Date and Time: Friday, April 5, 2024, 9.00am to 4.30pm US ET

Description: Dr. Teresa May-Benson will be back with us to further our practical knowledge on this important aspect of praxis. This one-day online course will provide participants with advanced intervention strategies to address ideational problems in children with praxis deficits.  Difficulties generating ideas and plans for action are common problems in children with sensory integration and praxis deficits, including those with autism spectrum disorder.  Intervention can be particularly difficult considering these ideational problems. This course will provide a novel intervention approach which will address the difficulties in recognizing and acting on action and object affordances and problems in representational thought which underlie ideational praxis difficulties.  In addition, this course will address the relationship of ideation in praxis with executive function skills.  Videotape examples and case study presentations will be used to illustrate intervention techniques.  The course format includes a combination of lecture, video, and opportunities to address participant’s’ questions and concerns.

Outline / Agenda:

9:00 – 10:30 am          Introduction to Praxis, Ideation, and Executive Functions

10:30 – 10:45am         Short Break

10:45 – 12:00 pm        Intervention Strategies for Promoting Development of Affordances and Representational Thought

12:00 - 1:00pm            Lunch

1:00 – 2:30pm            A Program for Development of Ideational Praxis Skills

2:30 – 2:45pm            Short Break

2:45 – 4:30pm            Intervention Strategies for Combining, Constructing, and Beyond

Learning Objectives:

The participant will be able to:

• Identify behaviors indicative of ideational problems.
• Identify several bottom-up intervention strategies for promoting development of object and action affordances.
• Utilize a top-down intervention approach for promoting representational thought needed for ideational praxis.
• Describe how ideational problems and their intervention relate to other cognitive difficulties including executive function skills.
• Develop a treatment plan for addressing ideational praxis difficulties.

Presenter:  Teresa A. May-Benson, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Bio: Teresa A. May-Benson, Sc.D., OTR/L, FAOTA, Executive Director of the Spiral Foundation, is a well-known lecturer and researcher on sensory integration.  She has authored numerous book chapters and on praxis, ideation, and sensory integration.  She has extensive experience with children and adults with autism and a diverse clinical background having worked in private and public-school settings as well as private practice.  She is past Chairperson of the Sensory Integration Special Interest Section of the American Occupational Therapy Association.  She is the recipient of the Virginia Scardinia Award of Excellence from AOTF, The Alice S. Bachman Award from Pediatric Therapy Network, and the Catherine Trombly Award from the Massachusetts Association of Occupational Therapy.

Target Audience: This course will be applicable to occupational and physical therapists, and OT and PT assistants.  Speech and language therapists with a background in sensory integration may wish to attend.  Previous attendance at the speakers Clinical Assessment and Practical Interventions for Praxis- From Ideation to Execution course is recommended but not required.

Educational Level: Advanced

Pre-Requisites: None needed but recommend familiarity with sensory integration assessment and intervention

Instructional Methods: PowerPoint, Group Discussion, Video

Contact Hours: 6

Fee: $195