Sensory Integration Education

Overview

Sought after occupational therapist, Dr. Varleisha Gibbs PhD, OTR/L guides you on a journey.

Dr. Gibbs walks you through the foundations for selecting appropriate interventions for children displaying challenging behaviors such as hyperactivity, aggressiveness, self-stimulatory, and inattentiveness amongst other concerns. You will leave ignited by revelations exposed in Dr. Gibbs’ presentation. While the content is evidence-based, the workshop provides a simplistic connection of research-based and clinically proven neurological approaches to addressing self-regulation. We will navigate the connections between neurobiology and the various sensory strategies, techniques, and equipment to use when working with children with challenges with self-regulation. This content provides approaches related to diagnoses such sensory processing disorder, Trauma, Autism, and ADHD diagnoses.

Treatment techniques to be analyzed include mindfulness, social skill programs, music and movement, and respiratory-based techniques.

To start, we will review the underlying neurological components to connect neuroanatomy to practice through:

• Virtual brain dissection with video wet labs, Basic neuroanatomy, pathways, and function are explored
• Reviewing the Autonomic Nervous System and its connection to stress, fear, and primitive reflexes
• Video examples of children in a sensory clinic will be used to demonstrate what happens when interventions are used appropriately.

Next, we devote analysis of specific treatment techniques:

• Activating the Vagus nerve and the system for regulation
• Addressing primitive reflexes
• The Self-Regulation and Mindfulness Program developed by Dr. Gibbs
• The ACTION from Trauma Approach developed by Dr. Gibbs and Co-Author Nikki Harley
• Applying your knowledge with intervention planning and goal writing for case examples of children displaying challenging social, eating, and sleeping behaviors

Learning Objectives

1) Gain knowledge relating to the neuroscience behind self-regulation and sensory processing

2) Summarize characteristics of sensory processing disorder, ADHD and autism and how the neurological overlap.

3) Understanding the neurological components related to diagnosis and treatment.

4) Review primitive reflexes and the connection to function

5) Understand the cause and effect of intervention techniques as they relate to neurological components

6) Describe the evidence behind current intervention techniques

7) Identify appropriate strategies that work for treating children with ASD, SPD and ADHD

8) Introduce the Self-Regulation and Mindfulness program

9) Explore the implementation of the ACTION from Trauma program