Make Your Own Magnificent Maze

Do you want to make a Magnificent Maze?  This is a great activity for bilateral coordination, visual motor skills!

Draw the outline of a maze on a firm piece of foam board or cardboard. Make it simple or more difficult, based on what you feel will be a "just right challenge" for the child.  Leave enough space in the pathways for the ball to travel through.  Lay the straws out on top of the maze lines and cut them to the appropriate length (see photo above).  Use colorful duct tape to hold the straws in place.  Now instruct the child to navigate the ball through the maze.  Have fun!

The project above was completed by one of our Master's of Occupational Therapy students at 

The University of Tennessee Health Science Center and posted with permission.

Delivery of the Wilbarger Protocol: A Survey of Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Our recently published article!

Delivery of the Wilbarger Protocol: A Survey of Pediatric Occupational Therapy Practitioners

ABSTRACT

The Wilbarger Therapressure Program is a commonly used treatment approach utilized by occupational therapy professionals for the treatment of sensory defensiveness. The purpose of the current study was to investigate occupational therapy practitioners’ sources of training in the administration of Wilbarger Therapressure Program, the uniformity of administration in practice, and the diagnoses for which therapists recommend this treatment approach. Occupational therapists from across the United States participated in an online survey investigating specifics related to training and implementation of the brushing protocol. A total of 153 respondents reported using the Wilbarger Therapressure Program in practice. Almost half of the respondents received their education on the Therapressure program by attending the workshop offered by the Wilbargers. Forty eight percent of survey participants reported learning how to administer the Therapressure program by participating in hands-on training provided by another occupational therapy practitioner, 39% by attending the course taught by the Wilbargers, 7% by information obtained through word of mouth from another occupational therapy practitioner, 3% by information obtained through online research, and 3% by other means. The results of this study reveal that a variety of approaches exist related to the training and implementation of the protocol. It is the responsibility of all occupational therapy practitioners to obtain the proper training prior to recommending and implementing the Therapressure program. Because a standardized protocol for implementation of the protocol has not been published, the optimal means of training is for practitioners to attend the Wilbarger workshop.

KEYWORDS: Assistive technology, special education, sensory processing, occupational therapy, paediatrics,

TEDx Memphis Event Coming Soon!

I am so excited to have this amazing opportunity to speak at the TEDx Memphis event on August 27th, 2016.  Check out the Facebook Page @ https://www.facebook.com/MemphisTEDx/?fref=ts