Annual School Conference – Session Highlight – Developed by Mary Massery

Two sessions not to miss at ERIs Annual Therapies in the School Conference:

Key Note Address:
Breathing, Talking and Postural Control: Why is this relationship so important for school-based therapists to understand?
Breathing mechanics and postural control are linked! Using Dr. Mary Massery’s novel research and the “SodaPop Can” postural control model, the instructor will push this connection further, demonstrating the link between glottal control, breathing and upright postural stability. The focus will be on applying these concepts from walking to talking in the school-based therapy environment for PT, OT, and ST.

and 

Get Moving! Add Breathing Strategies to Movement for Improved Functional Outcomes
This mini-lab session will focus on applying the “soda-pop can” concepts to motor tasks from rolling, to
sitting, to reaching, to walking, to talking in the school-based therapy environment for PT, OT, and ST.
Participants will need to bring a bath towel for demonstrations.

Presented by Trish West Low PT, MA, DPT and developed by Mary Massery PT, DPT, DSc

Patricia West-Low PT, DPT, MA

Dr. West-Low holds a Bachelor’s degree in PT from The University of Scranton, an Advanced Master’s Degree from New York University, a Doctoral Degree from Seton Hall University, and is a Board Certified Pediatric Clinical Specialist.

She has developed and taught courses locally and nationally, on the topics of Physical Therapy Examination and Treatment of Individuals with Autism, Connective Tissue Mobilization for Pediatric Therapists and Yoga for Special Populations.
Dr. West-Low has served as a teaching assistant in all of Dr Mary Massery’s courses and completed a 2-year, invited teaching apprenticeship becoming a Massery certified faculty member in 2018. Currently Dr. West-Low is a clinician at Children’s Specialized in New Jersey, a consultant to schools/private practices and a private therapeutic yoga instructor. She is also currently a PhD Student in the Movement Sciences Program at Seton Hall University.

Trish and her dog Lucy serve as a volunteer therapy dog team.

Dr. Massery’s publications and interests focus on linking motor behaviors to breathing and/or postural mechanics in both pediatric and adult patient populations. 

Clinically, Mary is known for her multi-system approach to analyzing motor dysfunction; recognizing the interactions between the cardiovascular-pulmonary, musculoskeletal, neuromuscular, integumentary and internal organ systems, and determining which system is the primary deterrent to optimal motor function and which system is likely a consequence of those interactions. 

Mary’s research pioneered the concept of managing trunk pressures as a new way to visualize core stabilization. She has delivered keynote and major addresses on topics such as cystic fibrosis and posture, pectus excavatum (chest deformities), connections between posture & breathing, and PNF (proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation).

Mary has received national awards from the APTA, including its highest clinical award, The Florence Kendall Practice Award, honoring “one’s outstanding and enduring contributions to the practice of physical therapy.”

Mary continues to maintain a private practice in Chicago, specializing in breathing and postural dysfunction.

Find out more information here:

Therapies in the School Conference 2021
November 18-19, 2021

Create your own track with 5 afternoon sessions to choose from on each day. Something for everyone.

Download the Brochure Here: Therapies 2021 Brochure

Press Release: Education Resources, Inc. Announces 22nd Annual Therapies in the School Conference, A Live Virtual Webinar – November 18 and 19, 2021

ERI Offers Dynamic Topics Presented by Leading Experts for School-Based Physical Therapists, Occupational Therapists, Speech-Language Pathologists and Special Educators.

BOSTON – October 6, 2021 – Education Resources, Inc. (ERI) announces Therapies in the School Conference 2021, a live virtual webinar set for November 18 and 19, 2021 at 9:30 am EST (US). The 22nd annual conference is back for the second year in a row as a virtual offering, where school-based therapists and professionals will learn the latest techniques from world-renowned faculty.

Sessions will be taught by Trish West Low, Jan Hollenbeck, Melissa Gerber, Teresa May Benson, Barbara Connolly, Susan Cecere and more. Plus, the return of the popular morning yoga session with Anne Buckley-Reen. 

As the country emerges from the COVID-19 pandemic, therapists are re-imagining what participation and performance will look like for school-aged children and how therapeutic support today impacts each student’s long-term outcomes in life.  Participants can expect to receive content that integrates what has been learned during the COVID-19 pandemic along with pre-COVID best practices.

Attendees from last year’s first-ever virtual conference shared numerous positive experiences. Vicki Nephew, a New York based PT said, “This is an excellent resource for school-based therapy, which is often hard to find in continuing education. Sharing the latest research and strategies with presenters and other school-based therapists has been extremely helpful and affirming of what we are doing with our own kids.”

