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What if 20 minutes with a group of teachers could open the door to better collaboration all year long? Some of the most helpful occupational therapy work I have done in schools happened in a room with zero students. Instead, it happened while sitting with teachers, talking through a concern they were seeing every day, and helping them look at that challenge through an OT lens. In my experience, one focused teacher in-service can lead to more follow-up questions, classroom conversations, and opportunities to support students than a polished report that gets filed away and rarely revisited. And you do not need to prepare a 90-minute professional development session or build an elaborate slide deck. An actionable in-service can be 20 or 30 minutes long. It can focus on one concern teachers already want help with and end with one realistic next step. Here is how to plan a session teachers can use—and that makes it easier for them to collaborate with you afterward. How a teacher in-service can change collaboration Most teachers know that occupational therapy supports students, but they may not always know when to contact you, what to share with you when they do contact you, or how OT fits into their classroom system. This is not due to a lack of respect for OT. Teachers have full plates, and our role can look different from one campus or district to another. In episode 175 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, I discussed how teachers and administrators really think about school-based OT. Their perspectives are a helpful reminder that collaboration starts with understanding each other's roles and realities. Recent research out of Australia also highlights the value of clear communication, understanding each other's roles, and giving teachers and OTs opportunities to learn together. These studies do not prove that one short presentation will change student outcomes, but they support working together around the classroom activities that matter to students (Lavery, MacKinnon, & Clark, 2026; Jeremy, Hinitt, & Spandagou, 2025). An in-service gives you a reason to begin that conversation. The goal isn't to show teachers everything you can do. Instead, the goal is to make one school problem easier to address together. Of course, a presentation will not fix a large caseload, limited planning time, or staffing shortages. But it can give everyone a shared way to talk about the concern and make it easier for a teacher to approach you later with a question. Start by asking teachers what they need The easiest mistake is choosing your topic before talking to the people who will attend. It may be tempting to automatically present on handwriting, sensory processing, or fine motor skills. Those can all be useful topics—but only if they match a current need. Instead, start with one question: What is one concern you wish you had more support with this year? You can ask it in a one-question email, a short staff survey, a grade-level meeting, or a conversation with a teacher leader. You do not need a lengthy survey. You just need enough input to notice a pattern. If several teachers mention students shutting down during writing, your topic might be reducing barriers to written output. If transitions come up repeatedly, you might focus on routines and environmental supports. If teachers are unsure when to request an OT consultation, you might explain what early collaboration looks like. This is the same teacher-first mindset discussed in Episode 194 on coaching and creating lasting impact. When we begin with the teacher's priorities, the session is more likely to feel relevant than when we arrive with a predetermined list of strategies. Choose one outcome, not the entire OT scope Once you have a few possible topics, decide on one main goal for the session. Ask yourself: Is this a problem teachers are already trying to solve? Can I offer a participation-focused perspective? Can teachers use at least one idea within the next week? Can I cover the topic responsibly in 20–30 minutes? For example, “understanding occupational therapy” is too broad. “When a classroom observation may help before a formal referral” is more focused. “Sensory processing” is broad. “Ways to make classroom transitions more predictable” gives everyone a clear topic they can use. Your session is not a test of how much content you can fit into 20 minutes. It is an opportunity to help teachers leave with one useful shift in thinking and one action they can try. Seven in-service ideas for school-based OT If you are not sure where to begin, these topics can help you turn common school concerns into focused, useful sessions. But be sure to find out if these resonate with your teachers before starting to plan it all out. 1. How OT supports participation beyond handwriting Help teachers connect OT to access, routines, self-care, regulation, organization, play, and participation throughout the school day. Use a few brief examples from common school occupations instead of reviewing every area in the OT scope of practice. Practical takeaway: Give teachers a one-page “When might I collaborate with OT?” guide. 2. When to collaborate with OT before a formal referral Explain how a brief conversation, classroom observation, or Tier 1 support may help clarify a concern before anyone assumes that an evaluation is the next step. The article on Tier 1 OT interventions to reduce unnecessary referrals offers more ideas for this approach. Practical takeaway: Share two or three examples of concerns that could begin with collaborative problem-solving. 3. Classroom supports for regulation and attention Focus on routines, task demands, environmental factors, and student participation—not a menu of disconnected “sensory tools.” Help teachers observe when and where a student has difficulty and match supports to the activity. Practical takeaway: Walk through one classroom routine and identify a support that can become part of that routine. 4. Supporting written output beyond “more handwriting practice” Show how written work can be affected by motor demands, language, idea generation, executive functioning, visual demands, endurance, and the classroom environment. This helps the team move beyond a single explanation for every writing concern. Practical takeaway: Give teachers a quick checklist for identifying where the writing process may be breaking down. 5. OT collaboration within MTSS Clarify how OT practitioners may contribute to universal supports, targeted problem-solving, data collection, and team decision-making. For a deeper dive, see OTS 203 on MTSS interventions for sensory processing. Practical takeaway: Identify one existing school routine where OT can support a whole class or grade level. 6. Environmental changes that promote independence Use examples involving seating, materials, visual cues, room arrangement, and task setup. Emphasize that small environmental changes can sometimes reduce the need for repeated adult prompts. Practical takeaway: Invite teachers to look at one classroom area and ask, “What could we change here to help students do more on their own?” 7. What information makes an OT consultation more useful Teach staff to describe the activity, context, frequency, current supports, and effect on participation. “The student has poor fine motor skills” gives us less to work with than “During independent writing, the student stops after two sentences and needs repeated prompts to continue.” Practical takeaway: Provide a simple before-consultation prompt teachers can use to organize their observations. A simple 20–30 minute in-service agenda You can build a helpful session around this structure: 2–3 minutes: Name the teacher-identified problem. 5 minutes: Reframe the problem through participation, the activity, and the environment. 8–10 minutes: Teach two or three usable strategies. 5 minutes: Work through one realistic classroom example. 