Nature as a Therapeutic Tool for Social, Sensory, and Motor Development

Course overview

According to the APA, CDC, and WHO, record numbers of children today are being diagnosed with ADHD, ASD, anxiety, depression, and sensory and motor processing challenges. Multiple contributing factors leave therapists, teachers, and intervention specialists grasping for new ways to treat increasingly growing needs. One overlooked intervention tool is incorporating nature as a source of inspiration! This exciting 3-hour, view-on-demand, recorded webinar course provides therapists with research on the benefits of using natural, outdoor environments as both a tool and an alternate therapeutic location. Tips for incorporating natural settings into sensory, motor, and social-learning objectives and over 100 resources and activity ideas are presented. Join us for a unique exploration of the joys and benefits of directive and free movement in natural landscapes, finding relaxation and self-regulation in the woods, using children's curiosity and love of critters, and rejuvenating your love for all things wild! At the end of this course, you will be able to (1) identify research-based benefits of time in nature; (2) state challenges in development brought on by current lifestyle choices; (3) identify one strategy to increase natural elements within indoor environments; (4) list three ways to utilize outdoor settings to promote sensory and motor development; (5) identify three individual and three group-based nature activities to address common deficits in social-emotional, sensory, or motor development; and (6) state the benefits of free movement in natural landscapes. This distance-learning, independent format is offered at 0.3 CEUs, Intermediate Level, OT Service Delivery and targeted to introductory- to intermediate-level occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, SLPs PTs, PTAs, parents and other pediatric professionals. The course instructor, Lori Benson Adams, MEd, is an educational intervention specialist and owner of Breakthrough Learning Solutions in Atlanta, Georgia. She has over 35 years of experience with students who experience sensory, learning, behavioral, and executive function challenges. Lori presents nationally to audiences of parents, therapists, and educators. She is known for her immediately practical information and wealth of knowledge and resources. For more information on our recorded courses, visit our website: https://www.sensationalbrain.com/product-category/ceu/on-demand-webinars. To stay abreast of our latest live and view-on-demand course offerings, sales, and FREEBIES, consider subscribing to our newsletter by scrolling to the bottom of our home page. Send questions to celeste@sensationalbrain.com.