Motivational Strategies to Improve Outcomes

Online/Printable/Mailed - 15 PDUs - Have you ever worked with an unmotivated client? Is your client non-compliant to treatment or giving you less than 100% effort? Research supports a strong relationship between client-motivation and therapeutic outcomes. This course teaches you how to identify and overcome common barriers within the therapeutic environment by using evidence-based motivational strategies. This course is appropriate for therapists of all levels.

Introduction to Sensory Dysfunction

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course introduces sensory dysfunction commonly seen in autism spectrum disorders, MR, and other sensory processing disorders. You will learn how sensory processing works, what happens when something goes wrong, and how to develop a comprehensive, sensory-based treatment program to address the client's individual needs. This course is appropriate for entry and intermediate level therapists who currently work, or plan to work with individuals with sensory processing issues.

Preventing Falls in Geriatrics

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: Falls among the elderly age 65 years or older is a serious problem. This course helps you to understand the epidemiology of falls among the elderly, identify common risk factors, and teaches interventional and preventative strategies to reduce the incidence of falls both in the community and long-term care settings. This course is appropriate for therapists and healthcare providers of all levels.

An Ethical Toolbox for the OT Practitioner

Online/Printable/Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: This course is about moral decision-making. Recent changes in healthcare brought about by a growing elderly population, increase in medical survivors, and a drive for cost containment, frequently forces occupational therapists to choose between his/her moral duty to the client and an equal but opposite obligation to the payer/provider to contain costs. The result is an ethical dilemma. This course provides the learner with the ethical tools to understand the moral obligations mandated in the O.T. Code of Ethics, and to address the ethical dilemmas and moral tensions that occur on a day-to-day basis. This course is appropriate for clinicians of all levels.

An Ethical Health Checkup for OTs and PTs

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: The face of healthcare is changing as clinicians are expected to do more with an increase in players (ex. third party payors and employers) and fewer resources than ever before. This course helps occupational and physical therapists better understand ethics and morality in practice while providing a tool to measure your own ethical health needed to face these challenges. This course is appropriate for clinicians of all levels.

Reducing Stress in the Clinic: Strategies for Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: Stress is a reality for healthcare professionals. The side effects of stress can cause serious mental, physical, and emotional health consequences; unresolved stress can lead to decreased job satisfaction, job loss, high turnover rates, and added risks to the consumer. This course helps therapists of all levels, as well as program directors, to understand and minimize the effects of stress.

Treating Autism: Putting the Puzzle Together

Online/Printable/Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: This course provides therapists with proven clinical strategies to successfully treat children with autism. Emphasis is on managing and reducing self-stimulatory and maladaptive behaviors, while improving social skills, communication, and performance in academic and functional tasks.

Torticollis: Evaluation and Treatment

Mailed - 12 PDUs - Torticollis refers to the presentation of the neck in a twisted or bent position. This abnormal neck posture is the third most common congenital musculoskeletal anomaly in infants affecting 0.04-1.9% of newborns. Therapeutic intervention by either an occupational or physical therapist is highly effective at treating and resolving issues related to torticollois. This course teaches each learner how to assess and treat infants and children with torticollis and is appropriate for entry-level to intermediate occupational and physical therapists.

A Therapist's Guide to Pressure Wounds

Online/Printable/Mailed - 15 PDUs - Description: Proper positioning is necessary to avoid the development of pressure wounds and other related medical problems, optimize function and mobility, promote good postural alignment, and to minimize loss of ROM and strength needed for participation in daily living activities and functional tasks. Occupational and physical therapists as well as nursing and support staff must know general guidlines on how to position and maintain individuals who spend a majority of their time in a wheelchair or bed. This course provides comprehensive guidelines to assess, remediate, and monitor a positioning program in a geriatric setting. It is intended for therapists and nurses at the entry and intermediate levels.

Wheelchair and Bed Positioning for Geriatrics

Online/Printable/Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: Proper positioning is necessary to avoid the development of pressure wounds and other related medical problems, optimize function and mobility, promote good postural alignment, and to minimize loss of ROM and strength needed for participation in daily living activities and functional tasks. Occupational and physical therapists as well as nursing and support staff must know general guidlines on how to position and maintain individuals who spend a majority of their time in a wheelchair or bed. This course provides comprehensive guidelines to assess, remediate, and monitor a positioning program in a geriatric setting. It is intended for therapists and nurses at the entry and intermediate levels.

Working with Dementia: A Model of Care

Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course discusses the principles underlying a person-center care approach for therapists and nurses that seeks to preserve the self-identity of the individual with dementia in order to minimize the destructive nature of the disease and optmize functional independence. The course describes a model for actualizing such care through a mealtime program, that can be generalized over into other areas of care. Includes a text by Grethe Berg, The Importance of Food and Mealtime in Dementia Care: The Table is Set.

A Person-Centered Approach: Understanding a Client's....

A Person-Centered Approach: Understanding a Client's Response to a Disability - Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course explores why some individuals more easily adapt to a life-altering disability, illness, or effects of aging while others do not, and the therapist's role in helping clients identify effective coping strategies to prevent additional serious physical and psychological repercussions, such as post-traumatic stress disorder.

Dementia: A Guide to Improving Therapeutic Outcomes

Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: This course discusses the concept of personhood as it pertains to individuals with dementia, and provides a blueprint for client-centered therapy. Course includes the text by Dawn Brooker, Person-centered Dementia Care: Making Services Better.

Dementia: A Guide to Improving Therapeutic Outcomes

Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: This course discusses the concept of personhood as it pertains to individuals with dementia, and provides a blueprint for client-centered therapy. Course includes the text by Dawn Brooker, Person-centered Dementia Care: Making Services Better.

Clinical Gems in Pediatrics Rehabilitation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 10 PDUs - Description: This course provides a guide to occupational, physical, and speech therapists, teaching each learner how to successfully work with children with disabilities using specific clinical strategies. This course is appropriate for entry level and intermediate level therapists.

Pay-For-Performance: Returning to Outcomes-Based Rehab

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: This course introduces the upcoming changes in healthcare reimbursement from a passive perspective payment system (PPS) to a pay-for-performance (PFP) system, one that emphasizes outcomes and quality of services delivered and not quantity. It demonstrates how therapists and managers can successfully implement a client-centered, outcomes-based service delivery model, while still being able to meet and even exceed productivity and revenue expectations. This course is appropriate for therapists of all levels.

