Massachusetts Association for Occupational Therapy
Special Interest Group (SIG)
Spring Conference 2017
Saturday, April 8th
Worcester State University
Registration begins 7:30 a.m.
Sessions: 8:15 a.m. through 1:00 p.m.
Maximum 4 Contact Hours
VIEW FULL BROCHURE HERE
7:30 a.m. – 8:15 a.m.
Registration and Exhibits
SESSION I
8:15 a.m. – 9:45 a.m.
SESSION IA
Assistive Technology for Executive Functioning in Schools
Presenter: Alicia Zeh-Dean, MS, OTR; Karen Waddill, Director; Cotting Consulting
This presentation will discuss Google and iPad tools to help students with executive functioning skills with the classroom setting.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- List at least one tool to support each area of the eleven executive functioning skill categories as outlined by Dawson & Guare (2009).
- Differentiate between assistive technology tools for cognitive and behavior support.
- Identify tools for helping to assess a student’s executive functioning skills.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
SESSION IB:
Liberal Arts – Based Groups in Mental Health
Presenter: Katherine Nulle, OT; Springfield College
The purpose of this presentation is to raise awareness about how Liberal Arts-based OT groups can benefit patients in mental health settings. Research has shown that Liberal Arts has been a channel for many to express how they feel in a judgement free zone (Faigin & Stein, 2015 pg.154). Research also supports the notion that patients with mental health diagnoses have a hard time dealing with the stigma they face not just from the public but also from healthcare professionals (Michalak, Livingston & Maxwell, 2014 pg. 23). While some patients may respond better to theater groups, others may respond better to poetry or creative writing groups to discuss the stigma they face and coming to terms with their diagnosis (King, Neilson & White, 2013, pg. 448).
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify how engaging patients in Liberal Arts-based activities can benefit the patient-therapist relationship.
- Describe how Liberal Arts-based groups can be integrated into multiple mental health settings.
- Identify and describe how evidence-based literature and OT frames of reference can be used to create similar groups in the future.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
Session IC:
Use of the Functional Standardized Touchscreen Assessment of Cognition (FSTAC)
Presenter: Hayley Younkin-Wilson, OT/s and Jamie Freeman, OT/s, MS; MGH Institute of Health Professions
This presentation will introduce participants to the Functional Standardized Assessment of Cognition (FSTAC) and the need it fills within the field of cognitive rehabilitation. The FSTAC is aself-administered iPad platform assessment of cognitive performance within functional tasks (e.g., grocery shopping, medication management, paying a bill via phone, responding to real-world distractors). Video demonstration and discussion regarding the validity and clinical utility of the FSTAC is planned.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Articulate the value of standardized occupation-based assessments in cognitive rehabilitation.
- Describe the validation process of a new assessment.
- Describe the types of clients and settings in which the FSTAC would be useful.
- Describe how the FSTAC is administered.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Break & Exhibits
Session ID:
Leadership as an OTA: How to Get Started
Presenter: Melissa J. Tilton, BS, COTA, ROH
OTAs are well-positioned to stand-up and be recognized as leaders. In order to do so, OTAs need to define what leadership really means to them, identify opportunities for leadership roles, transition into formal and informal leadership roles, and mentor other OTAs to help develop the next generation of OT leaders.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Define leadership.
- Identify both formal and informational roles for OTAs.
- Identify steps to become a leader on the local and national levels.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
SESSION II
10:15 - 11:45
Session IIA:
Developmental Trauma, Sensory Processing, and Occupational Implications
Presenter: Tina Champagne, OTD, OTR, FAOTA; Cuthchins Programs for Children and Families ; Nicole Saccomandi, BS, OT; Bay Path University
This presentation provides an introduction to the relationship of developmental trauma with sensory, motor, and cognitive systems in child populations.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will:
- Describe the influence of developmental trauma on sensory system functions and occupational participation among children.
- Analyze the methodology used in the study to identify differences in patterns of sensory processing, cognitive, and occupational participation in children with trauma histories.