Therapies in the School Conference 2021 offers up to 12 continuing education hours (1.2 CEUs) with energetic experiential learning, lively panel discussions and challenging breakout sessions related to:

  • Breathing, Talking and Postural Control
  • Praxis as a Whole Brain Process
  • Practical Strategies to Facilitate Independent Executive Function Skills
  • Long Term Outcomes Over the Life Span for Students with Special Needs
  • School-Based Best Practices for Beginning Therapists
  • Dyspraxia: Tools, Treatment and Accommodations
  • Visual Impairments, Motor Skills and School Performance
  • Sensory Processing Issues in High-Risk Populations: Down Syndrome
  • Plus, Much More!

Therapies in the School Conference 2021 is being offered for $439/person for both days or $225/person for one day. Group rates are available. Register HERE or email info@educationresourcesinc.com for group rates.

About Education Resources, Inc.
Education Resources, Inc. (ERI) is an accredited provider of continuing education that helps PTs, OTs, and SLPs transform the lives of their patients. Visit www.educationresourcesinc.com.

 

Annual School Conference – Speaker Highlight – Barbara Connolly PT, DPT, EdD, C/NDT, FAPTA

We are thrilled to bring ERI Faculty member and expert Barbara Connolly to our Annual Therapies in the School Conference. 

Her keynote address: Decisions for Today, Implications for Tomorrow: Long Term Outcomes over the Life Span for Students with Special Needs and concurrent session: Assessment of Sensory Processing Issues in High-risk Populations: Down Syndrome will give you tools to implement immediately.

Dr. Barbara Connolly received her BS degree in physical therapy from the University of Florida; a DPT degree from the University of Tennessee; a M,Ed. degree in special education with a minor in speech pathology and an EdD in curriculum and instruction from the University of Memphis.

Barbara Connolly PT, DPT, EdD, C/NDT, FAPTA

She is Professor Emeritus at the University of Tennessee Health Sciences Center where she served as Chair of the Physical Therapy Department for 24 years and Interim Dean of the College of Allied Health Sciences for 2 years. She was a Trustee for the Foundation for Physical Therapy , a foundation dedicated to funding physical therapy research and served as President of the Foundation for Physical Therapy Research from January 2015 – December 2016. She served as President of the International Organization of Physical Therapists in Pediatrics, a subgroup of the World Confederation of Physical Therapy from it’s inception in 2007 until 2015. She also has served on the APTA Board of Directors, on the APTA Pediatric Specialty Council and the American Board of Physical Therapy Specialists. She was President of the Section on Pediatrics of the APTA from 2002 – 2006.

 

She received the Bud DeHaven Leadership Award, the Research Award and the Jeanne Fischer Distinguished Mentorship Award from the Section on Pediatrics. She is a recipient of the Golden Pen Award from the American Physical Therapy Association for her publications. In 2002, she received one of the highest honors from the APTA when she was named a Catherine Worthingham Fellow. In 2014, she received the Marilyn Moffat Leadership Award and in 2015, she received a Lucy Blair Service Award.

She is the first author of more than 32 publications in peer reviewed journals, has written 21 book chapters and has coauthored or edited seven textbooks for physical therapists. In February 2020, the 4th Edition of her textbook, Therapeutic Exercises in the Developmental Disabilities was published. She is certified in NDT and in SI. She continues to provide professional development courses both nationally and internationally.

Dr. Connolly will present on the second day of the conference:

Decisions for Today, Implications for Tomorrow: Long Term Outcomes over the Life Span for Students with Special Needs

Learn the effects of aging in children, adolescents, and adults with lifelong disabilities (LLDs). Effects on the somatosensory, neuromuscular, and cardiovascular/pulmonary systems are discussed. Implications for interventions during the school age years will be emphasized.

Assessment of Sensory Processing Issues in High-risk Populations: Down Syndrome

Children with Down Syndrome are at risk for sensory processing problems due to neuroanatomical
differences in the structure of their brains when compared to the “typical” brain. Additionally, recent
research has shown that children with Down Syndrome score differently on standardized tests of sensory processing when compared to the typically developing child. This course will provide an overview of the etiology of sensory processing problems in children with Down Syndrome and discuss the evaluation tools that can be used to identify problems in this population.

Find out more information here:

Therapies in the School Conference 2021
November 18-19, 2021

Create your own track with 5 afternoon sessions to choose from on each day. Something for everyone.

Download the Brochure Here: Therapies 2021 Brochure

Annual School Conference – Session Highlight – Sarah Ward M.S., CCC/SLP

Don’t miss this dynamic keynote session on Day 1 of Therapies in the School with internationally renowned faculty Sarah Ward

Learn it Today, Use it Tomorrow:
Practical Strategies to Facilitate Independent Executive Function Skills

Whether your student needs to complete homework or do classwork, or be attentive and productive during independent work time or group instruction, in this practical strategies seminar you will learn concrete tools to help students efficiently initiate, transition, plan and manage their tasks, time-space, and materials (and keep their emotions in check!). This seminar is all about providing dozens of practical strategies that you can learn today and implement tomorrow! From task initiation and execution to time management, practice using strategies such as ‘Future Sketch’, ‘Get Ready, Do, Done’, ‘STOP and Read the Room’, and seeing and sensing the passage of time. Many useful resources, guides, and learning tools will be provided.

