Kathy Ramirez

OTR/L, SWC, PAM

Kathy Ramirez, OTR/L, is a highly regarded clinician who is nationally sought out for her expertise in sensory based, neuro-developmental approach for the medically fragile infant and child. Kathy has dedicated her career to building therapists’ skills in clinical analysis and therapeutic effectiveness with a teaching style that is supportive, empowering, paired with a love of fun and laughter. With a strong theory base in NDT, SI, and CranioSacral therapies, Kathy has taken her passion and expertise in the care of the medically fragile infant to a national level by speaking and offering education opportunities across the country on topics including: Developmental Care in the NICU, Cue Based Feeding, pediatric feeding and swallowing analysis and treatment, including the use of VitalStim, swallow studies, sensory processing analysis and treatment interventions to enhance outcomes, advanced treatment concepts and clinical analysis, breast feeding the medically fragile infant and child, and developmental milestones supporting feeding skill acquisition.

Kathy began building her occupational therapy practice in 1992 and she continues to serve as a lead therapist for the NICU and Feeding Teams at Children’s Hospital of Orange County (CHOC) in Orange, CA. A leader in her field, Kathy is active in multiple hospital-based committees including Skin to Skin Care, Nutrition and Breast Feeding Coalitions, ECMO, Neurology, Palliative Care, and Family Centered Care. When tasked with the development of a specialized Small Baby Unit for the ELBW preemie, Kathy became an instrumental clinician in the development of unit protocols and care plans including an ongoing comprehensive evidence-based education series on environmental controls, developmental care, and cue-based feeding. In support of maintaining standards of clinical excellence, she continues to provide ongoing in-services and hands-on labs for clinicians of multiple service areas including medical residents, nurses, respiratory therapists, physical therapists, speech therapists, and occupational therapists.

Kathy’s dedication and compassion for her patients and their families has also fueled her community advocacy through speaking engagements at local associations, community settings, and local universities. She has advanced practice certifications in Physical Agent Modalities and Swallowing Assessment, Evaluation and Intervention to practice in the State of California.

Financial Disclosure: Karin Mitchell and Kathy Ramirez receive an honorarium from CIAO for the presentation of this course.
Non-financial Disclosure: There are no financial relationships to disclose.

Karin Mitchell

M.A. CCC-SLP

Karin Mitchell is a worldwide respected Speech Language Pathologist specializing in the care and treatment of pediatric feeding and swallowing, developmental care of the medically fragile infant and child, and pediatric traumatic brain injury. Her love of teaching and helping others drives her to create and deliver fun and empowering continuing education courses across the nation and internationally. Areas covered are Developmental Care in the NICU, Cue Based Feeding, pediatric feeding and swallowing analysis and treatment, including the use of VitalStim, swallow studies, enhancing decision making and clinical analysis, breast feeding the medically fragile infant and child, and developmental milestones supporting feeding skill acquisition. Beginning her practice in 1995, Karin sought out learning opportunities and creative ways to teach others. She now serves as a lead therapist for the NICU and Feeding Teams at CHOC Children’s Hospital in Orange, CA. With a clinical practice formed by a strong theory base in NDT and SI therapies, Karin is also NOMAS trained and VitalStim certified. She provides ongoing education in-services and hands-on labs for appropriate developmental care, positioning, handling, and feeding skills for clinical staff including medical residents, nurses, physical therapists, occupational therapists, and speech pathologists. Karin was a key player in the development of unit protocols and care plans for evidence-based developmental care in the highly specialized Small Baby Unit (ELBW) at CHOC which includes an ongoing education series required by all medical and support personnel. She is an active committee member for multiple qualities of care committees including Skin to Skin Care, Developmental Care, Infant Driven Feeds, Breast Feeding Coalition, Palliative Care, Neuro NICU Team, Trauma Team, and Family Centered Care. A dedicated leader, Karin devotes much of her time to the support and development of clinicians, serving as a mentor committed to building therapist's skills in clinical analysis and therapeutic effectiveness with medically fragile patients. She is a strong advocate for her patients and their families and speaks at local associations, community centers, local universities, and school districts to support medically fragile infants and children.

Financial Disclosure: Karin receives an honorarium from CIAO for the presentation of this course. She also receives royalties for the purchase of her recorded course(s)
Non-financial Disclosure: Karin uses VitalStim in her clinical practice.

Day 1

Contact hours pre-approved for:

• 8 Hours
• CIAO is an ASHA Approved Provider #AAWA (0.8 ASHA CEUs) bubble sheet submission required
• CIAO is an AOTA Approved Provider #4119 (0.8 AOTA CEUs)
• This course meets PDU requirements for NBCOT (8 PDUs)
• CIAO is an IACET Approved Provider

Course meets requirements for: