Summary: Lucy Jane Miller, PhD, OTR is the founder and research director of the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation and founder and clinical director of STAR Institute. Her informative and delightful presentation provides an overview of research data amassed over the past 10 years related to 1) the need for SPD to be a new diagnostic category, 2) how SPD relates to other DSM diagnoses (such as ASD and ADHD), 3) available treatments for SPD and 4) whether SPD meets criteria for a new diagnosis. Presented at the 14th International 3S Symposium.
Level: Intermediate
Intended Audience: Clinicians, teachers, mental health and medical professionals, parents, students, caregivers
Prerequisite: None
Presenter: Dr. Lucy Jane Miller founded the STAR Institute for Sensory Processing Disorder in Colorado, and is the premier center for treatment, research, education, and advocacy for SPD. She currently directs the Treatment Center at STAR Institute and is widely known for fostering collaborative research projects.
For 35 years Dr. Miller has devoted herself to the study and treatment of Sensory Processing Disorder and is spearheading the effort to get SPD recognized as a diagnostic entity separate from other disorders. She is a prolific author, with over 50 articles in peer-reviewed journals. Her book, Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder (SPD)has become the definitive source of information on SPD; the revised edition just recently published.Dr. Miller’s other recent book, No Longer A SECRET: Unique Common Sense Strategies for Children with Sensory or Motor Challenges,offers on-the-spot problem-solving tips to use for children with sensory issues.She developed the STAR Treatment Model, which has been demonstrated through research to be effective in the treatment of sensory-related challenges.
Dr. Miller also develops norm-referenced standardized assessments that are in use worldwide, including the Miller Assessment for Preschoolers, the Leiter International Performance Scale – Revised and the new Miller Function and Participation Scale (or M-FUN) and her latest and ninth scale, Goal-Oriented Assessment of Lifeskills (GOAL). She talks about learning family-centered care during her three terms, totaling nine years on the Governor’s Interagency Coordinating Council for IDEA in CO. In 2005, she received the Martin Luther King, Jr. award from the State of Colorado.
Learning Objectives:
- Participants will learn about the five primary components of the DSM application for adding Sensory Processing Disorder as a new diagnosis.
- Participants will understand the current state of knowledge in Sensory Processing Disorder related to proposed underlying mechanisms, effectiveness of intervention, and independence of the diagnosis.
- Participants will evaluate the empirical evidence for SPD as a novel diagnosis, based on the following criteria:
- Need for the diagnosis
- Relationship between SPD and other DSM diagnoses
- Potential harm of adding a new diagnosis
- Available treatments for SPD
Continuing Education: STAR Institute for SPD is an AOTA Approved Provider of Continuing Education. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific course content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.
Upon full completion of the course video, participants must complete and pass a quiz with at least 80% accuracy to receive a certificate of completion.