Summary: This institute presented at the 2015 AOTA Annual Conference and Expo is delivered in eight short segments and advances practice and research for children with Sensory Processing Disorder. A novel treatment approach is presented that is family focused, relationship and regulation based, and addresses outcomes related to improved participation in daily life. Research methods discussed focuses on the use of single subject designs compared to randomized controlled trials. These key areas are examined: an overview of SPD; validity of diagnosis; identification and synthesis of assessment findings; treatment using the STAR Treatment Model; research related to SPD treatment reflective supervision; and application to school-based practice.
Level: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Occupational Therapists, physical therapists, speech and language pathologists, mental health providers, and medical professionals with a general knowledge of intervention for children with SPD
Prerequisite: None
Presentations:
- Introduction – Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR/L
- Validity of the Diagnosis – Sarah A. Schoen, PhD, OTR/L
- Assessment in SPD – Karin Buitendag, MA, OTR/L
- STAR Treatment Model – Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR/L
- Evidence Related to Treatment Effectiveness – Sarah A. Schoen, PhD, OTR/L
- Stephen Camarata, PhD – Event Coding of Sensory-based Intervention
- Multiple Baseline Study – Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR/L
- Reflective Supervision – Lisa Porter, OTR/L
- School-based Intervention - Stephanie Capshaw, OTD, OTR/L
Presenters: Karin Buitendag, MA, OTR/L started her professional career in South Africa where she worked in rehabilitation prior to shifting focus to the pediatric population. Karin worked in several private practices in South Africa prior to starting her own private practice in 1998, where she offered intervention to children from various backgrounds and with a variety of needs like Sensory Processing Disorder, Autistic Spectrum Disorders, Cerebral Palsy, ADD/ADHD, Learning Disabilities and general developmental delays. Karin was involved on a national level in South Africa, training occupational therapists in the Sensory Integration and Praxis Tests (SIPT) administration and interpretation, was chairperson of the South African Institute for Sensory Integration (SAISI) and was the SAISI representative at the Occupational Therapy Association of South Africa. Karin is also certified in Neurodevelopmental Therapy. Karin and her family moved to the United States in 2010 where she worked at a pediatric clinic in California as director of occupational therapy. She attended advanced training in Sensory Integration and has used her skills, experience and training to mentor and supervise occupational therapists in South Africa and in the United States. She published her Master’s degree research titled: “The relationship between developmental dyspraxia and sensory responsivity in children four years through eight years” in the South African Journal of Occupational Therapy in 2010 and 2012. Karin was the director of occupational therapy at STAR Institute.
Stephen Camarata, PhD received his PhD at Purdue University and completed post-doctoral training at the University of Arizona. He served on the faculty at Penn State and the University of California, Santa Barbara (in the Autism Research Center) prior to joining the faculty at Vanderbilt University School of Medicine in 1990. He holds faculty appointments in the Departments of Psychiatry and Hearing & Speech and in Special Education at Peabody College. His research is focused on intervention in children with developmental disabilities such as autism, Down Syndrome, apraxia and other disabilities. He served as the chair of the NIH study section on Child Psychopathology and Developmental Disabilities from 2009-2012.
Stephanie Capshaw, OTD, OTR/L has a clinical doctorate (OTD) from the University of St. Augustine for Health Sciences with a research focus on sensory processing in children adopted from Guatemala. She received her bachelor of science and master’s degrees in Occupational Therapy with a specialty certificate in School-based OT from Texas Woman’s University. Dr. Capshaw’s clinical expertise is intervention for children from birth to 21 in the public schools, outpatient clinical settings, and in the home. She was also a tradeshow consultant and national workshop presenter for Handwriting Without Tears. Stephanie was the Director and is a Clinical Associate Professor (responsible for teaching the pediatric content of the curriculum), of the graduate Occupational Therapy Program at the University of Texas at El Paso (UTEP). Prior to rejoining the faculty at UTEP, she was an advanced occupational therapist at the STAR Center and the Director of Education at the SPD Foundation, where she continues to consult. She has completed the SPD Foundation’s Intensive Mentorship Programs, Levels I and II, and is certified in the administration and interpretation of the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test.
For 35 years Dr. Miller has devoted herself to the study and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder and is spearheading the effort to get SPD recognized as a diagnostic entity separate from other disorders. She is a prolific author, with over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her book, Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)has become the definitive source of information on SPD; the revised edition just recently published.Dr. Miller’s other recent book, No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Sensory or Motor Challenges, offers on-the-spot problem-solving tips to use for children with sensory issues. She developed the STAR Treatment Model, which has been demonstrated through research to be effective in the treatment of sensory-related challenges.
Dr. Miller also develops norm-referenced standardized assessments that are in use worldwide, including the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers, the Leiter International Performance Scale – Revised and the new Miller Function and Participation Scale (or M-FUN) and her latest and ninth scale, Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL). She talks about learning family-centered care during her three terms, totaling nine years on the Governor’s Interagency Coordinating Council for IDEA in CO. In 2005, she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. award from the State of Colorado.
Lisa Porter, MOT, OTR/L graduated from Rockhurst University in 1994 with a Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy. She is a fellow of the STAR Institute, traveling to Denver from Portland 2-3 times each year to mentor experienced therapists. Lisa is currently working on her PhD in Pediatric Science at Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions. She is dedicated to sharing what she learns and constantly striving to improve services at her pediatric therapy clinic, Sensory KIDS. Lisa specializes in sensory and relationship-based therapy, and has advanced training in Stanley Greenspan’s DIR/Floortime model. She is trained in the Sensory Integration and Praxis Test (SIPT), the SOS Feeding Approach, and is an advanced Integrated Listening Systems practitioner.
Sarah A. Schoen, PhD, OTR/L, is the Director of Research at STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD) in Greenwood Village, Colorado. Dr. Schoen is an Occupational Therapist with 34 years of clinical experience and a doctorate in Occupational Therapy from New York University (2001). She was awarded the Developmental Psychology Endowment Grant from the William T. Grant Foundation to study the Sensory Processing Three Dimension Scales, which she is developing and researching with Dr. Lucy Jane Miller. Dr. Schoen is certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment and has taught continuing education workshops nationally. She is currently an Associate Professor at the Rocky Mountain University of Health Professions and has served on multiple doctoral committees. She also co-developed and teaches the monthly Advanced Mentorship trainings at STAR Institute. Dr. Schoen has advanced training in Sensory Integration Therapy and clinical expertise on infants and toddlers with Regulatory Disorder, children with Sensory Processing Disorder, Autism Spectrum Disorder and Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder. In 1997, Dr. Schoen received the Recognition of Achievement Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association and the Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation in 2011.
Learning objectives:
- Define SPD and the features of the six proposed subtypes from the published SPD nosology (Miller et. al., 2007)
- Describe findings from recently published research studies suggesting that SPD is a valid diagnosis and OT intervention is effective in ameliorating some key symptoms of the disorder
- Describe key components of the STAR Treatment Model, an approach that includes SI methods and focuses on social participation, relationship enhancement, and arousal regulation
- Explain the importance of mentoring and reflective supervision for professional growth and development
- Identify best practice in OT school-based practice including methods to implement treatment for individuals with SPD in the least restrictive environment and how to use educationally relevant interventions
Continuing Education: STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation is an AOTA Approved Provider of Continuing Education. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
Upon full completion of the course video, participants must complete and pass a quiz with at least 80% accuracy to receive a certificate of completion.