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RESOURCES & DISCIPLINES Bring This Course to You!
Expand Your Expertise in Vision Rehabilitation with Leading Experts
Dive into a weekend of cutting-edge insights and hands-on activities at our upcoming livestream conference, designed for therapists who are ready to elevate their skills in visual rehabilitation. Whether you’re focused on enhancing visual efficiency, mastering spatial awareness, or integrating complex visual processing techniques, this conference offers a unique opportunity to learn from top experts in the field. Engage in dynamic sessions, participate in real-world case studies, and join a vibrant community discussion—all aimed at equipping you with practical tools to transform your therapeutic outcomes. Don’t miss your chance to expand your expertise and make a lasting impact on your clients' lives!
Friday Night:
This conference attracts therapists from throughout the world with a variety of experiences. This intermediate level course reviews vision concepts and common vision vocabulary to ensure all attendees have a basic understanding of these terms to be built upon in the upcoming sessions. There will also be a discussion on recognizing dyslexia.
Saturday Session 1- Eye-catching Activities for the Remediation of Visual Efficiency Skills
Did you know that more than 50% of the brain is devoted to vision? In fact, every part of the brain has a role in the functioning of our visual system making it an essential performance factor to address in the care of clients of all ages with neurological injury or learning-related vision disorders. In this 4-hour course, participants will learn the fundamental principles used to remediate visual efficiency skills. Through instruction, activity analysis, and video examples, learners will discover how to perform, adapt, grade, and sequence activities designed to improve saccade, pursuit, vergence, and accommodation skills, within the scope of practice of occupational therapy. Additionally, through online and in-person engagement, participants will have an opportunity to practice creating a treatment plan, modify a game or activity within each skill area, and discuss how to downgrade or upgrade the task to support their clientele best. The information gained in this course will arm learners with tools and strategies that can be implemented immediately for improved therapeutic outcomes for clients experiencing vision deficits regardless of age.
This is an intermediate to advanced level course with a target audience of occupational therapists, optometrists/vision therapists, and physical therapists. Before attending this activities-based conference, participants should have a foundational understanding of eye movements, vergence, and accommodation.
Saturday Session 2 - Eye-catching Activities for spatial awareness, reflex integration and visual information processing
Ever wonder how one’s spatial awareness, primitive reflexes and visual information processing are all related when it comes to the client factor of vision?
This second half of day 2, an Intermediate level course, expands your knowledge on “seeing” the connection between the brain, distortions of vision, movement and central and peripheral visual integration. Participants will learn various treatments to address field cuts, inattention, neglect and compressed visual fields. Participants will then explore how non-integrated reflexes, whether developmental or acquired, can impact overall function. Lastly, we connect the dots and establish the relationship between visual information processing and movement and show how to treat the client as a whole, integrating visual fields, reflexes and VIP into 1 complete session.
With occupational therapy and optometry working together, compensatory and remedial approaches can improve your client’s overall outcomes.
Physical, Occupational and Speech therapists, in addition to optometrists, pediatricians and any concussion providers, will all benefit from a deeper understanding of how vision presents itself in tricky ways, impacting reflexes and affecting balance and posture, regardless of your client's age or diagnosis.
Sunday - Case Studies
This three hour session gives attendees an opportunity to interact with instructors as they present case studies from their practices. This session will explore clinical reasoning, goal development and interventions of specific pediatric and neurological cases with ample time for discussion.Sunday - Roundtable Discussion
The instructors, hosts and attendees will discuss the successes of the conference and identify future educational needs
TWO WAYS TO ATTEND:
NOTE:
MICHELLE MIODUSZEWSKI, MS, OTR/L, has been professionally presenting since 2005 for healthcare organizations, continuing education contracts, and other venues. She also consults for legal, education, and professional situations. Currently, Ms. Mioduszewski owns and operates Niagara Therapy, LLC, a team-oriented practice based in Erie, PA that offers OT, PT, and SLP to adults and children with neurological concerns. She has been the AOTA Administration and Management Chairperson for the Rehabilitation and Disability Special Interest Section, National MS Society Board of Trustees, and is a National. MS Society Partner in Care Designation. She was the youngest person to receive the Delta Sigma Award from the Marguerite D’Youville College Honor Society and was named 40 under 40 by the Erie Reader. A published writer by AOTA Press, she also teaches on topics such as leadership, stress management, IASTM, Neuro-Rehab/Neuro-Handling, vision rehabilitation, cognition, spasticity, ergonomics and complex wheelchair evaluations. Some attendees have said, “Your dynamic personality kept me engaged...She was very approachable, professional, and made the lecture feel at ease… Knowledgeable, energetic, and interactive…”
Robert Constantine, OTR\L is a 1997 graduate of University of Alabama at Birmingham Occupational Therapy program where he was awarded the Charles Brooks Award for Creativity. He has practiced in home health, and skilled nursing contexts and spent 9 years as the clinical specialist in brain injury at the West Florida Rehabilitation Institute where he developed a passion for evidenced-based treatment, sharing information and the functional effects of the visual system. Beginning in 2013, he enjoyed a 3 year tenure at an optometry practice where he learned techniques working closely with low vision, pediatric and adult optometrists. He has received Clinical Level 1 and 2 training offered by the Neuro-Optometric Rehab Association. He was also instructed in sports vision training working with the High Performance Vision Associates, a national group of optometrists that offer sports vision screenings to elite athletes. He developed specialized Drag Racing Glasses and has worked with NHRA Sportsman and Professional Drag Racers. He continues to provide vision rehabilitation services to pediatric and adult patients at the Pearl Nelson Center and Kindred at Home in Pensacola, Florida. Robert has been a national and international presenter for since 2016. His courses are engaging and full of personal experience and the latest evidence-based research.
