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
Please register online at www.maot.org
Conference Objectives:
Confirmation & Cancellation:
This half-day symposium is designed to
provide an opportunity to explore specific
dimensions of occupational therapy practice
and professional development. Educational
sessions will focus on client/family-centered
occupation-based practice, evidence-based
practice, and contemporary knowledge and
skills for OT intervention in the areas of
disaster preparedness, community practice,
pediatrics, rehabilitation, health promotion,
and advocacy.
Learning Objectives:
Through participation in this conference
participants will be able to:
 Acknowledge and identify innovative
practice techniques and research
findings pertinent to specific
practice areas.
 Describe current approaches to
promoting health and wellness
within OT practice.
 Network with colleagues.
Registrants are welcome to confirm their
registration or obtain additional information
by contacting MAOT at (781) 647-5556,
[email protected] 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.
Acknowledgments
Conference Chairs:
Elizabeth Stevens-Nafai, MS, OTR, CLT
Karen Hefler, BS, OTR
Contact Hours
Conference attendees/learners will be
eligible for a total of 4 contact hours 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
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
record of contact hours 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.
SAVE THE DATE
MAOT Annual
2017 Conference
November 10, 2017
Four Points by
Sheraton Norwood
For additional
information
www.maot.org
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:
1. List at least one tool to support each
area of the eleven executive
functioning skill categories as
outlined by Dawson & Guare (2009).
2. Differentiate between assistive
technology tools for cognitive and
behavior support.
3. Identify tools for helping to assess a
student’s executive functioning
skills.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
“Like us on Facebook at
Massachusetts
Association for
Occupational Therapy
(MAOT)”
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:
1. Identify how engaging patients in
Liberal Arts-based activities can
benefit the patient-therapist
relationship.
2. Describe how Liberal Arts-based
groups can be integrated into
multiple mental health settings.
3. Identify and describe how evidencebased literature and OT frames of
reference can be used to create
similar groups in the future.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
Session IC:
Session ID:
Use of the Functional Standardized
Touchscreen Assessment of
Cognition (FSTAC)
Leadership as an OTA: How to Get
Started
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 realworld 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:
1. Articulate the value of standardized
occupation-based assessments in
cognitive rehabilitation.
2. Describe the validation process of a
new assessment.
3. Describe the types of clients and
settings in which the FSTAC would
be useful.
4. Describe how the FSTAC is
administered.
Educational Level of Presentation:
Introductory
9:45 a.m. – 10:15 a.m.
Break & Exhibits
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:
1. Define leadership.
2. Identify both formal and
informational roles for OTAs.
3. 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:
1. Describe the influence of
developmental trauma on sensory
system functions and occupational
participation among children.
2. Analyze the methodology used in
the study to identify differences in
patterns of sensory processing,
cognitive, and occupational
participation in children with trauma
histories.
3. 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
Remember to turn in your
Contact Hour Sheet after the
Keynote Presentation with the
appropriate stamps and
information. Contact Hour
Certificates will be emailed out
in approximately 30 days
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:
1. Identify a minimum of three reasons
why healthy eating and meal
planning interventions are critical for
clients with SMI.
2. Describe an evidence-based model
for group intervention on this topic.
3. 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:
1. Describe the manifestations of five
(5) eye conditions/diseases.
2. Cite three (3) adaptive techniques a
client with a visual impairment
might use, and how to teach it to
them.
3. 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
Thank you to our Vendors
Bay Path University
Home Modification Loan
Company
Massachusetts Rehabilitation
Commission
WellMed Solutions, LLC
Perkins Library
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:
1. 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
2. Define and identify the
neurophysiology of empathy,
compassion and gratitude and its
application to clinical practice.
3. 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
MAOT member: $55.00
Student nonmember: $70.00
Register at www.maot.org or
call 781-647-5556