What sensory ideas do I have to offer that blogs don’t?
Why can’t wall push-ups just be consistently alerting or consistently calming?
Is this SPD or did this student just play video games all night?

If you have asked yourself any questions like this, join us for reflections from a creative Upper Peninsula OT, shared to inspire conversation about what is and is not working for sensory supports in schools. This presentation is not going to share any life-changing, fix-all hacks, but is intended to get participants thinking. Emily has the ten main points which are based on her three years as a school-based OT. Pairing resources, research and humor, this presentation will present as part “work diary” entry and part literature review. Discussion will be an important part of this session. Emily has the ten main points, you all have experiences and training to share. Let’s learn together.

Occupational Therapists (OT) provide sensory-based interventions to referred clients with sensory processing challenges that interfere with participation in occupation who possess payment options. Nevertheless, OT's can enhance the access to these services to a broader population of through focusing on changing actions within the profession and perception external to the profession. Examples of internal professional development can include: improving the quality of service provision through completing advanced training beyond the initial educational experience, keeping up to date with evidence-based practice and adhering to AOTA Choosing Wisely recommendations for sensory related intervention. An examination of our billing and documentation strategies for sensory-based intervention in light of ethical-based billing principles may also enhance access for clients who are experiencing financial barriers. Educating our target audience external to the profession such as clients, caregivers, referral sources, and legislative representative can correct and update sensory processing information and understanding, developing partners in advocacy efforts.

If you are working with students (of any age) who struggle with reading, writing, or accessing classroom materials or the curriculum, join me to learn about tools & strategies to support student’s ability to be a more autonomous learner. This is an interactive and dynamic presentation. Be ready to explore tools and have some fun. 

Documentation is essential for reimbursement, but more importantly, good documentation is our professional responsibility. It is an integral part of the services we provide. We must advocate for our patients by providing quality documentation that supports medical necessity and skilled services. Completing correct, accurate and thorough documentation is the responsibility of every clinician.

We are too often ready to blame the type of tools we are required to document from. We should not hold those programs accountable for our lack of quality documentation. We must get back to the essential components of good documentation, focusing on the content, including subjective information, objective data, utilizing tests and measures to enhance outcomes, with an emphasis placed on patient response and functional performance. This must be driven by you, the clinician, and not the forms. Documentation is not an extra step, it is an integral part of the services we provide to our patients. We advocate for our patients by providing quality documentation, which includes documentation of medical necessity, and skilled services, convincing payers of the need for Occupational Therapy services.
This will be an interactive session allowing you the opportunity to enhance your documentation skills.

Evidence-based practice (EBP) is a process that integrates knowledge related to the client’s individual needs, the clinician’s wisdom, and the best available evidence from systematic research. There are four distinct steps to this process: questioning, searching, evaluating, and implementing. Occupational therapy (OT) practitioners report positive attitudes towards EBP; however, time constraints and insufficient access limit their ability to engage in EBP consistently. This presentation will provide specific strategies and tools to improve the ability of OT practitioners to effectively and efficiently find, critique, and apply evidence.  

This presentation will provide the practitioner working in post-acute rehab settings with an understanding of the therapeutic benefits of group therapy treatment experiences for individuals recovering from an illness or injury. Many individuals are health compromised with co-morbidities, chronic conditions, or a significant life event thus requiring a post-acute stay with the goal of returning to a least restrictive environment and having a successful transition to avoid re-hospitalization. Group therapy as a mode of service delivery has many researched benefits; benefits that can be overtly processed using optimal leadership skills to facilitate greater outcomes using this mode of service. This session will guide the OT practitioner to adjust their group therapy classes to meet the distinct needs of the clients with in a post-acute care environment and facilitate therapeutic benefits that reach beyond socialization. 

 

Injury to the brachial plexus often results in significant impairments with motor and sensory function (Noland, Bishop, Spinner, & Shin, 2019). Occupational therapy plays an essential role in a patient’s rehabilitation not only to improve functional use of the affected extremity, but also in the identification of other barriers which may limit a patient’s recovery. With a relatively low incidence rate, occupational therapy practitioners may have questions regarding pertinent interventions, rate of recovery and if a referral to a specialist is necessary.
Participants will learn 1) anatomy of the brachial plexus (Limthongthang, Bachoura, Songcharoen & Osterman, 2013) 2) types of nerve injury and rate of nerve recovery (Sakellariou et al., 2014) 3) current evidence based interventions (Cole et al., 2020) and 4) importance of inter-professional collaboration (Wellington & McGeehan, 2015).

Social media is here to stay. Although it has connected us during the pandemic it also has a dark side. Since 2009, the first year social media was accessible on phones, self-harm and suicide rates in girls between 10-14 has soared; increasing 4x between 1999-2018 (CDC, 2020). Kendall  (Rhodes & Orlowski, 2020) suggests that the misuse of social media and the outrage shared by like-minded political groups could lead to a Civil War. The impact of social media is great and affects us at a societal level.
OT’s can play a role in the re-socialization of interpersonal relations by harnessing the power of  social media to support engagement in meaningful occupations and promote functional socialization for the betterment of society. This presentation will discuss how OT’s can be trained as an asset to big tech companies in interventions to adapt the current social media landscape to support functional socialization.





 

Understanding and managing the structures and processes of care can improve the quality of outcomes (Donabedian Model of Patient Safety). The integration of a simple reflective process can provide opportunities to improve collaboration and prevent errors. This webinar provides practical solutions to improve the quality of individual practice and outcomes.

According to the American Optometric Association, 25% of all children, or 1 in 4 students, have a vision problem significant enough to impact their learning (Lazarus, 2020). Visual perceptual difficulties can impact adolescents throughout development, including areas of academic success, leisure/sporting events, and community integration/driving. These deficits are often misdiagnosed, leading to prolonged performance deficits, reduced self-esteem, and limited participation in meaningful and purposeful occupations. Using a case study approach, this presentation assists the occupational therapist to identify visual deficits and provides functional and targeted treatment approaches as well as appropriate service line referrals to maximize independence and safety in IADL tasks of community integration, leisure, and academic success. 

Learn how to translate the OTPF 4th edition to your daily practice

Objectives to this class include participants will understand the impact of trauma on the developing brain and on engagement in occupation and participants will apply trauma informed strategies to case scenarios in order to integrate trauma informed occupational therapy practice into their work, schools, clinics, and the community

How can you tell that someone is ready for competitive employment? They are motivated, a self-starter. They arrange for transportation and reliably arrive to work on time, dressed appropriately for the job.  They get along with their co-workers, managers and customers. They are “Work Ready”. Work readiness skills and vocational skills are not the same and both are needed for successful competitive integrated employment. Often individuals enter the workforce only to discover that their technical skills meet industry needs but their work readiness skills do not. Identification of barriers in work readiness skills and developing these critical skills is in the OT Wheelhouse. This presentation will discuss how OT can begin to make this a priority, how to set goals where persons with disabilities are fully work ready, and how to collaborate with the stakeholders in this issue.

Our exclusive Pop Up Store is open from October 14 to October 27, featuring shirts, comfy crew necks, and eco-friendly tote bags, all showcasing the Michigan Occupational Therapy brand! Whether you're looking to sport your OT pride or find the perfect gift, we’ve got you covered. Shop with us and bring a piece of Michigan Occupational Therapy home!

Check out and purchase apparel by using this link:
https://pogo.undergroundshirts.com/collections/miota-2024-1

Note: All items will be shipped out on **November 11**, so don’t miss your chance to snag these limited-edition pieces. Individual customer orders ship via USPS and can take 1-5 days to arrive depending on the distance.