5 minutes: Invite questions and agree on one next step. I have used slide decks for in-services, but 15 slides are not a requirement. A one-page handout, short demonstration, whiteboard sketch, or guided discussion may work better for your staff. The format matters less than the focus. Teachers should be able to answer three questions when the session ends: What did I learn? What can I try? When should I follow up with OT? How to ask your administrator for time Once you have a topic, make the request specific. An administrator is more likely to understand a focused proposal than a general request to “talk about OT.” You can adapt this: I would like to offer a 20-minute in-service based on a concern teachers have identified: [topic]. My goal is to give staff two practical supports they can use immediately and clarify when collaboration with OT may help. Could we reserve 20 minutes during [meeting/date]? If possible, explain how the topic connects to a current school goal, a concern teachers mention often, or current MTSS work. Do not promise that one session will reduce referrals or improve scores. Keep the goal realistic: useful strategies, clearer collaboration, and one agreed-upon next step. Follow up so the in-service becomes collaboration The presentation is the beginning, not the finish line. Afterward, send the handout or slides and ask teachers to try one strategy—not all seven. Set a specific time to check in, even if it is just a quick email two weeks later. Invite a teacher to share what worked, what was difficult, and what they noticed about student participation. When appropriate, offer a classroom observation or a brief problem-solving conversation. These six strategies for impactful school-based OT consultations can help you plan what comes next. To see whether the in-service was helpful, pay attention to a few simple things: Did teachers try the strategy? What follow-up questions did they ask? Did anyone request an observation or consultation? What should you explain differently or revisit next time? Research on school-based consultation suggests that collaboration is most useful when it stays connected to school activities and student participation—not when it ends after we share information (Villeneuve, 2009). An older, small study of therapist-teacher teams also found encouraging results when they worked together on practical classroom goals, although the study was limited in size (Dunn, 1996). In other words, the real value is not the presentation itself. It is what the team does next. Start small and make it useful You do not need a perfect slide deck, a full professional development day, or even a "Perfect" explanation of OT. Ask teachers what they need. Choose one focused outcome. Share two or three practical ideas. Then make it easy to continue the conversation. That small, useful starting point can help teachers understand how you think, help you understand the realities of their classrooms, and create a stronger foundation for supporting students together. Want help planning your first—or next—teacher in-service? Get the free School-based OT Teacher In-service Starter Kit using the form above. After you confirm your email, you'll be redirected to the resource. You will also receive practical school-based OT tips from the OT Schoolhouse, and you can unsubscribe anytime. And, if you want an editable sensory-focused presentation and more ongoing support, you can also explore The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative. Listen to these OT Schoolhouse podcast episodes for more on how to improve OT-Teacher Collaboration What Teachers and Admin Really Think About School-based OT (OTS 175) Supporting Teachers First and How Coaching Creates Lasting Impact for Students (OTS 194) What MTSS Interventions Produce the Best Results for Sensory Processing? (OTS 203)

Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 206 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. What if we've been asking the wrong question all along? For years, school-based occupational therapy practitioners have debated whether challenging student behaviors are driven by sensory processing differences or behavior. But what if that distinction isn't the most important one? In this episode, Jayson is joined by Kristen Brokamp, OTR/L and Breanna Lynch, OTR/L, co-founders of Holding Space Collaborative, to explore how OTPs can move beyond labels and instead focus on participation, regulation, trauma-informed care, and systems-level change. Together, they discuss why behavior is often a signal—not the problem itself—and how occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely positioned to help schools build environments that promote wellness, collaboration, and meaningful participation for every student. Whether you're supporting students individually, consulting with teachers, or hoping to expand OT's impact throughout your school, this conversation will challenge your thinking and inspire new possibilities. Listen now to learn the following objectives: — Learners will identify why focusing solely on "sensory vs. behavior" may limit occupational therapy intervention. — Learners will recognize OT's role in supporting school-wide wellness and prevention efforts. — Learners will identify opportunities to implement systems-level strategies that promote student participation and regulation. Guest(s) Bio Breanna Lynch, MOT, OTR/L is a native New Yorker who now calls Cincinnati, Ohio, home after graduating with her undergraduate and Masters degrees from Xavier University. Breanna co-owns Holding Space Collaborative with longtime friend and therapist, Kristen Brokamp. She brings extensive knowledge in program and systems development for preventative mental health work in schools and community partnerships. She is passionate about promoting care using a trauma-responsive and equity-centered lens. Breanna’s other special interests include reflex integration, gut health, and interdisciplinary teamwork. Outside of work you can find her outside with her family, drinking coffee, and being a tourist in her own neighborhood. Kristen Brokamp, MOT, OTR/L is an occupational therapist and private practice owner born and raised in Cincinnati. She completed her undergraduate work at Ohio State University and Masters in Occupational Therapy at the University of Indianapolis. She expands on previous experience in school-based, adult inpatient and acute rehabilitation, pediatric outpatient, and home- and community-based settings. She strongly believes that strengthening caregiver mental health is a key component to overall child and family wellness. Her therapeutic passions include airway health, sensory processing and reflex integration, and easy-to-implement strategies to support child and family activity participation. Outside of all things OT, you can find Kristen out and about with her family, traveling, and listening to music. Quotes “We like to refer to Ross Greene quotes…The essential function of challenging behavior is to communicate to adults that a kid doesn’t possess the skills to handle certain demands in certain situations.” — Kristen Brokamp “You might be the only one that’s wondering the big picture.” — Kristen Brokamp "We can only function as well as the system we're in." — Breanna Lynch "There's no one person who has the capacity to address the behavioral needs of all students in the school." — Breanna Lynch "We can only function as well as the system that we’re in” —Breanna Lynch "The place where OTs can really shine is when we can bring in the occupation and play." —Breanna Lynch "OTs do it better." — Jayson Davies Resources 👉Holding Space Collaborative 👉Holding Space Collaborative IG 👉Holding Space Collaborative Facebook 👉Ross Greene 👉Every Moment Counts 👉Comfortable Cafeteria 👉OT Practice article: Advocating for a Seat at the Table Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Is it sensory? Is it behavior? Is it something completely else? If you have worked in the schools for more than five minutes, you have heard that question before, and honestly, it's the wrong question. And it's time to change it up. I'm Jayson Davies, and welcome to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Today, I'm sitting down with Breanna Lynch and Kristen Brokamp, co-owners of the Holding Space Collab in Cincinnati, Ohio, who have spent nearly seven years helping to facilitate AOTS pediatric trauma community of practice, and who are also now doing some of the most innovative system level work I've heard of in school-based occupational therapy. We're talking about redesigning in-school suspension rooms into actual intervention spaces, building tiered wellness programs inside of public school districts, and most importantly, making the case that OT practitioners are not just equipped to support behavior when sensory is involved, but instead that we are equipped to support behavior all the time, not just when sensory is involved. Yep, I said it. We can support behavior beyond sensory, and Brianna and Kristen are here to share with you exactly how they're doing just that. Let's cue the intro and dive into it. Amazing Narrator Hello, and welcome to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, your source for school-based occupational therapy tips, interviews, and professional development. Now, to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies. Class is officially in session. Jayson Davies Kristen and Breanna, welcome to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. It's such a pleasure to have you here. I'm really excited because we are going to be talking about the quote-unquote elephant in the OT room, especially in the school setting, and that is sensory versus behavior a little bit. But before we get into that, I just want to jump right into it, and I want to give both of you an opportunity to kind of share what it means to you to support behavior but beyond sensory. Breanna, would you like to kind of kick us off? Breanna Lynch Yeah, sure. So I think maybe the bigger question that we tend to look at is how do we support a student as holistically as possible? When we get into the is it behavior? Is it sensory? Sometimes we just get stuck in a rut, and it stops us from really thinking of how to support the student as much as possible. So I think something that OTs do really well is being able to sometimes tease out those things, but I don't think it's really all that necessary. So supporting behavior looks like to us supporting regulation, and now I think definitely we see more in the post-COVID world