Finding the Zone: Managing Behaviors in Children w/Autism

Mailed DVD - 9 PDUs - Description: Behaviors are often the greatest challenge and source of frustration for therapists and teachers who work with children living with autism. The opportunity for these kids to learn and grow is limited by their own behaviors and our ability to help manage them, which is critical to their success. This course teaches therapists and teachers effective strategies to manage behaviors and promote greater success in everyday activities by helping each child "Find the Zone," an innovative program developed over 15 years of clinical experience and research. This intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists as well as teachers who work with children with autism.

Developing a Therapeutic Exercise Program for Expecting Moth

Developing a Therapeutic Exercise Program for the Expecting Mother - Online/Mailed - 10 PDUs - Description: This course describes changes and issues that can occur during pregnancy and include guidelines for designing a prenatal and postpartum therapeutic exercise program for expecting mothers to help reduce risks and promote health. This is an introductory course for physical and occupational therapists as well as athletic trainers. Includes text by Gwen Hyatt, MS and Catherine Cram, MS.

A Comprehensive Guide for Therapists: Writing Effective Doc

Mailed - 10 PDUs - Description: This course is an ideal resource for any health care professional needing to learn or improve their documentation skills—with simple, straightforward explanations of the hows and whys of documentation. It also keeps pace with the changes in therapy practice today, emphasizing the Patient/Client Management model. Section by section, exercise by exercise, this course will help you to to write clear, concise, and effective documentation using a variety of tools, including SOAP notes.

Treating Individuals with Osteoporosis

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: Over 44 million or 55% of individuals aged 55 or older suffer from Osteoporosis or low bone mass. It is critical for occupational and physical therapists who work with these individuals to understand this disease and how to help prevent or treat those who suffer from OA or are at risk. This course provides an overview of Osteoporosis and how to implement an exercise program to prevent and/or treat this growing problem.

Treating Individuals with Fibromyalgia

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This course provides a comprehensive overview of Fibromyalgia Syndrome along with therapeutic strategies and exercises to help maintain function and mobility as well as alleviate or reduce chronic fatigue and pain.

Adapting Therapeutic Exercise for Individuals with Arthritis

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: According to the Arthritis Foundation in 2005, nearly one-out-of-three adults suffer from arthritis, the nation’s leading cause of disability among Americans over the age of 15. This course provides occupational and physical therapists critical information necessary to effectively adapt therapeutic exercises for individuals who suffer from arthritis, a condition that can drastically slow a patient's progress in rehab. Additional focus is on post-therapy home programming and designing community exercise programs.

A Therapeutic Exercise Program for Breast Cancer Recovery

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course will help occupational and physical therapists assist breast cancer recovery clients by building confidence and regaining function through specialized therapeutic exercises. Each learner will gain an understanding of breast cancer, its side-effects, and how to safely and effectively work different muscle groups affected by treatment and surgery, to optimize the recovery process.

(Module 1) Neuroanatomy Refresher: Nervous System Basics

Online - 9 PDUs - Description: Occupational, physical, and speech therapists play a crucial role in helping people who have experienced brain damage (ex. stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy), spinal cord injury, birth defects, or neurological disease, regain function. The success of each case is dependent on the therapist's ability to fully understand the nervous system. This is the first in a series of four modules offered to "refresh" each clinician's understanding of the human nervous system. This module provides an introduction to neuroscience followed by a comprehensive, but clinically relevant overview of the development of the nervous system and the basic structure and function of it's cells. It is recommended that you read each module of the series in order, to achieve maximum benefit.

(Module 2) Neuroanatomy Refresher: The Sensory System

Online - 7 PDUs - Occupational, physical, and speech therapists play a crucial role in helping people who have experienced brain damage (ex. stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy), spinal cord injury, birth defects, or neurological disease, regain function. The success of each case is dependent on the therapist's ability to fully understand the nervous system. This is the second in a series of four modules offered to "refresh" each clinician's understanding of the human nervous system. This module takes a closer look at the sensory and autonomic systems, two critical systems needed for motor planning, exploring the environment, and basic life functions. An entire chapter is also dedicated to the clinical application of the somatosensory system, the sensory information from the skin and musculoskeletal systems. It is recommended that you read each module of the series in order, to achieve maximum benefit.

(Module 3) Neuroanatomy Refresher: The Motor System

Online - 12 PDUs - Description: Occupational, physical, and speech therapists play a crucial role in helping people who have experienced brain damage (ex. stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy), spinal cord injury, birth defects, or neurological disease, regain function. The success of each case is dependent on the therapist's ability to fully understand the nervous system. This is the third in a series of four modules offered to "refresh" each clinician's understanding of the human nervous system. This module takes a closer look at the motor system (motor neurons) and its involvement in coordination, postural stability, and balance. Additional focus is on the peripheral nervous system and the spinal column and their contributions to mobility and basic life function. It is recommended that you read each module of the series in order, to achieve maximum benefit.

(Module 4) Neuroanatomy Refresher: The Brain

Online - 12 PDUs - Description: Occupational, physical, and speech therapists play a crucial role in helping people who have experienced brain damage (ex. stroke, head injury, cerebral palsy), spinal cord injury, birth defects, or neurological disease, regain function. The success of each case is dependent on the therapist's ability to fully understand the nervous system. This is the last in a series of four modules offered to "refresh" each clinician's understanding of the human nervous system. This module takes a closer look at the structure and function of the regions of the brain including the cranial nerves, brainstem, vestibular and visual systems, and the cerebrum. An entire chapter is dedicated to the clinical applications of the cerebrum. It is recommended that you read each module of the series in order, to achieve maximum benefit.

OT Intervention for the Low Vision Patient

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: This intensive course is intended to provide the occupational therapist or occupational therapist assistant with the necessary skills for working with older adults and people with diabetes who have low vision. This seminar provides heavy emphasis on strategies for evaluation and treatment ideas for every aspect of ADL/IADL function for the patient with low vision and explains how specific eye diseases affect visual functioning.

