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Eliott’s Corner and HOPE Collaborate to Provide Therapeutic Riding

2013-04-30 Olivia's Place Comments Off , ,

Eliott’s Corner is now working with HOPE (Horses Offering People Enrichment) to provide hippotherapy for children with special needs in Beijing. Hippotherapy, or therapeutic riding, is a form of therapy in which a therapist uses the characteristic movements of a horse to provide carefully graded motor input and a rich sensory experience. Children often develop a special relationship with the horse which can facilitate communication skills. Marc Innerhofer, and Eliott’s Corner physical therapist, works in collaboration with the HOPE team to most effectively utilize this powerful therapy tool. Find out more at HOPE’s web site or by contacting Eliott’s Corner.


Olivia’s Place Therapists Reach Out

2013-04-29 Olivia's Place, Outreach, Partner Organizations Comments Off , , , , ,

Olivia’s Place and its staff have always had a heart to reach out to Chinese children who have therapy needs that are not being met. To provide the most comprehensive care, we have developed strong links with several not for profit organizations. Most recently, our therapists have provided therapeutic support to the following organizations in Shanghai.

  •  Physical Therapists Marla Balzer and Veronica Bosch have been working with a little girl who is supported by Mifan Mama.

 

  • Occupational Therapist Eva Steins is providing therapy to a Baobei Foundation-supported girl to develop hand strength/function and play skills. Speech-Language Pathologist Angela Gong is also teaching this child some simple sign language. Additionally, Physical Therapist Lis Ringrose taught a baby massage workshop in March for mothers who provide “healing homes” for children supported through the Baobei Foundation.

 

  • In March, Angela Gong, along with Cheryl Ye, a visiting speech-language pathologist from Australia, spent some time at Shanghai Healing Homes. You can read Cheryl’s reflections here.

 

  • Finally, a multi-disciplinary team of Olivia’s Place professionals continues to aid a school for immigrant children, training teachers, providing assessments, and giving therapy to children with extra learning needs.

 

Olivia’s Place therapists also support each of these partner organizations with staff and caregiver training that can be used between therapist visits – ultimately providing more children with the high quality developmental habilitation they deserve.


Attend Baby in Harmony in Beijing and Support Olivia’s Foundation

2013-04-29 Olivia's Place Comments Off , ,

Please join us on May 5 at Baby in Harmony in Beijing! Olivia’s Foundation will be the beneficiary to a portion of proceeds from Baby In Harmony, an event that introduces parents to the benefits of classical music for cognitive development in children. The event is for families with children aged 0-7, as well as families who are expecting. Click here for pictures of last year’s event.

This year’s Baby in Harmony event will be held:
May 5, 2013
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Grand Hyatt Grand Ballroom
1 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing

Tickets are 100 RMB for adults and children over 1 year of age.  Tickets for children under 1 year of age are 50 RMB. Tickets may be purchased at Eliott’s Corner and Counting Sheep Boutique.

Olivia’s Foundation is very pleased to be the recipient of proceeds from this year’s Baby in Harmony event.  Donations to Olivia’s Foundation offset the standard cost of care for families in financial need, regardless of their citizenship. In addition to assisting with therapy costs for individual children, the foundation promotes access to high quality therapy for all children in China, and acts as a community resource for the development of inclusive school models. Foundation staff partner with local hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, orphanages, and other organizations to provide technical expertise, training, and other resources. The foundation also coordinates our staff’s pro bono work and major volunteer initiatives in China.


Motor Skills Development Workshop for Beijing Educators & Health Care Providers: March 16

2013-03-05 Olivia's Place Comments Off , ,

Educators and health care professionals in Beijing are invited to join us for When “Just Clumsy” is Cause for Concern, a children’s motor skills development workshop with a special focus on Development Coordination Disorder (DCD). The workshop is presented by Eliott’s Corner and hosted by 3e International School. Professional development certificates will be provided for this course.

About Motor Development in Children and Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD)

Developmental Coordination Disorder is a motor skills disorder.  DCD is characterized by delayed motor skills or difficulty with coordination that prevents a child from performing common, everyday tasks.  It affects five to six percent of all school-aged children.  Children with DCD are frequently described as “clumsy” or “awkward by their parents and teachers.  They have difficulty mastering simple motor activities, such as tying shoes or going down stairs.  Age appropriate academic and self-care tasks can also be challenging for them.

What You Will Learn

  • What is Developmental Coordination Disorder?
  • How does it exhibit?
  • What strategies can be used with all children and children with DCD in both physical education and general classroom settings to promote gross motor skills?
  • What are the connections between gross/fine motor development and academic performance
  • How can teachers and health care professionals communicate with parents more effectively about the importance of developing and supporting gross motor skills?
  • When should teachers refer a family for additional assistance?

 

Presenter

Marc Innerhofer received his Bachelor of Physiotherapy at the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia.  As a physical therapist, Marc has worked in both clinical and school environments. Prior to studying physical therapy, Marc completed national mandatory social service in a conductive therapy center for children with cerebral palsy in Vienna. Marc is originally from Austria. He speaks English, German, and Mandarin.

