Mealtime Success for Kids on the Spectrum: Integrative Nutrition for Picky Eaters Presented by Cross Country Education & Susan L. Roberts, MDiv, OTR/L
About Cross Country Education:
Cross Country Education is a national leader in high-quality educational products and services for the entire health care industry. Our seminars and training programs are designed to help health care providers achieve improved performance and results in all areas of clinical, financial and operational management. Our faculty of more than 150 instructors are the “best of the best” in their field of expertise and know how to provide programs that really make a difference to participants.
Since 1995, we have trained over 1,000,000 providers, managers, nurses, behavioral health professionals and other key personnel throughout the entire healthcare industry. We produce over 5,000 seminars and conferences annually for the health care industry. Plus, we coordinate in-house training for health care facilities. Let us provide your training and professional education needs!
About Susan L. Roberts, MDiv, OTR/L:
She is a licensed Occupational Therapist and Certified Health Counselor with more than 20 years of experience in school-based pediatrics, as well as home health care, rehabilitation, ergonomics, long-term care, adaptive driving, and psychiatry. She received her Bachelor of Science in Occupational Therapy from Boston University. Research interests in the sensory aspects of healing rituals led her to a Master of Divinity from Harvard University. Ms. Roberts taught kinesiology and pediatrics in the Occupational Therapy Department of Eastern Kentucky University in 1986 and 1987 and adult physical dysfunction, pediatrics, and administration at the Occupational Therapy Department of New York Institute of Technology in 2006 and 2007. Named Arizona Occupational Therapy Association’s Occupational Therapist of the Year in 1993, Susan recently completed the Professional Training Program at the Institute of Integrative Nutrition in New York City.
Ms. Roberts opened and operated a play-based pediatric clinic in Tucson, Arizona, prior to taking a teaching position in New York. Her primary clinical and research interests lie in the primary occupation of childhood, play, as well as the use of mind/body approaches to achieving optimal health and wellness. She currently coaches parents and therapists who want to “raise happy kids for a peaceful world.”
Susan Roberts co-authored Biomechanics: Problem Solving for Functional Activity, and Kinesiology: Movement in the Context of Activity.
Course Description:
Integrating a Mind-Body Approach with More Traditional Treatments
Children with Autism Spectrum Disorders have difficulties during mealtimes for a variety of reasons. Poor muscle control affects lips, tongue, jaw, facial muscles, hands and core body movements—all of which impact our ability to move food into the digestive system. Sensory processing problems produce aversions or obsessions with specific smells, textures and tastes that compromise good nutrition—which in turn increases hunger and food cravings. Mealtimes nourish our souls as much as our bodies, through the sharing of conversation and social relationships. Instead of a time for enjoyment, mealtimes often become battlegrounds—nourishing no one.
This course will outline typical development of eating skills, medically recognized nutritional needs of the growing child, and sensory-based approaches to mealtime behavioral issues—within the context of an integrative nutrition framework that focuses on primary as well as secondary sources of nourishment. We will explore a variety of techniques that encourage children to participate happily in their family or school mealtimes. Integrative nutrition synthesizes our needs for primary sources of nourishment—loving relationships, enjoyable physical activity, meaningful work and spiritual connectedness—with our physiologic needs to eat a healthy diet. Successful mealtime programs must address a child’s need for compassionate caregivers, active play, self-care and the use of their imagination. This course gives therapists the basic tools to create such a program.
You Will Learn…
- Recognize common behaviors associated with sensory aversions and cravings that can affect mealtimes
- Identify possible food reactions, allergies and digestion issues that may affect mealtime success
- Summarize typical development of oral-motor and hand to mouth skills related to good nutrition
- Recall typical developmental milestones of growth associated with mealtimes
- Integrate social and emotional needs with nutritional needs for mealtimes to promote healthy development
- Identify sensory modalities that encourage children to explore and appreciate new foods
- Design interventions that incorporate children’s primary needs for play and wholesome foods as important aspects of healthy development
- Generate strategies (including shopping and cooking) that make it possible for families to regain mealtimes as a source for pleasure and nutrition
Professionals Who Should Attend:
Occupational Therapists
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Physical Therapists
Physical Therapist Assistants
Speech-Language Pathologists
Counselors
Psychologists
Case Managers
Educators
Social Workers
Nurses
Physicians
Dietitians
Date & Time:
Wednesday, November 2, 2011 at 8:00 am – 3:30 pm
Location:
Sheraton Tampa Riverwalk Hotel
200 North Ashley Drive
Tampa, FL (U.S.) – 33602
Phone: 813-223-2222
Registration:
Tickets: Single = $189, 2 to 4 = $179, 5 or More = $159.
Register online at www.CrossCountryEducation.com.
**Prices reflect the early (10+ days) registration discount for each live seminar. Don’t miss out on these special offers!