) and link these presentations to practical clinical recommendations and referral considerations.
6. Summarize the genetic testing framework reviewed and interpret uncertain results in a clinically responsible way without overstating causality.
7. Critically evaluate causality claims in high-profile controversies discussed (for example, vaccines and acetaminophen) by identifying confounding and distinguishing timing coincidences from evidence of causation, and translate that reasoning into patient and family communication.
8. Formulate and communicate an integrated, ethically grounded case formulation that addresses uncertainty, supports appropriate services, and reflects psychosocial debates shaping 2026, including neurodiversity-informed considerations.
Conflicts of Interest:
There is no known commercial interest or conflict of interest for this program.
Cancellation Policy:
If for any reason you need to cancel, please contact the trainer so we can work together to determine a resolution.
Dr. Elkhonon Goldberg, Ph.D., ABPP: info@lninstitute.org 800-906-5866
Grievance Policy:
We seek to ensure equitable treatment of every person and to make every attempt to resolve grievances in a fair manner. Please email us with your written grievance. Grievances would receive, to the best of our ability, corrective action in order to prevent further problems.
ADA Needs:
If you have any special requests, please email/call: Karen Newell: 707-321-0926 newell@sonic.net
CE and Commercial Support:
CUE Management Solutions, LLC does not have a relevant financial relationship(s) with ineligible companies or other potentially biasing relationships to disclose to learners.
Continuing Education
CUE Management Solutions, LLC is approved by the American Psychological Association to sponsor continuing education for psychologists. CUE Management Solutions, LLC maintains responsibility for this program and its content. CUE Management Solutions, LLC is recognized by the New York State Education Department’s State Board for Psychology as an approved provider of continuing education for licensed psychologists #PSY-0242.
