Rehabilitation and Therapy Courses

This course was developed to address the gap in the identification and treatment of common pediatric vestibular disorders, autonomic dysfunction, oculomotor dysfunction, visual motion sensitivity, vestibular neuritis, and dizziness/imbalance from unknown etiologies. Effective treatment of children is challenging because they often lack the vocabulary to describe their complaints and diagnostic testing requires full cooperation.

Using evidence-based research, participants will learn how to engage children with ASD and treat fine motor, gross motor, and oral motor challenges. This exciting course teaches participants how to more effectively expand engagement in clients with ASD while answering questions about self-stimulatory behaviors, preservation, and reactive or self-directed behaviors.

We hear about ‘the core’ all of the time, but it is so much more than just the abdominals! Treating children, whether they are high functioning or have more complex issues, requires a thorough understanding of the muscles that provide core stability. An evidence-based, multi-system approach is taken to examine and devise effective intervention strategies that are immediately applicable to a variety of pediatric populations.

Learn a systems-based approach to assess the premature/medically complex infant in the NICU/PICU setting to advance motor and feeding skills. Building on “Baby Beats and Breaths”, learn advanced information on reading/interpreting vent settings, LABs including assess/treatment for feeding interventions, postural control, manual cough facilitation, positioning/handling, and durable medical equipment recommendations for infant/family in preparation for home discharge.

Participant Requirements for the course: In order to maximize the learning experience during lab time, each participant needs to bring a soft body doll. The ideal size would be 10-15”, but any soft body doll will work.

Clinicians will learn the necessary components of a comprehensive evaluation and treatment of feeding problems including those encountered by children with oral motor dysfunction, ankyloglossia, oral motor inexperience, oral hypersensitivity, behavioral rigidity, and anxiety as seen in children with cardiac issues, prematurity, ASD, syndromes, and SPD. Participants will leave with a comprehensive therapy toolbox including suggestions for reducing mealtime stress, improving oral competence and thus confidence and ensuring family carryover.

This engaging course delivers a wealth of information on assessment and treatments that focus on the trunk, respiration, swallowing skills, and oral motor functioning, as well as mealtime strategies to improve feeding in infants and children with neuromuscular impairments.

Focus during the workshop will utilize critical thinking skills for evaluation and assessment from a neurodevelopmental, sensory and motor learning aspect. Using this approach will assist therapists in setting realistic and measurable goals that will drive treatment sessions resulting in more effective intervention.