Updated: Apr 12
Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts.
Welcome to the show notes for Episode 146 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.
Imagine a school environment where every student, regardless of their abilities, can actively participate in physical education. How can we, as occupational therapists and educators, work together to turn this into reality?
In today's episode, we are joined by Faith Newton, an occupational therapist based in England, who is passionate about inclusive physical education (PE) for students with special educational needs and disabilities.
In this episode, Faith will discuss the school-based occupational therapy system in the UK and how it compares to models in the US. She will also explore universal design principles and strategies for making PE more inclusive for all students. Tune in to learn more!
Listen now to learn the following objectives:
Learners will Identify the key components of an inclusive PE program for children with special educational needs and disabilities (SEND).
Learners will understand the role of occupational therapy in supporting neurodivergent students in physical education settings.
Learners will understand how to conduct an activity analysis for common PE games like dodgeball to identify sensory, physical, cognitive, and emotional demands.
Guest Bio
Faith Newton is a Children's Occupational Therapist and founder of School OT. She has worked with schools, parents and children since 2013. She is also the author of 'Inclusive PE for SEND Children' and has two neurodivergent children. She is passionate about making schools more inclusive.
Quotes
“People talk about the positive emotions that come with sport and that's definitely the case. But there's also can be a lot of negative emotions”
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
"My approach, really with universal strategies is things for the whole class and it's not changing the person, it's changing the environment and the occupation."
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
"My approach is what's good for kids with SEND is good for all kids."
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
"How can you make it better for everybody? The kids with no diagnosis, the kid that’s struggling, and the kids that do really well, it can just maximize their chances, if they have choice and enjoyment."
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
“For so many of our kids, there's so much else going on. It's not automatic, it's really challenging. So awareness is really key.”
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
“Inclusion is a Journey…none of us are perfect…making it manageable, the just right level of challenge for them.”
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
“I think the schools don't ask, and we don't ask them. So it's kind of like nobody's thinking about it.”
-Faith Newton, Occupational Therapy MSc (pre-reg)
“If we're going to help these students be included into general education, physical education, then we should probably also be supporting the people that are gonna make that possible, like the teachers and the aids.”
-Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
“We're all part of a team together and we all need to support one another.” -Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
Resources
Amazon- Inclusive PE for SEND Children: A Practical Guide for Teachers
Episode Transcript
Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device.
Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now!
Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Google Podcast, Spotify, or wherever you listen to podcasts