Tag Archives: Occupational Therapy

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

American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) 2023 Conference Highlights 

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 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!

Meet Therapro’s Occupational Therapy Authors & Creators

Therapro is celebrating its occupational therapy authors and creators during Occupational Therapy Month. Read on to learn more about these great occupational therapists and their creations!

Letter Treasure Hunt

Jenny L. Clark, OTR/L, BCP is the creator of the “Learn to Move” curriculum and Therapro’s Letter Treasure Hunt. Jenny has helped children over the past 25 years as a licensed pediatric occupational therapist working as a speaker, consultant, private practitioner at her own clinic (Jenny’s Kids, Inc.), school-based occupational therapist, independent contractor for early intervention services, author, and inventor. Jenny’s creation, Letter Treasure Hunt, is a fun and engaging game that targets handwriting skills while weaving in fun gross motor activities.

The functionalhand

Linda Merry, OTR is the co-creator of the functionalhand. She has many years’ experience and extensive knowledge working with children and adults who have disabilities and teaching on a variety of topics. She is a senior therapists at Easter Seals DuPage & the Fox Valley Region in Villa Park, IL and co-owner of Thera-Solutions which designs programs, coaches’ professionals and develops products for therapists, educators and caregivers. Her creation, the functionalhand is an innovative tool to assist with grasping objects for everyday fun and function!

Polly Benson OTR/L is the creator of LegiLiners, “the patent pending, cool little tool to quickly draw handwriting lines”. Polly is a school based occupational therapists with many years experience working with students of all ages. The idea for LegiLiners grew from her love for helping students with functional handwriting. LegiLiners are available in in a variety of styles to help learners of all ages.

Barbara Smith, MS, OTR/L is the author of From Rattles to Writing: A Parent’s Guide to Hand Skills. Barbara has been  an occupational therapist for over 40 years working primarily with children and adults with developmental disabilities.  Barbara’s book From Rattles to Writing: A Parent’s Guide to Hand Skills is a groundbreaking guide that describes the songs, games, toys, activities, and adaptations that help children develop the visual-perceptual skills needed to read and the eye-hand coordination to write.

Jayne Berry, OTR/L is the author of Fine Motor Skills in the Classroom and creator of the Therapro Hand Tool Kit. Jane was a pediatric therapist who worked extensively with preschoolers and school aged children. The Therapro Hand Tool Kit contains all your “hand tools” in a convenient kit! Fine Motor Skills in the Classroom  is a hand skills program developed as a tool to facilitate consultation in the classroom.

Trunks

Diane Long, EdD, MOTR/L is the creator of the game Trunks. Dr. Diane Long is an associate professor and serves as the Chair of Occupational Therapy at Ithaca College.  Trunks is an innovative game that targets working memory; players move their bodies, make sounds and perform actions from memory!

Carolyn Murray-Slutsky, MS OTR, C/NDT, FAOTA has co-authored many publications including: Is it Sensory or is it Behavior? 2nd Edition (2022), Autism Interventions: Exploring the Spectrum of Autism, Developing Visual Motor Integration, and the Sensory Modulation Laminated Card Series. Carolyn is certified in sensory integration (SI) and neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) for pediatrics, infants, and adults and director of Rehabilitation for Children, Inc, a pediatric private practice.  Her latest publication, Is it Sensory or is it Behavior? 2nd Edition (2022)  answers many questions about the relationship between sensory and behavior.

Fine Motor Olympics

Marcia Bridgeman, MHA, OTR/L is the author of Fine Motor Olympics. Marcia has been a pediatric occupational therapist since 1977, specializing in school based services for students from preschool through 22. Fine Motor Olympics is a program designed for an occupational therapist to provide inclusive and consultative services to teachers, volunteers, parents, and staff.

How to Build a Sensory Room at Home, Tips from the Experts

Porch, the home services platform, recently reached out to Therapro for help with their latest article, How to Build a Sensory Room at Home, Tips from the Experts. The question needing an answer was, what are the best tactile sensory tools to include in home sensory rooms? Therapro’s team of experts had a lot to say on this topic! Read on to see what Therapro shared and be sure to check out the full article.

Tactile sensory tools offer a rewarding experience. There are many options to choose from. Therapro’s top picks include:

Assortment of tactile sensory tools for home sensory room

FidgetsFidgets are small, portable and versatile tactile sensory tools that are a great edition to home sensory rooms. Fidgets can offer calming or alerting input depending on their characteristics.  To help users better decide which fidget is best for them, the team of occupational therapists at Therapro has put together a free handy guide, Find Your Fidget that is available for download at therapro.com! Pro tip: Fidgets are also a great transition object to help with the move into and out of the sensory space! 

Happy senso tactile sensory gel in 
 a bottle and sensory gel in the palm of two hands

Happy Senso: Happy Senso is a sensory gel that offers a unique multisensory experience. It can be sprayed directly into the palms of  the hands or on a flat surface (like a table). Squish, press, and slide hands along the cool gel and listen to the crackling and popping sounds it makes.  It is available in four different scents and colors for an enhanced sensory experience.  

Green gel filled tactile sensory tool  with fingers pushing small black chips inside the gel pad through a maze

Gel Activity Pads: Gel pads are exactly what they sound like, gel filled pads that can be pressed and squished with the hands, fingers, or even feet!  Available in four different styles, activity ideas are endless; play games (like tic tac toe) or simply enjoy the combined visual and tactile sensory experience. As an added bonus, these gel pads offer slight weight and so can double as a weighted lap pad! 

Theraputty Microwavable Exercise Putty:  Exercise putty is a great fidget option that can offer a calming/ grounding experience to users.  Theraputty Microwavable Exercise Putty is a unique putty that is microwavable allowing users to experience a calming warmth sensation while they knead, roll, or squish the putty. 

The system calm strips, five rectangular strips with dark blue background and the planets arranged in a line

Calm Strips: Calm Strips are textured sensory stickers with a special reusable adhesive that are designed to be picked, touched, scratched, and peeled over and over again.  These tactile sensory tools are a perfect addition to home sensory rooms. They can be adhered to any surface to add an additional tactile sensory experience and help regulate restless energy.  

When it comes to building your sensory space, Therapro is the resource for families and professionals,  be sure to check out all of Therapro’s sensory resources at therapro.com!