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Click here to register for this webinar What: Join Occupational Therapist and Inclusion Advocate Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/L for this enlightening webinar. Participants will learn about the seven senses as well as how the brain integrates and uses this sensory information in everyday activities. The webinar will provide participants with activities in each sensory area that can be used to help children explore and integrate sensory information in their daily lives. When: June 1, 2011 2:00 p.m. - 3:00 p.m. Mountain Cost: $30 per person (free for Lekotek affiliates) Special-FREE for all caregivers of children with disabilities (just email domahen@lekotek.org to resgister) Presenter Bio: Ingrid M. Kanics, OTR/L is an Occupational Therapist who has worked for 10 years helping communities create and run amazing places where all children can play together. She was senior consultant on the national advisory team for the Center for Creative Play, Pittsburgh, PA. During that time she worked with numerous communities and children's museums helping them expand their understanding of Universal Design and the importance of Sensory Play in every childs' development. She continued this work as Therapy Director at Hattie Larlham, Mantua, OH, where she oversaw therapy and recreation programs for children of varying abilities. She now owns her own consulting business focusing on great play spaces in communities. She has presented at local, state, and national conferences on the topics play, sensory integration and Universal Design. Conferences include the Association of Children's Museums, American Occupational Therapy Association, Parents As Teachers, and National Association of the Education of the Young Child (NAEYC).

One of the most popular intervention therapies for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASD) lacks scientific support according to a literature review published by University of Texas at Austin professor Mark O’Reilly and an international team of scientists.

For more details, a complete list of camp offerings and registration information, contact Angela Boos at Easter Seals-Goodwill at 406-657-9721 or via email at angelab@esgw.org. Space is limited in some of the camps. Scholarships are available.

It is just one of a half-dozen summer camps that Easter Seals-Goodwill is offering in Billings that caters to children with special needs. The summer roster, which runs from June through August, also includes:

A weeklong handwriting camp for preschoolers with fine-motor challenges.

Have you ever thought about bringing part of the therapy clinic to your living room?  Or have you wondered about making small changes to your home to make it more livable?  What about sensory integration?  Where would you start? A living room or family room is often where we spend the largest waking part of our day.  And the first step in planning a therapeutic living room is to decide if the environment should be calming or stimulating.  Then consider the type of activities for which your family typically uses the room and the space needed for specialized equipment or accessibility. Here I’ve collected 20 ideas for two types of therapeutic living rooms: a calming room and a stimulating room.  Most of these ideas come from my own home, and some are on my wish list.