This intermediate level course developed for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants, reviews the functional anatomy of the shoulder, provides an overview of adhesive capsulitis, including its etiology and epidemiology, and offers an up-to-date, evidence-based foundation for the diagnosis and intervention of adhesive capsulitis.

This basic-level course presents information on the diagnosis of Attention-Deficit / Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD)and the assessment tools and intervention strategies used in addressing this disorder. This course is designed for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants who have the background knowledge required for working with individuals with neurobiological disorders such as ADHD.

Audio Book Available   |  This basic-level course addresses the knowledge gap by providing rehabilitation professionals with an overview of the co-occurrence of depression and chronic conditions and identifying challenges in screening and referring adults with chronic conditions and depression. It provides explanations for potential causes of and contributing factors to depression unique to individuals with chronic medical conditions. Although individuals with chronic conditions are at increased risk for depression, this course also explores factors that may enhance such individuals’ well-being and diminish the likelihood of depression.

Concussion most commonly occurs during sports-related activities. The purpose of this intermediate-level course is to provide an overview of concussion with areas to assess and treat for the occupational therapy practitioner. Current evidence-based references are highlighted along with topics widely accepted in practice. This course is for practitioners who have a basic knowledge of brain injury and want to advance their skills in the assessment and treatment of concussion.

Osteoarthritis is the most common form of arthritis found in the hand and upper extremity. As many as 54.4 million Americans – or approximately 28% of the adult population – are affected. This intermediate-level course provides OTs and OTAs with a detailed overview of the pathophysiology and mechanics of the joints of the hand of those diagnosed with OA. The course offers practitioners in-depth knowledge of several of the most common medical and evidence-based treatments, and it provides instruction for application of techniques in occupational therapy evaluation and intervention. These include specific occupational therapy interventions, physical agent modalities, splinting, adaptive equipment, and joint protection to allow clients to engage in meaningful daily occupations.

Depression is the most prevalent mental health disorder among older adults. Depression and anxiety affect an older adult’s performance patterns related to habits, routines, rituals, and roles, as well as ADLs and IADLs, rest and sleep, formal and informal education, work, play, leisure, and social participation. This basic-level course provides current information on depression and anxiety disorders among older adults, including their types and causes, and their ramifications for occupational performance and treatment strategies. Screening tools and evidence-based treatment interventions are discussed. A case study further elucidates the role occupational therapy practitioners can play in the detection and treatment of depression and anxiety in older adults.

In coming years, healthcare professionals will face an aging of the population, along with the accompanying health and economic challenges. The purpose of this course is to highlight ethical issues that may confront healthcare and behavioral health professionals working with older adults and their families as these individuals near the end of life. Many of these issues are related to advances in medical technologies that have occurred over the past several decades (and that continue to be developed) and have led to increasingly complex choices. This course will also identify major ethical issues concerning older adults and healthcare decisions and provide a model for addressing ethical dilemmas in healthcare settings.

The purpose of this basic level course is to provide OTs and OTAs with an introduction to the study of ethical behavior and action as it is applied to occupational therapy practice, education, and research. It is designed to facilitate learning and using the ethical principles required to foster moral reasoning and to practice ethical decision making in occupational therapy. Specific objectives include defining terms used in discussing ethics, describing the principles and values of ethics organized into the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics, relating occupational therapy ethics to stakeholders in society, explaining a decision-making process for analyzing ethics issues, and discussing sample case studies. The case studies in this course are based on issues brought to the attention of the AOTA Ethics Commission (EC) members. All names and situations used in the case studies have been changed to avoid identifying any person or facility.

This intermediate-level course provides rehabilitation therapists and therapy assistants with an opportunity to review the normal anatomy and physiology of the cardiopulmonary system, the pathophysiology of heart failure, and current medical, surgical, and therapy-based interventions. Appropriate for all therapy-based clinicians who work with persons with heart failure, this intermediate-level course reviews basic examination skills before progressing to the more advanced skills of auscultation and exercise testing interpretation.