as we understand mental health better as we understand regulation, nervous system regulation, all these kind of like fad words that you see popping up in social media that touch every every little piece. In education, OTs can really be that person to collaborate with the team and figure out what are all the different areas and how is the behavior or the regulation, dysregulation impacting the student, and then move on to how can we really support that? Jayson Davies Absolutely. And Kristen, what what came up to or what came to your mind as I talked about you know beyond sensory and supporting students? Kristen Brokamp Sure, I'll second everything Brianna said and consider that if we're asking the question, is it sensory or is it behavior? Then we are too narrowed in to that question, and like Brianna said, need to take a wider, holistic view of what's impacting function and participation for the student. And I we like to refer to Ross Green quotes specifically one that mentions the essential function of challenging behavior is to communicate to adults that a kid doesn't possess the skills to handle certain demands in certain situations, and we know that as OTs we're skilled and probably you know one of the only team members who are looking at the environmental considerations, the task considerations, and the individual personal skills that a kid has that help them to participate, or that then present as behavioral difficulties. Right. So consider. those aspects as the OT, whether or not they're sensory challenges or other challenges, is where I feel we belong. Jayson Davies Yeah, absolutely, and I love that you both brought up like the holistic nature of occupational therapy, right? Like you even said it, Breanna. I think like it doesn't matter. Like it, I mean, when it comes to the actual treatment side, right? Like we kind of have to know which way we're going to go treatment wise. But and and I'll kind of pose this as a question for you. Like, can we not provide occupational therapy support to a student that? Has behavioral difficulties that are not based on sensory. I know we had this question planned for later, but I think that's like the question of the moment. So, yeah, what do you think? Can can we address behavior that isn't sensory related? Breanna Lynch 100 times over, yes, yes, absolutely. No, like no questions asked. Yeah, I mean, I think, like I said before, like, does it matter? Does it matter what the origin is? We don't know everything about every student. I know I touched on on like the piece of trauma responsive care, right? It's kind of that same understanding of having a trauma informed lens. Like I don't know everything about every individual that I meet, but I can still meet them where they're at with care and compassion and wonder to help support them. Right. So the same thing. Right. Who? What's? Who cares? It's this is the problem or the challenge that's inhibiting participation. That's making it difficult for the student to access the curriculum, the the extracurricular activities, whatever it is, right? So let's just see that for what it is. Okay, that's a that's the fact that we're kind of using, and then let's build intervention around that, right? I mean, I feel like that is the that's the heart of occupational therapy is figuring out okay there's this occupational performance thing that's challenging for this student so let's help support them through that Jayson Davies yeah yeah yeah and now both of you have you know experience as occupational therapy practitioners you're not brand new out of you know OT school, but I would imagine that maybe once upon a time you both kind of struggled with this whole idea of sensory versus behavior. And so, Kristen, I want to come to you and kind of ask you, like, do you recall you know as a newer pediatric therapist, kind of having this internal struggle of sensory versus behavior, or maybe sensory versus trauma, or kind of just that internal struggle that I think we've all experienced. Did you have that, and was there something that helped you kind of break out of that a little bit? Kristen Brokamp Oh, absolutely. I feel even if if you're starting out in school school based practice, especially having a mentor to guide you through the bigger picture thinking is essential, but not a lot of students have that right off the bat. Caseloads are high, and overwhelm and right traveling between district schools for direct intervention students is really difficult. So it's it's it's hard, and I hear Brianna talking about intervention for behavioral supports. And ideally, yes, that's amazing. And in a picture of perfect world and system, we're able to do that for every single student. But what can that intervention look like on a school level or a team level, and maybe not a direct intervention with a student level. So, thinking on those terms of what intervention means and what supports are in place. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And in fact, you know, I'm going to jump down to this because I went and looked at the article, Brianna, that you and I think it was Nicole published in the OT practice, and I've got this here. It's right here. You presented nationally on this topic, or sorry, yeah. In the in the praxis article, you and Nicole and Abe noted that establishing a wellness promotion can only be. You noted establishing wellness promotion can only be accomplished with system level innovation resulting from advocacy, and that's kind of what I just heard from what Kristen said. Like we can't necessarily do this just one on one. We have to develop this system level approach in order to support all student behavior. Brianna, I'll let you kind of follow up on what Kristen was saying in that quote a little bit and what that means to you. Breanna Lynch Yeah, I think you know. Back to your initial question, I still think Kristen obviously comes at it with a lot of experience in school-based practice too. I don't know that many new grads are thinking about about how maybe I would break out of the individual student intervention model, and and so I think that's a piece to acknowledge is that initially I don't think I would have ever thought like that as a new practitioner. I feel like most of the time you're like this is my caseload and this is what I do and I just do it to the best of my ability because I don't even know what I'm doing. Jayson Davies True. Breanna Lynch right? So, so I think that's you know from back being a new practitioner, it was like you just do the best with what you have, and I think that continues to be true. I'm still doing the best with what I have. I just have things that are different now, right? So. That article is based on a lot of really great work that I did with Nicole and Abe from a from an implementation, a realistic school-based implementation side, and also in advocacy on the state and national level and research. So there's kind of like the both and there, but really we can only function as well as the system that we're in. So, Jayson Davies I love it. Breanna Lynch If the system doesn't have the capacity for the innovation for this this outside the box thinking, if we live in a system which we do on a larger standpoint that doesn't value all education for all students all the time. Then it's hard. It's hard to do what we're saying. So I also want to make sure, and Kristen did this already, to acknowledge that it's really hard to function in a system that's not built for this, right? And so, part of what we're really passionate about in our practice and our business is to continue to reimagine what it looks like, and to build capacity within the system we have. Right. So, what does it look like to have a system that maybe is not necessarily going to change, you know, drastically? How do we build capacity and reimagine something? Redesign small pieces of it. Look at the roles and responsibilities of different team members, right? To to remake a system that is a better fit for the team members, a better fit for students, better fit for families, right? So that we can start to implement some of these wellness and behavioral type interventions on a bigger a bigger level. There's no one person that has the capacity to address the behavioral needs of all students in the school. So, yeah. Jayson Davies that's a powerful that's a powerful line, and I I think it's I mean you had a few powerful lines already in the first 10 minutes of this episode, both of you, and it's true, right? Like I think we often try to make something that's very gray into black and white, and you know it. There's so many quotes out there that just like throw that out the window. Like it takes a village, right? Like to to support a student or to support a child, and I don't think any one OT can support anything, just like I don't think any one SLP or ABA therapist or teacher can support an entire child, and it really does take a team. But the flip side of that is like sometimes we don't feel like we're always as much a part of the team as we'd like to be, and you just brought up the idea of that being a systematic problem. That's not an OT problem. It's a systematic problem, and that's something I say a lot as well. So, so really appreciate that. We've