Neuro Rehab Essentials: A 2-Day Interdisciplinary Training in Vision & Body-Brain Dynamics

COURSE DESCRIPTION:

This two-day, intermediate interdisciplinary course provides an evidence-informed and clinically grounded framework for integrating vision, cognition, regulation and the vestibular system across neurorehabilitation. Participants will develop a functional understanding of visual efficiency, visual–vestibular integration, autonomic nervous system and interoception influences on performance following neurologic injury, trauma, or diagnosis. The course emphasizes practical application, interdisciplinary collaboration, and regulation-informed treatment planning, equipping clinicians to design vision-integrated interventions that support cognition, movement, attention, and recovery across the continuum of care.

Day 1: Vision Foundations & Clinical Application (6.25 contact hours)

Day 1 focuses on the foundational components of visual efficiency and their integration within interdisciplinary neurorehabilitation practice. Participants will engage in a hands-on visual efficiency lab designed to deepen clinical observation, clinical reasoning, and collaborative decision-making when working alongside optometry. Optometric equipment will be introduced for contextual understanding and interdisciplinary communication, without instruction in optometric testing or device use. The day continues with an in-depth exploration of the vision–vestibular–visual information processing (VIP) connection, highlighting how visual inefficiencies and visual–vestibular mismatch influences balance, endurance, attention, and functional participation. The afternoon presents cognition basics and how you can integrate visual skills within this domain. We will discuss documentation how to’s and end with a vision-heavy lab where you get hands-on experience of working with treatment tools, drawing from the faculty’s curated 100 Vision Tasks resource. Participants will learn how to select, grade, integrate and document vision-based activities into treatment sessions across the neuro-rehabiliation setting. Emphasis is placed on clinical reasoning, task progression, interdisciplinary carryover, and foundational integration of cognitive demands.

8-10 AM: Visual efficiency lab with the integration of how to collaborate with OD: general explanation of optometric equipment but not how to use them

10-10:15 AM: Break

10:15-12 PM: Vestibular, Vision, and VIP connection

12-1 PM: Lunch

1-1:45 PM: Cognition Basics

1:45 - 2 PM: Break

2-3 PM: Treatment Module

Day 2: Regulation, Trauma & Systems Integration (6 contact hours)

Day 2 expands the clinical lens of whole body treatment to include interoception, trauma-informed care, and autonomic regulation, supporting a body-brain approach to neurorehabilitation. Participants will examine how internal body awareness and trauma responses influence vision, motor output, cognition, and recovery trajectories. A focused module on the autonomic nervous system (ANS), with particular emphasis on the vagus nerve, will explore the interaction between vision, posture, arousal, and regulation following traumatic or neurologic events. Clinicians will learn how to integrate these principles into treatment planning using the supplemental treatments, ensuring strategies are practical, interdisciplinary, and adaptable across settings. Finally we talk about the optometry-rehab relationship, knowing when and how to refer, how to educate and grow respect for each other's collaborative strengths and how to build best practices for the overall good of the patient. The course concludes with clinical integration and facilitates Q&A, allowing participants to consolidate learning and translate concepts into immediately applicable clinical practice.

8-10:30 AM: Interoception

10:30-10:45 AM: Break

10:45-11:30 AM: Trauma

11:30-12:15 PM: ANS and Vagus Nerve

12:15-1:15 PM: Lunch

1:15-1:50 PM: Supplemental Equipment

1:50 - 2:00 PM: Break

2:00-2:30 PM: Working with Optometry

2:30 - 3:00 PM: Questions and Wrap up

SPEAKERS:

