Rhode Island Occupational Therapy Association upcoming events

REGISTER NOW: Annual Spring Meeting on April 27 - Celebrate OT Month with RIOTA - free for all OT practitioners (27 Apr 2026)

Mon, 27 Apr 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Celebrate OT Month with RIOTA
free for all OT practitioners

We are excited to invite you to a special RIOTA event on

April 27, 2026 at 6:00 PM @ NEIT.

We will begin the evening by presenting the RIOTA Awards,

followed immediately by a professional development session

led by Rebecca Simon.

in person or via zoom at NEIT, New England Tech Boulevard,

East Greenwich, RI, Room TBA

Featured Presentation:
Feedback in OT Practice: Supporting Supervision, Collaboration, and Learning
Presenter: Rebecca Simon, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

This session will provide practical, real‑world strategies to strengthen feedback practices across occupational therapy settings. Whether you supervise students, collaborate with peers, or support OTA practitioners, this presentation will offer tools you can apply directly in your daily work.

Learning Objectives - participants will:

Explore effective feedback strategies that support learning, collaboration, and professional growth among OT/OTA practitioners and students in real-time practice settings.
Examine methods of reflection that enhance clinical reasoning, peer collaboration, and ongoing professional development.
Identify and adapt feedback approaches that fit your specific practice context to support intraprofessional relationships and learner development.

We hope you’ll join us for an evening of recognition, learning, and community connection.

Please register in advance. Zoom link and NEIT room number will be emailed to registered attendees 24 hours prior to the event.

RIOTA Goes to the State House (30 Apr 2026)

Thu, 30 Apr 2026 18:30:00 GMT

RIOTA Goes to the State House

Thursday, April 30, 2026

2:30-5:00pm

RI State House 1st floor in the Bell area

1 Smith Hill Providence, RI

Please join us to end OT Month with this Advocacy event to educate our legislators about the breadth and value of Occupational Therapy

RIOTA Board Meeting May 4, 2026 (4 May 2026)

Mon, 04 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Please contact riota@riota.org for zoom link.

RIOTA - combined Adult, Pediatric, Mental Health SIGs - Spotting the "Zebra" In Your Practice: Tips for Working with Hypermobile Patients (6 May 2026)

Wed, 06 May 2026 22:30:00 GMT

RIOTA Presents combined Adult, Pediatric, Mental Health
Special Interest Groups:

Spotting the "Zebra" In Your Practice:
Tips for Working with Hypermobile Patients

Date: May 6, 2026

Location: in person at 765 Allens Avenue, Providence RI

OR on Zoom

Time: 6:30 - 8:00 pm

Presenter: Marisa Bergfield PsyD

This presentation will offer an overview of Connective Tissue Issues related to Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders and Ehlers-Danlos Syndromes, common concurrent diagnoses, and the intersectionality with mental health and neurodiversity. Topics covered are relative to Adult, Pediatric, and Mental Health Practice.

Presentation Objectives:

1) Participants will gain an appreciation for Hypermobility Spectrum Disorders, Hypermobile EDS and an overview of the other EDS types as well as the multisystem nature of these conditions

2) Participants will gain an introductory understanding of key presentation features of these conditions and common concurrent conditions to assist with identification and referral of individuals for further assessment/treatment

3) Participants will gain an appreciation for the complexity of client presentations and the intersectionality of hypermobility, Mental Health, and Neurodivergence

4) Participants will gain appreciation for the extent and type of functional challenges experienced by individuals with Hypermobility and begin to identify the ways Occupational Therapy may assist

If you registered and cannot make the event, please email riota@riota.org to give us 24 hours notice.

ZOOM link will be sent to registered attendees 24 hours in advance of the event.

RIOTA Pediatric Special Interest Group - An Introduction to Music Listening Therapy (27 May 2026)

Wed, 27 May 2026 22:00:00 GMT

RIOTA Pediatric Special Interest Group (SIG) Presents:

An Introduction to Music Listening Therapy with
The Listening Program

Date: 5/27/26

Location: Virtual presentation only

Time: 6:00 - 7:30 pm

Presenter: Sheila Allen, MA, OT

Objectives:

Participant will describe both the medical and
Participant will distinguish three characteristics of TLP Spectrum that contribute to its usefulness
Participant will state at least two reasons why sound and music are essential aspects of sensory approaches in

Sound, as a basic sensory input, affects our nervous systems. We know this in daily life and have experienced it since well before birth. Sound and music are valued agents of change. Music, as organized sound, provides us with beat, rhythm, sound frequency, and sound intensity inputs presented in time and space. When these elements of sound are enhanced for the purpose of music listening therapy, the enhancement affects music’s power to influence changes.

