All posts by Therapro

Working Memory: An Overview and Implications

Events & Conferences, Games, Motor & Movement,

Diane Long, Ed.D, MOTR/L, presented our latest Therapro Saturday Seminar, Working Memory: An Overview and Implications, on November 8, 2014. In addition to her role as Chair of Occupational Therapy and associate professor at Ithaca College, she developed the Therapro publication, TRUNKS®: The Game of Motor-Memory.

Diane met her objectives for the seminar by:

  1. Reviewing a number of theories about the developmental aspects of working memory;
  2. Discussing how working memory contributes to learning, socializing, and task completion; and
  3. Identifying strategies for improving working memory.
Cover of the game trunks, presented at the Saturday Seminar Working Memory: An Overview and Implications

Her engaging presentation style made reviewing neuro function interesting and applicable. She pointed out that with working memory we form a “mental snapshot” of a task in the prefontal cortex. She noted that working memory is a slowly developing system that does not mature until we are in our 20’s. Its job is to assist in keeping information organized without having to rely on external cues. An important key for us to remember when a child is working on a memory task is to minimize distractions for them, including not talking to them as they work.

Some researchers have found that using games can increase attention and motivation, which can improve visual memory. Diane has proposed that non-computer games (like TRUNKS) will improve working memory skills. She concluded her seminar by actually playing TRUNKS with the audience…”Elephants always remember.”

Seminar attendees had many positive comments about this seminar:

“Material was presented in a fun and interactive way with extreme relevance to therapeutic practice with children.” Molly F.

“Terrific and clear overview of working memory and the impact on learning. The working memory activities helped to apply the concepts.” Denise L.

“Informative but also interspersed with activities to keep up interest and also enhance theories.” Anonymous.

“Interesting topic, well presented, interactive and relevant to my job.” Neha S.

Thank you, Diane!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

15th Annual Therapies in the School Conference: Highlights

Events & Conferences

Therapists from across the country attended the 15th annual Therapies in the School Conference on November 20–21 in Framingham, MA, sponsored by Education Resources, Inc. This widely respected professional development event continues to bring together school-based occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, and special educators committed to improving student outcomes. The conference featured a distinguished faculty who presented workshops on hot topics, including integrating visual and motor strategies that promote learning, addressing therapy delivery within time constraints, and developing executive function skills to boost student productivity and independence.

Therapro was proud to exhibit at the conference, connecting with school-based professionals and sharing tools designed to support evidence-based practice. Many therapists stopped by the Therapro booth to explore new product offerings, revisit favorite tools, or simply exchange ideas. These meaningful conversations reinforce our mission to provide practical, therapist-recommended resources that enhance school-based therapy.

Here are just a few Therapro favorites that were popular with attendees:

15th Annual Therapies in the School Conference: Games

15th Annual Therapies in the School Conference Favorites: Books

cover of the book Smart but ScatteredFront cover of Smart but Scattered Teens book on executive functioning for adolescents, a popular resource at the Therapies in the School Conference

Attendees left this conference with a wealth of information that will be directly applicable to their practice in the schools. Congratulations on celebrating 15 outstanding years of Therapies in the School!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

Executive Function Strategies for Students: Seminar Recap

Events & Conferences,

Sarah Ward, MS, CCC-SLP presented the final Saturday Seminar of 2014 on Fostering Executive Function Skills. Sarah is the Co-Director of Cognitive Connections in Concord, MA. She is an expert in the assessment and rehab of traumatic brain injury, particularly in the treatment of executive functioning.

Sarah is a charismatic national and international speaker. A throng of 125 therapists, educators, parents, and paraprofessionals squeezed into the Therapro showroom to hear Sarah share her expertise in developing practical strategies for addressing executive function skills in school-age children and teens. The strategies she shared were readily applicable to anyone in the school and home setting.

Sarah provided many examples of situations where executive function skills are needed in order for a student to execute a plan that results in a successful outcome. Since children have an unrealistic view of time, they need non-verbal working memory, using self-directed talk to execute a task. She illustrated this by presenting various scenarios where a student is asked to perform a task like cleaning his room, getting ready for school or soccer practice, etc. In order to complete the task, he needs a sequential plan. For a student with poor executive functioning, he may have difficulty with making a “mental dress rehearsal” of what he needs to do to in order to accomplish the task, and may get side tracked easily. Sarah recommended a good place to start is for us as the “executive coach” to use a visual word (“see, imagine, visualize, etc.”) and direct the student to put on his “future glasses” to increase awareness. Sarah explained the Get Ready, Do, DONE Model for getting a task completed.

The goal of intervention with a student who has poor executive function skills is to help him become more independent in this area of functioning. Sarah suggested that using therapeutic intervention strategies will improve the following: situational awareness and forethought; task planning, initiation, and transition between tasks; and finally, active self-management of the factors related to time passing. The objective is to help the student learn to manage the organization and time demands of school assignments, home and after-school tasks successfully.

Take a look at a few of the glowing testimonials from attendees about this seminar:

“This was the best, most practical seminar on executive function skills I could have imagined. I came away with lots of strategies that I feel ready to implement at home.” – John G.

“Wow, wow, wow! I loved it! I want to share this info with everyone.” – Jessica E.

“So incredibly practical and helpful – so many amazing tools.” Michele M.

“Sarah provides strategies/practices that can be implemented immediately, across all settings for all ages…and they make sense!” – Kate V.

Thank you, Sarah!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L