Fundamentals of Hand-Object Interaction in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: Hand function is essential to achieving independence. Understanding the fundamentals of hand control is necessary to design an optimal therapy plan. This course discusses the role of the parietal lobe in hand-object interaction as it relates to grasp, motor learning, and function to provide you with a stronger foundation to treat children and adults with hand coordination problems. This course provides information for therapists who work with either pediatrics or adults.

Force Control in Children w/Impaired Hand Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: The ability to control the amount of force used during object manipulation is critical to developing good fine motor coordination. This course explains the underlying neurological causes of hand dysfunction in children with disabilities. By helping the learner understand the underlying mechanisms responsible for motor control, appropriate interventions can be planned and implemented.

OT Intervetion for Children with Hand Skill Problems

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Fine motor skills have a major impact on a child's performance in daily skills, school, and social activities. Children with hand skill problems are limited in these areas, and the greater the impairment, the greater the child's level of difficulty. This course provides occupational therapists and assistants intervention strategies to help children with hand skill problems.

Developing a Fine Motor Program for Preschoolers

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This course provides occupational therapists with specific treatment strategies that can be used to treat preschoolers with fine motor problems.

OT Principles for Handwriting Success

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This course helps occupational therapists understand, analyze, and interpret writing problems, then provides specific strategies to remediate these issues to help children improve their handwriting skills.

Redefining Therapy Using Technology

Online Webinar - 2 PDUs - Description: This Webinar takes a critical look at how therapy is delivered and offers ideas on how to use current and upcoming technology (including the Wii, X-Box Kinect, and PS3 Move) to deliver more effective treatment than ever before.

Neuroanatomy: Basic Review for Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: The purpose of this course is to provide the learner with a review of basic neuroanatomy. Basic structures within the nervous system are described and their functions discussed. This information is important for therapists who treat patients with neurologic dysfunction, both pediatric and adults, because it assists clinicians with identifying clinical signs and symptoms. In addition, it allows the therapists to develop an appreciation of the patient’s prognosis and potential functional outcome.

Motor Control and Motor Learning in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course provides each learner with a working understanding of how motor control and learning impact skill acquisition in children, and offers each therapist strategies to facilitate each for improved functional mobility and performance in daily living activities.

Motor Development: What Therapists Need to Know

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: Motor development is a continous process that occurs throughout life. Understanding motor development is critical to assessing function, establishing age-appropriate goals, and designing treatment to benefit the patient. This course helps each learner understand motor development from infancy to adult, as well as discuss implications for treatment to help your client achieve his or her goals.

Positioning & Handling to Foster Motor Function in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course details some of the most frequent positioning and handling interventions used when working with children who have neurological deficits. Emphasis will be on improving trunk and head control, accomodating for lack of muscle support, providing proper postural alignment, and decreasing muscle tone needed to improve the child's performance in mobility and functional tasks. This course is appropriate for both occupational and physical therapists.

Treating Children With Cerebral Palsy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: This course provides a comprehensive overview of the incidence, etiology, and classification of cerebral palsy (CP), and gives each learner specific therapeutic interventions to promote functional mobility and independence at each developmental stage of life: Birth, Preschool, Adololescence, and Adulthood. This course is appropriate for both occupational and physical therapists.

Treating Children with Genetic Disorders

Online/Printable/Mailed - 7 PDUs - Description: More than 6,000 genetic disorders have been identified to date. Some are evident at birth, whereas others manifest later in life. This course discusses Genetic disorders including Down syndrome (DS), fragile X syndrome, Rett syndrome, cystic fibrosis (CF), Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD), and osteogenesis imperfecta (OI). After a general discussion of the types of genetic transmission, the pathophysiology and clinical features of these conditions are outlined, followed by a brief discussion of therapy management

Proprioceptive Neuromuscular Facilitation in a Nutshell

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: This course offers a comprehensive overview of proprioceptive neuromuscular facilitation (PNF), one of the most frequently used treatment interventions in neurologial rehabilitation. In addition to covering the basic principles of PNF, each learner will be instructed on the PNF patterns utilized in therapy, as well as their clinical application.

Stroke Rehab: A Comprehensive Approach for Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 12 PDUs - Description: Strokes (CVAs) are the most common and disabling neurological condition in adults. Strokes often leave individuals with severe physical and cognitive deficits limiting mobility and functional independence. Occupational and Physical therapists play an important role in helping these individuals get their quality of life back. This course helps each learner understand the etiology and clinical manifestation of strokes, complications related to strokes, and describes appropriate treatment to help stroke victims return to the highest level of function possible.

Rehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injured Individuals

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: Approximately 1.5 million Americans sustain a brain injury each year. This course offers occupational and physical therapists an overview of traumatic brain injuries, discusses related problem areas including cognitive deficits, and provides an overview of therapy management.

Treating Individuals with Spinal Cord Injuries

Online/Printable/Mailed - 9 PDUs - Description: This course helps the learner understand spinal cord injuries at the various levels of injury and offers a comprehensive guide to treatment. This course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists.

Anatomy and Kinesiology of the Hand

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course provides each therapist with a complete understanding of the anatomy and physiology of the hand and how it relates to function. The information provided will help each therapist understand how anatomy and physiology plays an important role in fine motor development and demonstrates how to integrate this understanding into the clinical setting. While this course is geared for pediatric therapists, it also provides valuable and necessary information for therapists who work with adults.

Perceptual Functions of the Hand

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: The hand is both a functional and perceptual organ that uses motor activity to complete practical tasks while the perceptual component is primarily exploratory and information seeking. These two functions work together to carry out daily activities such shoe tying and buttoning. This course takes a closer look at the perceptual functions of the hand and how it impacts performance in daily tasks. Perception in children with disorders will be explored as well as the role of vision and cognition and clinical implications for treatment. This course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Reaching Skills in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: In order to use our hands successfully, we need to be able to bring them together at the right place and right time. Catching a ball, for example, requires reaching out to position the hands and closing the hands at the right time, otherwise the ball will be dropped or missed altogether. This course covers mature reaching skills, development of reaching in infancy, and reaching skills in children with disabilities to provide each therapist with an understanding of reaching and eye-hand coordination to improve outcomes in children with coordination issues.

