25 Fun Facts to Celebrate 25th Anniversary of Therapies in the School

 

ERI’s Therapies in the School Conference is a long-running annual conference that has been providing school-based therapists with the latest research and strategies to implement in classrooms all across the country and beyond. We’ve taught thousands and thousands of therapists over the years, and this year we’re so excited to be celebrating our 25th Anniversary. 

As a fun way to kick-off the anniversary celebration and take a walk down memory lane, we’ve decided to put together a list of 25 Fun Facts about ERI. Take a read below and see if you knew any of these interesting tidbits!

  1. Since its inception, research has always been and continues to be a core value at ERI. Did you know that co-founder, Carol Loria, received national recognition (Dorothy E. Briggs Memorial Scientific Inquiry Aware, APTA) for her research challenging the long held principle of the relationship between proximal and distal development? In this study, she offers applications for intervention to improve reach as well as to improve prehension.
  2. In addition to our distinguished, world-renowned faculty, ERI has had the privilege of offering workshops taught by pioneers in the fields of OT, PT and SLP; leaders who have shaped the practice of therapy including: Shirley Sahrmann, Lois Bly, Joan Mohr, Patricia Wilbarger, Stephen Haley,  Wendy Costa, Jeannetta Burpee, Regi Boehme, Winnie Dunn, Martha Burns, Kristine Strand, to name a few.
  3. The first course ever offered was Treatment of the Child with Cerebral Palsy taught by founders Carol Loria and Barbara Goldfarb in 1985. It filled within days…the rest is history!
  4. Our longest presenting faculty member is Suzanne Davis Bombria who has been teaching with us for over 25 years!

  5. We’ve had over 200 faculty present at Therapies in the School over the years.
  6. At one of our very first conferences, we presented a session on the topic of inclusion. ERI is proud that from the beginning we’ve been putting this at the forefront and continue to promote inclusion today by having topics related to embedding services in recent years.
  7. There’s been a total of 3,484 individuals who have attended Therapies in the School since we first started the conference in 2000. 
  8. Our Therapies in the School topics have always been timely. For example, in 2004 we had a session on the reauthorization of IDEA so therapists could immediately grasp the impact of the new federal legislation on their practice.
  9. Therapro has been a sponsor since the beginning. What’s your favorite Therapro product?
  10. Remember when iPads were first showing up in schools as teaching tools, assistive tech and fun new gadgets? We held our first session on using iPads as educational tools back in 2011.
  11. Mary Meyer has been our longest attending therapist – attending Therapies in the School for 19 years!
  12. Over the years, ERI has gone through 4 iterations of its logo. You can see the evolution of the design to what it has become today!
  13. In 2001, United Airlines was the official airline of ERI that provided a 5-10% discount on airfare.
  14. Therapies in the School has been offering scholarships to therapists for 10 years now and has awarded a total of 20 scholarships.

  15. We’ve had 222 therapists attend the conference for 5 years.

  16. The children of both co-founders were filmed during their development and are part of the normative data for the MAI (Movement Assessment in Infancy).
  17. From the earliest days, we’ve been on the front lines of supporting therapists with managing their workloads. The session, Too Many Kids, Too Little Time was back in 2003 and we are still working to support therapists 25 years later! Just last year, we had a session around dosing and difficult conversations and in 2022 there was a session on managing workloads!
  18. Vice President, Alyson Loria, was involved in a study looking at the development of gait with Striderite shoes vs. barefoot. She was 13 months old at the time. The study was funded by Striderite and they were probably disappointed when the findings showed no statistical difference!

  19. We’ve had therapists from all across the country attend this conference, but our reach is international! Therapists from Canada, United Kingdom, Australia and New Zealand have all attended as well. 
  20. Our Therapies in the School topics have always been timely. In 2004, we had a session on the reauthorization of IDEA so therapists could immediately grasp the impact of the new federal legislation on their practice.
  21. We’ve had 38 therapists attend the conference for 10 years. 
  22. ERI has always kept it in the family! Carol’s mother was ERI’s first bookkeeper, her father was the first mailing labeler when we used snail mail to correspond, and many of the staff’s children have worked at ERI on school vacations through the years. 
  23. Since the year 2000, ERI has presented over 290 educational topics at Therapies in the School Conferences.
  24. ERI’s newest employee joined the team in September 2023, and ERI’s most seasoned employee just celebrated her 28th ERI anniversary!
  25. Everybody knows the benefits yoga can have on your mind and body. ERI has been including a yoga session to kick off Therapies in the School for years now…both at live events and virtually!

 

To register for this year’s conference and view our exciting lineup of speakers and topics, visit our Therapies in the School Conference page for all the details. We can’t wait to celebrate the 25th Anniversary with you!