Who Should Attend

Educators, school administrators, and health professionals who work with children ages four and up.

Event Details

Date: Thursday, March 14th
Time: 5:00 pm – 6:30 pm
Location:
3e International School
No. 9-1 Side Park, Jiang Tai Xi Lu
Chaoyang District

Directions, metro stops, and addresses in Chinese can be found on the 3e website:  http://3eik.com

This event is FREE.

Registration by March 12th to Dory Robinson, doroliviasplace.lih.pub or call 6461-6283.


News from Olivia’s Foundation

2013-03-05 Olivia's Place Comments Off

Over the past two months, Olivia’s Place Educational Psychologist Laura Lofy provided 3 training sessions on autism assessment to the developmental pediatricians at Shanghai Children’s Medical Center. The training is part of a special project launched by the Center to create a systematic approach to identifying and providing intervention to preschool-age children with autism in Shanghai. Olivia’s Foundation is honored to be involved in the project and will continue to support its implementation over the next few months.

A grant through Olivia’s Foundation to Chen Xu School, a primary school serving migrant children in Shanghai, is supporting the

Occupational Therapist Durga Dass works with a student at Chen Xu School.

school’s mission of establishing a model school that provides inclusive education to children. There are over 300 migrant students and 3 local students with autism enrolled in the school. As part of the project, Olivia’s Place will provide technical expertise through several of our clinical staff in order to help the school’s teachers understand and address the individual learning needs of the special education students, while promoting inclusion in the regular education program. The project will help Chen Xu School to develop, implement, and monitor Individualized Education Programs (IEPs) for each of their students with special needs by taking them through this process and helping them develop procedures that they can continue to use going forward.

In Beijing, Olivia’s Foundation will be the beneficiary to a portion of proceeds from “Baby in Harmony,” an event that introduces parents to the benefits of classical music for cognitive development in children. The event is for families with children aged 0-7, as well as families who are expecting. Click here for pictures of last year’s event. This year’s Baby in Harmony event will be held:
May 5, 2013
4:00 – 6:00 pm
Grand Hyatt Grand Ballroom
1 East Chang An Avenue, Beijing

Tickets are 100 RMB for adults and children over 1, and 50 RMB for children under 1. Tickets can be purchased at Eliott’s Corner or Counting Sheep Boutique.


Olivia’s Place Therapy Room Endowed in Honor of Meg Fels

2013-03-04 Olivia's Place Comments Off

The family of Maggie Tai Tucker, one of the founders of Olivia’s Place, has endowed a therapy room at Olivia’s Place in Shanghai.  The family chose to name the room in honor of their friend, Meg Fels, who passed away unexpectedly in 2011.  Meg took a great interest in the community work being done by staff at Olivia’s Place, in particular the Linyi pillow project. The family’s financial donation to Olivia’s Foundation provided ongoing therapy services for a number of children in Shanghai who could not otherwise access therapy.

Meg was a cancer survivor who counseled and was very inspirational to others and she was dedicated to teaching young people, especially girls interested in STEM (She herself was a physicist and professor). She loved to play with her grandkids and other children in her life, and was well known for her ability to design train layouts that used up every piece of Thomas track in one closed system.   Maggie Tai Tucker said of the endowment, “It just seemed like a nice idea to commemorate her life and work by naming a room after her, especially a room where kids would be both playing and learning.”  Olivia’s Place is honored to have a room dedicated in the memory of such a caring and compassionate person.

Inquiries about Olivia’s Foundation and how you can help increase the quality and accessibility of therapy for children in China can be directed to Foundation.


Olivia’s Place Earns International Recognition

2013-02-22 Olivia's Place Comments Off

Olivia’s Place earned Honorable Mention in the Advance Physical Therapy Practice of the Year Contest. In addition to a single contest winner, there were only four practices that earned Honorable Mention. The winning practices were recognized for providing superior consumer service using evidence-based care, staying true to the guiding principles of the profession, and promoting the profession of physical therapy. Advance Physical Therapy & Rehabilitation is a US-based publication with a readership of of more 93,000 professionals working in a rehabilitative capacity. To learn more about the Advance Practice of the Year contest and the 2012 winners, please visit the Advance web site.


Overview of Applied Behavior Analysis

2013-01-26 Olivia's Place Comments Off

What is Applied Behavior Analysis?
Behavior analysis is a scientifically validated approach to understanding behavior and how it is affected by the environment. In this context, “behavior” refers to actions and skills. “Environment” includes any influence – physical or social – that might change or be changed by one’s behavior. Behavior analysis focuses on the principles that explain how learning takes place. Positive reinforcement is one such principle. When a behavior is followed by some sort of reward, the behavior is more likely to be repeated. The field of behavior analysis has developed many techniques for increasing useful behaviors and reducing those that may cause harm or interfere with learning. Applied behavior analysis (ABA) uses these techniques and principles to bring about meaningful and positive change in behavior. Read more


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