Motor Skills and Cognition

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: We often think of sensory and motor components when considering motor skills. One component we often overlook is the role cognition plays on motor development and skill acquisition. Simple and complex tasks require attention, concept formation, memory, and perceptual skills to interact with our environment successfully. This course discusses the role of cognition on motor skills and provides a foundation for therapeutic intervention to work with children with motor deficits. This course basic to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

Handedness in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Established handedness indicates hemispheric specialization and is highly important for the development of motor skills, language, and cognitive processes. Unestablished handedness is often associated with developmental delay and inadequate hemispheric specialization that can dramatically impact a child's peformance in daily tasks. This course provides each learner with a comprehensive understanding of the development of handedness, how to classify and assess handedness, and provides intervention strategies that you can use to help children develop handedness for greater success at home, school, and in the community. This intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Self-Care and Hand Skills

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: When working with children with disabilities, achieving functional independence in daily living skills such as eating, dressing, bathing, and toileting is often a priority in therapy. While there are other elements to consider (ex. posture, cognition), this course focuses on hand development and the acquisition of self-care skills. This course offers a comprehensive breakdown of basic ADLs, discusses factors that impact the development of self-care skills, and provides a comprehensive resource of over 180 ADL milestones to help each therapist assess for delays. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Evaluation of Handwriting

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: Writing is one of the first tasks a child learns in school and is a skill used throughout one's lifetime. Learning to write legibly is a complex task and it is not uncommon for problems to arise during the learning process. The purpose of this introductory course is to discuss the process of evaluating children with handwriting impairments. This beginner course is appropriate for occupational therapists.

Documentation for Occupational Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 15 PDUs - DESCRIPTION: From the therapy evaluations to our progress notes, documentation has always been an important part rehabilitation to assess function, track progress, and guide treatment. But while third party payers, school systems, and patients and families are scrutinizing over the need for, and usage of our services, writing good documentation is even more critical than ever before. This course is an ideal resource for occupational therapists to learn or improve your documentation skills through simple, straightforward explanations and exercises to help you master this necessary skill. This course is appropriate for entry level and intermediate level occupational therapists, but also appropriate for anyone who would like to polish up their note-writing skills.

Introduction to Physical Agents and How They Are Used

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course provides each learner with a general overview of physical agent modalities and how they are used. This course reviews types of physical agents, the role of physical agents in rehabilitation, contraindications and precautions, how to choose physical agents, and discusses the effects of physical agents as a treatment modality. This is an introductory course for therapists who are new to physical agent modalities or would like to have a stronger foundation to make clinical decisions about selection and use of physical agent modalities in practice. This course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Inflammation and Tissue Repair

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: Occupational and physical therapists treat a variety of inflammatory conditions resulting from trauma, surgical procedures, or problematic healing. The clinician who is called on to manage such injuries needs to understand the physiology of inflammation and healing and how it can be modified. The therapist can enhance healing by the appropriate application of various physical agent modalities, therapeutic exercises, or manual techniques. The foundation for a successful rehabilitation program requires an understanding of biomechanics, the phases of tissue healing, and the effects of immobilization and therapeutic interventions on the healing process. This course provides learners with information on the processes involved in inflammation and tissue repair to improve outcomes.

Pain 101: An Overview for Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: Pain is the most common symptom prompting patients to seek medical attention and is a predominant symptom leading patients to receive rehabilitation. Many patients with musculoskeletal and neurological impairments report pain, and most consider pain to be their primary goal of treatment. This course provides a comprehensive overview of pain including types of pain, mechanisms of pain, pain control, how to measure and document pain, and pain management approaches. This introductory to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Abnormal Tone: A Comprehensive Overview for Therapists

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This intermediate course describes types of muscle tone, ways of measuring muscle tone, the anatomical and pathological factors that influence muscle tone, and issues that arise when muscle tone is abnormal. This course is appropriate of occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

Motion Restrictions: Pathology to Treatment

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course discusses motion between body segments and the factors that can restrict such motion such as contractures, edema, adhesions, mechanical blocks, disc herniations neural tension, and weakness. This intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants who work with individuals with limited range of motion.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Cold and Heat

Online/Printable/Mailed - 7 PDUs - Description: This introductory to intermediate course discusses the basic physical principles and physiological effects of thermal agents, including superficial heat and cold (cryotherapy), and how to apply these therapeutically in practice. This course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Ultrasound

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: Ultrasound has a wide range of clinical applications in rehabilitation including: soft tissue shortening, pain control, surgical and acquired wound healing, tendon and ligament injuries, fractures, carpal tunnel syndrome, and resorption of calcium deposits. This introductory to intermediate course provides a comprehensive overview and application of ultrasound treatment and is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Electrical Stimulation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Electrical stimulation has a wide range of clinical applications in rehabilitation including: muscle strengthening and reeduction, pain control, wound healing, edema management, reducing soft tissue inflammation, and transdermal drug delivery. This introductory to intermediate course provides a comprehensive overview and application of electrical stimulation treatment and is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Hydrotherapy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: Hydrotherapy is the application of water for the treatment of physical and psychological dysfunction. Hydrotherapy can be applied by immersion of the whole body or parts of the body in water, or by non-immersion by spraying or pouring water onto the body. This effects of immersion and non-immersion hydrotherapy are discussed in this introductory to intermediate level course and is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Traction

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: Traction is a mechanical force applied to the body in a way that separates the joint surfaces and elongates the surrounding soft tissues. Traction can be applied manually by the clinician or mechanically by a machine, or using the patient's body weight and gravity. This comprehensive introductory to intermediate course focuses on the application of mechanical traction to the cervical and lumbar spine and is appropriate for physical and occupational therapists and assistants who offer this treatment modality to their patients.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Compression

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: Compression is a mechanical force that increases external pressure on the body or a body part. It is generally used to treat edema (primary use), venous stasis ulcers, prevent DVTs (deep venous thrombosis), shape limbs after amputation, and control scarring. This introductory to intermediate course focuses on treatment using compression and is appropriate for physical and occupational therapists and assistants.

