A Look Back at 2022 – ERI’s Year in Review

Whew…what a year! So many exciting things happened at ERI in 2022. As therapists ourselves, we understand that finding new, effective ways to treat patients is a top priority. That’s why this past year we worked hard to bring you over 160 live webinars, and over a dozen in-person courses throughout the country. ERI continued to grow it’s on-demand library, launching 7 on-demand courses with many more in the works for 2023.

We were able to add new faculty members and new topics to our ever-growing course list, and provide our therapists with the most up-to-date and relevant educational content. A highlight was our virtual 23rd Annual Therapies in the School Conference that welcomed school-based therapists from across the country, and we had our biggest ever turnout…over 400 therapists! It was two days filled with passionate speakers and interesting topics, plus lots of connections being made amongst attendees. We’re currently working on repurposing these conference sessions to on-demand courses for early 2023, so stay tuned!

As we look forward to 2023, we continue to stay committed to our partners and therapist community by offering world-class, exceptional learning for all of our PTs, OTs, SLPs and assistants. We plan to add new faculty members, new topics and more learning formats that suit your educational needs, including increased on-demand opportunities for our international audience. 

Looking back on this past year, ERI would like to thank our faculty, staff and the loyalty of our many participants who have continued learning with us over the years. We’ve already started working on big things for 2023 and can’t wait to share them with you. It’s going to be a great year!

Happy holidays and best wishes for a healthy and successful New Year. 

Cheers, 
The ERI Team

ERI Selects a Winner for its International Neonatal Care Scholarship Award

Last month, ERI put a call out to the international neonatal community to seek nominations for a NICU therapist who demonstrates core values of collaboration, integrity, and a passion for improving the lives of the infants and families they serve. The recipient of the scholarship would receive a free ERI course  that would help to advance their professional needs and contribute to therapy practice in the NICU, PICU, and/or EI settings. 

We were blown away by the submissions! After reviewing a number of deserving nominees, ERI had the difficult task of selecting one winner of the scholarship. After careful consideration, we are pleased to award Puja Padbidri, PT, CNT as our scholarship recipient. 

Puja is based in Pune, India, and here is part of what she shared in her submission: “Over the last decade, I have run parent education classes and parent support groups to spread awareness about early and appropriate parent interactions. In the NICU, I have introduced several core measures of developmentally supportive care like positioning, oromotor stimulation, breastfeeding and providing family centered care.”

Congratulations, Puja! We hope that by learning from ERI’s leading NICU experts, you’ll gain new insights and skills that you can immediately apply to those you care for.

And a big THANK YOU to all of our neonatal therapists for all that you do to improve the lives of these tiny patients and their families. Your passion, drive and dedication to the smallest of patients results in a lifetime of positive change. 

ERI Offers FREE Live Webinar to School-Based Therapists!

Creative Approaches Using RTI to Support Students While Reducing the Need for Referrals

Here at ERI, we know first-hand the instrumental roles that school-based therapists play within a students’ daily life, and are dedicated to arming them with the information they need to treat and care for the most vulnerable populations within our schools. 

That’s why we’re pleased to offer a FREE live webinar to all school-based therapists entitled Creative Approaches Using RTI to Support Students While Reducing the Need for Referrals. Therapists will earn 3 contact hours (0.3 CEUs) by attending this webinar presented on January 9, 2023.

This course will highlight how effectively integrating therapeutic interventions into the RTI process will allow support for students and may reduce the need for a referral. Learn approaches to incorporate therapeutic interventions at each tier. These supports may increase a student’s success within the general education curriculum and the need for referrals to a specialized instructional service. 

Taught by acclaimed faculty member Kareen Robbins MS, OTR/L, Robbins has over 32 years of pediatric experience where she primarily worked in the school setting. She is passionate about bridging the gap between knowledge and clinical practice to allow therapists to be confident in serving others and providing therapy services.

Register today and share with your colleagues! Questions? Contact ERI at info@educationresourcesinc.com or call 800-487-6530. 

NEW On-Demand Course! “Advanced Practice for the Complex Neonate: Strategies for Success in the NICU, PICU and SICU”

ERI Has Added Yet Another Course to it’s Growing Library of On-Demand CEUs! 