Sarah Ward M.S.,CCC/SLP

This session will be taught by Sarah Ward, M.S., CCC/SLP who has over 25 years of experience in diagnostic evaluations and treatment of executive dysfunction. Sarah is an internationally recognized expert on executive function and presents seminars and workshops on the programs and strategies she has developed with her Co-Director Kristen Jacobsen. Their 360 Thinking Executive Function Program received the Innovative Promising Practices Award from the National Organization CHADD. She has presented to and consulted with over 1600 public and private schools in the United States, Canada, Europe, Asia, Africa and Australia. Awards received include: Bette Ann Harris Award (2017), MGH Expertise in Clinical Practice Award, the Distinguished Alumni Award(2005) and the Faculty in Excellence Award from the Massachusetts General Hospital Institute of Health Professions (2002, 2011) and ACE award from ASHA 2013, 2016, 2018, 2019 and 2020.

 

Find out more information here:

Therapies in the School Conference 2021
November 18-19, 2021

Create your own track with 5 afternoon sessions to choose from on each day. Something for everyone.

Download the Brochure Here: Therapies 2021 Brochure

Special Offer to Celebrate All Neonatal Therapists

As we round out International Neonatal Therapy week we would like to offer a special discount to our community of passionate neonatal therapists:

Receive a $25 discount when registering for one of the following 2021 live webinars

Use Code INTW2021 before October 8 2021

Discounts apply to the following courses. Not to be used in combination with other discounts or course credits. Non-Transferable. Must be applied at the time of registration.

Challenges and Solutions for Infants and Children with Complex Feeding and Swallowing Disorders
Course Faculty -Joan Arvedson
October 1 and 2, 2021
8:40 am EST • 7:40 am CST • 6:40 am MST • 5:40 am PST (US)
Learn to treat children’s complex feeding challenges in a variety of settings including NICU, schools, and rehabilitation clinics.

Babies’ Bodies and Brains: Multi-System Assessment and Treatment of the Premature/Medically Complex Infant for the Rehabilitation Professional
Course Faculty -Holly Schifsky
October 15 and 16, 2021
8:40 am EST • 7:40 am CST • 6:40 am MST • 5:40 am PST (US)
(Formerly named “Baby Beats – Level 2:  Multi-System Assessment and Treatment of the Premature/Medically Complex Infant for Rehabilitation Professionals”)
Building on “Baby Beats and Breaths”, advance your knowledge further to learn a systems-based approach to assessing and treating the premature/medically complex infant in the NICU/PICU setting to advance motor and feeding skills

October 22 and 29, 2021

9:40 am EST • 8:40 am CST • 7:40 am MST • 6:40 am PST (US)
Learn how to treat the complex neonate using a neuroprotective framework in this interactive and engaging course.

October 29 and 30, 2021
9:40 am EST • 8:40 am CT • 7:40 am MST •  6:40 am PT (US)
Expand evaluation skills and learn intervention techniques for infants struggling with feeding or swallowing.

November 5 and 6, 2021
8:40 am EST • 7:40 am CST • 6:40 am MST • 5:40 am PST (US)
(Formerly named “Baby Beats – Level 2: Multi-System Assessment and Treatment of the Premature/Medically Complex Infant for Rehabilitation Professionals”)Building on “Baby Beats and Breaths”, advance your knowledge further to learn a systems-based approach to assessing and treating the premature/medically complex infant in the NICU/PICU setting to advance motor and feeding skills.

Intervention in the NICU: A Neurodevelopmental Approach
Course Faculty -Roberta Gatlin
November 12 and 13, 2021
9:40 am EST •  8:40 am CST • 7:40 am MST •  6:40 am PST (US)
A hands-on course designed to increase the NICU therapist’s knowledge through evidenced-based assessments and interventions.

NEW Bridging the Gap: Outpatient Rehabilitation Considerations for the Infant with Cardiopulmonary Compromise
Course Faculty – Holly Schifsky
December 3, 2021
11:40 am EST • 10:40 am CST • 9:40 am MST • 8:40 am PST (US)
Learn assessment and treatment skills to maximize infant development and feeding skills for the premature or medically fragile infant with cardiopulmonary compromise who is transitioning to outpatient rehabilitation.

This was literally one of the BEST courses I have ever taken! I feel like I got so much valuable information that can change the way I treat in the NICU. These speakers are such a wealth of knowledge and presented in a way that way easy to follow.
Jennifer Quaranto, OTR/L

We offer a comprehensive selection of live courses and webinars:
Continuing Education Courses for Neonatal Therapists
Please look out for new speakers, topics and dates being added in 2022