From Pointing to Perspective-Taking: Unlocking Pragmatic Language Potential

Wednesday, October 21st at 9:00 a.m. PT (12:00 p.m. ET) (5pm Irish Time)

Free | 120 minutes

2 Continuing Education (CE) credits available for purchase here

About the Webinar

Pragmatic language sits at the intersection of communication and cognition, and some of its most meaningful differences emerge not in test scores, but in everyday interactions. This webinar provides speech–language pathologists and school psychologists with a developmentally informed framework for identifying pragmatic language needs in students ages 3–22, from essential foundations to complex social reasoning abilities. Participants will explore the progression of pragmatic skills, consider cultural and contextual influences, review common disorders and assessment approaches, and examine the overlap between speech–language pathology and school psychology practice. The session concludes with strategies for translating assessment findings into functional intervention targets and appropriate service delivery.

Learning Objectives

At the end of this webinar, participants will be able to:

• describe the developmental trajectory of pragmatic language skills, including key domains such as conversation, inferencing, perspective-taking, and emotion recognition;
• compare standardized and qualitative/observational approaches to assessing pragmatic language, including the influence of cultural factors; and
• apply a collaborative, team-based approach to translate pragmatic assessment data into functional, real-life intervention goals.

 is a licensed and nationally certified school psychologist. She earned her doctor of psychology degree from Nova Southeastern University and maintains an adjunct professor role in the university’s training program. She has worked in school, community, and private practice settings for over two decades. Dr. Berghauser is a past president of the Florida Association of School Psychologists, which has allowed her to advocate on behalf of practitioners and the critical service they provide to children and families at the state and national levels. In her current role as a WPS Assessment Consultant, she provides collaborative and systemic support within educational and healthcare settings to enhance evaluation competence and outcomes through high-standard professional development.

Stephanie Held, MS, CCC-SLP

 has been an ASHA-certified speech–language pathologist for over 13 years. She has empowered children and adults to reach their communication goals, with extensive experience working with school-age children on the autism spectrum. In her current role as an Assessment Consultant at WPS, she supports professionals by connecting them with the evaluation tools and resources they need to unlock potential.

Ronni Jupson, MS, CCC-SLP

 is a Professional Development and Training Specialist at WPS. She has been in the field of speech–language pathology for over 10 years, working in pediatric outpatient clinics, home health, skilled nursing facilities, and K–12 public education. Before joining WPS, she worked in disability advocacy as a project coordinator at a nonprofit organization. In her current role, she coordinates and develops learning content, drawing on her background to connect assessment professionals with meaningful training. Ronni also serves as the ASHA Continuing Education Content Consultant for WPS.