Therapro was an exhibitor at the 18th Annual Great Beginnings Conference, sponsored by Criterion Child Enrichment, in Worcester, MA, on October 24, 2015. This year’s conference offered attendees from the fields of early intervention, early childhood education, family support, and allied pediatric health care a variety of workshops centered on the theme of “Culture: Yours, Mine, and Ours.”
A distinguished group of presenters included a physician, attorneys, a speech pathologist, and an educator who addressed issues that included personal belief systems and their influence on working with clients and colleagues; considerations regarding using interpreters and cultural mediators when providing services; immigration issues; and early language development and second language acquisition.
Throughout the day, attendees eagerly explored the products offered by Therapro. They enjoyed trying out some new items such as the Lollacup, Fills and Spills Fishbowl, and Chewy Skool Kid Stretchy Pendant, as well as some old favorites like the Push Pull Puzzle, Talk It Rock It CDs, and Baby Buzz’r.
Kudos to Criterion Child Enrichment for sponsoring a vital conference! Supporting families by recognizing that cultural backgrounds are dynamic, rich resources for families, and helping families learn how to build partnerships with professionals for accessing and integrating services are essential aspirations for those who work with children and their families.
Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
Sensory Stories empower a child to cope with day-to day life activities such as getting dressed, riding the school bus, and going to the store. Victoria and her co-author, Deborah Marr, have developed 30 individual stories that can be customized to each child. She engaged the attendees as a group in a sensory story about brushing their teeth. The calming strategies recommended are simple and quick so that they can easily be incorporated into a task that a child finds difficult to accomplish. For example, calming strategies might involve deep touch pressure like a self-hug or using a towel to apply deep pressure to the skin.