Friday, November 13, 2026 | 8:00 AM to 3:30 PM | First Community Credit Union Meeting Room (Mandan)
Beyond Behavior
Regulation Connection and Meaningful Participation
Why This Conference Matters
Pediatric occupational therapy professionals are increasingly asked to address emotional regulation, sensory needs, challenging behavior, and barriers to participation across home, school, and community settings. This conference matters because it moves beyond simply managing behavior and provides practical strategies for understanding what a child may be communicating through their actions.
Participants will learn how to recognize underlying sensory and emotional needs, partner more effectively with parents, and connect regulation strategies to the daily activities that are meaningful to each child. Attendees will leave with practical tools they can immediately apply to strengthen connection, support families, improve clinical reasoning, and promote meaningful participation in everyday life.
❋ When, Where, & Why ❋
Friday, November 13, 2026 | 8:00 AM – 3:30 PM
First Community Credit Union Meeting Room
4614 Memorial Hwy, Mandan, ND 58554
You Should Attend If You:
Work with children who experience sensory, emotional, or behavioral regulation challenges.
Receive referrals focused on emotional regulation, challenging behavior, or sensory needs.
Want to better understand what a child may be communicating through their behavior.
Are looking for practical sensory and regulation strategies to use across home, school, community, and therapy settings.
Want to strengthen your parent coaching skills and improve carryover beyond the therapy session.
Need strategies for helping families build connection, support regulation, and encourage growth.
Want to connect regulation-focused interventions to meaningful occupations and functional outcomes.
Are seeking practical tools that can be immediately incorporated into pediatric occupational therapy practice.
Conference Schedule
8:00 – 8:30 AM
Registration & Check-In
8:30 – 10:00 AM
Track 1
10:00 – 10:15 AM
Break
10:15 – 11:45 AM
Track 2
11:45 AM – 12:45 PM
Lunch (On Your Own)
12:45 – 2:15 PM
Track 3
2:15- 2:30 PM
Break
2:30 – 3:30 PM
Track 4
❋ Continuing Education❋
This conference is designed to be relevant and applicable to current trends in occupational therapy
Participants may be eligible for up to 6 continuing education hours.
Certificates of attendance will be provided or emailed after the conference. Attendees should retain documentation and consult their respective licensing or credentialing bodies for CE approval eligibility.
❋ Lunch Information ❋
Lunch will be on your own.
Attendees may bring their own lunch or explore nearby dining options. Additional location details will be shared prior to the conference.
❋ Sponsorship Opportunities
Sponsorship opportunities are available for organizations interested in supporting professional education and healthcare workforce well-being.
Sponsorships offer visibility throughout the conference and alignment with evidence-informed conversations on burnout, compassion fatigue, and sustainability in healthcare.
Multiple sponsorship levels are available.
Featured Speakers
Holly Osborn, MOT, OTR/L, BCP
Beyond Regulation: Bringing Occupation Back to Pediatric Occupational Therapy From “Emotional Regulation” Referrals to Meaningful Participation
Holly Osborn, MOT, OTR/L, BCP is a pediatric occupational therapist with more than 15 years of experience supporting children and families across a variety of settings, including schools, early intervention, and outpatient practice. She earned her Master of Occupational Therapy from the University of North Dakota and has been board certified in pediatrics (BCP) through the American Occupational Therapy Association since 2022.
Throughout her career, Holly has been passionate about keeping occupation-based activities at the forefront of her practice. She has extensive training in Pediatric Incontinence and Pelvic Floor dysfunction. She has a broad focus on functional participation, where she encourages others in a world where emotional regulation is a primary concern.
In addition to clinical practice, Holly has served on the AOTA Children and Youth Special Interest Section committee and currently serves as Senior Mentor at Beyond Boundaries Therapy and Wellness. She also serves as Vice President of the Board of Directors for Gigi's Playhouse Fargo, a Down syndrome achievement center.
With experience spanning clinical practice, professional service, and mentorship, Holly brings a practical and reflective perspective to pediatric occupational therapy. In her presentation "Beyond Regulation: Bringing Occupation Back to Pediatric OT," she will explore how therapists can move beyond regulation-focused referrals to identify meaningful occupations, strengthen clinical reasoning, and design interventions that support children's participation in the activities that matter most.
