Children And Youth

The course is an introduction to tic disorders and Tourette Syndrome. Using evidenced-based interventions, occupational therapists have a unique role in improving occupational functioning and improving quality of life for both children and adults living with tics in a variety of clinical settings. In this course, you will learn the symptoms of tic disorders, be introduced to the highly evidenced-based intervention(s) and provided with numerous resources to improve your clinical practice.

Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) require life sustaining intervention for weeks to months after birth. This intervention is remarkably stressful for both the infant, who is ill-equipped to handle life outside the womb, and for the parents who are filled with fear and stress due to the illness of their son or daughter. Knowledge of the unique developmental needs, sensory experiences, and methods of communication of preterm infants help occupational therapists maximize the occupational performance of both infant and family.

Infants in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) require life sustaining intervention for weeks to months after birth. This intervention is remarkably stressful for both the infant, who is ill-equipped to handle life outside the womb, and for the parents who are filled with fear and stress due to the illness of their son or daughter. Knowledge of the unique developmental needs, sensory experiences, and methods of communication of preterm infants help occupational therapists maximize the occupational performance of both infant and family.

Students with learning and attention disorders face obstacles related to managing occupational and life demands during their transitions to adult roles. Occupational therapists are ideally suited to facilitate the occupational role and performance of high achieving youth with learning and/or attention disorders (L/AD) in preparation for and during the transition to adult roles and contexts through college pathways. However, greater understanding of these young people’s broad-ranging needs and challenges across academic, career development, social, and daily life contexts is necessary. This presentation describes challenges faced by young adult college students with L/AD, a multi-faceted approach for supporting these students used at the University of Florida, and insights learned from academically successful undergraduates with L/AD that can be used to guide both research and practice.

In this course, the author provides an overview of life care planning as a case management tool for occupational therapy practitioners as well as other rehabilitation professionals. Definitions and roles for life care planning are included. The training also includes an overview of the methodology associated with life care planning practice.

In this course, the author author provides an overview of the case management. Definitions and roles among health professionals are included. The training also includes the types funding supporting case management and why rehabilitation professionals make great case managers.

In this course, readiness to drive is assessed for a teen with a dual diagnosis of Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD) and Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) compared to a healthy control, using indicators such as medical history, clinical testing, life skills, and simulated driving performance results. Using this case study and a decision tree, the presenter interprets how these indicators can guide a therapist to determine readiness for driving. The course also explores how to prepare teens, not yet ready to drive, for independence in community mobility and future driving.

In this course, the authors introduce the crash statistics and characteristics of teens in general, as well as those with ADHD and ASD. Using clinical tests, driving performance videos of teens in a driving simulator, and statistical analysis, the authors propose indicators of readiness to drive for teens at large, and for those with ADHD and/or ASD.