SEEC - N.D. School-Based Occupational & Physical Therapy Conference (2023) Sessions

Do you have any students that appear clumsy and unaware of their surroundings? Students who can't sit still in their chair and complete classroom tasks? This workshop will address awareness of self in space as well as provide practical activities and tools to use with your students. The objectives include identifying 3 components of body awareness, recognizing how functional impairments can be related to decreased body awareness, and applying functional treatment strategies to increase body awareness in the school environment.

This engaging course dives into visual anatomy, assessment, and treatment for therapists in a wide range of settings (school-based, acute care, rehab, LTC facilities). Neurological insults such a stroke and TBIs can have a profound effect on visual skills, perception and processing. Additionally, 60-80% of children with learning disabilities have undiagnosed vision problems because vision is more than just visual acuity. As therapists, we may be the first to pick up on these deficits. Treatments, strategies, and tools to improve visual deficits will be stressed. Telehealth will be discussed with resources for coaching parents and caregivers.

Exercise not only strengthens the body but enhances the brain as well. Research continually demonstrates the importance of movement regarding cognitive skills. As therapists working in pediatric settings, we have the ability to impact these skills through the use of purposeful, fun and creative therapy sessions. This workshop will present innovative ways to integrate movement with learning while concentrating on developmental and functional concepts. Applying this approach to neuroanatomy, we will identify structures that can be impacted during our treatment sessions, resulting in more enriched activities. We will explore sensory and motor systems from primitive reflexes to executive functioning while discussing their impact on focusing, memory and overall learning. Using evidenced-based research, brain breaks, videos, group discussions and break-out sessions, therapists will acquire a unique and “moving” way to utilize these tools the very next day.

This session will provide therapists with tools to incorporate therapy for optimal motor outcomes into the educational model, and will discuss sensory and motor systems and their impact on a student’s ability to focus and enhance memory while being able to process information. Therapists will learn how to impact neuroplasticity to facilitate learning.

What do all these acronyms mean for related service providers? This session will review the North Dakota Department of Public Instruction document, Guidelines for Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Settings. Best practices in evaluation, eligibility, Individualized Education Programs (IEPs), and dismissal of services will be reviewed. Some Tienet tips and tricks will also be shared.

What is the difference between a Section 504 plan and an Individualized Education Program (IEP)? What are the steps and requirements for Section 504 eligibility, accommodations, services, and dismissal? This session will cover all of those topics plus provide a time for questions and answers on Section 504 or IEPs.