All posts by Therapro

Saturday Seminar: From Farm to Table: A Comprehensive Group Model of Nutrition and Feeding

Events, Feeding Therapy

The February 17, 2018 Saturday Seminar at Therapro was an innovative presentation from nutritionist, Maria Napoleone, MS, RD, LDN and Occupational Therapist, Danielle Goldstein, M.Ed, OTR/L, entitled: Farm to Table: A Comprehensive Group Model of Nutrition and Feeding. The women have developed a feeding group collaboratively at BAMSI Early Intervention Program, in Brockton, MA. Maria has notable pediatric experience as a nutritionist working in varied settings including the Boston Medical Center Growth and Nutrition Clinic, Pediatric Feeding Clinic and Pediatric Surgery Department at UMass Medical Center, WIC, early intervention, and as a Peace Corps volunteer. Danielle’s broad pediatric experience includes practice in acute care, outpatient services, feeding team, school-based therapy, early intervention, and private practice.

Danielle and Maria described Farm to Table as a comprehensive model to improve feeding outcomes with nutrition at its foundation. Their toddler feeding group at BAMSI involves using a multi-sensory approach in a structured group setting in which peer role models play a critical role in the development of eating skills. The seminar covered many topics including tips on how to structure a feeding group in various settings, how to implement key strategies, how to empower parents carryover and use the strategies learned through the group, how to improve the quality of foods consumed, how to improve mealtime behavior, and much more!

Farm to Table developed over a number of years as the model for the BAMSI feeding group that provided the toddlers with hands-on food exploration and multisensory experiences in a nurturing, supportive setting. The Sequential Oral Sensory (S.O.S) Approach, a trans-disciplinary program for assessing and treating children with feeding challenges and weight/growth problems, serves as the approach the BAMSI team uses in their feeding group. S.O.S. integrates posture, sensory, motor, behavioral/learning, medical, and nutritional factors to evaluate and manage children with feeding and growth difficulties. Creating a garden as part of the group experience gives the children other sensory and food-related experiences that helps them understand how food grows and what it looks like when it is cooked and on your plate. The garden has produced a wide variety of vegetables and herbs that the group has used to prepare snacks and meals including spaghetti sauce, zucchini muffins, and pesto. Growing food adds a critical component to the group in light of the fact that Maria noted that “70-90% of children who receive EI services have one or more nutritional risk indicators.”

Several of the many helpful resources recommended by Danielle and Maria include: www.choosemyplate.gov, www.feedingmatters.org, www.ellynsatterinstitute.org, and www.farmtopreschool.org.

Maria and Danielle presented an exciting model that addresses jointly the importance of developing a solid nutritional foundation for children as well as the need to support children with feeding challenges through a multi-sensory approach to feeding. They have documented great success with their Farm to Table feeding group. The rich experiences the children gain take them from learning about how plants are grown, cared for, and harvested, to how the plants are prepared, cooked, and eaten, in a structured group with peers and adult role models. This team approach takes children who experience feeding challenges on a nurturing, supportive, fun journey toward improved nutrition and enjoyment of food!

Take a look at a few of the many positive comments from attendees about Danielle and Maria’s seminar:

“Very informational on ways to improve feeding with children not just by using food but also through movement, circle time, structured activities. Really like the idea of group and using peer modeling.” – Julia N., Occupational Therapist

“It was interesting and well presented. I will use many of these strategies for my class. (I am in First Grade and work with Special Needs).” – Annmarie M., Teacher

“Great process from beginning to end of creating this group program.” – Micaela C., Physical Therapist

“The emphasis on the process was important in understanding that every student works at their own pace and that any type of food trial – whether it be touch, smell, or taste is success!” – Beth M., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, Maria and Danielle!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
February 17, 2018

Saturday Seminar: Specialized Brain Gym and Building Block Activity Workshop

Events, Filomena's Corner, Gross Motor

The 2018 Saturday Seminar Series kick-off on January 20 featured June Smith, OTR/L’s presentation: Specialized Brain Gym and Building Block Activity Workshop. June is a full-time clinician and mentor at South Shore Therapies in Massachusetts and is a specialist in sensory integration (SIPT certified), NDT, ocular-motor dysfunction and visual-vestibular treatment. She is a certified Brain Gym instructor and a provider for the Therapeutic Listening Program. June teaches nationally on Brain Gym and Integrated Learning Concepts to support stress-free learning and efficiency of the ocular-motor system.

Brain Gym empowers; it supports alerting and quieting using a total of 26 exercises that require only one tool – your body. June displayed a Venn diagram that aptly described Brain Gym as interlocking concepts that involve 1). a series of simple body movements that 2). integrate all areas of the brain and 3). enhance learning and self-esteem. To demonstrate these concepts with the group, June led us in an alerting activity called “thinking cap.” She feels it is a powerful way to begin a session to facilitate engagement. We started by turning our heads to the right, then left, to examine any tension in our necks. We were asked to massage our ears simultaneously by unrolling the fold of the outer ear, moving from top to bottom. We then were asked to turn our heads again to see if we felt a decreased amount of tension compared with our pretest. Most agreed that head turning was less restricted after “thinking cap.”