ERI is Hiring – School Based PT for Conference Development

Are you a PT? 

Do you love to learn, engage with experts in the field and have a positive impact on therapy in the schools? 

Are you looking to try something new but don’t want to commit to anything full time?
Then this short-term position may be for you! 

ERI is excited to expand its conference development team and is hiring a school-based physical therapist to assist with developing the content for its Annual Therapies in the School Conference.

To learn more about the position:  Therapies 2025 – Education Planning Committee Member – Roles Responsibilities

To submit your application and CV:  https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/TherapiesTeam

Deadline for application submissions is Sunday, Aug 18, 2024.

We look forward to receiving your application and learning more about you!

NEW! On-Demand Birth to Three Conference Now Available

Exciting news! We’re thrilled to offer a brand new on-demand series aimed at the birth to three therapist. Meet more of your babies’ and toddlers’ needs with these multidisciplinary presentations and universal topics with Birth to Three Annual Conference – On-Demand. Earn up to 31 contact hours (3.1 CEUs) upon completing the full conference. 

Birth to Three Annual Conference – On-Demand is a collection of 12 sessions recorded at our 2-day virtual conference in April 2024. Whether you attended in April but couldn’t decide between sessions because there were so many great options, or you’re just learning about the conference for the first time, this on-demand offering now gives you a chance to pause, reflect and plan while watching (and re-watching!) this comprehensive birth to three series.  

Choose The Series That Works For You

Developed for birth to three OTs, PTs and SLPs, this collection of 12 sessions offers cross-discipline education that gives you the knowledge you need paired with practical interventions you can implement right away. With access to the full conference, you’ll view your clients’ needs through a multidisciplinary lens, with more practical knowledge and strategies to implement across topics like movement, communication, feeding, sleep, and adaptive equipment. There’s something for everyone!

Additionally, you have multiple choices for registration. Register for the full 2-day Conference, just Program A (Day 1) or just Program B (Day 2). Once you purchase, you will have access to the courses and downloadable handouts from our expert instructors for an entire year. Each session within the series can be viewed separately whenever it’s convenient for you! *Please note that individual sessions are not available for purchase.

Early Bird Promotion:

As a special early bird promotion, we’re offering $100 off the Full 2-Day Conference series. Use coupon code BTO3DISCOUNT at checkout by July 16, 2024. Offer only valid for the full 2-day conference and cannot be combined with other offers. Coupon code must be applied at checkout.

The Benefits of Group Learning

Learn as a group and save! Learning with peers can improve collaboration and lead to more thought-provoking discussion of the topics at hand. Below are the group rates and available savings:

  • Purchase one 2-Day Conference series for $749 and add up to 9 additional participants [CEU certificates] for $129/person.
  • Purchase one Program A (Day 1) for $499 and add up to 9 additional participants [CEU certificates] for $79/person.
  • Purchase one Program B (Day 2) for $499 and add up to 9 additional participants [CEU certificates] for $79/person.

*To register your on-demand group, please contact our office at:  info@educationresourcesinc.com or call 800-487-6530. Feel free to share this with your colleagues and staff!

Don’t Just Take Our Word For It

With all the positive and glowing feedback from the 500+ attendees of the live virtual conference in April, we’re thrilled to share this on-demand opportunity so that you too can experience all this conference has to offer from the comfort of your home. Here are just a few of the hundreds of testimonials we received:

“Loved Janine Wiskind’s videos and how smoothly she transitioned between reflex integration techniques and paired them all together! Like a beautiful dance of reflex + strength + social engaged play! Wow!”

“Mary Billings was an excellent presenter! She was incredibly knowledgeable and shared so much great information and examples that all of us can bring back to our own practice…I’m leaving this course feeling full of knowledge, ideas, and hope”

“Nicole Archambault’s presentation was super interesting and I learned a lot. I was most looking forward to this session as I have SO many sleep challenges in my practice and it did not disappoint!”

“The topic of ‘Handling for Postural Control’ was very relevant. I loved the videos and the presenters explaining what they were seeing. I really enjoyed the breakdown to each SLP, PT and OT. This was incredibly helpful!”

Earn on-demand CEUs this summer all while building your assessment and intervention repertoire for your young patients and families. If you practice in the birth to three setting, this is definitely a course you don’t want to miss!

Questions or want to register a group? Please contact ERI at info@educationresourcesinc.com or call 800-487-6530.

An Update on Caseload to Workload for School-Based Practitioners

How Are You Wrapping Up Your School Year?