already jumped around a little bit more than I anticipated in the first five minutes of the podcast, which is totally on me. But I do want to back up and let you both kind of share a little bit, kind of because you you've talked a little bit about your business now and what you're doing. But I want to give you both the opportunity to kind of share, Kristen. You you talked about school base, Brianna, a little bit more pediatric side, but I want to let you both kind of share how you got to what you're doing today. Brianna was just talking, so Kristen, I'll come to you first and kind of share how you got to where where you and Brianna are working now together. Kristen Brokamp Absolutely. So I'm about 10 years in to my occupational therapy practice. I'm graduated from the University of Indianapolis, which had a great program. I felt like in a holistic development of practitioners, as well as evidence-based, a big evidence-based push and team treatment push. So when I got my first job in Cincinnati, it was at an outpatient pediatric practice, but they also did school-based practice. So I was a little bit of school-based practice and a little bit of outpatient pediatric treatment that was in a multidisciplinary trauma clinic, so we'll touch on that I think in a little bit because that's how me and Brianna developed into this holding space business that we are so passionate about. But from the school side of things, I had an amazing mentor who had been practicing for over 20 years, building up my knowledge of school-based practice and really suggesting and wondering what it could look like or when it could look like that I was developing relationships with school personnel, teachers, support staff and win that OT really building my confidence as an OT to prove and provide what we could in the schools, but also showcasing from an RTI MTSS tiered stand. Point of how we could integrate our knowledge and our skills into regular conversations and relationships that are built in throughout the schools. So that was super super influential for my practice development. Then eventually went to more school based practice, and from there have developed the holding space private practice that Brean and I do together. So I will let her. Jayson Davies Awesome. Kristen Brokamp Share as well. Jayson Davies Congrats, Kristen! I love it. I I think a lot of OTs start in a similar type of world where they have both that pediatric and school-based, and to be honest, I I often sometimes advise therapists to go into the pediatric world a little bit before in the schools because I think there's so much that you learn in the pediatric outpatient that you can bring to the schools and and vice versa. To be honest, but but yeah, no, I love that you got both both sides of it. That's that's fantastic. And Brianna, what about you? How did you kind of get to where you are today? Breanna Lynch Yeah, so a little bit different than Kristen. We met because we were working together in that outpatient pediatric setting. But my entire caseload, my whole week, was in the outpatient clinic in a variety of different clinics, but in that outpatient setting. And I really didn't get into school-based practice until I started working on the prevention and wellness team at a school district. Of course, there was lots of overlap with the families I was working with and outpatient of what their needs were at school, and kind of collaborating with the school OT or other school professionals to support the the kids I was seeing outpatient. But moved into a role that has shaped a lot of kind of our systems level work. Where I just happened to be an OT in that role, but the team was a multidisciplinary team, and our entire aim was to enhance the prevention and wellness promotion of students and staff across the district, and hopefully already we've made the point that we feel like OTs are positioned to do that. But that really gave me this very interesting lens. I grew and and was stretched as a therapist in so many ways to learn so much about special education from the practice and from like the legal side and some social work things and all of this was amidst COVID, so it was just like a really, I got a really interesting, just really threw in thrown into the deep end there, and it really helped me to hone my appreciation for the ways that OTs can look at shared problem solving, look at team collaboration. I feel like obviously super biased, but I feel like we're the best of the best of of trying to bring the team together to to look at a student or a scenario or a classroom in a really broad and oftentimes positive light. Like what's going well in this scenario? What's going well for this student? Let's look at all the things that this family is is trying to do to support their student. Like those kinds of things, I feel like OTs do so well, and I was able to bring that lens to a much larger team. In that, I feel like Kristen and I, along the way, have been always collaborating on on different work endeavors, and then also outside projects. When when we were new grads, we were working in a multidisciplinary trauma clinic, and that was something that we had to. We had amazing mentorship and supervision and support. We also were like, "What are we doing? So, so we really were super self-directed in figuring out, like, okay, we need to read all the research we can get. Which honestly, at the time, was very little within the occupational therapy scope of practice. So we read all different discipline research. We went to conferences. We did all the things. We started a community of practice within AOTA, all in the spirit of our own professional growth and learning, so that we could, you know, feel confident that we were the best therapist we could possibly be when we showed up at this very specialty clinic, and so that from there we spent a lot of time together, and and we grew really awesome friendship and and built this like vision that we had notes of together of one day we were going to have this practice together and it was going to was going to wrap all these things and all these interests up in a bow, and so holding space collaborative came to be almost four years ago now, and it's we're we're building a dream. Jayson Davies So that's awesome, man! Such a such a variety of experience between the two two of you, and I love it. I love how you're bringing it all together with holding space and more. That in a second, but we're going to take our first break here. When we come back, we're going to talk a little bit about what you might consider the missing word in the whole sensory versus sensory and behavior discussion. So we'll be right back. All right, we are back, and that word that I was talking about here is trauma. Trauma is not found in the term sensory versus behavior. I don't think it's really even implied when we say behavior, although you should absolutely assume that it should be implied. I think, but even as you were talking earlier, you know about your experiences in the past. It sounds like this, the work that you two had together kind of started within a trauma-informed approach, and I would love to get both of your takes on how trauma fits into sensory versus behavior. So, with that, I'll let the two of you speak on it. Breanna Lynch Sure. Yeah, I mean, our practice has always included a trauma informed and trauma responsive lens. So I can say we don't really know any differently. Not that I would say either of us came out of grad school like knowing anything really in that vein, But I think we've talked about this before, the two of us, and we talk about it with our employees and and like the fieldwork students we have is kind of like what came first was it was it the trauma and then we see like sensory processing changes or behavioral changes, or were there always these sensory processing things, and then there was also trauma? And again, like we always just come back to like, does it matter? You can stay on that hamster wheel forever, but like, does it really matter? And is it going to change the treatment? And like, 10 out of 10 times, it's not going to change how you approach the treatment. You're just seeing a student, a child, an adult, anybody. Here's how they show up. All right, let's go from here. But and I should say not but and we do know from mounting research that trauma impacts sensory processing. So I think without a doubt, those two are inextricably connected, and I don't think you can support and know that you're supporting a wide variety of individuals with trauma, which the majority of us have experienced adversity that's considered an adverse childhood experience without understanding how sensory processing is impacted, so I I do think that it's really hard to separate those two, and I also think that's why occupational therapy practitioners are in the just right spot. There, we have the the tools and the knowledge of sensory processing to help to kind of problem solve that with the team. Jayson Davies Yeah. And and I mean trauma is so unique. You talked about that, like what came first, the trauma or sensory. And you know, when you think about trauma, I think a lot of people try and try and like, okay, well, there's a change to the brain in the moment that