June demonstrated a variety Brain Gym exercises that are used in the “PACE” process, an acronym for Positive, Active, Clear, and Energetic,” beginning with Energetic and working in reverse sequence (ECAP) because each of the four activities prepares you for the next. June described it as a ladder, working your way upward toward the top. She demonstrated three exercises that involved arm activation, the first assisted by using a Gertie Ball for arm extension to maintain internal rotation; a “double doodle” where one hand mimics the other, and “lazy 8s” in which the hand traces a large horizontal figure 8, crossing midline of the body using a Race the 8s large marble maze or Trace the 8s, that is based on the infinity sign. She offered suggestions for adapting the exercises for different populations to ensure success.

Several publications from Therapro were endorsed by June today including: Fraid Not: Empowering Kids with Learning Differences, by occupational therapist Pam Formosa; The Learning Gym, and Drive Thru Menus Attention & Strength (New Edition) and Drive Thru Menus Calming and Stress Busting (New Edition), by occupational therapist Tere Bowen-Irish.

June presented an interactive, stimulating seminar today that supported the philosophy that Brain Gym stimulates movement based learning. It incorporates simple, gentle movements that activate brain function. There has been much research conducted on how movement positively influences the brain and our health, and Brain Gym is a powerful tool that helps put a student in the best possible frame for learning as they become calm and organized.

Here’s what attendees had to say about June’s seminar:

“Great information! June convinced me.” – Lise S., Occupational Therapist

“Very informative, lots of practical ways to apply, fabulous ideas. Can’t wait to practically apply these strategies.” – Christin M., Occupational Therapist

“Great presenter. Very informative and interactive! FUN! – Susan P., Physical Therapist

“Fabulous. Recharged my OT battery to use in my school sessions. Used to do Brain Gym daily, changed school districts & haven’t been using.” – Jodi D., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, June!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
January 20, 2018

ASHA Conference, November 9-11, 2017

Events, Filomena's Corner, Hearing, Speech

This year’s annual ASHA conference drew over 14,000 speech-language pathologists, audiologists, hearing and speech scientists, and communications sciences and disorders students to Los Angeles for three jam-packed days of educational, networking, and fun events. On Thursday we welcomed the masses into the Expo Hall when they stopped by the Therapro exhibit by asking attendees what parts of the opening session inspired them. They reported enjoying Goldie Hawn’s Keynote Address with her emphasis on mindfulness and self-regulation. She discussed her foundation, the Hawn Foundation, which focuses on a program for schools to teach children the basics of brain science. It was a great kick-off for this year’s conference!

We designed our exhibit this year to focus on various areas we thought would interest attendees. Our “Games Corner” was a beehive of activity with Karen drawing therapists to play Novenops, Trunks, Letter Treasure Hunt, A Fistful of Coins, and Obstacles: A Game of Imaginative Solutions. One therapist loved Novenops so much that she purchased one for herself and several for gifts! The zany sentences players constructed in this game had everyone laughing.

Another area we set up was filled with wind-up toys that drew a crowd with giggles, exclamations, and stories of creative ways they used the toys in therapy sessions. Everyone exclaimed how unique our collection was, including the Firefighters, Cats, Lovely Farm, Baby Critters, and retro appliances.

Friends we had met in previous years stopped by to say hello and to see what’s new at Therapro. Our auditory processing publications were much appreciated, including Help for Auditory Processing and The Source for Processing Disorders – 2nd Edition. Story Starters Write-Abouts and Silly Starter Write-Abouts were very popular flip books with which students gain valuable writing and expressive verbal practice. Therapists loved the Conversacards, Question Series and Question Set with beautiful photos on one side and easy teaching steps on the reverse side.

Therapists who address feeding problems were excited to meet Kelly VahnDam, MS, CCC-SLP, editor and an author of the Therapro publication Pediatric Feeding Disorders. She graciously autographed the book and took photos with admirers. Several students from North Carolina reported that her book is part of their curriculum. Feeding therapists picked up Textured Spoons, Nuk Massager Brushes, Mr. Juice Bear, and much more. It was fun to help therapists select appropriate materials and brain storm with them on ways to use chewies for their clients. Mary Schiavoni, MS, CCC-SLP, creator of Chewy Tubes visited our booth and introduced the new Sensory Dipper she showcased at the conference. Dawn Winkelmann, MS, CCC-SLP of ezpz stopped by as well – we love their Happy Mats and Happy Bowls!

After three exciting and full days of introducing Therapro to speech and language professionals from the US, Canada, and many foreign countries, we were pleased with the dedication and thirst for knowledge expressed by those we met. We left L.A. satisfied that we had met thousands of devoted and gifted therapists who truly LOVE their profession!

We can’t wait to welcome you to Boston next Fall for the ASHA Conference 2018!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L