About the Alert Program®...."If your body is like a car engine, sometimes it runs on high, sometimes it runs on low, and sometimes it runs just right." When teachers, therapists, or parents use these simple words to begin the Alert Program®, they enter an exciting adventure with children. The journey unfolds easily with the program's clearly defined steps for teaching self-regulation awareness. The book, How Does Your Engine Run?® A Leader's Guide to the Alert Program® for Self-Regulation (Williams & Shellenberger, 1996), describes an innovative program that supports children, teachers, parents, and therapists to choose appropriate strategies to change or maintain states of alertness. Students learn what they can do before a spelling test or homework time to attain an optimal state of alertness for their tasks. Teachers learn what they can do after lunch, when their adult nervous systems are in a low alert state and their students are in a high alert state. Parents learn what they can do to help their toddler's nervous system change from a high alert state to a more appropriate low state at bedtime. Leaders of the program not only learn what they can do to support self-regulation, but how to share the underlying theory so all can understand the basics of sensory integration. By reading the book or attending a conference, adults increase awareness of their own self-regulation thereby improving their ability to facilitate students' optimal functioning. The Sensory-Motor Preference Checklist (for Adults) is a tool used to support this learning process. For example by filling out the checklist, adults may discover that before work, they may drink coffee, take a brisk walk, or listen to jazzy music to get their engine up and going for the day. Or others may find that they drink hot chocolate, rock in a rocking chair, or watch the glow of a fireplace to get their engine slowed down after a busy day. Bringing to awareness what most people do automatically in their daily routines, fosters the understanding of how important self-regulation is for students' functioning. Although the Alert Program® initially was intended for children with attention and learning difficulties, ages 8-12, it has been adapted for preschool through adult and for a variety of disabilities. If children are intellectually challenged or developmentally younger than the age of eight, the program's concepts can be utilized by staff to develop sensory diets (Wilbarger & Wilbarger, 1991) to enhance learning. Join the group of teachers, occupational therapists, speech-language pathologists, physical therapists, adapted physical educators, educational assistants, counselors, social workers, and parents who are enhancing children's lives using the Alert Program®.

Alert Program®

Therapy Works Children's Program: How Does Your Engine Run?®

Conferences

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Come to one of our conferences and find out why thousands have reported that this is the best workshop they have ever attended!

Our two-day Alert Program® Conferences emphasize practical ways for teachers, parents, and therapists to implement the program in school, home, and clinic settings. Participants learn novel methods to share the basic theory of the Alert Program® (and sensory processing theory) with other team members, so all can support students in developing self-regulation awareness. Through the speakers' unique teaching style, participants are supported to be alert and attentive throughout the two days, consequently, learning is fun and engines are energized. After the conference, participants return to their work settings with their own plan of how to adapt the Alert Program® for their students. Join us to hear how the speakers have met the challenges you face daily and be empowered to continue to make a difference in children's lives.

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Objectives

Participants will:
  • Implement the Alert Program®  in clinic, school, or home settings with an individual client or with groups of clients.
  • Interpret their own sensorimotor preferences thereby improving their ability to facilitate client's self-regulation and attention.
  • Utilize new theraputic/educational activity ideas for home, school and therapy settings.
  • Apply novel methods to educate others about the basics of sensory integration and underlying theory of the Alert Program®.

This workshop is intended for a variety of professionals including teachers, occupational therapists, physical therapists, speech-language pathologists, counselors, social workers, physical educators, educational assistants, and parents. All who attend will glean new information whether or not they have previously used the program.

Required Text
The book, How Does Your Engine Run?® A Leader's Guide to the Alert Program® for Self-Regulation, is a required text. (Retail price is $40. Conference price is $30.)
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Cancellation Policy
If requested in writing two weeks prior to the workshop, refunds will be issued minus a $50 processing fee. In the unlikely event this workship would need to be canceled, TherapyWorks cannot be responsible for travel or hotel expenses.

Certificate of Attendance
AOTA Approved
TherapyWorks Inc. is an AOTA Approved Provider and will issue a Certificate of attendance for 12.75 contact hours (1.2 AOTA CEUs - AOTA Classification Code Category 2 - Occupational Therapy Process) at the end of the conference. The assignment of AOTA CEU's does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

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