The views expressed in the following presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect those of STAR Institute.

Level: Introductory

Length:1.5 hour

Timeframe for access: Once you first choose to "Launch" this course, you will have 45 days to access the content as often as you like. Your 45-day window for access will not begin until you first click the "Launch" button.

Presenters:

Roseann C. Schaaf, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Associate Professor of Occupational Therapy
Duke University School of Medicine

Dr. Roseann Schaaf is Director of the Jefferson Autism Center of Excellence and Professor in the Department of Occupational Therapy Jefferson College of Rehabilitation Sciences at Thomas Jefferson University in Philadelphia. She is also faculty in Jefferson’s Farber Institute for Neurosciences and Research Director for CLASI. Dr. Schaaf has a PhD in Neuroscience, a master's degree in education and a bachelor's degree in occupational therapy. She has devoted her career to the study of sensory features in children with autism and other neurodevelopmental conditions with the goal of improving the lives of these children and their families.

The focus of her research is on the neural mechanisms of sensory features and developing and testing assessments and interventions that address sensory features to enhance function and participation in daily activities. She has received over $7 million dollars of funding in the past few years from the National Institute of Health, PCORI, the New Jersey Autism Research Program, the Eagles Autism Foundation and the Nancy Lurie Marks Foundation. Dr. Schaaf is the author of 6 books and over 100 peer-reviewed articles and abstracts. She has mentored dozens of students whose thesis or capstone projects range from clinical applications to neuroscience. In collaboration with Dr. Zoe Mailloux, Dr. Schaaf and her team at Children’s Specialized Hospital in New Jersey (Drs. Joanne Hunt, Elke van Hoodonk, Patti Faller; and Regina Freeman and Donna Kelly) manualized Ayres Sensory Integration Intervention and then conducted studies to evaluate its outcomes. They developed the Data Driven Decision Making Approach to guide therapist’s clinical reasoning as part of this work. Dr. Schaaf’s goals are to continue to generate evidence to support occupational therapy using Ayres Sensory integration, help make this intervention accessible to all children and families who can benefit from it and to see it gain prominence and respect across the world.

Shelly J. Lane, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA
Professor and Academic Program Director
Colorado State University

Dr. Shelly J Lane is Academic Program Director at Colorado State University (CSU), Director of the Sensory Integration, Play and Occupational Therapy Labat CSU, and a Conjoint Professor of Occupational Therapy at the University of Newcastle, Australia. She has engaged in aspects of pediatric occupational therapy practice, education and scholarship for over 45 years. Dr. Lane’s research has focused broadly on neuroscience applications in occupational therapy, and development and sensory integration/processing in children. Her recent collaborative research projects include neuroscience of play; sensory processing considerations for sleep in autism; and understanding the neuroscience underlying pediatric occupational therapy interventions. Currently she is also collaborating on projects related to clinical reasoning and reflective practice in occupational therapy; emotional regulation in autism; transition out of the military; neural synchrony; and sensory processing exacerbations during PANS exacerbations. Dr. Lane presents nationally and internationally, has published extensively, and has edited, co-authored and contributed to books addressing issues related to sensory integration and processing, neuroscience applications to practice, and pediatric occupational therapy practice.

Colleen Cameron Whiting, OTD, OTR/L (she/her)
Occupational Therapist at SPARK Sensory Clinic
Faculty at STAR Institute

Colleen has worked as a pediatric occupational therapist for over 20 years, primarily in the public schools. She received her master's degree and Post-Professional Doctorate from Boston University. Her expertise lies in holistically supporting children, particularly children with sensory processing differences, autism, and those that have experienced trauma. Colleen is passionate about the integration of sensory and relational-based support for children. As a clinician, she prides herself on being grounded in engagement with a focus on fun and the goal of improving the quality of life for her clients. Colleen has published numerous articles and chapters. She is SIPT and DIR/Floortime certified as well as trained in the use of Integrated Listening Systems. Colleen is a cofacilitator of the AOTA School Mental Health workgroup and has led multiple professional development training courses for occupational therapists, parents, and educators. Colleen is also the owner of a private practice called The SPARK Sensory Clinic, on the faculty for STAR Institute, and a lecturer for the post-professional OTD program at Boston University.

Sarah Schoen, PhD, OTR/L
Director of Research
STAR Institute

Dr. Schoen is an occupational therapist with 30 years of clinical experience and a doctorate in occupational therapy from New York University (2001). She completed a two-year post-doctoral fellowship awarded by the Developmental Psychobiology Research Group at the University of Colorado Health Sciences Center, Department of Psychiatry, working with Dr. Lucy Jane Miller. During her fellowship she was awarded the Developmental Psychology Endowment Grant from the William T Grant foundation to study the Sensory Processing Scales, which she is co-developing and researching with Dr. Miller. Dr Schoen 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 training at the SPD Foundation. She is certified in Neurodevelopmental Treatment and has advanced training in Sensory Integration Therapy, Therapeutic Listening, and assistive technology. Dr. Schoen received the Recognition of Achievement Award from the American Occupational Therapy Association in 1997 and the Virginia Scardina Award of Excellence from the American Occupational Therapy Foundation in 2011.

Melissa Park, PhD
Associate Professor
McGill University

Melissa Park, Ph.D., is an Associate Professor in the School of Physical and Occupational Therapy, Faculty of Medicine at McGill University, a core member of Participatory Research at McGill and full member of Centre de recerche interdisciplinaire en réadaptation du Montréal métropolitain. As an occupational therapist with a background in History of Art, Occupational Science, and Medical Anthropology, she has extensive clinical, research and pedagogical experience using the terms of humanities and rehabilitation to understand healing, transformative and relational processes at dyadic, systemic and sociocultural levels from first-person or experience-near perspectives using narrative-phenomenological and aesthetic conceptual frameworks. Her funded ethnographic and participatory research has focused on understanding and working with multiple stakeholders in mental health related issues, including persons with invisible disabilities, family members, health and social care professionals, policy makers and citizens on topics ranging from “healing” encounters and policy implementation to issues of neurodiversity, equity and justice.

Presenters Disclosures:

• Colleen Cameron Whiting is a Faculty at STAR Institute.

• Sarah Schoen is the Director of Research at STAR Institute.

• Presenters did not receive monetary compensation for the presentation.

• There are no other relevant financial or nonfinancial relationships to disclose.

Learning Objectives:

After participating in this session, attendees should be able to:

• Comment on two specific benefits of the 2011 AOTA research pyramid as a guide to incorporating research into practice decisions.

• Define three different types of research design/approach.

• List the merits of systematic reviews and what to look for when appraising a systematic review.

• Discuss the relevance of a research article with respect to clinical practice.

• Discuss the various forms of evidence that are available to clinicians.

• Utilize the AOTA research pyramid to characterize/categorize a research-related study.

Who should attend:

Occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, physical therapists, speech language pathologists, educators, child development specialists, mental health professionals, and other allied health professionals. All are welcome, although the event is geared towards human service professionals seeking a better understanding of the sensory integration process and sensory integration therapy as conceptualized by Ayres.

Instructional Methods:

PowerPoint Lecture

Cancellation Policy:

Because this program is recorded and accessible at your convenience, cancellations are not typically accepted. Please contact education@sensoryheatlh.org if you have any questions or concerns.

Do you have a disability that would require special accommodation?

Please contact us at education@sensoryhealth.org and describe how we can help accommodate your needs.

The views expressed in the following presentation are those of the presenter and do not necessarily reflect those of STAR Institute.