The OT Schoolhouse Podcast for School-Based OT Practitioners

In this episode of the OT School House Podcast, Jayson interviews the author of the  Handwriting Brain Body Disconnect,  Cheri Dotterer, MS, OTR/L. Listen in as Cheri defines Dysgraphia and explains what the six types of Dysgraphia are. She also shares how OTs can help students to overcome some of the problems they face by using the Motor Learning Theory and The Sensory Integration Theory. Amazon...

In this professional development podcast, Jayson interviews Dr. Stephanie Foster, PhD, OTR/L and her daughter, Nicole Foster on the effects of technology use and the promotion of a healthy balance. We will look at current trends in technology use among teens as well as how these trends may affect young adults down the road as Internet Addiction Disorder is set to be added to the newest version of...

Do you work with students who use iPads or other technology tools to access their educational curriculum and environment? RJ from RJCooper.com is a computer science guru that specializes in developing tools for people with special needs and the people who serve them. For nearly 40 years, RJ has worked primarily with people who have developmental disabilities to help them benefit from highly specia...

Listen in as Jayson and Danielle Delorenzo, OTR/L, provide an introduction to IEEs and how to prevent IEEs, defend against IEEs, and even conduct IEEs as an independent evaluator.  You can earn 1 unit of professional development by listening to this podcast and purchasing the episode 28 podcast PD opportunity at otschoolhouse.com/episode28​ Podcast Learning Objectives Listeners will: 1. Learn the...

Have you ever thought about seeing clients on the weekends or maybe during summer? Do you have a dream to be your own boss? If so, this episode is for you. In episode 27, Jayson interviews Scott Harmon, OTR/L, on how to start a therapy practice from the ground up. We talk about why many therapists turn to starting their own practice, as well as some of the practical steps you can start with if you...

In this episode, Jayson interviews Dr. Kelly Auld-Wright, OTD, OTR/L, on how to go from sensory evaluation to treating a child using sensory integration and sensory strategies in a school setting (You know, without the whole gym setup).  Kelly starts off right where Dr. Zoe Mailloux left off in Episode 25 and explains what type of patterns we should be looking for and what to do when we see those...

In this episode, Jayson interviews Dr. Zoe Mailloux, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA on the importance of completing a comprehensive evaluation in sensory integration. Since being a research assistant for Dr. A. Jean Ayres, Dr. Mailloux has gone on to author more than 30 published journal articles and has taught courses on Ayres Sensory Integration ®  all around the world. She is also a professor in the doctora...

In this episode, Jayson interviews Cara Koscinski, MOT, OTR/L and the wonderful lady behind the PocketOT.com website. Along with sharing endless amounts of therapy activities on her blog, Cara has authored 6 books and provides several online webinars for pediatric therapists. Today, she holds nothing back as we dive into how she became the pocket OT, interoception, and what is to come in the pedia...

In this episode, Jayson interviews occupational therapist and creator of the Zones of Regulation self-regulation program, Leah Kuypers. Leah has spent nearly all of her career working with children as both a private practice pediatric OT as well as a school-based therapist. But, it was during her Master's in Education program that she had an idea to develop a program simple enough for any sch...

To earn a professional development certificate of completion for this episode, click here! With technology advancing every day and becoming cheaper to access in all forms, it is no longer a matter of if virtual OT services will become prominent. Rather, virtual OT services are already here and are only going to become more prevalent in school-based settings, as well as in other traditional medical...

In episode 21 of the OT School House Podcast, guest Meg Proctor of LearnPlayThrive.com joins Jayson to share five essential strategies for occupational therapists who work with students who have Autism. Meg is an experienced pediatric occupational therapist who specializes in the provision of services with children diagnosed with Autism Spectrum Disorder.  She currently sees clients privately and...

In episode 20 of the OT School House Podcast, Abby and guest, Sarah Putt, MA, OTR/L of the OT 4 LYfe Podcast, talk about the differences between school-based OT and Early Intervention OT. They also touch on what the transition from Early Intervention to school-based services may look like.     View the entire show notes at OTschoolhouse.com/episode20 Or, learn how you can earn professional develop...