Physical Agents in Rehabilitation: Diathermy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: Diathermy has a wide range of clinical applications in rehabilitation including: Pain control, accelerated tissue healing, decreased joint stiffness, and increased range of motion when paired with stretching. This introductory to intermediate course provides a comprehensive overview of diathermy treatment and is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

The Physiology of Age-Related Decline

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: This course describes age-related physiological and lifestyle changes that occurs in our elderly and the clinical implications these changes have on rehabilitation. This entry to intermediate level course provides valuable information for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Geriatric Pharmacology

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Therapists working with geriatrics need to have a basic understanding of the beneficial and adverse effects of medication on therapy. This intermediate course discusses the pertinent aspects of geriatric pharmacology with specific emphasis on how drug therapy can affect older individuals receiving occupational and physical therapy. This course provides valuable information for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Exercise and Physical Activity for Older Adults

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Exercise is the single most effective intervention for older adults used by therapists. This course discusses the role of physical activity and exercise, effects of a sedentary lifestyle, elements of effective exercise strategies, and different types of exercise applications for older adults. This entry-level to intermediate level course provides valuable learning for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Development of Hand Skills and Infants

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: The development of prehension and coordination is essential to an infant's ability to play and explore. As hand skills mature, the infant becomes increasingly competent in exploring and playing with objects, a prerequisite for successful long-term development. This course describes the infant's development of grasp, release, and bimanual skills in the context of play, providing the therapist valuable information to apply to the therapeutic setting. This entry-level to intermediate course is offered to occupational therapists, physical therapists, and assistants.

Object Manipulation in Infants and Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This course discusses the development of hand manipulation skills in children. The ability to manipulate objects helps children explore their environment while gaining the perception of confidence and mastery over their environment. Understanding hand manipulation will help occupational therapists, physical therapist and assistants develop treatment strategies to help children with hand manipulation issues.

Understanding Graphomotor Skills to Improve Handwriting

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This course provides the therapist with valuable information on the development and execution of graphomotor skills as it relates to handwriting and drawing skills in children. Motor learning theory and writing grasps will also be discussed. This introductory to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

OT Interventions for Children with Cerebral Palsy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: Therapists who treat children with CP face significant challenges in their efforts to provide efficacious interventions. This entry-level to intermediate-level course for occupational therapists and assistants discusses the therapeutic management of children with CP, focusing on neurodevelopmental treatment (NDT) as an intervention.

Pediatric Hand Therapy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This course provides basic information to occupational and physical therapists to facilitate effective evaluation and treatment for hand conditions in the pediatric patient. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists.

Introduction to Cognitive & Perceptual Rehabilitation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: This course provides an evidence-based overview of cognitive and perceptual rehabilitation in an effort to help occupational therapists guide evaluation and treatment for those living with functional limitations secondary to cognitive and perceptual impairments. This entry-level to intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational therapist and assistants.

Intro to Evaluations & Interventions for Individuals w/Cog

Intro to Evaluations & Interventions for Individuals with Cognitive and Perceptual Impairments - Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: This course offers occupational therapists valuable insight and considerations when completing a cognitive/perceptual assessment on individuals with cognitive and perceptual impairments. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational therapists who work with individuals with cognitive and perceptual impairments.

Managin Visuospatial Impairments to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course helps occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants understand visual processing and how visual and spatial impairments affect activities of daily living. Visual screening procedures and intervention strategies to optmize function are also discussed. This entry-level to intermediate course is intended for occupational therapists and assistants who work with clients with visual impairments as a result of congenital or acquired brain injury.

OT Strategies to Improve Self-Awareness in Individuals w/Cog

OT Strategies to Improve Self-Awareness in Individuals w/Cognitive and Perceptual Deficits - Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course helps therapists understand impaired self-awareness due to neurological deficits such as stroke, traumatic brain injury, Parkinson's disease, and Multiple Sclerosis, and how impaired self-awareness affects individual's performance in activities of daily living. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Managing Apraxia to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This course helps occupational therapists and assistants understand the different types of apraxia and provides valuable treatment strategies for rehabilitation. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Managing Unilateral Neglect to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course helps occupational therapists and assistants understand how to manage unilateral neglect as a result of brain damage to either the right or left hemispheres. Intervention strategies to optimize function will also be discussed. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Managing Agnosia to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course helps therapists understand and manage patients with agnosias impairments seen in individuals living with stroke, dementia, developmental disorders, or other related neurological conditions. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapist and assistants.

Managing Attention Deficits to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course provides a general overview of attention deficits in individuals who have suffered a stroke or head injury or who live with Parkinson’s disease, dementia, multiple sclerosis, and/or other acute or chronic neurological diseases. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Managing Memory Deficits to Optimize Function

Online/printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This course teaches how to manage memory deficits following a stroke, head injury, or other neurological disorder. An overview of memory deficits is provided in addition to a review of assessment tools and therapeutic interventions. This entry-level to intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Managing Executive Function Impairments to Optimize Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Executive functioning is an umbrella term that refers to the complex cognitive processing required to achieve a particular goal. This course provides therapists with an overview of impaired executive functioning as a result of stroke, TBI, dementia, Parkinson’s Disease, or other related neurological disorders. Evaluation and assessment tools will be discussed as well as specific therapeutic interventions to improve executive functioning to optimize overall function in your clients. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Introduction to Hand Therapy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course addresses treatment concepts and techniques of hand therapy and offers ideas to promote clinical reasoning. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants who treat the upper extremity.

Fundamentals of Hand Therapy: Upper Extremity Anatomy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: An understanding of normal anatomy is essential to the treatment of common upper extremity disorders. This course offers a general overview of the hand and upper extremity through a series of scenarios, clinical questions, and illustrations to help you improve your clinical reasoning skills. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants.

Fundamentals of Hand Therapy: Managing Edema

Online/Printable/mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This course describes acute, subacute, and chronic edema. It reviews vascular and lymphatic anatomy and biology, and it describes appropriate interventions for edema, including the technique of manual edema mobilization (MEM). Special emphasis is placed on the clinical reasoning involved in selecting the appropriate treatment. This intermediate level course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists as well as assistants.