Along with progress reports on goals, lingering evaluation reports and annual IEPs to finish, do you make time to reflect on your accomplishments and goals for the year? What would you change to work to your full potential, lessen the burden of paperwork, and commit to another year of hard work in the school system? Have you discussed the caseload to workload model for your setting? 

Please read the Update below written by expert School-Based Practitioner and ERI Faculty, Susan Cecere, PT, MHS. Sue offers hope and help with how to advocate for yourself and your students.

What’s The Magic Formula?
An Update on Caseload to Workload for School-Based Practitioners
written by ERI Faculty, Susan Cecere, PT, MHS

Workload has been a hot topic for school-based practitioners for the last 20 years. The reauthorization of IDEA in 2004 and its focus on inclusion and accountability facilitated the need for states and districts to look beyond the traditional service delivery models of “direct” and “indirect” and recognize the expanding roles for related providers based on the legislative changes.

No longer were SLPs, OTs and PTs just providing support for students who were eligible for special education and related services; there was now a requirement to support educational initiatives such as Universal Design for Learning (UDL), Response to Intervention (RtI), Multi-tiered Systems of Support (MTSS) and Positive Behavior Intervention Supports (PBIS). Coupled with increasing rigor in academic programs and ever evolving accountability systems, the caseload approach – providers assigned by the number of students receiving IDEA services regardless of intensity of need and associated work tasks, including licensure documentation requirements – no longer kept providers “afloat.”  

Professional organizations heard the frustrations of its members; in 2014, AOTA, ASHA and APTA authored a joint white paper, “Workload Approach:  A Paradigm Shift for Positive Impact on Student Outcomes” to draw attention to the challenges faced by providers. Over time, some states added caseload caps and authored guides to practice that mention the need for a workload approach, but few states have actual methodologies for workload calculation – a “magic” formula.

In 2023, the Oregon legislature tasked the Oregon State Department of Education (ODE) with conducting a study to determine an appropriate workload methodology for public school OTs, PTs and SLPs. In January 2024, the ODE submitted the report “House Bill 2618: School-Based Occupational Therapy, Physical Therapy and Speech Language Pathology Workload Methodology” to the Oregon legislature.

This comprehensive report clarifies the terminology: “caseload” and “workload” and articulates in detail the roles and responsibilities of each discipline. A mixed method study process used to develop the report included group engagements, provider interviews, and a review of available literature and workload methodologies. The report reflects provider concerns including but not limited to: (1) inability to work to full potential, (2) feelings of being overburdened by paperwork and legal requirements, (3) students are not receiving the services they need (4) staff recruitment and retention and (5) provider shortages. Based on social media content related to caseload and workload, the feelings of surveyed Oregon providers align with national sentiment.

The ODE was able to make a recommendation for a workload methodology and metric starting point: The North Carolina Department of Public Instruction (NCPI) workload methodology. ODE recognizes further analysis of this methodology for alignment with the Oregon education system is needed to develop a workload metric that would reflect the unique needs of Oregon and its communities. These recommendations include: the inclusion of early intervention and early childhood providers, school Medicaid billing as a workload consideration, provider shortages and state level infrastructure, training, and support for school districts during implementation.

I encourage all stakeholders to engage in caseload to workload discussions to advocate for needed changes to address the diversity of student learning needs and implement best practices. SLPs, OTs, and PTs should engage in advocacy efforts at the state and local level to provide quality services for students and provide what federal legislation requires of us to support all students in “further education, employment and independent living.”

References and Resources on Caseload to Workload

American Speech-Language Hearing Association (ASHA). ASHA Workload Calculator. https://www.asha.org/SLP/schools/Workload-Calculator/

American Speech-Language Association, American Physical Therapy Association, American Occupational Therapy Association, (2014). Workload Approach:  A Paradigm Shift for Positive Impact on Student Outcomes.

Burton, S., Buckley, S., Cecere, S., Cobb, S., Figueiredo, D., George, E., Kierstead, K., Lesch, D., Mastrilli, J., Vandervalk, K., Williams, J. (2008, 2015). Occupational and Physical Therapy Early Intervention and School-Based Services in Maryland. https://pprd.montgomeryschoolsmd.org/siteassets/district/departments/special-education/programs-services/maryland_ot_pt_guide__revjune2015_2_11.pdf

Carlin, C., Watt., L. Fallow, W., Carlin, E., Shernavaz, V. (2103) Caseload Ratio Study:  Final Report to the Ohio Department of Education https://education.ohio.gov/Topics/Special-Education/Service-Provider-Ratio-and-Workload-Calculation

North Carolina Department of Public Instruction. Workload Calculator Guidance. https://drive.google.com/file/d/1ceNcV1-pgs9EQ4hcZJ5cLdY7JvSp2AxH/view

Seruya and Garfinkel Workload Resources https://www.garfinkelseruya.com/index.html

Struggling with Carryover? Try Something New to Unlock Your Full Potential

Written by Joann Sorg, MS, OTR/L and featured in the recent NANT newsletter.

