North Star Aquatic Therapy

Description

This is a 16 hour training  packed into 2 days. 

This course is designed to demonstrate the advanced skills necessary to bring aquatics to the child, adolescent and adult with cerebral palsy, developmental delay, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, muscular dystrophy or other medically fragile or profoundly involved conditions. Includes findings from published literature to help convince skittish medical personnel (and parents) of the benefits of aquatics.

Shows therapists the “nuts and bolts” of teaching techniques to parents and caregivers.Offers insight into "where to go next" for the therapist who has tried everything he or she knows and has run out of ideas. Provides tips on working with the medically fragile infants, children and adults with medical devices (ventilator tubes, IVs, g-tubes, and oxygen) in and around water. Includes information on reimbursement for aquatic therapy, both at the infant, child and adult level.

Learning Objectives

1. Identify 3-4 indications and medical prerequisites for selecting infants, children, adolescents and adults for aquatic therapy. Discuss how to make a case that therapy pool is appropriate setting for Birth-3 therapy interventions. (lecture)

2. Identify 2-3 potential risks or adverse events which might occur with the use of aquatic therapy with the medically fragile or profoundly involved patient (lecture)

3. Discuss 1-2 potential benefits of aquatic therapy for each: Feeding, Movement, Socialization, Sensation (lecture)

4. Make a 3-minute verbal “case” for providing aquatic services for the cerebral palsy, muscular dystrophy, Osteogenesis Imperfecta, developmental disabilities and more. Be able to identify and locate supportive research to bolster case (lecture)

5. Choose proper equipment, water temperature, and procedures for working with these conditions (lecture/land lab).

6. Understand the appropriate way to document – and bill insurance for – aquatic therapy services (lecture)

7. Craft a sample home program for parents/caregivers who wish to incorporate sensory tasks in the shower, bathtub or community pool. Be able to share with parents where they can obtain additional training materials (lecture)

8. Perform 1-2 aquatic therapeutic movements, tasks, or exercises designed to:

• increase strength
• improve ROM
• improve oral motor skills
• normalize sensory input (vestibular, visual, auditory, tactile, proprioceptive)
• normalize tone
• improve head and trunk righting
• encourage play, verbalization and social interaction
• improve posture, weight-bearing, balance, gait and proprioception
• normalize transitional movements (lab)

9. Progress a specific aquatic task from a lower level of function towards increased independence (lab)

10. With a partner, design and implement a 15-minute aquatic treatment plan (including equipment selection) for 1-2 of the following: (lab)

• Cerebral Palsy
• Developmental Delay
• Osteogenesis Imperfecta
• Muscular Dystrophy
• Others who are medically fragile or severely and profoundly involved

***PT preapproval applied for these 36 states: Alabama, Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, Delaware, District of Columbia, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Montana, Nebraska, Kentucky, New Hampshire, New Mexico, North Carolina, North Dakota, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, Washington, Wisconsin, and Wyoming. If you are a PT in another state, please email as it is often possible to obtain individual approval in advance of the course for a nominal fee. OTs please email for information.