Activity, Sleep and School Performance

Ways to promote health and learning in the classroom and beyond

​NRTA has provided Occupational, Physical, and Speech Therapy in schools, homes, and communities throughout Northern Arizona for over 15 years. Our organization is committed to providing all individuals the skills to become independent and to participate fully in their lives.

​Good health habits are important for child development and learning

Our current way of living may present many challenges to children in maintaining a balanced and healthy lifestyle that promotes optimal learning and school performance.
These challenges include:
  • More emphasis in school on academics with less time for recess and physical activity
  • Working parents with many responsibilities outside of the home
  • Availability of electronics including television, computers, and phones
  • Sedentary lifestyles with more time spent sitting in cars, on buses, and in front of computers
  • Opportunities for unhealthy eating
  • Rising rates of childhood obesity
  • Lack of adequate sleep due to distractions or demands on time
  • More children needing extra help due to problems with attention and focusing

Objectives of these Training Seminars

  • Participants will learn what the research says about the relationships between physical activity, sleep, and learning
  • Participants will learn strategies to encourage all children to get beneficial physical activity and adequate sleep
  • Participants will learn about the sensory-motor needs of children with special needs and accommodations for home and classroom that encourage participation and better performance

Who would benefit?

This training is designed for parents, teachers, and other school staff who are interested in learning ways to encourage healthy activity and sleep in children of all ages and abilities. Practical evidence-based strategies will be presented for use in the home and at school. This 3 hour training will be delivered onsite at a school or community center and will provide certificates of attendance for all participants.

Profiles of the Presenters

Maureen Russell

Maureen is as an Occupational Therapist who has worked with individuals with disabilities ages birth to adult for the past 35 years. She received her PhD through Arizona State University with a focus on sleep disorders in children with special needs.
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Maureen founded Northland-Rural Therapy Associates, a practice that combined pediatric speech, occupational and physical therapies.

Tom Cosner

Tom is a Pediatric Physical Therapist, who has worked in schools and homes for the past 16 years. He provides services to children of all ages and with all disabilities helping them to find ways of moving. Tom has a Master of Physical Therapy from Western Carolina University.

​He is currently the owner and director of NRTA.
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