that trauma was experienced. But I don't know that that's you know actually true. Like it almost trauma impacts from to from the day of the trauma, you know out out from there, and it's the experiences combined with the trauma, the the post traumatic experiences combined with that trauma experience that really start to I don't know. Like I'm not a trauma expert here, but like it's not just a one-time event. It happens over a period of time, and the same thing, like kind of with sensory. We don't know what came first: the sensory experiences first, or the sensory in combination with the trauma experiences and all that. So, yeah, I don't think, like you said, I don't think we can separate out behavior versus sensory versus trauma. Like this, all kind of comes together into this holistic. And I don't know, maybe the title of this podcast will be sensory versus behavior. Doesn't matter, like because that's kind of what it comes down to. Kristen Brokamp Yeah, I mean, and I'll add on that. Yeah, what, and especially as a new grad when you're coming in, and does it matter if you know what the trauma is? The trauma, or a trauma, is a subjective experience of something that has happened throughout someone's lifespan, and we know that if it happens in the early years, it impacts right the brain development and sensory processing and all skills moving forward. But what if, as a new grad, and you don't have all that information yet, you can still come to the table asking, you know, what has led you to this point? Right, not maybe not outwardly, because they might not be able to answer that. But what experiences have you had? What skills have you developed that has have led you to this point? I don't need to know all the answers right now, but I'm here, right, with you to help make sense of what skills we're working on and what would be helpful moving forward. So even calling it a trauma kind of defines that you need to know exactly point in time or what happened, and not necessarily the case. I think we can, especially as new grads are. If you're listening to this, you can consider every student or every family you're working with as just a a person who's experienced many things, and some of those things may have impacted the way they develop, and definitely has. And you don't need to have all those concrete answers to to help them recognize their strengths and be the best participation have the best participation in any environment. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, no, I. It's amazing because so we did an episode not too long ago about the occupational profile and how we should be conducting this occupational profiling, getting background on a student, and all of that. And but at the same time, if our answer is it doesn't matter, like what is the important pieces of this occupational profile that do matter? You know, is it did the student have an A score of whatever, or is it that the student has a diagnosis of autism, or is it that like what actually matters on our occupational profile then, and and even going further, what actually matters in our evaluation? And I don't know if either of you have thoughts on that particular thinking that's just going on in my brain right now. Kristen Brokamp Well, that's one thing we've added as a private practice to our intake questionnaire is a brief statement just about how the subjective experiences a person has in their life impacts their skills and development, and put an adapted ACE questionnaire into our intake form, so it gives us some very brief information about things that may or may not have have occurred, such as you know family separations or living with an individual who has a mental illness, or you know obviously any physical or emotional or other otherwise defined trauma. But that brings to light a little bit about what has brought them to this intake as we develop that occupational profile. Jayson Davies Okay, so then a follow up on that: How do you actually use that information? Do you feel like that is important within your evaluation, or do you feel like it's more beneficial to have that information when you're actually treating the student one on one or in a group, like when do you find yourself actually referring to that information? Breanna Lynch Yeah, I think it depends on on the person and how relevant it ends up being to their story when we do the evaluation. Even if we give it a mention in the the write up of the evaluation versus kind of just a nugget of information that we tuck into our pocket, and sometimes it depends on which of the child life events that they check. That we may tap into that more just based on our own knowledge of how some of the occupational performance skills may be impacted based on the type of trauma, but I think that's come with a lot of practice and it's a lot of nuance because I also feel we've gone back and forth about this a lot. If it's not, if it doesn't really matter, which and I think in our heart of hearts we don't think that it does. It doesn't. Not that it doesn't matter. Let me rephrase that. It matters a lot. It doesn't matter to how we are gonna like meet this person where they're at. You know, we're gonna do the intervention based on the individual that sits in front of us. And because the that adversity is so subjective, you know, when you've met one person that has experienced homelessness, you've met one person that's experienced homelessness. The same way people say that of when you've met one autistic individual, you've met one autistic individual, right? That that line works. Jayson Davies Can we just keep it as if you met one person, you met one person? Like, can we just exactly right Breanna Lynch Exactly? So I think if we get too stuck in the aces, two things in my mind. One, we get too stuck on it being black and white, and like, oh well, if this ace happened at this age, then this, and like, you'll drive yourself mad over that because every person is going to present differently, right? The second part is it also the ACE questionnaire again is only as good as the system it was developed in, and so we know so much more about adversity and how it impacts the brain and and our skill development now. The ACE questionnaire completely leaves out the systems that oppress and cause adversity to individuals, right? So if we leave out all of those things, we're really missing the mark too. When we're using a super holistic systems level lens to assess how to support a client or how to support a student or a family, so many of those are so much more pervasive in the everyday person that we work with, and so you know, it's the it's the both and it's it's great information to have as background, and we also want to take into account all the bigger things that impact a person. I think what's important to remember is that trauma impacts the way that the person sees themselves and the way that they see others and the world, right? So that's really what we're looking for. Like, how does this person view themselves, their own personal safety? How do they view trust and safety with me as this new therapist entering their world? How does it impact how they see the world, right? And when we talk about kids with dysregulation and behavior, everything is is unjust. It's not fair. It's it's me against the world. It's all you know those kinds of oppositional, defiant, all those words that you know like that. That's what we're thinking about. Like, what experiences have you had that led you to a place where you feel like it's me against the world? It feels like everybody's against me. Everything's unjust. Like I'm a bad kid, right? Like that's that's the using that trauma informed lens of just being like, wow. Like I wonder what brought you to this spot, but like we might not know. We're just at this spot with you, and then we go. Yeah. Kristen Brokamp and just as a school-based OT, you're sitting in those IEP meetings. You're you're writing those progress reports, right? You're sitting in those. You might be asked to consult on those functional behavior assessments or behavior intervention plans, and you just might be the only one that's wondering the big picture and not getting stuck in the this behavior is occurring talk. So just bringing to light that that you're you might be the person that is bringing the whole picture in as part of the team. