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ForwardECHO-Chicago: Pediatric Behavioral Health for 6-12 Year Olds
March 2, 2026 to June 8, 2026
Build confidence. Strengthen care. Make mental health part of primary care.
Pediatric mental health needs are climbing fast, and for many children, primary care is the only door to help. Nearly 1 in 5 Illinois children ages 6–12 has a diagnosed mental, emotional, developmental, or behavioral condition, and many continue to struggle with anxiety, irritability, and lingering post-pandemic effects. With specialty services often out of reach, the responsibility and opportunity land squarely with primary care.
This high-impact, skills-driven series gives you the tools to step in sooner and make a difference right away. Learn to recognize concerns early, separate typical behavior from warning signs, and deliver effective care on the spot, from screening and diagnosis to brief interventions, medication management, and suicide risk assessment. Using a practical stepped-care model, you’ll integrate behavioral health seamlessly into everyday visits without slowing your workflow.
Designed for clinicians caring for children ages 6–12, this program delivers ready-to-use strategies that expand access, speed support, and improve outcomes for kids and families.
Don’t wait to refer. Lead the change. Start mental health care where children already are: your clinic.
Target Audience
This activity is designed for clinicians treating children between ages 6 and 12.
Learning Objectives
After this activity, participants will be able to:
- Describe the epidemiology and developmental presentation of common pediatric mental health conditions.
- Identify anxiety, depressive, and trauma-related symptoms from normative behaviors in children.
- Differentiate universal versus targeted mental health screening approaches and how to interpret results using standardized tools.
- Apply DSM-5 criteria to diagnose ADHD and disruptive behavior disorders, incorporating functional impairment across home, school, and peer contexts.
- Implement evidence-based behavioral interventions and recommendations for practical accommodations in home and school settings.
- Compare pharmacologic treatment options for ADHD, anxiety, and autism-related conditions, including indications, dosing, titration, and monitoring.
- Manage suicide risk in children in primary care using screening, risk stratification, and safety plan development.
- Integrate knowledge of developmental, behavioral, and environmental factors, including screen time, trauma, and family context, into individualized pediatric mental health care plans.
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| Date | Topic |
|---|---|
| March 2 | Introduction to ECHO-Chicago; Case-based differential diagnosis, Conceptual Approach, Epidemiology, & Developmental Context SME: Andrea Spencer, MD |
| March 9 | Mental Health Screening SME: John Parkhurst, PhD |
| March 16 | ADHD & Disruptive Behavior - Evaluation and Diagnosis SME: Andrea Spencer, MD |
| NO SESSION ON MARCH 23 | |
| March 30 | ADHD & Disruptive Behavior - Treatment PMT + Accommodations SME: Andrea Spencer, MD |
| April 6 | ADHD & Disruptive Behavior - Stimulant Medications + Non-stimulant SME: Andrea Spencer, MD |
| April 13 | Anxiety Disorders - Recognition & Functional Assessment SME: Caitlin Engelhard, MD, PhD |
| April 20 | Anxiety Disorders - Anticipatory guidance, CBT, School avoidance SME: Caitlin Engelhard, MD, PhD |
| April 27 | Anxiety Disorders – SSRIs SME: Caitlin Engelhard, MD, PhD |
| May 4 | Depression - Recognition and Assessment SME: John Parkhurst, PhD |
| May 11 | Suicide Screening & Safety Planning SME: John Parkhurst, PhD |
| May 18 | Autism Pharmacologic Strategies Beyond SSRIs SME: Caitlin Engelhard, MD, PhD |
| NO SESSION ON MAY 25 | |
| June 1 | Trauma & Stress SME: John Parkhurst, PhD |
| June 8 | Screen Time & Mental Health + Series Wrap-Up SME: John Parkhurst, PhD |
The agenda is subject to change.
Online Webinar
Chicago, IL
United States
WANT TO KNOW MORE?
Visit the ECHO-Chicago website!
ACCESSIBILITY The University of Chicago is committed to providing equal access appropriate to need and circumstances and complies fully with legal requirements of the Americans with Disabilities Act. If you are in need of special accommodation, please contact ECHO-Chicago via email.
The University of Chicago reserves the right to cancel or postpone this conference due to unforeseen circumstances. In the unlikely event this activity must be cancelled or postponed, the registration fee will be refunded; however, the University of Chicago is not responsible for any related costs, charges, or expenses to participants, including fees assessed by airline/travel/lodging agencies.
NORTHWESTERN UNIVERSITY COURSE DIRECTORS
Caitlin Engelhard, MD, PhD
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Assistant Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
John Parkhurst, PhD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Andrea Spencer, MD
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Associate Professor of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences
Disclosure Declarations
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and, where appropriate,e in the content.
As a provider accredited by the ACCME, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine asks everyone in a position to control the content of an educational activity to disclose all financial relationships with any ineligible companies. This includes any entity whose primary business is producing, marketing, selling, re-selling, or distributing healthcare products used by or on patients. Financial relationships are relevant if a financial relationship, in any amount, exists between the person in control of content and an ineligible company during the past 24 months, and the content of the education is related to the products of an ineligible company with whom the person has a financial relationship. Mechanisms are in place to identify and mitigate any relevant financial relationships before the start of the activity.
Additionally, the University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine requires Authors to identify investigational products or off-label uses of products regulated by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration at first mention and, where appropriate,e in the content.
Physician Credit
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine is accredited by the Accreditation Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME) to provide continuing medical education for physicians.
The University of Chicago Pritzker School of Medicine designates this live activity for a maximum of 13 AMA PRA Category 1 Credits™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.
Social Worker Credit
University of Chicago Medicine is a Registered Social Work Continuing Education Sponsor through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and will offer continuing education units for ECHO-Chicago: Pediatric Behavioral Health for 6-12 Year Olds for LSW and LCSW social workers in the state of Illinois.
University of Chicago Medicine is a Registered Social Work Continuing Education Sponsor through the Illinois Department of Financial and Professional Regulation and will offer continuing education units for ECHO-Chicago: Pediatric Behavioral Health for 6-12 Year Olds for LSW and LCSW social workers in the state of Illinois.
13 social work continuing education units are provided for this live activity.
Other Participant Credit
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Other participants will receive a Certificate of Participation. For information on the applicability and acceptance of Certificates of Participation for educational activities certified for AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ from organizations accredited by the ACCME, please consult your professional licensing board.
Please note: The credit claiming process will close one month after the activity ends. Requests to claim credit after one month may incur additional fees.
Registration: For more information about ECHO-Chicago, visit the program website below.
ECHO-CHICAGO WEBSITE
Claiming Credit: Enter the access code to unlock the credit-claiming process.
Please note: The credit claiming process will close 30 days after the activity ends. Requests to claim credit after 30 days may incur additional fees.
Claiming Credit: Enter the access code to unlock the credit-claiming process.
Please note: The credit claiming process will close 30 days after the activity ends. Requests to claim credit after 30 days may incur additional fees.
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