Category Archives: Conferences

The Therapro booth at the 2023 AOTA annual conference buzzing with activity

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 2023 Conference Highlights 

Conferences, Uncategorized

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!

Jenny L. Clark with Karen, President of Therapro
Dawn Winkelmann, M.S, CCC-SLP with Karen, President of Therapro
Linda Merry, OTR and Celine Skertich, PT

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 sensory foam

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!

black chair with Wiggle Wobble Chair Feet attache

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.

Luminea bubble tube and tablet showing the luminea app

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!

Therapro's demo table at ATIA 2023

ATIA 2023 Conference Highlights: It’s All About The Free Resources!

Accessibility, Activities, Conferences, , , ,

As a part of Therapro’s effort to be the resource for families and professionals the Therapro team attended the recent 2023 Assistive Technology Institute Association (ATIA) Conference where we had many opportunities to demonstrate the resources Therapro is known for.

Did you ever notice that Therapro’s logo includes the line “The Resource for Families and Professionals?”  Why? We believe that achieving goals toward independence is not only about the use of products, but also about the resources that educate consumers on the uniqueness and rationale behind the products. Because of this strong belief, all of Therparo’s  resources are FREE and include FREE webinars, FREE catalogs (5 catalogs), free TheraGram newsletters, free Handy Guides and more. 

At ATIA the Therapro team was able to meet up with specialists in the field of assistive technology and share with them many of Therapro’s assistive technology resources that were created by occupational therapist, Allyson Locke and graphic designer Dave Asselin. In this blog we are sharing some of the favorite resources from ATIA 2023.

Therapro’s Mechanical Switch Comparison Chart

Do you work with switches? Do you sometimes struggle to decide which is the best switch to choose for a client? Then this chart, created by occupational therapist Allyson Locke, is for you! It features 11 switches and compares each of them by 6 important factors: Connection type, Activation type, Activation Surface, Feedback, Plug size and Mounting plate. This Chart will help in your decision making and explanation to staff and family members regarding switches.

Switch-Comparison-Chart-1Download

The Functionalhand: Live Demos & Information Sheet 

Getting a chance to try out the functionalhand was a big hit at ATIA 2023 and was one of the most important pieces of adaptive equipment used in activities of daily living  shown at ATIA. Created by Linda Merry, OTR and Celine Skertich, PT, the functionalhand has been engineered to assist individuals who have difficulty with grasp. Attendees were amazed by its simplicity and versatility in being used with almost any object. The accompanying handout was sought out by many; it includes a QR Code that takes the viewer  to a  terrific video showing its MANY  different uses.  When used with the  EazyHold (see next paragraph) the adaptations are greatly expanded.

The-functionalhand-2Download
EazyHold Universal Cuff

EazyHold – What Can You Adapt?

The patented design of the EazyHold gives children and adults the ability to hold onto many items with ease. ATIA attendees loved the soft feel and flexibility. EazyHolds comes in multiple sizes to help get a better grip on objects small to large. Therapro’s Handy Guide, What Can I Adapt, has great explanations to help you decide which size is best and the many pictures illustrate how to use them in everyday life!

Assistive Technology Handy Guide for Daily Activities

Therapro’s Assistive Technology Handy Guide provides a quick snapshot of available technology, from low to high tech that is available at Therapro.  Looking for ideas for increasing access and independence in the classroom or at home? This resource is for you!

Powerlink

PowerLink Activity Ideas

Another great opportunity we had at ATIA was sharing activity ideas with fellow therapists and of course we brought along some of our favorite ideas! In a previous blog, The Power of a PowerLink in Promoting Access, which is definitely worthy of reading, we shared several ideas for switch adapted activities that can be done with a Powerlink. While at ATIA, occupational therapist and writer of the blog, Allyson Locke, explained and discussed with attendees one of the activities, Switch Adapted Bowling. Check out the blog for additional ideas.

ASHA 2021 Conference Highlights

Conferences

ASHA 2021 marked Therapro’s first return to large scale conferences since the start of the COVID pandemic. There were some major differences between ASHA 2021 and conferences of the past but the one thing that remained the same was all of the great professionals who came to visit the Therapro booth! One question always asked is “what are the favorite products this year?”. In case you were not able to attend ASHA 2021 in person,  we summed up the top conference favorites for you! 

  • Big Feeling Pineapple.  This one sold out on day one! Conference goers compared Big Feeling Pineapple to “Mr. Potato Head” because the expressions were interchangeable similar to Mr. Potato head pieces.  Conference goers loved the smaller size and soft but firm feel.  They also loved that there were two sides allowing for endless uses like matching expressions, using it as a prop while reading stories, and as a jumping off point for discussing feelings.  
  • Balloon Car Racers: Another sell out! A comment often heard about Balloon Car Racers was that they were a great tool for working on oral motor strength.  Another highlight was that there were two to a pack allowing for peer interaction. 
  • Lion In My Way. This one is an oldie but still very much a goodie. Lion in my way is a conference staple and no matter how many we bring, we never have enough! Conference goers often remarked about the way Lion In My way approaches collaborative problem solving. It was also noted to be a great tool for tapping into imagination and flexible thinking.  
  • NOVENOPS. Another conference staple and another one that never fails to disappoint!  A huge draw of NOVENOPS has always been its compact size especially for professionals who travel from building to building or even room to room.  Conference goers appreciated the many opportunities for ‘WH’ questions that NOVENOPS offers. 
  • Choose your Chew Handy Guide: Our handy guide isn’t really a product but the many copies of our Choose Your Chew Handy Guide that we brought were gone before we knew it! Therapro is known for the many varieties of chews that we offer but selecting the right chew can be daunting. Conference goers appreciated the ease that our handy guide made in the selection process.  
  • Feeling Heads: Not only were these a hit but they also got a good laugh from many conference goers! They remarked that not only were they soft but also the perfect size for little hands.  Conference goers had so many great ideas for ways to use these heads including as props while reading stories, as a tool for discussing emotions, and as a communication aid when words are not available.
  • Smart Games:   The Snow White Game, Three Little Pigs Game, and Little Red Riding Hood Game all made their conference debut at ASHA 2021 and all were a big hit.  In the age of COVID, conference goers appreciated that the pieces were made of easy to clean plastic.  They also remarked that these games were a great way to target early executive function and language skills in a fun way.  
  • Wind-Ups.  No conference would be complete without some fun windups! As many conference goers noted, wind-ups are a big motivator and a great way to target language areas like asking for help and asking for more.  
  • Spark Cards. With so many options to choose from, Spark Cards were very popular.  Conference goers appreciated the wide variety from complex cards to simpler versions as well as options for larger cards that could be used on the floor.  Another big draw was that these cards are dry erase marker friendly, making it easy to emphasize key areas.  

It was great to meet  everyone at ASHA 2021, thank you all for sharing your great ideas. We are looking forward to seeing everyone again at ASHA 2022!