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MILLIGAN COLLEGE, TN (January 6, 2010) — With an award-winning book, several national speaking engagements and two new books on the horizon, Dr. Christy Isbell, associate professor of occupational therapy at Milligan College, is gaining national attention as one of the leading experts in her field.
Isbell, a pediatric occupational therapist, was recently awarded the Early Childhood News Director’s Choice Award for her book “Sensory Integration: A Guide for Preschool Teachers.” She co-wrote the book with her mother, Dr. Rebecca Isbell, director of the Center of Excellence in Early Childhood Learning and Development at East Tennessee State University.
“Sensory Integration” was also the best-selling book of 2009 for Gryphon House, the nation’s top publisher of early childhood resources. The book helps teachers identify children who have difficulties with sensory processing, and it offers simple, easy-to-use solutions to support the sensory needs of young children in the preschool classroom.
As a follow-up to the book’s success, Isbell was invited to be a featured presenter at the National Association of the Education of Young Children’s (NAEYC) conference last November, where she received a warm response from more than 2,000 participants in the main exhibit hall.
“The success of ‘Sensory Integration’ has been very exciting for me,” Isbell said. “And now I have two new books coming out that pull together my two loves, typical childhood development and children with special needs.”
Her new books, which are tentatively scheduled to publish in May 2010, will be the first solo book projects for Isbell. In addition to “Sensory Integration,” she has also co-written “The Inclusive Learning Center Book for Preschool Children with Special Needs” and “The Complete Learning Spaces Book for Infants and Toddlers” with her mother.
“The two books coming out this spring really grew out of one book I began writing when I was on sabbatical from Milligan in the fall of 2008,” Isbell said. “Being an occupational therapist, fine motor development is really important to me. When I submitted a book for teachers on this topic, the publisher requested I also write a parent version.”
The book geared toward teachers is titled “Mighty Fine Motor Fun: fine motor activities for young children.” The parent version is called “Everyday Play: fun games to develop the fine motor skills your child needs for school.”
“My goal with the parent book was to provide a tool for parents of children ages 3 to 5 years,” Isbell said. “It has activities that will help them develop their fine motor skills to get them ready for school, with activities to help them to hold a pencil correctly, use scissors and other skills that are developmentally appropriate for their children.”
Isbell has several speaking engagements planned this spring, including conferences in New Jersey and Florida, and is already working on her next book. She is also focusing on publishing research, including a paper she wrote with Dr. John Paul Abner, associate professor of occupational therapy and psychology at Milligan, and Milligan alumna Kelli Scott, a pediatric occupational therapist at Quillen Rehabilitation Hospital in Johnson City, Tenn.
“No matter where I go and speak, I will have people who come up to me when they see I am from Milligan and say they knew someone who went to Milligan,” Isbell said. “I am always meeting people at conferences who know the college.”
Isbell has taught at Milligan since 1998. She holds a bachelor of science in occupational therapy and a M.H.S. from the Medical University of South Carolina. Her Ph.D. is in child development and family studies from The University of Tennessee, Knoxville.
“We are very proud of Dr. Isbell’s accomplishments,” said Dr. Mark Matson, vice president for academic affairs and dean at Milligan. “A master’s degree in occupational therapy from Milligan is widely respected in the industry, and that can be attributed to our faculty, who are among the finest in their field.”
Occupational therapy is a growing field and one of the top secure professions for the next decade, according to a recent report. To learn more about the master of science in occupational therapy program at Milligan, visit www.milligan.edu/MSOT.