Have you ever felt discouraged by lack of carryover from caregivers and colleagues? Do you sometimes scratch your head as you watch a caregiver or colleague attempt to execute what you taught them and wonder, is that really what they thought I meant? Wondering what might tip the scales towards follow through and better outcomes?

At ERI, we’re continually examining our instructional methods to ensure learners are taking away the crucial strategies and research they need to do their jobs well. As NICU clinicians educating both caregivers and your colleagues, we know that you also want to teach well so the adults learn and babies thrive. Here’s a look at Knowles’ adult learning principles, various teaching strategies, and ways to merge them to deliver the content your NICU patients and their caregivers need for their best outcomes.

Principles 1 and 2: Problem-Centered Instruction and Application to Real-World Problems

This rings loud and true in the NICU setting, where caregivers confront multiple challenges around their baby’s health and development. Clinicians can pair their teaching strategy to this principle by using props, simulations, and hands-on methods for edema mobilization, positioning for feeding, handling and more. When Holly Schifsky teaches Baby Beats and Breaths and Babies Bodies and Brains, she embraces hands-on learning. Schifsky uses dolls to model and demonstrate techniques for her learners. You can use these same instructional methods with caregivers by coaching them through practice on a doll, providing specific feedback to refine their skills and facilitating their comfort and competence.

Principles 3 and 4: Motivation and Relevance to Current Roles

Caregivers’ experiences around parenting in the NICU encompass emotional and practical challenges. This may cause a re-imagining of their caregiving role and further spark their intrinsic motivation. NICU clinicians can acknowledge and validate the emotional experiences of caregivers while delivering essential instruction that aligns with the caregiver’s drive to perform in their new role. While teaching on medical complexities and feeding challenges for small babies, both Anjanette Lee and Shanna Semmler relate strongly to their learners’ motivations and roles as NICU clinicians. You can apply these same principles as you use video demonstrations, small group discussions and real-world clinical scenarios in your caregiver education.

To dive deeper into adult learning principles, including Self-directed Learning and Utilization of Background Knowledge, check out the work of Malcolm Knowles and his contemporaries in the field of andragogy.

infant simulator teachingTeaching the Teachers – Sharing Knowledge Amongst Colleagues

For those practitioners recently immersed in the 2024 NANT conference, you’re likely bursting with new and revived ideas and research to share with your teams. Perhaps you’re planning a professional development presentation and thinking of how best to hold your audience’s attention. You want to enhance the likelihood they’ll retain and apply the information you’re eager to share. How about pairing the familiar lecture and slideshow format with some additional strategies to connect more deeply with your leaners, inspire their clinical reasoning and lead to a cascade of favorable outcomes for providers, caregivers and babies?

Bringing your educational content to life:

  • Role simulations – pair up with a colleague to practice caregiver education; In both roles, ask questions, get it wrong, address gaps in knowledge and refine hands-on techniques.
  • Use videos and photos for meaningful analysis and to otherwise illustrate your learning objectives.
  • Facilitate small group discussions as a vehicle for learning. Steer your participants toward improved reasoning and technical skills by connecting to those adult learning principles above. Tap into their motivation as clinical leaders, advocates, developmental experts and compassionate providers as you work through case applications.
  • Ensure your learners are on the right track – real-time checks for understanding, along with pre and post-test assessments are made easy by digital polling apps that promote engagement.

NANT and ERI embrace common values around education and clinical excellence. We’re all devoted to lifelong learning that serves our patients, from their earliest days and through their most daunting challenges.

References:

Gehl, M.B., Alter, C.C., Rider, N., Gunter, L.G., and Russell, R.B. (2020). Improving the efficiency and effectiveness of parent education in the neonatal intensive care unit. Advances in Neonatal Care, 20(1), 59-67.  

Kessler, M., Schuck, R., Rosenthal, C., Stobbe, D., Sinko, R. (2020). Caregiver education in the neonatal intensive care unit (NICU): A Review of the evidence. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(4_Supplement_1).  

Peterson, D. (2023, April). 5 Principles for the teacher of adults. https://ThoughtCothoughtco.com/principles-for-the-teacher-of-adults-31638. 

Springer, C., Cooper, O., Elleman, B., (2023). The Effectiveness of parental education programs within neonatal intensive care units: A Systematic review. Research Directs in Therapeutic Sciences, 2(1), 2.