Course 1: Intro to Pediatric Airway & Dental Sleep Medicine

Foundations, Screening & Myofunctional Therapy
📅 January 28–30, 2027 | 📍 Northern Virginia/DC

The journey starts here.

Whether you’re brand new to pediatric airway and sleep medicine or you’re a seasoned practitioner ready to align your team, Course 1 is designed to give every attendee a strong, practical foundation. This isn’t just about learning new techniques—it’s about building a shared understanding across the entire dental team so everyone knows how to screen, communicate, and take first steps in care.

In this opening course of the ASAP Mini-Residency Pathway, you and your team will:

• Gain the foundational knowledge that connects pediatric airway, sleep, and TMJ to overall child health
• Learn how to act as a physician of the stomatognathic system—diagnosing and planning care in the context of growth, development, and whole-body health
• Build confidence in screening patients and guiding parents toward understanding airway risk and next steps
• Recognize and address oral myofunctional disorders—and learn how myofunctional therapy and coaching can redirect a child’s growth trajectory
• Practice the team approach to airway care, where every member (hygienist, assistant, admin) has a role in screening, communication, and follow-up

Hands-On Focus

Through interactive exercises, you and your team will:

• Practice the screening and data-gathering process step by step
• Learn parent communication scripts that build trust and confidence
• Fit prefabricated myofunctional appliances as a first-step intervention
• Experience how collaborative care works in real practice

By the End of This Course, You’ll Be Able To:

• Understand the physiology and pathophysiology of pediatric sleep-related breathing disorders
• Connect craniofacial growth and development with airway, TMJ, and functional health
• Confidently screen patients (PSQ, medical/social history, chairside observations)
• Communicate airway risk clearly to parents and collaborate effectively with MDs and therapists
• Recognize oral myofunctional disorders and know when to provide coaching or refer
• Identify both anatomical and non-anatomical contributors to airway dysfunction
• Outline appropriate dental management options based on screening and diagnosis

Why Start Here?

This first course sets the stage for the entire residency:

• If you’re just beginning, you’ll walk away with the confidence to start screening and managing cases right away.
• If you’re further along, you’ll gain the systematic framework to unify what you already know and bring your team into the process—so you’re not carrying the burden alone.
• And for everyone, Course 1 ensures that as you continue through the residency, you’ll have the foundation and team alignment needed to maximize the impact of every advanced course that follows.

Faculty:
Dr. Stacy Becker | Dr. Tracey Nguyen | Dr. Michelle Weddle

Registration

Registration Policy: Team Members vs. Independent Allied Health Professionals

To ensure fair and consistent application of registration fees, all participants must register under the category that accurately reflects their professional and employment status.

1. Team Member Registration

Team member pricing is available to eligible employees of a registered doctor who attend the course with their employing or supervising doctor.

Any allied health professional employed by a dental practice is classified as a team member, regardless of their professional credentials or clinical role.

This includes, but is not limited to, registered dental hygienists, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, and other allied health providers employed by a dental practice.

Team members must attend the course with their employing or supervising doctor to qualify for team member pricing.

Team member pricing may not be used by an employee to register independently or attend without their associated doctor.

2. Independent Allied Health Professional Registration

The reduced allied health professional rate is reserved exclusively for independently practicing allied health providers who operate through their own independent business entity.

To qualify for this rate, the provider must:

Maintain their own independent business entity.

Not be employed by a dental practice.

Register and purchase under their own business entity rather than through a dental practice's team member registration.

Eligibility is based on the individual's actual employment and business status.

Allied health professional registrations do not include access to course recordings, replays, or other recorded educational content.

3. Eligibility Verification and Enforcement

ASAP Pathway reserves the right to verify employment status, professional affiliation, and independent business ownership to confirm registration eligibility.

If a participant registers under an incorrect category, ASAP Pathway reserves the right to adjust the registration fee to the applicable rate or deny discounted registration if the eligibility requirements are not met.

Registration categories are nontransferable and may not be used to obtain discounted pricing or educational access for which a participant does not qualify.

By registering, participants acknowledge and agree to these terms.