2025 ATRA Annual Conference – Session Descriptions
October 18–20, 2025 | San Antonio, TX
The following is the Session Descriptions for the 2025 ATRA Annual Conference in San Antonio, TX. All sessions, times, and presenter information have been confirmed, though final adjustments may occur due to unforeseen circumstances onsite.
For a visual Calendar view, please visit: Schedule at a Glance
For information on our Bonus Day at Morgan's Sports on Friday October 17th, please visit: ATRA San Antonio Bonus Day: Morgan's Sports
Continuing Education (CEUs):
NCTRC approval is currently pending. Please check back for updates prior to the conference.
Note: Poster presentations may be eligible for CEUs in 2025. Final determinations will be reflected once CEU approvals are finalized.
For questions related to specialty certification areas, please refer to the PDF version of the program for designation icons and CEU-eligible sessions.
Code of Conduct:
All attendees, speakers, exhibitors, and guests are expected to uphold the ATRA Conference Code of Conduct.
To review the Code, view it here.
Note on Non-ATRA Activities:
Please note that any events or activities not listed in the official ATRA San Antonio program are independently organized and not affiliated or sponsored by ATRA. ATRA is not responsible for independently coordinated events, meetups or activities not articulated in this program. Individuals interested in non-ATRA sponsored activities should contact their respective organizations directly for details.
School Based Recreation Therapy for Children and Youth with Diverse needs
Session Description
This presentation will discuss the findings from two Canadian studies conducted from 2023-2025 on School-Based Recreation Therapy for children and youth with diverse needs. The first study, titled "Assessing the Need for Recreation Therapy Services (RTS) for Students with High and Complex Needs within the School System," analyzed the scope of recreation therapy services in schools and identified reasons students were being referred to these services and highlighted existing gaps. The second study examined the benefits of providing therapeutic recreation (TR) services to children and youth with mental health, physical, developmental, and/or learning disabilities across two school divisions and five different school program areas. The session will conclude with a question-and-answer segment to explore future research and funding opportunities in this field.
Learning Outcomes
1. Explain how the results of the research studies support the implementation of recreation therapy services in schools.
2. Identify three reasons for referring students to recreation therapy in a school setting.
3. Describe two benefits identified in the research project on school-based recreation therapy.
Practice Area: Select ALL that Apply
Research
Schools
Target Audience
New Graduates/New Professionals
Educators/Researchers
Mid-Career Professionals
Seasoned Professionals
Primary Presenter
![[photo]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/1cfc2cc5d78a5af8af52979b6d8feafb.png?d=https://proposalspace.com/images/no_photo.png&r=PG&s=50 "Linda Martin, Saskatchewan Polytechnic")
Linda Martin, Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Biographical Information
Linda is the Program Head for the Saskatchewn Polytech Therapeutic Recreation program and serves as a Research Chair with a focus on School Based Recreation Therapy for the Centre for Health Research, Innovation and Scholarship (CHRIS). Linda has been working with two local School Divisions to implement recreation therapy services in school-based programs to support children with various mental health, physical, developmental and/or learning disabilities in specialized school programs. She is the Principal Investigator for School Based Recreation therapy and a co-investigator and partner with a UBC research team working on a project enhancing the participation and inclusion of children with Neurodevelopmental and Intellectual disorders in community-based physical activity programs.
Prior to this Linda worked at the University of Saskatchewan, College of Kinesiology as the Director of an evidence-based Childhood Obesity Prevention Program and the Regional Health Region as the Director and Professional Leader for Therapeutic Recreation Services and a physical activity health promotion strategy.
Co-Presenter/panelists
![[photo]](https://secure.gravatar.com/avatar/78be9bad613a59f50b3e84ded789b397.png?d=https://proposalspace.com/images/no_photo.png&r=PG&s=50 "Roxanne Lang, Saskatchewan Polytechnic")
Roxanne Lang, Saskatchewan Polytechnic
Biographical Information
Roxanne Lang is a CTRS and graduate of the Bachelors of Therapeutic Recreation Program at the University of Lethbridge (2021) and the Therapeutic Recreation Diploma Program at Saskatchewan Polytechnic (2015). She is currently working as an instructor with the Saskatchewan Polytechnic Therapeutic Recreation Program. In addition, she has worked as a Recreation Therapist with the Saskatchewan Health Authority since 2015 primarily in the field of mental health and addictions, with additional experience in rehabilitation and with geriatrics. Roxanne has been working as a Research Associate on School Based Recreation Therapy since July 2022.