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, and and man, so much so many directions we can go with this. We have so many questions that that we're not going to get to today, and that's totally fine. Brianna, like, just want to mention, right? Like you, you talked about during your background about this job that you had, where you were an OT but not an OT, like on this team, or at least not a job that was specifically made for OT. Breanna Lynch Yeah. Jayson Davies and I don't think we're going to have time to jump into that too much today, but we are going to have Nicole, your your supervisor, on the podcast in a few weeks to talk more about that that job. So we won't go into too much of that today, but I do know that that really shaped what you are doing now at Holding Space. By the way, Holding Space, great name for an OT company. I love it, especially a holistic OT company like the two of you are creating here. But I do want to jump into like what you are actually doing now, and you know, are you doing the traditional pediatric clinic where you're seeing students one on one, or is it completely you know different? And so, just briefly, can one of you mind sharing kind of what what the goal is for holding space? Breanna Lynch I can take it. Sure, we have our hand in a lot of pots, so I'll be brief. But so we're really actually excited that we are have just opened a small clinic here in Cincinnati. So we do have the ability to see clients, one on kids and adults. We see people of all ages in our clinic space. We're offering summer groups, so we're doing like a half-day therapy group for kids this summer, and so that's kind of like that's a small group setting versus one-on-one clients. We also do have some clients that are doing intensives with us, so we see them multiple times a week, do like a high-intensity burst of intervention. But originally, when holding space originated, we felt like we needed to fill a gap in the home and the community space. So we, for the past three years, have seen clients solely in their homes or in different community spaces, and that was out of need that we found from our student. Families, outpatient clients that really were having a hard time figuring out how to generalize the strategies that they were getting from their school-based practitioner, from their outpatient person, from their mental health therapist, from right, like it looks really good in the in the gym, and then like I don't know what it looks like at my house, or I can I can use this strategy here, but then when we go to the playground, like and these other factors are at play, like it's not really it's it's breaking down. So being able to really walk alongside clients in the places where they're finding the most challenge is where we have been for the majority of our practice at holding space. We also have a few different contracts, and so some of those are school-based contracts, and we are providing tiered wellness support is what I think is the best name for it. It's a lot of social-emotional learning support across all tiers. The majority of our work is systems level. So, what does it look like to provide wellness promotion within the entire curriculum? What does it look like to make a school building the environment, the playground, the way in which the schedule functions, the way in which the administrators address discipline? What does that look like to make sure that we're putting positive mental health and social emotional learning at the forefront of that, and then we also do some within that doing some small groups and one on one with with students there. So that's been a really cool way to kind of bridge like how we view our client practice, our one on one client practice, and some of Kristen and I's school-based experience, and bring it into schools that are looking for innovative ways to support students with the all different funds that they have. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, and obviously both of you have. I mean, Kristen, you have significant school-based experience, and Brianna, you were have a unique school-based experience, I should say. With with what was the name of that, by the way? What was the name of the team, or like what was it? Breanna Lynch Yeah, we were the prevention and wellness team. Jayson Davies Okay, so you worked on this prevention and wellness team with not just another OT, but you know the entire gamut of people who work in school-based OT. And it sounds like, to a degree, you're kind of taking what you learn from there, pairing it with what you both know about the traditional quote-unquote school-based OT role, and kind of flipping that upside down a little bit to support schools. Tell me a little bit more about what these wellness programs kind of look like. It looks like it sounds like you're supporting students at all three tiers. You talked about groups and even individuals within the schools, but I'd love to hear more about that. Kristen Brokamp So, on a broad level, it's environmental design, it's teacher coaching, it's staff educational opportunities, it's systems design. In that, instead of in-school suspensions, where students-and you can talk more on this, Brianna-but instead of students sitting down and completing a worksheet for an in-school suspension, there are other avenues of skills learning that the student needs to have to be successful in class. So, if you're flipping a desk, if you're right, what is the skill deficit that is missing in in that regulation, that impulse control, that right, that interoception piece for understanding what your body needs when you're angry or disappointed, and then you're reacting. So, what are those skill-based opportunities for students to learn in a newer alternative learning or discipline system, and helping reframe teachers' understanding because they are overwhelmed, they have many students, they are doing the job day in and day out, and reframing their understanding of what behavior support looks like-that's not the traditional. This student is suspended, or this discipline note is being sent home, or things like that. I don't know if there's anything you want to add to that, Brianna. Breanna Lynch Yeah, I think the the piece that occupational therapy practitioners bring to the table in this sector, among many, is the focus on occupation, and especially in schools, is the focus on play. And for our the programming we design, the small groups that we're doing, the individual student check-ins or sessions that we're doing, to be really as true to occupation and play-based practice as possible, which is so hard to do in the every the day-to-day of school. I think we just really try to acknowledge that. Occupational therapists have the ability to bring in some of the cognitive behavioral skills that more traditional talk-based mental health therapy that can be provided in schools has. That the place where OTs can really shine is when we can bring in the occupation and the play, and we know that lots of students just really Need that that is so therapeutic for students in a place where school especially has become very sterile, where we see like recess time being cut or used as punishment, where we see just the push for educators to be so focused on content and curriculum, and it's exhausting for the educators too. It's exhausting, and so to be able to bring a perspective of we need to meet kids where they're at. What's what do kids need developmentally? Like they need play, they need meaningful participation. And so I feel like that's where we've also gained a lot of buy-in in the way that we're designing the programs or the systems. Is like okay, yes, everyone's going to go to the cafeteria to eat lunch. Like, how do we enhance this experience? How do we think about every single experience that a student's having in the day from a wellness lens? And the same for staff, right? Again, we can only do as good as the system we function in. So students can only do as good as the staff. You know that the staff can can do too, and so the same thing for staff, right? Like everything is an opportunity for wellness promotion or to enhance prevention, and to be able to use that lens in resetting or reframing a mindset is really powerful. I think that's where our work has really has really shown itself as unique and extremely like beneficial from a from a data standpoint. Jayson Davies Yeah, the the in school suspension thing really like is impactful. It's like something that's come coming to thought more because my wife's an assistant principal, and I don't know. A few weeks ago, we had this whole like, she gets frustrated because teachers are sending the students up to the office to do work, and then when they come up to the office, the students are happy because there's no one really there to make them do the work, and you know they're out of the classroom, so they're happy, and she's trying to keep them in the classroom, and it's just like this revolving door of everyone's trying to move the student somewhere else because no one knows what to do with the student, and at the same time, the student is no longer in their least restrictive environment. They're no longer included in everything that's going on. People are making decisions about whether or not they should be able to go on an academic field trip, or if it's academic, so you can't miss an academic field trip. And like, but no one is trying to figure out what's actually best for the student when they are having this concern, whatever it is. So, what does this actually look like in practice? Breanna Lynch Yeah, yeah. This is something I'm really passionate about because I think you know the question is also if the student is so happy to come up to the office, like why, right? What is what are the the differences in the task demands, in the social interactions, in the environment that make this so much more suitable for them, right? Is it that the work demands are less? Is it that it's quiet and they're by themselves in a little study room? It like what is it about that? That's the kind of wondering that helps a team to get to to the meat of it. And