In episode 19 of the OT School House Podcast, we are excited to host Jaime Spencer, OTR/L, of MissJaimeOT.com to talk about how we can advocate for ourselves as OTs at every level from the school site to nationally. Have you heard about California's Credentialing efforts? How about New York? Join us for a conversation on why OTs should be valued like teachers and how to help with the process!...

Today we talk to Lauren Drobnjak, physical therapist and co-creator of The Inspired Treehouse Blog . Lauren and Claire, (the OT behind The Inspired Treehouse) recently co-authored a book titled the Playful Learning Lab for Kids . This new book features 52 gradable activities for kids of all abilities. You can get it on Amazon now! Be sure to listen to the episode to hear how to get 20% off at thei...

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework notes that "Clients may require access to and the ability to use technology such as cell or smartphones, computers or tablets, and videogame consoles to carry out their daily routines and occupations." (2004). With this in mind, it is not only important to understand how meaningful it is for our clients and students to access technology and onl...

Join us as Abby has a conversation with fellow pediatric blogger, The Anonymous OT (whose name will be revealed) from TheAnonymousOT.com. An experienced pediatric OT, The Anonymous OT has practiced in school-based settings as well as in a clinic and in home health settings. Together, Abby and our guest discuss the similarities and differences between school-based and clinic occupational therapy ev...

In this episode, Abby interviews Robert Constantine of OTRobert.wordpress.com about how to assess and address concerns related to visual perception and visual-motor capabilities in our children. In this podcast, you will learn to identify some of the behaviors associated with vision problems and several helpful hints about how to tease out the reason for those behaviors. Robert provides simple ste...

In this episode, Jayson interviews Jason Gonzales of  DoubleTimeDocs.com  (Affiliate link for your convenience) about some of the Laws, regulations and state guidelines that help OTs understand what should be in (or omitted from) our reports. Also discussed is when you should use standardized assessments, how to choose what assessment to use, and how to decrease the amount of time it takes to comp...

Do you run a handwriting group? Do you use a specific program? In this episode, Jayson is diving into the recent literature on handwriting to help you with your decision making when it comes to supporting your students' handwriting goals. We'll discuss everything from which programs work in what setting, to who can benefit from handwriting instruction and more. Specifically, we will be l...

In this episode, Jayson interviews fellow occupational therapist, Akemi McNeil (formerly Davies). Akemi is currently the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at Stanbridge University's Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy program where she works with hospitals, clinics, schools and other employers in order to place upwards of 120 students in an appropriate fieldwork setting.  In this po...

In this episode, Jayson Interviews Dr. Amy Sadek about how every school-based occupational therapist should be using evidence-based practices and how to find the research that guides what they are doing. Dr. Sadek's background in nutrition and occupational therapy led her to earn a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences. Dr. Sadek's research focused on linking nutrition with behavioral changes i...

In this episode, Jayson chats with Hopemarie Hower, OTR/L, the winner of the OT School House School's Out Giveaway conducted in June of 2018. Together, Jayson and Hopemarie discuss the similarities and differences between practicing OT in California and Florida. Hopemarie also shares how she collaborates with her school team to conduct assistive technology assessments and how she garners buy-...

  In this episode, guest Leah Hiller, OTR/L, and Jayson dive into Response to Intervention (RTI) a bit and discuss several ways occupational therapists can have an impact on students without ever completing an evaluation. RTI is a growing model in schools and as OTs, it opens the door for us helping more students in less time. It also provides opportunities for OTs to provide in-services for teach...

In this episode, Jayson and Abby look at the many ways to earn professional development per NBCOT guidelines and share 9 specific places where you can earn your needed Professional Development Units (PDUs) or Competency Assessment Units (CAUs) as NBCOT calls them.  There is also a special announcement at the end of this episode, so stay tuned.  Have a listen to have these three questions answered:...

In this episode, Jayson interviews occupational therapist and Doctor of Health Sciences, Dr. Rachelle Murphy. Dr. Murphy is currently an instructor at the American Career College in Anaheim, California and she is currently in the process of researching the effects of using a mindfulness program in small charter school.  During this episode, Dr. Murphy reviews recent research related to the mental...