Children with special needs often require the services of occupational therapists and speech therapists. Some years ago Patti Oetter and SLP colleagues in Albuquerque New Mexico decided to learn from each other by treating together. Although this resulted in improving each other's professional skills, the real surprise was how much greater the improvement for their clients. When they replicated the experiment of treating one child together they saw over and over again that the results were greater than the sum of the parts. In other words, the children progressed faster than when they had separate sessions of OT and speech.
In an article in the Sensory Integration SIS Newsletter back in 1989 Susan Windeck and Marcy Laurel wrote:
"Our clinical experience has shown that not only does a child's improvement in sensory integrative functions improve the course of his or her speech language acquisition, but the child's ability to respond adaptively in the areas of speech and language also positively affects his or her sensory integrative processes. Based on this finding, most of the children at Albuquerque Therapy Services now receive speech-language therapy in combination with occupational therapy, and those who do make greater and faster gains than those who receive the services separately."
Scott Fox, a speech therapist and his wife Lisa, an occupational therapist were intrigued with the idea. After receiving some mentoring and implementing the approach in their clinic, they were sold on the benefits of combined therapy. Patti, Scott and Lisa have worked together for many years and Scott is particularly committed to sharing his experience with speech therapists who don't have much access to information regarding sensory integration treatment with OTs. Patti and Scott have designed their workshop to address the many questions that clinicians may have regarding combined treatment: How does it work? Why does it work? What do OTs need to know to work with SLPs and what do SLPs need to know to work with OTs in this manner?
This workshop provides fundamental information essential to understanding why and how combined treatment works. Then it offers clinicians important principles and strategies for implementing combined therapy. It is recommended that OT and SLP teams attend together.
Reference: Windeck, S.L. & Laurel, M., 1989. A theoretical framework combining speech-language therapy with sensory integration treatment. Sensory Integration Special Interest Section Newsletter. AOTA, Bethesda, MD.
In an article in the Sensory Integration SIS Newsletter back in 1989 Susan Windeck and Marcy Laurel wrote:
"Our clinical experience has shown that not only does a child's improvement in sensory integrative functions improve the course of his or her speech language acquisition, but the child's ability to respond adaptively in the areas of speech and language also positively affects his or her sensory integrative processes. Based on this finding, most of the children at Albuquerque Therapy Services now receive speech-language therapy in combination with occupational therapy, and those who do make greater and faster gains than those who receive the services separately."
Scott Fox, a speech therapist and his wife Lisa, an occupational therapist were intrigued with the idea. After receiving some mentoring and implementing the approach in their clinic, they were sold on the benefits of combined therapy. Patti, Scott and Lisa have worked together for many years and Scott is particularly committed to sharing his experience with speech therapists who don't have much access to information regarding sensory integration treatment with OTs. Patti and Scott have designed their workshop to address the many questions that clinicians may have regarding combined treatment: How does it work? Why does it work? What do OTs need to know to work with SLPs and what do SLPs need to know to work with OTs in this manner?
This workshop provides fundamental information essential to understanding why and how combined treatment works. Then it offers clinicians important principles and strategies for implementing combined therapy. It is recommended that OT and SLP teams attend together.
Reference: Windeck, S.L. & Laurel, M., 1989. A theoretical framework combining speech-language therapy with sensory integration treatment. Sensory Integration Special Interest Section Newsletter. AOTA, Bethesda, MD.
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