Financial Disclosure: Rob receives honoraria from CIAO Seminars for the presentation of this course. Non-Financial Disclosure: None
Suzanne Briggs, OTD, OTR/L, has been practicing occupational therapy in acute, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient throughout her 20-year career. Her area of focus is rehabilitation after neurological events, including vision rehabilitation. She currently works at Centura Hospital Outpatient Rehabilitation Clinic in Colorado Springs, CO. She provides services to children and adults who have experienced acquired brain injuries or other physical/neurological concerns.
Suzanne received her Doctor of Occupational Therapy degree from Salus University in 2023 with a certification in remedial vision rehabilitation. Suzanne graduated Summa Cum Laude and received the Alumni Association Award for Top Graduate. She is a member of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and is interested in research involving remedial vision and acquired brain injury. She is also a member of the Neuro-Optometric Rehabilitation Association (NORA), which facilitates the collaboration of multiple disciplines for successful outcomes for patients with neurological diagnoses. Suzanne was trained in NDT and is SAEBO certified.
Suzanne developed a passion for remedial vision rehabilitation when working with acquired brain injury patients who had vision limitations. This passion led her to further her education in remedial vision. Suzanne has developed the remedial vision program at her clinic and provides treatment in collaboration with neuro-optometrists. Her patients also benefit from her extensive mCIT, stroke recovery, and concussion knowledge. Suzanne has presented as a guest lecturer at local brain injury support groups, universities, and hospital professionals.
Suzanne provides her patients with evidence-based treatments to improve vision limitations and improve vision-related function. She plans to use her degree to advance the support of occupational therapy’s role in remedial vision rehabilitation through research, education, and successful patient care.
Amber Fessler, OTD, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist of eighteen years residing in Rapid City, SD. She
graduated from the University of Mary with a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy in 2004 and completed her
Doctorate of Occupational Therapy with a specialty certification in Remedial Vision Rehabilitation from Salus University in
2020. Amber has a diverse clinical background in pediatrics having worked in early intervention, public school, outpatient,
and vision therapy clinic settings. Currently, she is the owner and occupational therapy practitioner of a private practice
focusing on pediatrics with learning-related vision deficits in close collaboration with optometry doctors. She is a
contributing author for book chapters in the upcoming 4th Edition of Understanding and Managing Vision Deficits: A Guide
for Occupational Therapists and published research on occupational therapy and optometry collaboration in the care of
pediatric patients in the Vision Development and Rehabilitation journal.
Alicia Reiser, PPOTD, MS OTR/L, CBIS, ADHD-CRP graduated from Misericordia University in 2001 with her Master’s degree and found her passion shortly thereafter within the neurological population. After several years in inpatient rehab centers, she transitioned settings to outpatient where she established her love for vision and wanted to learn more. She obtained her clinical doctorate in vision remediation from Salus University (Philadelphia College of Optometry) in 2018 and grew her private practice to treat those with concussion and other brain-based diagnoses. She works closely with optometry and uses a collaborative approach when treating visual inefficiencies, using an integrative model to improve her patient’s brain, body, function and life. Locally, she is on the Cedar Crest College Occupational Therapy Doctorate Program Advisory Board. Her published research includes Concussion-Related Vision Disorder Practice Patterns in Occupational Therapy and Occupational Therapy Curricula Patterns for Acquired Brain Injury-Related Vision Disorders for Entry-Level Programs. Most recently, she has co-authored 2 chapters in Dr. Mitchell Scheiman’s Understanding and Managing Visual Deficits: A Guide for Occupational Therapists. Alicia is a certified brain injury specialist, ADHD certified rehab provider and has a special interest in those with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
CIAO Automatically reports to CE Broker for Florida Occupational and Physical Therapists and Assistants. Florida SLPs can either use the ASHA CE Participant Form (Bubble Sheet) or self-submit through CE Broker.
CIAO is recognized on the NBCOT Provider Registry (meets PDU requirements for NBCOT)
This is a new course, there are currently no reviews. Please check back. Thank you and have a great day, CIAO!
