OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
CENTRAL FLORIDA, USA – The Theatre for Youth and Outreach Department of the Maxwell C. King Center for the Performing Arts is bringing Kevin Spencer to the community to present a week long artist in residence program Nov. 7 – 11.
An award-winning illusionist, Spencer is widely considered the leading authority on the therapeutic use of simple magic tricks in physical and psychosocial rehabilitation. He is also an assistant professor in the Occupational Therapy Department of the University of Alabama in Birmingham.
His “pioneering” work has been featured in the Journal of the American Medical Association and is theoretically sound and therapeutically focused.
Spencer has conducted and participated in more than 20 international research projects exploring the benefits of learning magic with clients with TBI (traumatic brain injury), stroke, accident, spinal cord injury and other diagnoses.
He speaks regularly at healthcare and education conferences around the world and trains therapists through continuing education workshops and in-service presentations.
The Week Consists of Three Distinct Projects
The first is “Healing of Magic,” an exciting therapeutic modality that empowers therapists with a valuable new tool to motivate clients to become more involved in their treatment. It is designed for rehabilitative medical professionals and caregivers (parents and attendants) including speech, occupational, physical and recreation therapists.
Kevin Spencer's program is also appropriate for special educators and therapists who work with individuals with Sensory Integration Disorders, Developmental Disabilities, ADHA, Emotional Behavior Disorders, Learning Disabilities and Autism.
It is also appropriate for special educators and therapists who work with individuals with Sensory Integration Disorders, Developmental Disabilities, ADHA, Emotional Behavior Disorders, Learning Disabilities and Autism.
“Healing of Magic” includes two components – Continuing Education Workshops for therapists and hands-on therapy for patients / clients.
The Continuing Education Workshop will instruct therapists in new ways to engage their clients. They will learn several easy magic tricks that can be implemented immediately into a treatment setting.
They will also examine each trick to determine the specific therapeutic goals; i.e. cognitive, motor, perceptual and psychosocial while exploring ways to adapt each trick to the varying abilities of their clients.
The concept is simple – the movements required to learn/perform the simple magic tricks help clients regain lost physical and cognitive skills while increasing motivational levels and improving self-esteem. All the tricks in the program are designed to achieve specific therapeutic goals by improving the skills necessary for activities of daily living (ADL).
The hands-on therapy activities are 15 – 20 minute sessions for individuals or small groups of participants with similar diagnoses. Each client is taught simple magic tricks selected to help them achieve a specific therapeutic objective.
“Healing of Magic” is offered Monday, Nov. 7, from 8 a.m. – 3 p.m. Attendees can earn 6 CEUs for participating in this workshop.
Hocus Focus
The second project is “Hocus Focus,” an experiential-learning program for students with varying degrees of educational challenges and abilities. It is a creative instructional tool to support the learning of all students including autistic, cognitively delayed, emotional disturbed and learning disabled students.
Based on peer-reviewed research, Hocus Focus includes two components – professional development workshops for educators and classroom activities for students.
Based on peer-reviewed research, Hocus Focus includes two components – professional development workshops for educators and classroom activities for students.
The professional development workshop is designed to empower educators with new strategies to excite their students about the learning experience.
Teachers will comprehend the educational foundation for arts integration; gain knowledge on how to align activities with National and State Common Core Standards of Learning by integrating simple magic activities into the classroom setting.
“As educators, the most important aspect of one’s work is to help children prepare for a bright and challenging future,” said Spencer.
“But if we don’t also teach our children how to deal with life’s difficulties, many simply won’t realize their potential,” Spencer says.
“With students who face additional challenges – LD, ADHD, SLD, NLD, Autism or any number of other physical and/or psychosocial obstacles – the job of an educator may include finding strategies to move them into becoming a more competent learner.
“That’s why I created the Hocus Focus curriculum, with the fundamental goal of fostering student growth and development,” said Spencer.
The classroom activities are 30-45 minute sessions where students learn two or three simple magic tricks that align with a State Common Core Standard of Learning. The tricks encourage creativity, problem-solving, critical thinking, observational techniques and cooperative learning.
Research has demonstrated these activities increase self-esteem, self-determination, self-efficacy, improve cognitive and motor skills and impact the metacognitive and self-system processes.
“Hocus Focus” will be offered Tuesday, Wednesday and Friday, Nov. 8, 9 and 11. Anyone interested in having Spencer visit their classroom should contact the King Center.
Spencers Theatre of Illusion
The final component of the week is a theatrical production on the King Center main stage called “Spencers Theatre of Illusion.”
Audience members will be mesmerized by internationally recognized and award-winning illusionists, the Spencers, as they fuse elaborate stage illusions, magic, drama, personality and showmanship into an electrifying theatrical spectacle. This performance is Thursday, Nov. 10 at 7 pm.
Williams
“Each year the King Center presents a different artist in a residency program,” said Karen Wilson, director of the King Center’s Theatre for Youth program.
“In the past, these include residencies with Yo Yo Ma, Peking Acrobats, VOTE, ISH, Camp Broadway ,Trail of Tears and Project Trio to name a few. This residency with Kevin Spencer is the most ambitious and innovative ever done and we are very excited to bring this to our community,” said Wilson.
For information and registration on the workshops call 321-433-5718.
For ticket information on the main stage performance at the King Center log on to KingCenter.com where you can pick your seats, pay for your order and print your tickets. You may call the King Center ticket office at 321-242-2219.
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