Fundamentals of Hand Therapy: Tissue Specific Exercise

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Tissue-specific exercise can be thought of as the science of prescribing an accurate dosage of exercise. Tissue-specific exercise allows us to use our knowledge of exercise physiology to address the specific pathologic tissue conditions. For optimal outcomes, exercise dosage must not be assigned arbitrarily; it should be dosed accurately according to the physiology of the tissue(s) involved. This intermediate course teaches occupational and phsyical therapists the underlying principles needed to properly administer tissue-specific exercises to achieve optimal results.

Evaluation of the Hand and Upper Extremity

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: The client’s initial hand or UE evaluation sets the stage for successful rehabilitation. The evaluation establishes rapport, determines the areas of functional deficit, and serves as the foundation for treatment and recovery. Only with an accurate assessment can the therapist determine the best course of treatment for the client’s condition. This introductory to intermediate course provides a comprehensive overview of a typical hand and/or UE evaluation, providing a valuable reference to improve assessment skills necessary to optimize clinical outcomes. This course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists.

Flashlight Therapy for Kids

Online - 1 PDU - Description: This course explores the use of a dark therapy space as a medium to treat children with specific disorders. The course looks at the benefits of a "dark therapy session" as well as provides each learner with specific examples that can be used or adapted in the clinical setting. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists and assistants.

Kids Being Kids: How Children w/Disabilities Perceive

Kids Being Kids: How Children w/Disabilities Perceive the World - Online/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This course helps therapists understand children from the child's perception in order develop effective intervention strategies that incorporate the whole child and not just the presenting disability or injury. This intermediate course will benefit occupational, physical, and speech therapists and assistants who work with children living with a disability or injury.

Children at Play: Assessing Play to Promote Outcomes

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: Play is the primary occupation of children and the primary means for occupational therapy intervention. This entry-level course helps occupational therapists assess and understand play and how it is used in therapy.

Early Intervention: The Role of Occupational Therapy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This course discusses the evolution of early intervention (EI), the factors that influence occupational therapy practice in EI, and the role of occupational therapy services in EI. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational therapist and assistants.

Treating Preschool Children: Strategies for OTs

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: This entry-level course discusses common occupations and roles of pre-school children within the context of home and preschool as-well-as the role of the occupational therapist in providing services with this population.

School-Based Occupational Therapy

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 PDUs - Description: This entry-level course examines the roles of children in school including learner, worker, player, self-carer, and community member, and addresses how occupational therapy can support the performance of children's roles through active participation and skill development.

All Grown Up! Helping Children w/Disabilities Transition

All Grown Up! Helping Children w/Disabilities Transition to Adulthood - Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Evidence supports that adults with disabilities are not living the lives they want with several factors contributing to the problems these individuals encounter. Therapists play an important role as a member of the transition team by helping these individuals establish goals and develop the skills they will need to be successful adults. Understanding what the priorities are for this crucial time is not just critical for these kids in high school, but also throughout their education to insure they have the skills necessary for life after high school. This course provides valuable information for therapists to better prepare kids with disabilities for transition into adulthood. This intermediate course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists who work with children with disabilities in all grades.

I Can Do It Myself! Developing Self-Care Skills in Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 PDUs - Description: Occupational Therapists play a critical role in the development of self-care skills in children living with a disability. This course addresses self-care skills in children with disabilities and provides occupational therapists tools to analyze and assess self-care tasks to identify client factors that affect performance, while also providing specific examples and a model for clinical problem-solving and intervention. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Pediatric OT: Building Intervention From Theory

Online/Printable/Mailed - 7 PDUs - Description: Theories lie at the center of occupational therapy and provide its foundation. This course addresses frames of reference and theories that are typically used to guide pediatric occupational therapy practice. Several theories and examples are presented to illustrate how therapies are used and applied in practice. This entry-levcel course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Every Kids is Different: Considerations for OT Treatment

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: No two children and no two families are alike. This course describes factors that affect the daily routine of families. It explains Ecocultural theory, which provides a foundation for assessment and intervention by considering the context in which the child lives. This entry-level course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants. Course Outline

Cultural Competence in Pediatric Rehabilitation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 PDUs - Description: This course is about cultural differences in pediatrics, about learning rules for behavior and when those rules might vary. It helps the learner to become culturally competent, recognizing when differences are significant and about developing strategies to address those differences in culturally appropriate ways. entry-level/refresher course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists and assistants.

Laws, Policies, & Regulations in Pediatric OT

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 PDUs - Description: This entry-level/refresher course helps occupational therapists understand the laws, policies, and regulations that govern pratice in public schools, private practice, hospitals, and early intervention programs. Assessment and criteria for services as well as funding sources will also be discussed. Four vignette's for each setting will help each learner assimilate course content into a real-life setting.

The Pediatric Team: Working Together For Success w/Children

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 PDUs - Description: Teams are a core part of practice for occupational, physical, and speech therapists who work in pediatrics. At the very least, they comprise of the child, family, and the therapist(s), but may include many others. When professionals and families work together, they can better address the needs of the child and his or her family. This course focuses on answering three basic questions: 1. What is a team? 2. How do teams operate? 3. How can therapists collaborate effectively on pediatric teams to address the needs of a child and his or her family. This entry-level/refresher course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

The Pediatric Evaluation: A Guide for OTs

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course provides an overview of the pediatric occupational therapy assessment, measurement, and evaluation. It provides a list of commonly used assessments and defines both the top-down and bottom-up approach to evaluation. Lastly, it provides a guide to help therapists select tests, instruments, and scales.

Direct Intervention: What Should We Play Today?

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course illustrates how direct intervention addresses both underlying concerns and occupation-centered outcomes for children living with disabilities. Theories and frames of reference will be discussed as well as strategies to facilitate outcomes. This course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Setting Goals for Kids: A Family-Centered Approach

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 Contact Hours - Description: Setting goals and evaluating outcomes is essential to determine if the outcomes of intervention are relevant and meaningful to the lives of children and their families. This entry-level/refresher course focuses on the design process of setting goals from a family-centered perspecetive and evaluating outcomes. This course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists working in pediatrics.