Dr. Meghan Schneider, OTD, MS OTR/L, CBIS, ASDCS, CFVRS is an occupational therapist specializing in traumatic brain injury (TBI) rehabilitation and currently practices at a private outpatient clinic. She holds a Post-Professional Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from Elizabethtown College and serves as an adjunct professor there, teaching graduate-level coursework related to trauma-informed practice and neurorehabilitation. Meghan is the co-owner of NeurOT Consulting, a continuing education and consulting company dedicated to advancing comprehensive, evidence-informed brain injury and concussion care. Through NeurOT, she supports clinicians, organizations, and healthcare systems in developing and enhancing integrative brain injury programs that incorporate interoception, functional vision, nervous system regulation, and whole-person rehabilitation approaches. She is a Certified Brain Injury Specialist and Certified Functional Vision Rehabilitation Specialist, and is widely recognized for her work integrating interoception into brain injury rehabilitation. Meghan is the co-creator of the on-demand course and curriculum Interoception, Concussion, and Brain Injury, developed in collaboration with Kelly Mahler. This is the first course of its kind focused specifically on interoception within the brain injury population. In recognition of her innovative contributions to the field, Meghan received the Dan Keating Pioneer in Brain Injury Award from the Brain Injury Association of Pennsylvania. She has presented nationally and internationally on topics including interoception, concussion recovery, self-regulation, and trauma-informed neurorehabilitation. Meghan brings both clinical expertise and lived experience to her work as a brain injury survivor herself, fueling her passion for empowering clinicians and individuals alike to better understand the role of the nervous system and internal body awareness in recovery and long-term function. Dr. Alicia Reiser, OTD, MS OTR/L, ADHD-RSP With over 24 years of experience as an occupational therapist, Dr. Alicia Reiser, OTD, MS OTR/L, ADHD-RSP, is passionate about redefining rehabilitation through a truly integrative, evidence-based, and brain-centered lens. After earning her clinical doctorate from Salus University at Drexel University in 2018 with a specialization in vision remediation, Dr. Reiser opened her private practice, A Rise Above Occupational Therapy Services, the same year. Her practice was founded on a clear mission: to bridge critical gaps in care for individuals recovering from concussion and those with ADHD—populations often underserved, aged out of traditional services, or unaware of the transformative role occupational therapy can play across the lifespan. At A Rise Above, Dr. Reiser integrates neurological rehabilitation, vision remediation, cognitive retraining, trauma-informed care, interoceptive awareness, and polyvagal-informed interventions to address autonomic nervous system dysregulation. Her holistic, neuroscience-informed approach supports clients in regaining not only function, but also balance, confidence, and control in their daily lives. Dr. Reiser is also an active scholar and contributor to the evolving evidence base in occupational therapy and vision rehabilitation. She has published peer-reviewed journal articles examining concussion-related vision disorder OT practice patterns, occupational therapy curricula patterns addressing ABI-related vision disorders, and mentored research on expert practice patterns: Guidelines for Evaluating Pediatric Concussion-Related Vision Disorders. Additionally, she has co-authored two chapters in Dr. Mitchell Scheiman’s textbook, Understanding and Managing Vision Deficits: A Guide for Occupational Therapists, further advancing clinical guidance for practitioners working in this developing practice area. Committed to education and professional mentorship, Dr. Reiser currently serves as an adjunct faculty member in the Occupational Therapy Doctorate (OTD) Clinical Doctorate Program at Drexel University’s Elkins Park campus. She is also collaborating with the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) to develop a Community of Practice (CoP) focused on vision remediation, with the long-term goal of contributing to a formal position paper supporting occupational therapists’ role in collaborative care with optometry in this emerging area of practice. Dr. Reiser’s work reflects a deep commitment to advancing occupational therapy through science, collaboration, and compassionate innovation—empowering both clients and clinicians to truly rise above.

1. Differentiate the scope, clinical reasoning, and intervention boundaries of occupational therapy-led vision rehabilitation compared to interdisciplinary vision care models involving optometry.
2. Design and implement vision-integrated treatment sessions applicable to neuro-rehabilitation.
3. Explain the impact of visual processing on cognition, language, attention, regulation and executive functioning across neurologic populations.
4. Describe how decreased visual efficiency and visual-vestibular dysfunction can delay or limit vestibular rehabilitation outcomes.
5. Develop a coordinated, multidisciplinary treatment approach for the rehabilitation team using the three-component model of vision (oculomotor, visual-vestibular, and visual-perceptual processing).
6. Explain and apply the influence of the sympathetic nervous system on vision, posture, interoception and motor output following trauma or neurologic diagnosis to support regulation-informed treatment planning across disciplines.

Cancellation and Refund Policy: OhioHealth reserves the right to cancel or delay these course due to weather or any unforeseen circumstances.  In the event these courses would have to be canceled, OhioHealth will refund your registration fee.  We are not responsible for any travel, hotel, or other costs incurred.  If a participant cancels, refund of conference fee minus a 25% administrative charge will be made if written notice of cancellation is received no later than one week prior to the course date.   No refunds will be granted after one week prior to the course date unless in the case of documented illness.