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Our Esteemed Faculty Member; Ann Buckley Reen – Research is Published in AJOT

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Anne Buckley-Reen[/caption]Occupational therapists use school-based yoga programs, but these interventions typically lack manualization and evidence from well-designed studies. Using an experimental pretest–posttest control group design, researchers, Kristie Koenig, Ann Buckley-Reen, and Staviga Gargthese examined the effectiveness of the Get Ready to Learn (GRTL) classroom yoga program among children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD). The intervention group received the manualized yoga program daily for 16 wk, and the control group engaged in their standard morning routine. Challenging behaviors were assessed with standardized measures and behavior coding before and after intervention. Students in the GRTL program showed significant decreases (p < .05) in teacher ratings of maladaptive behavior, as measured with the Aberrant Behavior Checklist, compared with the control participants. This study demonstrates that use of daily classroomwide yoga interventions has a significant impact on key classroom behaviors among children with ASD.

This research was recently published in AJOT,
(doi:10.5014/ajot.2012.004390 American Journal of Occupational Therapy September/October 2012 vol. 66 no. 5 538-546)

Chosen as a PBS “Innovations in Education” program, this program has been highly acclaimed by participating teachers, therapists and administrators and was recently spotlighted on NPR – Classroom Yoga Helps Improve Behavior of Kids with Autism

We offer you the opportunity to learn this approach directly from Anne; a dynamic 2 day program offering the school based clinician a clinically researched curriculum utilizing a range of developmentally graded yoga sequences. Used throughout the United States and England, this popular preparatory yoga curriculum, addresses learning and behavior issues across ages (preschool –high school), stages and levels of ability. This program has been shown to positively impact sensory processing, self regulation, attention, communication, motor planning and performance, Get Ready To Learn (“GTRL”) is designed for adaption across the range of student challenges, from minimal to severe. Challenges addressed include students with physical limitations, autistic spectrum disorders, developmental delays to high performing mainstream populations with learning and attention issues.

Please click here to visit our course schedule

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Finding the best speech-language Apps to use…Help!

Who knew when iPads and other tablets first came out that this incredible piece of technology, would become a therapy tool?

With hundreds of apps out there ranging from free to $200 or more, how do you know which app is right for your client? In fact how do you even know if you are missing an app that could potentially be life changing for one of your autistic or non-verbal client?

We’ve put together a list of resources that we found around the web. Some are blogs that focus completely on speech therapy using the iPad and reviews of the app itself and we’ve also found a spreadsheet that was put together by a parent, an adult with autism and an SLP listing apps, uses and prices.

Interested in learning more? Check the apps resources out below:

There are apps for learning to write, learning to communicate with others, language, articulation, vocab, pragmatics, motor skills like hand eye coordination and also apps that focus on speech therapy for autistic children.

Are we missing any important apps that you use in your with your therapy patients daily or that you find extremely useful? Share them with us here!

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Feeding, Swallowing: Who’s job is it…. Speech Language Pathology? Occupational Therapy?

Nicole Posts:

DEAR ERI COMMUNITY: I have a great interest in feeding, eating, and swallowing which is a specialty certification for OTs. However, in acute care there is great resistance to practice in this area because of the strong presence of SLPs. I am wondering if anyone else has come across this issue, or currently practices in this specialty and has any advice on how I can get started. Thanks!

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Physical Therapy – Dilemma in Acute Care

Mary Posts:

DEAR ERI COMMUNITY: As a physical therapy assistant in an acute care facility, I am constantly working with patients to increase their ambulation and improve gait patterns. Recently, on a PT’s initial evaluation the physical therapist only transferred the pt bed to chair (2 feet) and did not ambulate the patient any significant distance. The PT set an ambulation goal of 100-150 feet with or without an assistive device in 7 days. As I worked with the patient the following day without any assistive device, I observed the pt had increased difficulty ambulating after 10 feet due to LE weakness resulting in foot drag. Needless to say, the pt has increased difficulty ambulating back to the chair and was very unsafe transferring stand to sit. What should I do the next time? Should I start with a walker?

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Post Course discussion with Steven Sadowsky

Treating the Acute Care ICU Patient

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Steven Sadowsky -Education Resources Faculty

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Steven Sadowsky is happy to answer any questions you may have, and discuss treatment and practical applications in the ICU and Acute Care setting. Sometimes there is not enough time through the course of the weekend and this is the ideal opportunity for course participants to share their experiences using the new techniques learned, and discuss any clinical challenges, solutions and suggestions. We welcome all therapists to offer their own therapy tips and join this community.

Please do not hesitate to post your questions, thoughts and suggestions as a comment to this blog.

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Our Esteemed Faculty Member; Ann Buckley Reen – Research is Published in AJOT

Finding the best speech-language Apps to use…Help!

Feeding, Swallowing: Who’s job is it…. Speech Language Pathology? Occupational Therapy?

Physical Therapy – Dilemma in Acute Care

Post Course discussion with Steven Sadowsky

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