Indirect Intervention: The OT Doesn't Do It All

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 Contact Hours - Description: Occupational therapist's time with their young clients is limited and so ongoing participation in developmentally beneficial activities requires that the adults who interact and work with these children use intervention strategies as well. Indirect intervention are strategies that are implemented by parents, teachers, and other adults in lieu of or in addition to the occupational therapy services provided directly to the child. This entry-level/refresher course provides an overview of indirect intervention and is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

OT Consultation: Sharing Your Expertise in Pediatrics

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course discusses the role of the occupational therapist as a consultant to parents and teachers and other adults who are involved with a child living with a disability or illness. It provides a guide for sharing your expertise to others and includes strategies to address difficulties in collaborative consultation. This course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Feeding & Eating Disorders: Considerations for Treatment

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course provides an overview of feeding and eating problems in pediatrics. Feeding and eating disorders, mechanics, context/environment, sensory and motor aspects, as well as evaluation and intervention strategies for occupational therapists will be discussed. Additional focus will address prenatal substance exposure, expected outcomes, and assessment and intervention recommendations. This course is appropriate for occupational therapist and assistants who work with children.

Introduction to Senaory Processing Disorders (SPD)

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course addresses sensory processing disorders (SPDs) in children and examines the foundations of sensory integration (SI) theory. This course is appropriate for occupational, physical, and speech therapists and assistants.

Neuromotor Disorders in Children: Therapeutic Intervention

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: This course reviews specific neuromotor conditions that affect a child's performance in daily activities. Cerebral palsy, spina bifida, muscular dystrophy and spinal muscular atrophy, and developmental coordination disorder (DCD) will be discussed. Additionally, occupational therapy intervention strategies will be discussed to help children participate at their highest functional level extent. This entry-level to intermediate course is appropriate for occupational therapists and assistants.

Autism Spectrum Disorders: Introduction to Treatment

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: The purpose of this entry-level course is to provide a broad overview of the range of issues commonly seen in children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs); highlight the impact of ASDs on children and their families, as well as the influence of environmental and personal factors on occupational performance; and describe selected occupational therapy interventions for children with ASDs. Two vignettes are used to assist readers’ understanding of the possible clinical presentations of children with ASDs.

Emotional & Behavioral Disorders: Overview for Peds OTs

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: Children experiencing, or at risk of mental illness can particularly benefit from occupational therapy to promote participation in everyday life, support the development of healthy family and peer relationships, and minimize emotional distress. This entry-level course provides occupational therapists and assistants a comprehensive overview of mental illness in children. Specific mental health disorders will be reviewed as well as its affect on the child's family. Lastly, specific occupational therapy interventions will be discussed, including prevention strategies to promote mental health.

Learning Disabilities: Occupational Therapy Assessment & Tx

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course is about children who look the same as other children but who have difficulty mastering school and home tasks and interacting with others due to learning dis- abilities or intellectual disabilities. Although the disabilities of children with visual or motor deficits are often immediately obvious, learning and intellectual disabilities may be hidden. You may not recognize that children have difficulty with learning until you have investigated how they learn and observed how their specific difficulties impact on everyday performance at home and at school. This course provides occupational therapists and assistants a closer look at learning disabilities and intellectual disabilities in children and provides intervention strategies for occupational therapists to maxmize their functional potential.

Treating Children with Visual and Auditory Impairments

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: Impairment of the vision and hearing senses in children can have a pervasive impact on a range of childhood occupations across all environmental contexts. This entry-level course for occupational therapists and assistants begins with a discussion of children with vision impairment and the functional implications of their vision loss on their everyday lives. It then moves onto a discussion of children with hearing impairment and the effects that hearing loss has on children as social beings. At the end, particular attention is paid to children with dual sensory impairment and the unique manifestations this condition can present. Each section briefly addresses strategies that occupational therapists can employ to enhance their in-tervention with children with sensory impairment.

Multitraumatic Injuries: From Emergency to Rehabilitation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational therapists and assistants explores three common traumatic injuries of children, specifically, burns, traumatic brain injuries (TBIs), and limb amputations. Except for congenital amputations, also known as limb deficiencies, these conditions have sudden onset and require emergency medical intervention and may be seen together as multitraumatic injuries. The impact of these conditions is life long, influencing engagement in occupations and participation. Understanding the presentation and course of these conditions allows for more informed and effective intervention. This course reviews each injury and provides intervention strategies for occupational therapists to improve functional outcomes in children living with multitraumatic injuries.

Ethics in Occupational Therapy Practice

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 Contact Hours - Description: Gabard and Martin (2003) maintain that: “Ethics is the heart of professionalism,” and is as important as technical skill in practice, since it allows"therapists to provide quality services for patients, work effectively with colleagues, and maintain the trust of the public.” This course discusses the complexity of making ethical decisions in the reality of the complicated, multi-faceted health-care environment today. It provides a primer of ethical theories, gives a formula for analyzing tough ethical dilemmas, and presents this against the background of the AOTA Code of Ethics.

Accomodating Sensory Changes of the Older Adult

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: The ability to function in the everyday environment is essential to older individuals. Maintaining independence and quality of life, however, may be compromised by sensory changes that individuals experience over their life span. Changes in vision, hearing, taste, smell, and touch may deprive older persons of necessary sensory cues to perceive the environment and may influence both their behavior and the behavior of others toward them. This entry-level/refresher course teaches physical and occupational therapists to recognize the relationship between sensory changes and environmental interaction, to recommend adaptations to accommodate those changes, and to teach intervention strategies that will promote continued independent living for older individuals and improve their overall quality of life.

Cognition & Depression in the Aging Adult

Online/Printable/Mailed - 8 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course will first review the characteristics, assessment, and therapeutic management of the older person with depression. The second half of the course discusses the normal cognitive changes of aging, cognitive impairment, dementia, assessment of dementia, and therapeutic management of older persons with dementia. Case studies for both depression and dementia are also included.

Evaluation of the Acute & Medically Complex Patient

Online/Printable/Mailed - 8 Contact Hours - Description: The purpose of this entry-level/refresher course is to summarize the knowledge and skills a physical and occupational therapist needs to complete a thorough assessment in order to provide proper care for the older adult patient in an acute care setting and/or acute phase of illness.

