The Therapro team was truly inspired at the 2023 American Occupational Therapy Annual Conference (AOTA) in Kansa City, Missouri. The Therapro booth was buzzing with activity from the grand opening of the expo hall on Thursday morning through the final pack up on Saturday afternoon. Read on for conference highlights!
Celebrity Sightings!
The occupational therapists at Therapro definitely consider the special guests and visitors who stopped by the Therapro booth celebrities!
The Therapro team was joined by Linda Merry, OTR and Celine Skertich, PT the creators of the functionalhand, Polly Benson, OTR/L creator of LegiLiners, and Carolyn Murray-Slutsky, MS, OTR & Betty Paris, PT authors of many publications including Is It Sensory Or Is It Behavior?. It was inspiring to listen to their passion as they discussed their creations and publications with attendees.
The Therapro booth was also visited by many other ‘celebrities’ including Jenny L. Clark, OTR/L, BCP (author and creator of creator of the “Learn to Move” curriculum and Letter Treasure Hunt), Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP (feeding specialist for EZPZ), Kerry Mellin (co-creator of the EazyHolds) and John Pagano, Ph.D., OTR/L (author of FAB: Functionally Alert Behavior Strategies). The booth was a constant buzz of activity, it was great being able to engage with so many other professionals!
Live Demonstrations!
By far one of the best features of an in person expo is the ability to give live demonstrations; while we do our best to adequately describe the products on our website, there are some things you just have to experience! Happy Senso, Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet, and the Luminea Multisensory Environment products were just some of the products out for demo that really got people buzzing!
Happy Senso definitely elicited some of the best reactions from attendees who tried this amazing sensory gel. Happy Senso has a unique cold feeling and it pops and fizzles when it is squished by the hands. Attendees couldn’t get enough of this fun sensory gel and many even brought their friends back to the booth to give it a try!
Once the Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet were put on a standard chair in our booth, that chair became the instant favorite by both booth staff and conference attendees! Attendees especially appreciated the subtle but impactful movement the Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet provided and that they were more discrete than other available options.
The Luminea Bubble Tube and Fiber Optic Lights were an eye catching display but once attendees started to interact with the Luminea App, set up on our tablet, they quickly realized these elements offered much more therapeutic value than the standard bubble tube or light display. In conjunction with the free Luminea app, the Luminea line of products allows therapist and users to target skills like fine motor precision, isolated finger use, and language. An added bonus, the Vibroacoustic Cushion can also be paired with these elements to offer vibratory input. Attendees were pleasantly surprised by the subtle but powerful vibrations that were produced by such a small cushion!
The Therapro team had so much fun showing how these great tools could be used therapeutically and we loved hearing about how attendees were using these tools in their own practice!
Giveaways!
Therapro loves giveaways; at AOTA 2023 we had so many things to give to attendees.
Prizes! Several lucky attendees won a functionalhand of their very own, other attendees won one of the many EazyHolds options, and still others won some great books including Exploring the Spectrum of Autism and Pervasive Developmental Disorders (2000) and Just Right! A Sensory Modulation Curriculum for K-5.
Resources! One of the core beliefs we have at Therapro is that achieving therapeutic goals is not only about the use of products, but also about the resources that educate consumers on the uniqueness and rationale behind the products. Therapro’s Handguides are one of the many free resources we have available. At AOTA 2023 Therapro’s Find Your Fidget! Handy Guide, Get a Grip on Grips! Handy Guide, Gear Up for Games with Therapro! Handy Guide, and What Can I Adapt? Handy Guide were well received by attendees!
AOTA 2023 attendees a big thank you for the warm reception we received, we enjoyed talking to you all! The Therapro team is looking forward to AOTA 2024 in Orlando!