- Identify interventions that may be used by occupational therapy practitioners to target the areas of concern identified in the research.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
Session IIB:
Promoting Healthy Meal Planning Among Adults with SMI
Presenter: Kalena Lopez, MS; Cynthia Barrows, MS, OTR
Chronic conditions associated with being overweight are a national public health issue that disproportionately affects individuals with serious mental illness (SMI). In order to address unhealthy eating habits, evidence demonstrates that individuals with SMI need strategies related to healthy eating in addition to education on nutritional guidelines. This presentation will provide occupational therapy practitioners with an evidence-based model for group intervention as well as concrete activities to implement healthy eating and meal planning interventions.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Identify a minimum of three reasons why healthy eating and meal planning interventions are critical for clients with SMI.
- Describe an evidence-based model for group intervention on this topic.
- Describe concrete activities that can be utilized and/or adapted to implement healthy eating and meal planning interventions in a variety of practice settings.
Educational Level of Presentation: Introductory
Session IIC:
You’ve Done the Eval – Now What?
Presenter: Chrys Peralta, OTR, MS, M.Ed, Mass Association for the Blind
You’ve learned what the client wants to do after a myriad of questions. The doctor told you why you’re referred. What do you do? When? What are his priorities? More questions come now than before, believe it or not! Does he live alone? Does she need to cook? Was he only referred for reading? Learn how to make goals pertinent in light of her vision issue.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Describe the manifestations of five (5) eye conditions/diseases.
- Cite three (3) adaptive techniques a client with a visual impairment might use, and how to teach it to them.
- Cite three (3) adaptive devices a client with a visual impairment might use, and the reason he/she would use it.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Intermediate
11:45 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Break &Exhibits
12:00 pm to 1:00 pm
Keynote: Thinking Outside the Therapist Role
Presenter: Lynn Festa OTR, CHT, CDWF; Berkshire Hand to Shoulder Center
This session will integrate evidence-based tools using The Daring Way™ and scientific studies from the field of positive psychology as applied within the occupational therapy framework. By incorporating empathy and compassion as an integral part of the treatment plan, occupational therapists can promote better outcomes through trust and client compliance, while fostering our own well-being at work and in our everyday lives.
Learning Objectives: At the end of this presentation, participants will be able to:
- Define the attributes of clinical empathy and identify how the practice of empathy can be applied to therapeutic relationships with clients and in the workplace
- Define and identify the neurophysiology of empathy, compassion and gratitude and its application to clinical practice.
- Understand and apply the latest evidence based studies from the field of positive psychology as they relate to occupational therapy and their relevance to optimizing patient outcomes.
Educational Level of Presentation: Introductory/Intermediate
Registration fees:
OT or OTA
MAOT Member $85.00
Nonmember: $100.00
Student/Retired Pratitioner
MAOT member: $55.00
Student nonmember/Retired Practitioner nonmember: $70.00
Confirmation & Cancellation:
Registrants are welcome to confirm their registration or obtain additional information by contacting MAOT at (781) 647-5556 or visit the web site at www.maot.org.
Fees are refundable only if notification of cancellation is received two weeks prior to the conference. There will be a $ 25.00 charge for a returned check.
Continuing Education Accessibility Policy:
MAOT is committed to providing equal access and reasonable accommodations for all participants in this continuing education offering in accordance with the ADA. Please indicate your need for ADA accommodations on the registration form and contact MAOT at least two weeks before the conference so that arrangements can be made.
Contact Hours/AOTA CEUs:
Conference attendees/learners will be eligible for a total of 4 contact hours (.4 AOTA CEU) based on attainment of learning objectives. The learner is responsible for completing and signing his/her assessment of attained learning objectives on the contact hour/CEU tracking form and obtaining the convener's signature and/or stamp at the conclusion of each session. This tracking form will be included in each learner's conference packet and must be turned in at the registration desk prior to exiting the conference. Official contact hour/AOTA CEUs will be kept on file at the MAOT office and an official verification certificate will be emailed to the participant within 30 days of the conference.
