Category Archives: Events

Saturday Seminar: From Flapping to Function: How to Promote Hand Skills

Events, Filomena's Corner, Sensory

We’re off and running with a full roster of exceptional speaker for the 2017 Fall Saturday Seminar Series! Barbara Smith, MS, OTR/L welcomed the new season with her presentation: From Flapping to Function: How to Promote Hand Skills by Meeting a Child’s Sensory Needs. She discussed how challenges in sensory processing, functional vision, executive functioning and behavior impact developing functional hand skills. In addition, she demonstrated how to adapt activities so that they are motivating, calming and successful for children of all ages.

Barbara has a wealth of experience as an occupational therapist! She has primarily worked with children and adults with developmental disabilities over the past 40 years. She is the author of The Recycling Occupational Therapist, From Rattles to Writing, and Still Giving Kisses, as well as numerous articles, blogs, and YouTube training videos. Barbara holds certification in sensory integration and hippotherapy.

Seminar attendees received a comprehensive review of the DSM5 – Autism Spectrum Disorder criteria and frequently co-existing disorders. Barbara discussed the impact of how sensory processing, vision deficits, executive function, and social/emotional/behavioral challenges can present challenges those diagnosed with ASD.

Barbara outlined10 ways to adapt activities and provide teaching strategies to ensure success for those with ASD. She demonstrated a variety of creative activities for children using recycled and easily obtainable materials throughout her presentation. To achieve optimal alertness, she discussed the use of weighted vests, lap pads and shoulder wraps; the importance of positioning such as a dynamic cushion, beanbag, swing, and a ball chair; and the use of vibration. Barbara has a number of favorite sensory fidget tools including soft, rubbery Panic Pete, whose eyes, ears, and nose pop out when squeezed. To promote success with activities, Barbara offered suggestions for simple adaptations such as enlarging or decreasing the size of materials, simplifying them, or providing stabilization for them. She displayed a variety of homemade shape sorters that were easily graded with one, two, and more openings to make insertion motivating and successful. Many adaptations were suggested to promote functional vision, including easel surfaces for materials so that the head and top of the easel are oriented in the same way, improved lighting, and using reading guides.

Barbara shared a wealth of clever ideas for promoting hand skills by incorporating sensory strategies into treatment. Her guide for using adaptations and teaching strategies to promote success in all areas of function at home, in the community, or at school was comprehensive and fun!

Attendees had terrific things to say about Barbara’s seminar:

“Great creative ideas for treatment. Got me thinking of items in my class & at home to incorporate into treatment – thanks!” – Tracy H., Occupational Therapist

“Great practical knowledge. Loved her passion. I would love this training to be brought to schools so OT/PT/S/L are understood & supported in the schools by teachers and administrators” – Ingrid J., Parent

“Very informative, concrete suggestions” – Linda M., Occupational Therapist

“Excellent information and great examples! What a way to incorporate everyday items to functional use.” – Beth M., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, Barbara!

August 26, 2017
Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

Annual Ohio OT/PT School-Based Practice Conference

Events, Filomena's Corner, Occupational Therapy

The Annual Ohio OT/PT School-Based Practice conference celebrated its 25th year on August 7-8 in Columbus! From one year to the next, this conference attracts therapists from Ohio as well as surrounding states. This year the venue was bursting with almost 700 energized attendees. The conference always offers exceptional speakers who present the latest information for both new and seasoned therapists.

We were proud that Therapro author Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L presented the Keynote address entitled: “Weaving Visualization and Mindfulness into Your Practice.” She offered a variety of sessions throughout the conference, attracting capacity crowds eager to hear her lively presentations incorporating her Drive Thru Menus. Tere introduced a brand new addition to her product line-up called: Sensory Processing Support Planning Guide.

Other presentations offered show the diversity and breadth of this conference: Athena Oden, PT presented “Ready Bodies, Learning Minds: Cultivating the Complete Child.” Take a look at her website for learning more about her unique approach that provides developmental support for integrating both the sensory systems and motor systems as a basis for academic success. Just a few of the other excellent sessions included: “Integrating Primitive Reflexes to Improve School Function’ by Kim Wiggins, OTR/L, “Developmental Coordination Disorder: Best Practices for Recognition and Management in the School Setting,” by Erin Iverson, PT, DPT, PCS and Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L, and “Are We Ready to Meet the Obesity Challenge?” by Cindy Miles, PT, PhD, PCS.

Therapro owner/president Karen Conrad Weihrauch and I enjoyed greeting all the therapists who stopped by the Therapro exhibit. Attendees eagerly tried out some of the latest Therapro products: Safety Grip Scooter Board, Eazyhold universal cuffs, Yoga Spinner Game, Gyrobi fidgets, Stikbot, and Peg Friends: Around the Town.

 

The Therapro game, Letter Treasure Hunt, was acclaimed by therapists who purchased it at last year’s conference. One therapist excitedly relayed that she loved the game because it was so versatile. She discovered she could use it for students of a variety of ages and abilities. For example, she told us that with one student, she used just the spinner part of the game to help develop fine motor skill.

The new revised edition of Fine Motor Olympics was hard to keep on the shelves! Therapists loved the 64 beautiful color card deck photos of children’s hands performing various fine motor tasks. On the reverse side of the cards there is information on how to perform and adapt the activity as well as identification of the hand functions that are being targeted by the activity. The revised manual includes a quick screening form, a fine motor observation checklist, a record form, plus an in-service training program. All agreed that Fine Motor Olympics is a very practical, important tool to add to the therapy toolbox!

Mary Kay Eastman, PT, MS and Molly Dodge, OTR/L co-chaired this event once again seamlessly. With a dedicated team of hard workers, the two-day conference hummed along and offered attendees a broad selection of relevant, interesting topics. Conference coordinator, Holly Bartholomew of First Class Conferences, once again made sure all ran smoothly throughout the conference. Great job, ladies! Thank you for two exhilarating days. We look forward to seeing you next year!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L

Massachusetts Early Intervention Consortium (MEIC)

Early Intervention, Events

This year’s annual conference in Framingham, MA, attracted over 750 attendees over the course of two days! Therapro was thrilled to participate as an exhibitor this year, greeting old friends, welcoming the opportunity to introduce Therapro to new early intervention providers, and meeting families of children from birth to 3 years.

MEIC provides this yearly opportunity for learning and networking among professionals and families who work tirelessly on behalf of infants and toddlers with special needs. Therapro joined this group in celebrating individual differences and offering fun and creative therapeutic resources for the challenges providers and families encounter with this age group.

Among the Therapro products attendees loved was the perennial favorite, Rapper Snappers. It was fun listening to therapists and educators describe how they creatively use these colorful, adaptable tubes in a gazillion ways! The Push Pull Puzzle was a sell out, with raves about how much the children love this 2-sided puzzle with 12 magnetized pieces. The puzzle promotes many skills such as finger isolation, color/figure recognition, and language stimulation. Fine motor manipulatives including Giant Nuts & Bolts, Gator Grabbers, Finger Crayons, and Pop Beadswere deemed ideal for developing little hands.

Therapists restocked their oral motor tool kits with Z-vibes, Flexi Cut cups, Nuk Brushes, and Chew Lollies and Chewy Tubes at the Therapro exhibit. The Therapro publication, Pediatric Feeding Disorders: Evaluation and Treatment generated positive exclamations of its usefulness from speech and occupational therapists.

We were energized by the enthusiasm and commitment of the professionals and parents we encountered at this conference! Therapro‘s ongoing assurance is to partner with these providers by offering exceptional products to support their interventions.

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L