so, in the project that I'm working on right now, in one of our school partners, that's what we're doing. We're just really digging into it. And so, the the term in a lot of schools is alternative learning center community environment, right? But there's very little learning happening in the learning environment, and to me, it is exactly what you just said, Jayson. It's the shuffling. It's the like teachers are like, I don't know what to do anymore, just like leave the room. Jayson Davies Yeah. Breanna Lynch students are like, just get me out of the room, right? And then, and then administrators are like, oh my gosh, we have 10 kids up here, and so it is this kind of like everyone's just in in the mix, and it's hard when you're in it to like come up for air and figure out like cool how do I reinvent and reimagine the system, and so that's the the positive of having a consultant work with you, right? But I think even be like being in the system and trying to figure out what to do is that like what about this is supporting the teacher right when they send a kid to the office what is it about that that helps them what is it about this being in the office that helps the student right like some of that wondering and putting the pieces together but making sure that it's actually still learning when we have. Students that are more than more often than not having repetitive disciplinary action things happening, we are, in my opinion, restricting their access to their education, right? And so, and I don't know that everyone really thinks about it like that, but when you have students that have repetitive behaviors or discipline, and they're up in the office or they're at a school or whatever it is. When you count up those hours, right? Like, and we're the adult educators, right? It is our responsibility to help students to stay in their least restrictive environment. So I'm not saying just everyone should stay in gen ed. That's not what I'm advocating for, but I am advocating for every student having access to an education, and so I think it's important to think about it that way too because that can sometimes like stop people in their tracks when we we're like we're not letting this child access their education, and so for the environment to hone in on skill building, right? What are the skills that this child needs to be more successful if they're coming to the office or the alternative learning center because of disobedience, disrespect, out of spot, you know all the different labels we can put on the disciplinary record. What are the skills that are are missing there that we can help to support? And then providing intervention. You know there are adults that are assigned to the disciplinary rooms or the different areas where students go, and so can those adults be supporting the learning and the skill building with the idea that we can decrease the repetition of these disciplinary actions while building skill, and that's something that doesn't take up time on caseload. Yeah, it can be something that occupational therapy practitioners can be pushing in and doing a larger group lesson or a small group lesson. Right, doesn't have to be one-on-one with a student. If there's 10 kids in the room, probably eight of them are there because of disobedience, whatever that means. So, like those are kind of the ways that we can get creative, and also have the opportunities for kids to explore what are my coping strategies, who are the safe adults here, how do I repair a situation? Right. So much growth comes in repair. So in this environment, the students have the opportunity to go through all of those things. They proactively use the calming corner with a variety of different sensory-based calming tools. They go through what their repair process for whatever the reason they were referred there is. They engage in intervention that's based in the school's existing social-emotional learning curriculum. They have body breaks, so they do different like walk outside when it's nice, and different motor breaks. They have all different types of activities, things they can do on the playground. So I think it's it's more honestly just us allowing ourselves to let it happen and not feel like oh well they are indisciplined, so they like can't smile, you know. Kids have to have to be regulated, and they have to play to learn. So. Jayson Davies Yeah, right. This isn't the Breakfast Club. Like, so you all put this. You you mentioned in there. I was going to ask you whether or not you use a curriculum or if you created a curriculum. It sounds like you said that the curriculum used is the school's already approved SEL program. Is that right? Kristen Brokamp Yes. Jayson Davies Okay. So then, I don't want to ask like YOT, but like YOT, like why was this something that they came to holding space, you know, collaborative to do as opposed to, you know, someone else, and then why was OT the two of you the right people to put this together? Breanna Lynch So I think the mind, I think the mindset is probably the answer to both of those questions. Jayson Davies Yeah, Breanna Lynch hopefully it's pretty evident if you've been listening the whole time that this kind of the way our brains work, and so I think that's part of it. It is like we are putting play and occupation and skill building at the forefront of everything that we do for students and schools from a systems level and from an individual student perspective. And so I do think that that sets us apart from the more traditional mental health practitioner agency or route, not to discredit our mental health partners at all, because because we still need them immensely. But just the the ability to have like this different holistic perspective, I think, is what brought this partnership to be in this specific instance, and what makes OT the right professional to help to enhance some of these systems that we're working to to build. Jayson Davies Yeah, bigger. Kristen Brokamp picture task breakdown, bigger picture environmental assessments, bigger picture. Education for for stuff and yeah. Jayson Davies Yeah and to push back though because I'm trying to obviously this is a podcast for school based OT practitioners right not former school based OT practitioners that have created a business and are trying to consult and so obviously always trying to put this back into the perspective of you know the I don't know. I don't. I would only want to say eight to five because some school-based OT practitioners are only contracted for 34 hours a week or whatever it might be. But we often hear like from OTs and going back, right? It's a system problem. But I don't have time to do something like this. It would be great, but how do I go about starting this? Do you feel that this could be? Do you feel like if you had been a full time OT at this district, this could be something that you could have pitched and put into place? I guess that even a possibility for a real school based OT. Breanna Lynch I think the feasibility is has to be bigger than just one person. Jayson Davies Okay. Breanna Lynch Right. So me as one individual OT being like, let's do this thing. Like I probably don't stand a chance by myself, right? I do think that, and I know you mentioned the the article that Nicole and Abe and I authored. Like I do think it takes advocacy, and there needs to be several team members at least on board, even if it's just within your building and it's not the district, you know your school-based team to get on board. I also think part of it is is the the rearranging and the building capacity. So like, let's everybody lay out on the table what's the caseload, what's the breakdown, what's the percentage of kids we do direct intervention with versus small group versus consultation, right? And maybe do doing some some jigsawing of that and figure out like, okay, who's the one person out of our three OTs in this school in these three schools that could take 10% of their time and do this type of work, or if we all rearrange this much, can we all take this little sliver? Yeah. And so I think that is more of like the realistic on a day to day school based OT way to go about it, and to also like in collaborating with your other interdisciplinary professionals, right? Like let's all sit down as a team and go through, like, okay, what is the school counselor doing? What's the school psych doing? And that's really different at every school. What are we all doing? And then, like, how can we? Right. So part of that is again having the team be interested in that change too, of just like, what's this small little thing? I think sometimes we underestimate just one tiny little change that we can make. Like you don't need to do the whole school. Start with with one classroom. If I try doing this push in lesson to co teach with a teacher about interoception, about whatever it is, like whatever top it doesn't even have to be you know mental health related, whatever topic of interest. Like, let me just try with this one classroom, right? That's my little pilot, and so I think, and that's the in. Like, do you have just one teacher that's like really interested in all the work that you do? Like, sure, they're gonna do a pilot with you if you go to them, right? They're