Motivation, Compliance, & Patient Ed in Geriatric Rehab

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level/refresher course first helps occupational and physical therapists understand patient motivation and compliance, reveals factors that may influence motivation, and provides effective strategies to motivate older adults to participate in functional activities and engage in healthy behaviors. The second part of this course addresses patient education and the therapist's role as an educator who is responsible in instructing the patient in new techniques and/or home programs. This course further provides case studies to illustrate concepts presented.

Older Adults and Their Families

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: Patient families are an important part of therapy. They provide support as caregivers and sometimes even impede patient progress. They have limits and their own needs and can influence patient health and function through a wide diversity of roles, expectations, and interactions. This course explores the dynamics of family and its influence on the therapeutic process and is appropriate for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech therapists. Added emphasis will be on the dilemma of determining whether the older adult should continue to drive or not.

Implications of an Aging Population for Rehabilitation

Online/Printable/Mailed - 2 Contact Hours - Description: The purpose of this course is to review the socio-demographic characteristics of older adults in American society and how these characteristics can assist physical therapists in anticipating some clinical presentations, placing an individual's progress in perspective, and even altering outcomes through preventative measures. This entry-level course is intended for physical therapists and assistants.

Introduction to Assistive Technology

Online/Printable/Mailed - 13 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologist provides an overview of assistive technology (AT) for those therapists who are responsible for recommending and implementing AT to meet the needs of people living with disabilities. Standards of practice and code ethics will be discussed and an assistive technology system will be defined to lay the groundwork for applying specific applications of assistivce technology in practice. Lastly, this course provides information to deliver AT services to the consumer, including: assessment principles, service delivery practices used to determine consumer's needs, measuring outcomes, and identifying and attaining funding for services and equipment.

Seating Systems to Promote Function, Tissue Int., & Comfort

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: A comfortable position that promotes function is a prerequisite for involvement in any activity. Seating devices assist users to function in activities across all performance areas (self-care, work or school, and play or leisure) in many different environments. This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants discusses the use and maintenance of seating devices and the proper positioning of clients to promote function. The first part describes the needs of individuals served by seating systems, the evaluation of individuals for seating, and biomechanical principles related to seating. The remainder the course provides in-depth information on each of the three categories of seating needs (seating for postural control, tissue integrity, and comfort), including related principles and the technologies used for intervention.

Assistive Technology: Choosing the Right User Interface

Online/Printable/Mailed - 10 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologists takes a comprehensive look at user input devices (ex. adpated keyboards, mouses, switches, joystick controls, etc.) to enable individuals living with a disability to interact their environment through cell phones, computers, and mobility devices. The first section discusses the possible movements that can be used to control an assistivce device or mainstream technology electronic device, and the most common ways of accomodating for lack of motor control. The second section looks at the characteristics that make control interfaces useful and provides options for control interfaces for both direct and indirect selection. The last section looks specifically at computer access and how one can be adapted to meet the needs of individuals living with a disability.

Intro to Sensory Aids for Persons w/Hearing Impairments

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 Contact Hours - Description: When an individual has a hearing impairment, access to information is restricted. Assistive technologies can provide assistance in the input of information via sensory systems. In this entry-level course for occupationa and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologists, we focus on assistive technologies designed to meet the needs of persons with auditory limitations. This includes sensory aids that are intended for general use as well as assistive technologies that are used specifically for providing auditory access to computers.

Assistive Technology To Aid Cognitive Function

Online/Printable/Mailed - 5 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologists focuses on assistive technologies used to aid or replace skills as a result of cognitive deficits that impede performance in functional activities. The expected skills and limitations presented in this course are general and every individual is unique. The case study “Intellectual Disability and the Tasks of Daily Living” illustrates how assistive technologies can be identified and applied to meet cognitive needs.

Intro to Sensory Aids for Persons with Visual Impairments

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologists discusses approaches that are used to aid or replace seeing to facilitate functional independence. These include sensory aids that are intended for general use as well as assistive technologies that are used specifically for providing visual access to computers.

Intro to Augmentative & Alternate Communication Strategies

Online/Printable/Mailed - 8 Contact Hours - Description: This entry-level course for occupational therapists, assistants, and speech pathologists provides a comprehensive overview of Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), including assessment, interventions and strategies that are important in enabling individuals with Complex Communication Needs (CCN) to communicate across the life span, while recognizing that each individual has unique needs, goals, preferences, skills, and abilities.

Intro to Wheeled Mobility Systems...

Online/Printable/Mailed - 6 Contact Hours - Description: Mobility is fundamental to each individual's quality of life and is necessary for functioning in each of the performance areas: self-care, work or school, and play or leisure. Limitations to functional mobility can be either augmented or replaced with assistive technologies such as a cane, walker, or a wheel mobility system. In addition to the functional gain of increased indepen- dence in mobility, other goals such as positive self-image, social interaction, and health maintenance are achieved. In this entry-level course we focus on manual and powered wheel-chair systems to enhance an individual's mobility. Our emphasis is on the total process of delivering these systems to those who need them, from initial need and goal setting, through assessment and recommendation, to implementation and training. This course is appropriate for occupational and physical therapist and assistants who assess and implement seating systems for children and adults.

Transporting Individuals W/Disabilities & Adaptive Driving

Online/Printable/Mailed - 3 Hours - Description: Occupational and Physical Therapists are often consulted to make recommendations regarding transportating individuals living with a disability and/or adapting vehicles to enable independent driving. This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants discusses technology that enables a person with a disability to ride safely in a vehicle (private or public) and/or operate a vehicle using assistive technology devices, including: original equipment manufacturer (OEM), infant/child restraint systems, or wheelchair occupant restraint systems. The course also describes devices that assist individuals to transfer into and out of the vehicle, including those devices that assist the caregiver.

Technologies That Aid Manipulation & Control of the Environm

Online/Printable/Mailed - 4 Hours - Description: Participation in daily activities requires the ability to manipulate one's environment. Individuals living with disabilities may need assistance to perform these tasks independently. The growing availability and use of technology enables these individuals to perform tasks. This entry-level course for occupational and physical therapists and assistants as well as speech pathologist provides an overview of low and high tech aids that enable functional independence in children and adults living with disabilities.