CREDIT:
Earn 3 contact hours (0.3 CEUs)
COURSE DESCRIPTION:
Discover a fresh approach that helps babies at risk for developmental delays. Inspired by research on enriched environments, the HEP® Approach focuses on creating safe, engaging spaces filled with sensory experiences, social interaction, and playful exploration. This session introduces the HEP® Approach and shows how it can support sensory and motor development while aligning with family goals. Identify the key elements of the Homeostasis-Enrichment-Plasticity (HEP) Approach and how they support early sensory and motor development.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES:
- Recognize how enriched environments can positively influence developmental outcomes in infants at risk for delays
- Apply HEP strategies to align intervention practices with parental goals for their child’s participation in home and community activities
AUDIENCE:
Therapists working with the birth to three population.
SCHEDULE:
- Foundational concepts of the HEP® Approach
- physiological homeostasis
- safety
- object novelty
- spatial features of the environment
- environmental novelty
- What is the HEP® Approach: how it works, what it is, who it can be used with
- HEP® Approach focused assessment & intervention strategies
- Case examples using the HEP® Approach intervention
- Post-test
Teresa A. May-Benson, Sc.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, Owner/President of TMB Education and OTR, Inc. and past Executive Director of the SPIRAL Foundation is a well-known lecturer and researcher on sensory integration theory and intervention. She has authored numerous book chapters and articles on praxis and sensory integration, and completed her doctoral dissertation on ideational praxis. Dr. May-Benson has a diverse background as a clinical practitioner having worked in private and public school settings as well as private practice. She has been active in conducting research related to sensory integration through the non-profit Spiral Foundation’s Sensory Processing Research Center for over 25 years. She has collaborated with well-known researchers such as Dr. Diane Parham, Dr. Shelly Lane, Dr. Zoe Mailloux, Dr. Sarah Schoen, Dr. Susanne Smith Roley, Dr. Anita Bundy and Dr. Roseann Schaaf through the Sensory Integration Research Collaborative. In her role of educator, she serves as adjunct faculty at Widener University and has been adjunct and part-time faculty at the University of Indianapolis and Tufts University. She has a special interest in, and extensive experience with autism, particularly older students and adults. Dr. May-Benson received her bachelor’s degree from Ohio State University and her master’s degree from Boston University with a concentration in sensory integration and school system therapy. She was a Maternal and Child Health Fellow in the Doctoral Program in Therapeutic Studies at Boston University. She has received the Virginia Scardinia Award of Excellence from AOTA for her work in ideational praxis. The Alice Bachman Clinician Award from Pediatric Therapy Network and the Catherine Trombley Award from the Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapists for her work as a research, clinician and instructor. She is a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Dr. Aymen Balıkçı, PT, PhD is a distinguished physiotherapist and neuroscientist who holds a PhD in Physiology and has specialized expertise in sensory integration, neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT/Bobath), DIR/Floortime, and pediatric physiotherapy. Dr. Balıkçı is the founder of Sense ON, a center focused on sensory integration therapies and serves as the head of the Sensory Integration Association Turkey.
With a strong academic and clinical background, he has contributed to numerous peer-reviewed publications exploring sensory-motor development, neonatal tactile stimulation, and the innovative HEP® (Homeostasis-Enrichment-Plasticity) approach for infants with developmental risks. He is also the General Coordinator of the Pediatric Therapy Center in Istanbul.
Dr. Balıkçı’s work bridges neuroscience and therapeutic practice, aiming to enhance developmental outcomes for children through evidence-based interventions and sensory-informed care.
Financial Disclosure: He receives an honorarium from Education Resources, Inc. Non-Financial Disclosure: He has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
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Once you purchase an online course, you will have the opportunity to take an exam to test your retention of the material. If you have purchased this course, please ensure you have logged in to your account in order to take the exam. The exam must be completed with a pass rate of 80% or more in order to receive your certificate of attendance.