We are thrilled to announce that leading NICU expert, Anjanette Lee, MS, CCC/SLP, CNT, has repurposed her live CEU course to an on-demand format entitled: Advanced Practice for the Complex Neonate: Strategies for Success in the NICU, PICU and SICU. 

As an imbedded NICU therapist, Lee is passionate about sharing knowledge with and utilizing all members of the neonate’s care team to support best neurodevelopmental outcomes. Advanced Practice for the Complex Neonate will provide in-depth knowledge of the general prenatal and postnatal physiologic processes of common neonatal cardiac, respiratory, and neurologic diagnoses.

By including the use of videos and real-life experience in her on-demand content, Lee’s course becomes engaging, interactive, and functional to SLPs, OTs and PTs looking to make an impact for the infants on their caseload with complex medical issues.

Register by December 22, 2022 and SAVE $30! Use coupon code LEEONLINE30 at checkout. Participants will earn 14 contact hours (1.4 CEUs) and price is $309/person. 

Questions? Please contact ERI at info@educationresourcesinc.com or 800-487-6530.

It Was A Wonderful Therapies in the School 23rd Annual Conference!

THANK YOU to everyone who attended our Therapies in the School 23rd Annual Conference on November 17 and 18, 2022! It was our largest conference ever, with more than 400 therapists in virtual attendance on Zoom! We hope you enjoyed the sessions and are already putting to use the new tools and strategies you gained to improve learning outcomes for your students. 

It was so inspiring to watch and join in on the conversations that were taking place within the Whova app, which will remain accessible to you through February, 2023!  And don’t forget, the discussion also continues in our Therapies in the School Discussion Group on Facebook – check it out! 

We really had an amazing speaker line-up this year! Some conference highlights include: 

Why Evaluating and Integrating Reflexes Through Neuroplasticity is Important for Every School-Based Therapist Karen Pryor, PhD, PT, DPT, ND, CH, CPRCS
Funny, engaging and full of helpful tools, this session explored why school-based practitioners are ideal therapists to integrate primitive reflexes for progressing development and school success.

Executive Function and Interoception? Using Interoception as a Building Block for Theory of Mind and Executive Function Skills Cara Koscinski, OTD, MOT, OTR/L, CAS
This session discussed regulation and the importance of interoception as a gateway to theory of mind, and how linking both to executive function leads to improved therapeutic outcomes and success in the classroom.

How to Address Vestibular Impairments in the Classroom: Bridging Teachers and Therapists Kay de Veer, M.Ed., ET/P
A deep-dive into how the vestibular system directly supports learning in the elementary school classroom.

Collaborative Evaluation and Goal Development for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder
Christy Hupka, PT, DPT, PCS and Amy Barr, PT, DPT 
Topics discussed included: Strategies for collaborative evaluation and goal development for students with autism spectrum disorder; a clinical decision-making algorithm designed to standardize and streamline the evaluation process; and a collaborative process using assessment data to develop multi-disciplinary goals to promote participation. 

Once again this year, the amazing Anne Buckley-Reen, OTR, RYT kicked-off Day 2 of the conference with a relaxing, virtual yoga session-it was great to start the day with some movement and mobility!

It was so exciting to engage with many of you on social media during the Conference! Congratulations to our social media contest winners: 

Kinzie Rhoades won a free 2-Day registration to Therapies in the School Conference 24th Annual Conference-2023 for sharing a “clinical pearl” online:
“With patients with low tone only perform short burst vibration and stimulation techniques to ensure you do not numb and dumb them!”

Elsa Oestreich won a free ERI course & Tools to Grow membership for tagging @educationresourcesinc and commenting online during the conference. 

And…there’s still time to earn points for engaging in the Whova app Community Board for a chance to win a $50 Therapro gift certificate (contest ends December 2, 2022). 

We hope that attending Therapies in the School 23rd Annual Conference has helped to renew your passion for school-based therapy, and has provided you with new tools and strategies that you can use right away to improve learning outcomes for your students.

Stay tuned for access to on-demand recordings of the conference, coming to you soon in early 2023!

And, please save the date for Therapies in the School 24th Annual Conference, set for November 16 and 17, 2023!