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