The Listening Program, (TLP) currently a collection of four music listening therapy programs, has had a place in occupational therapy intervention through the lifespan, with a variety of conditions, for over 25 years. It has been used most within pediatrics. Within pediatric OT, children experiencing sound sensitivities and related sensory sensitivities, compromised self-regulation, anxiety, discoordination, disordered auditory processing, speech/language impairment and executive dysfunction are among those supported by TLP, typically in combination with other interventions.

This talk will identify music listening therapies’ connection with central and peripheral (including autonomic and enteric nervous systems) nervous systems, and briefly present the neuroscience-based hallmarks of TLP, as well as the unique intentions and characteristics of each TLP program. TLP Spectrum, the core program that was designed to help sensory-sensitive individuals establish a comfortable relationship with sound, will be emphasized. Programming in home, school, hospitals and clinic settings will be discussed. Concepts of sound environment, rhythm environment and listening for wellness will be introduced.

Our speaker:

Sheila Allen, MA, OT is an internationally recognized licensed occupational therapist whose practice offers consultation, teaching and coaching. Her professional profile includes extensive focus in sensory processing and in blending sensory integration perspectives, principles, and treatment techniques with social/emotional, motor/physical, and cognitive approaches.

If you registered and cannot make the event, please email riota@riota.org to give us 24 hours notice.

ZOOM link will be sent to registered attendees 24 hours in advance of the event.

RIOTA Adult Physical Disabilities Special Interest Group - EMG Presentation (27 May 2026)

Wed, 27 May 2026 22:30:00 GMT

RIOTA Adult Physical Disabilities Special Interest Group (SIG)

Understanding Electrodiagnostics: An Up Close Look at EMGs/NCS

Presenter: Joshua Smith MD (Physiatry)

Date: May 27, 2026

Time: 6:30-8:00pm

Location: TBA

(Hybrid Event- zoom link to be sent day of the event)

This presentation will include a close up look at EMG and Nerve Conduction studies, their indications, procedures, report structure, and relevance to an overall rehabilitation plan.

Presentation Objectives:

1)Participants will gain an understanding of the procedures for electromyography and nerve conduction studies

2)Participants will become familiar with indications/contraindications for EMG/NCS, common reasons for testing, and relevance to rehabilitation

3)Participants will increase familiarity with electrodiagnostic report information for greater understanding of results to incorporate this into treatment planning

If you registered and cannot make the event, please email riota@riota.org to give us 24 hours notice.

RIOTA Board Meeting June 1, 2026 (1 Jun 2026)

Mon, 01 Jun 2026 22:00:00 GMT

Please contact riota@riota.org for zoom link.

Rhode Island Occupational Therapy Association upcoming events

REGISTER NOW: Annual Spring Meeting on April 27 - Celebrate OT Month with RIOTA - free for all OT practitioners (27 Apr 2026)

Featured Presentation: Feedback in OT Practice: Supporting Supervision, Collaboration, and Learning Presenter: Rebecca Simon, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA

RIOTA Goes to the State House (30 Apr 2026)

RIOTA Board Meeting May 4, 2026 (4 May 2026)

RIOTA - combined Adult, Pediatric, Mental Health SIGs - Spotting the "Zebra" In Your Practice: Tips for Working with Hypermobile Patients (6 May 2026)

RIOTA Pediatric Special Interest Group - An Introduction to Music Listening Therapy (27 May 2026)

RIOTA Adult Physical Disabilities Special Interest Group - EMG Presentation (27 May 2026)

RIOTA Board Meeting June 1, 2026 (1 Jun 2026)

Featured Presentation:
Feedback in OT Practice: Supporting Supervision, Collaboration, and Learning
Presenter: Rebecca Simon, Ed.D., OTR/L, FAOTA