Learning Objectives:
1. Recognize when “emotional regulation” has become the primary intervention target rather than the support for occupational participation
2. Reframe regulation-focused referrals into occupation-based concerns by identifying what the child needs and wants to do in daily life.
3. Apply clinical reasoning to connect sensory and emotional regulation strategies to specific occupations, functional outcomes, and meaningful participation.
4. Design occupation-based interventions that address regulation, while keeping the child’s meaningful activities, routines, relationships, and participation at the center of pediatric Occupational Therapy.
Kelsey Kopp, MOT, OTR/L, ASDCS
The Regulation Toolbox: Sensory Strategies for Big Feelings and Busy Brains
Growing up in western North Dakota, I always knew I wanted to make a difference in the lives of children and families. I attended the University of North Dakota, where I earned my master’s degree in occupational therapy. After graduation, I moved to Arkansas and began my career at a sensory-based clinic, where I primarily worked with children on the autism spectrum. This experience sparked a passion for understanding the connection between sensory processing, behavior, regulation, and meaningful relationships.
Over the years, I have continued to expand my knowledge and expertise, earning my Autism Spectrum Disorder certification and sharing my passion for regulation with other professionals. I have also had the opportunity to speak at the North Dakota Occupational Therapy Conference on sensory and emotional regulation.
In 2022, I became the owner of Great Kids Therapy. While my role has grown from therapist to business owner and leader, one thing has remained constant: my passion for helping children and families thrive.
I believe that connection is at the heart of meaningful change. When we take the time to understand a child—how they communicate, process the world, regulate, connect, and experience their environment—we can move beyond simply managing behaviors and begin creating real opportunities for growth.
I am incredibly passionate about supporting kiddos and their families, meeting them where they are, and helping them discover what they need to feel successful, connected, and understood
Learning Objectives:
.1. Explain the relationship between sensory processing, nervous system regulation, and emotional regulation in children.
2. Identify common sensory and behavioral signs of dysregulation and distinguish between sensory needs, emotional needs, and environmental factors that may contribute to dysregulation.
3. Select individualized sensory strategies to support regulation based on a child’s sensory preferences, arousal level, and functional needs.
4. Apply practical regulation strategies that can be incorporated into everyday routines, transitions, learning environments, and therapeutic activities.
5. Develop a personalized “regulation toolbox” that supports children in recognizing and responding to their own regulation needs across settings.
Valerie Meyers-Bitz, MS, LPCC-S
Beyond the Session: Coaching Parents to Support Regulation, Connection & Growth
Valerie Meyers-Bitz, MS, is a Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Supervisor, national speaker, and founder of The Kid's Therapy Center. She was recognized as the 2024 Business Woman of the Year by the Bismarck-Mandan Chamber of Commerce. With more than 25 years of experience in trauma, child and family mental health, and collaboration with schools and other helping professionals, Valerie brings a practical, whole-child approach to understanding behavior.
Valerie’s work focuses on helping professionals look beyond behavior to better understand the stress, regulation needs, connection, and foundational factors influencing a child. Through her trainings, she provides practical strategies for partnering with parents, strengthening the parent-child relationship, and helping families carry therapeutic skills from the session into everyday life.
Parents play an essential role in helping children carry therapeutic skills into everyday life. This session will explore practical ways OTs can coach and support parents while looking beyond behavior to understand a child’s underlying stress, regulation needs, and symptoms. Participants will learn supportive language, the Stress Meter, whole-child foundations, and simple strategies parents can use at home to strengthen connection, regulation, and therapeutic progress.
Learning Objectives
Identify the benefits of incorporating parent coaching into pediatric OT services.
Recognize underlying stress, regulation needs, and symptoms that may be expressed through behavior.
Use practical language and coaching strategies to help parents understand and support their child.
Teach families simple strategies such as the Stress Meter, positive reflection, movement, connection, and foundational wellness practices.
Registration & Pricing
NDOTA is offering a single registration rate for members and non-members to encourage broad participation.
Occupational Therapist: $125
Students: $50
Early Bird Registration (September/October 20)
Occupational Therapists: $150
Students: $75
Registration (October 21 and after)
Register Here Today!
Sponsors
