Understanding Executive Functioning:
A Primer for Occupational Therapists

  • Presenter: Teresa A. May-Benson, ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA
  • Level: Intermediate.
  • Contact Hours: 1.5 contact hours
  • AOTA Areas: Occupational Therapy Service Delivery Domain: Performance Skills, Context and Environment Process: Assessment
  • Audience: Occupational therapists, OT assistants.
  • Completion Requirements: To earn contact hours for this course participants must view this course in its entirety, and successfully complete the accompanying course quiz
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Course overview

With an apparently increasing number of children demonstrating executive functioning challenges, occupational therapists need to have a better understanding of what these functions are, how they interface with OT areas of practice, and what role OTs might have in assessment and intervention of these executive functions. Particular areas of OT interest that will be examined include the relationship of executive functions to self-regulation and praxis skills.

This course utilizes a PowerPoint presentation. Slides are available for download.

Learning Objectives

By the end of this course the learner will be able to:
Identify six executive function skills.
Describe three aspects of executive functioning and how they relate to OT practice.
Identify two assessment tools and four intervention strategies for executive functioning.
Teresa A. May-Benson,
ScD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Teresa is an expert occupational therapist renowned for her clinical research, mentoring and education related to related to sensory integration theory and intervention, praxis, and social competency. She is currently the owner/CEO of TMB Education, LLC and serves as President and practicing occupational therapist at OTR, Inc, a private occupational therapy practice specializing in sensory integration and social competency for children and adults across the lifespan, located near Philadelphia, PA. Dr. May-Benson has a diverse background as a clinical practitioner, having worked in private and public-school settings as well as private practice. She has authored numerous book chapters and articles on praxis and sensory integration and completed her doctoral dissertation on ideational praxis. Teresa is an education and research faculty member at the SPIRAL Foundation. In her role of educator, she currently serves as adjunct faculty at Widener University and is past faculty at Tufts University and the University of Indianapolis. She has received the Virginia Scardinia Award of Excellence from AOTA for her work in ideational praxis and is the 2023 recipient of the AOTF A. Jean Ayres Award.

Continuing Education:
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