The 22nd Annual Ohio Institute for OT/PT School-Based Practice conference in Columbus on August 11-12 was an exhilarating 2 days of incredible workshops with distinguished presenters. A record-breaking attendance of 700 therapists attended this superb event. The exhibitors included 28 vendors, one of which was Therapro! For the 7th consecutive year as the Therapro rep, I thoroughly enjoyed the enthusiasm and positivity of the conference planning committee co-chairs, Mary Kay Eastman, PT, MS and Molly Dodge, OTR/L. These women and their tireless team planned another stellar conference. Throughout the conference, Holly Bartholomew, conference coordinator, kept things running smoothly behind the scenes.
This year, Therapro authors, Bhanu Raghavan, MS, OTR/L and Ginger McDonald, OTR/L were included on the roster of speakers. Their dynamic presentation featured their publication, “Self-Care with Flair! A Step-by-Step Guide to Teaching Self-Care Skills to Children with Disabilities.” They presented their unique method for increasing independence with self-care skills, teaching the skills of dressing, grooming, toilet training, and eating by using a uniform approach with pictures and rhyming while employing visual, verbal, and tactile/kinesthetic cues.
The gregarious Ohio therapists spent time lingering at the Therapro exhibit area, sharing their opinions about products and creative uses for them in the classroom setting. They returned this year with endorsement of products they purchased at last year’s conference, including Wobbledeck, Crayon Rocks, and Fanta Color Jr. Many of Therapro’s new items, including WriteRight pencil grip Yogarilla Cards, and Stretch and Match Geoboard, won rave reviews.
It was a whirlwind 2 days in Columbus! I am eager to learn what the OT/PT Institute will be planning for next year. Thank you for a terrific conference! I look forward to returning to Columbus again next August.
Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
August 20, 2014