This intermediate-level course will provide Occupational Therapy practitioners and assistants with information on the criteria and classification system for Autism Spectrum Disorder, along with information on how occupational therapy practitioners can contribute to an informed diagnosis.

Audio Book Available  |  This course provides rehabilitation professionals with an understanding of the transmission and prevention of HIV, the care of persons with HIV, and the issues of living with HIV. Recent changes in terminology and staging are covered. Legal and ethical issues, including recent changes in testing, confidentiality, and reporting requirements are discussed.

Audio Book Available  |  This intermediate level course for healthcare professionals is an introduction into the complex crime of human trafficking, with a focus on sex and labor trafficking and the common symptoms and conditions that occur in trafficked persons. The course provides insights into the facts surrounding human trafficking and relevant health risks for the trafficked person.

The purpose of this basic level course is to enable occupational therapy practitioners and other rehabilitation professionals to understand and assess functional performance in older adults using a multidimensional approach. This is an introductory course for practitioners who are new to this population or who desire a refresher on the most current evidence related to functional assessment of older adults.

This intermediate level course, will prepare OT practitioners to recognize symptoms of addiction in their clients and to identify the impact of these symptoms on occupational performance in and outside of therapy. Practitioners who have met the objectives of this course will possess the resources to create and implement an evidence-based intervention plan for dually-diagnosed clients and/or clients with physical health conditions that are affected by addiction. This course is intended for practitioners who are skilled in the occupational therapy process but wish to expand their knowledge of integrated, holistic care models rooted in current evidence. This course is particularly relevant for occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants working within newly established Certified Community Behavioral Health Clinics (CCBHCs).

This intermediate course provides rehabilitative personnel with the background and evidence to increase effective management of symptoms in people with MS. This up-to-date review will enable occupational therapists to better target the specific needs of their clients. While some standardization in assessments may be useful, individualization of assessment and treatment planning is needed. The evidence supporting assessment and intervention tools can help the therapist select assessments and interventions most likely to contribute to successful outcomes given a particular client’s characteristics. This course describes rehabilitative management, including assessment and intervention, for people with MS. The intent is to encourage therapists to “kick it up a notch,” to apply sufficient intensity of appropriate evidence-based rehabilitation that challenges clients and improves their quality of life.

This course is designed to assist occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistants in evaluating, planning and preparing their older adult clients to age in place. AOTA has identified aging in place and home modifications as an emerging niche in occupational therapy. This toolkit will highlight the role occupational therapy plays in aging in place. Also, each participant will gain the understanding and application of home modification concepts as well as identify resources and funding for home modification projects. Because our aging clients have a desire to remain in their homes, this course will provide the necessary tools to enhance the quality of life for older adults to allow them to participate in meaningful activities and enable them to remain in their homes as they age and make the necessary modifications to do so. This course is an intermediate to advanced level course for clinicians working in the area of home modification and environmental safety.

This intermediate level course is designed to educate OTs and OTAs on the implementation of exercise prescriptions in older adults. This course will review the multiple age-related systemic changes that take place in the cardiovascular, respiratory, endocrine and musculoskeletal systems and describe how exercise may mitigate these changes. This course will also provide recommended exercise prescriptions according to the most recent American College of Sports Medicine guidelines for older adults and discuss common barriers for exercise participation in older adults.

Occupational therapy practitioners who do not practice primarily with clients with TBI are challenged to keep up with the latest information. This course provides OTs and OTAs with a current update to providing evidence-based services to clients with TBI. Types and classifications of brain injuries, as well as treatment of performance skill impairments and occupational performance limitations commonly experienced by clients with TBI are presented.

This intermediate course provides a critical review of current evidence to ensure occupational therapy practitioners are adequately prepared to provide the best care possible within the breast cancer population. Upon fulfilling the course objectives, practitioners will be prepared to develop an evidence-based approach to the evaluation and treatment of individuals with breast cancer throughout the pre-operative, post-operative and community phases of recovery.