More than 200 therapists and educators across Harris County and beyond came together for a hybrid workshop on Wednesday, Jan. 24 to discuss student behavior and how it impacts their experience every day.

Leading the seminar was Audra Hastings, an experienced behavior analyst with more than 30 years in public education and specializations that include program evaluation and development, behavior support and coaching and conducting functional behavior assessments. The workshop was entitled “Behavior and the Impact of the Daily Life of a Student.” It focused on understanding behavior, factors that influence and affect student behavior and implementing functionally-based interventions and supports for students.

“If we stop learning, we become stagnant,” Hastings said. “Our students are constantly learning and learning all these news ways of how they’re communicating with behavior. If we’re not keeping up with new skills, then we’re not doing what we need to be doing to serve them.”

Harris County Department of Education’s School-Based Therapy Services division provides up to five days of professional development each school year for its 170 physical, occupational and music therapists. Among them are workshops at the Irvington conference center. Sessions are also livestreamed to open the professional development to therapists and educators across the nation, with more than 60 registering for Wednesday’s workshop.

Topics are determined through feedback from HCDE therapists, program reviews and self-evaluation from the therapy services division and industry research on the skills needed to serve in the classrooms.

“Behavior has been a hot topic no matter where you go,” said Carie Crabb, School-Based Therapy Services senior director. “Some students spent the first two years of their educational career at home post-COVID so they missed out on that time to really learn how to be a student and conduct yourself. All of these things are happening in education and so the thing that’s bubbling to the top is behavior in the classroom. Our therapists are going in and out of classrooms all day long and whatever they can bring to help the teacher and give him or her skills and strategies to help is what we want to do.”

Hastings offered intervention strategies therapists can use in the classroom for students with challenging aggressive behavior, difficulties with attention, execution functions and trauma. Attendees were allowed to share and collaborate, while specific example and situations were addressed.

“Every time I come, I learn something new that I can incorporate in the classroom,” said Janice Stock, certified occupational therapist assistant stationed in Spring Independent School District. “The support they give here and the classes and workshops that I have come to are just beneficial. This helps because you want to be able to help those kids who are struggling with behavior.”

To learn more about HCDE School-Based Therapy Services, visit hcde-texas.org/school-therapy.