like extra support. Okay, that's what I was Kristen Brokamp gonna say too. If I'm a school-based practitioner with a full caseload, and I walk in and I have 30 minutes in the morning and 30 minutes in the afternoon, and I I might eat my lunch with a teacher and try to develop that relationship and get that initial classroom push and buy-in, and a lot of that comes with developing the relationships, and or I might be saying hi to the principal as I walk in in the morning, right? And and being like, I have this buddy on my caseload today, and our goal we're doing this so he doesn't come down here, right? And then starting that conversation. Jayson Davies That's perfect because we don't talk to people, and that's a problem. Like we don't, we don't like. Hey, mrs. Principal, mr. Principal, like even if it's kind of in a joking manner, say you know they ask how you're doing, and you just kind of jokingly say, "Well, you know, I'm working with Johnny today. You know, we're working on this skill or whatever. Like, just make yourself a little bit more visible. I mean, that's key, and and you're opening up that communication because I was going to ask you, and obviously you're coming from the business consultant side working with this, but you had to either a find a school district that was interested in this service, or b pitch yourself to the school district to do this service, and the same thing a school based OT if they're going to do something like this, they've got to pitch it somehow. Kristen Brokamp Yep. Jayson Davies You mentioned doing a little pilot study with one teacher, but did you have to sell this to the school? Was the school already looking for something? How did that formulate? Breanna Lynch Yeah. So I would say our school partnerships that we have had over several years with holding. Space have were looking for wellness promotion, and they were like, "Do we do we hire this person? Do we hire this person? You know, they were just they cast a wide net, and we were connected to them, and and we sold ourselves well enough, right, to be positioned for what they needed. The school that I'm working at now, the specific project. They're part of a larger grant-funded project here in Cincinnati, and so they already knew that they had funding that was for wellness promotion, and then they were able to pick from a wide variety of agencies, practices, consultants of who they wanted to have for the job, so we did. You know, we Chris and I did have a pitch for them, but they were already interested in the work and had funding set aside for the work. Jayson Davies Yeah, no, but that again, it shows the importance of kind of being in tune with your school site, like beyond just the 60 kids on your caseload, and being in tune a little bit with you know what the board is talking about, what are they prioritizing? What is your principal talking about? You know, is there a does your principal have a dream for every kid on campus to complete A, B, and C by the time they leave their school campus? And if so, how can OT support A, B, and C? And knowing those larger initiatives that the school team, the district team have in place, and opens up doors for the OT to say, "Hey, I can fulfill A. I can't do anything about B and C, but I can fulfill A. I can help out there and develop a plan and an idea and pitch it. Because. Breanna Lynch Yeah, there is the importance of of knowing where all the stakeholders are at, and then figuring out, like, okay, I know where the stakeholder holders are at. What's the language I need to use, right? Like, OT language and education language are not always like in line. So, can I or board language or when we talk business, that Chris and I are figuring out how to talk business, right? Like. Jayson Davies Yeah. Breanna Lynch What's the what's the language, and then how do you get in there? You're like, oh, you want to decrease your in school suspension or out of school suspensions? Jayson Davies You figure out a plan for that. Breanna Lynch Let me let me say, oh, I think I could get in this way. Or you want to enhance your attendance? Okay, right. So all those you have to know what the stakeholders are interested in, yeah, and then show them your your value. You have to sell yourself on what what OT can do for them. Kristen Brokamp And if you're not there yet, and you're planning your fall case loads, right? And you have three students who are working on their self regulation skills. There are amazing OT driven recess and lunch programs that you can see your students in shouting out every moment counts. Look it up that you can provide your direct services in. Put it into your schedule and then make it a you know make it known to the teachers and staff and school personnel. Right, and look at it differently. Jayson Davies Yeah, and shout out to every moment counts, like you just did. My my wife, assistant principal, tried to implement the comfortable cafeteria program. She failed because she's assistant principal, not an OT, not a teacher on assignment. Like she has too many other hats to wear, and so it didn't work out. But she would have been happy if she could figure out a way to support the OT and the SLP working together to implement the program, rather than her having to do it as an assistant principal. Like that's not what an assistant principal should probably be doing, but it is something that an OT and SLP could be doing to prevent future referrals. It's a win-win-win situation. Breanna Lynch Yeah. Jayson Davies Man, I love it. Kristen Brokamp So much good stuff. Her head's in the right place, right? Jayson Davies Okay, we've been talking about the ALC, the the Alternative Learning Center, for a bit, and I think that's just like a perfect case example, and that's why I wanted to really dive into that one. But are there any other really cool, you know, wellness programs that either you're doing or working on or dreaming of? Breanna Lynch Oh, dreaming of-that's a big question. Our brain is like constantly-we're always pulling it back down. Yeah, pie-we're pie in the sky kind of people. That what-that's what keeps us going. Other things that we're doing-we're-we're definitely using every moment counts with our partners. I think the other thing that we've been pretty strong in, and again, is why why answers the question why OT is assessing the environment. I think that's a piece that other professionals sometimes miss. So really looking at how is the environment leading by example. So some of like what does the office look like when people walk in? What do the hallways look like? What do all those kinds of spaces? That's been something we've been working really hard on to make the the environments match what we're asking of students and staff. If we're asking students and staff to be regulated and to be ready to learn, then the space has to also be. Regulated and ready to ready to help learn, so I think that's a big that's a big piece that we've really been working on. That is definitely a part of wellness promotion, but maybe not always thought of in the same way that OT can bring can bring to that conversation. Jayson Davies Yeah, well, well, Kristen, Brianna, it has been a pleasure. I think we're out of time here. We have had such great conversations. Typically, I ask for one final like tidbit, right, to help out. But I think we've we've touched a lot. We provided a lot of tidbits between the two of you about things that school-based OT practitioners can do. And you know, listen, right, like even if you're not a consultant for a school like Brianna and Kristen are, you can do a lot of this internally, and these are things that real OTs are doing. And I can't wait to to talk with Nicole and and talk about how Brianna, you and Nicole and the rest of the team kind of did this more internally as opposed from an outside consultant type of type of business, but it's going to be amazing. I'm excited to see what you do dream up of and and do implement in the schools next because OTs have so much to offer. I'm going to kind of bring in something from my other world, which is OTpreneur, where we were in a conference talking about business and OT, and we were asking our audience members, like, why should OTs be starting these businesses? And one of the audience members like raised his hand and he said, because OTs do it better. And like, that's what you all are doing right here when it comes to these learning centers, when it comes to supporting mental well-being, when it comes to supporting handwriting skills and like all these things, OTs can do it better. We just have to find a foot in the door. Whether we're working as a consultant or working directly in the schools, we have a lot of knowledge, and we just need to kind of figure out a way to convince people to let us share it and show it, and and make progress. So I want to say thank you so much for your time and your energy and and your knowledge. And I also want to ask you, Kristen, where's the best place for everyone to learn more about holding space and the things that you guys are doing? Kristen Brokamp Sure, you can visit our website at www.holdingspacecollab c o l l a b.com, and then that is a good way to reach us as well. There's a form on there that you can fill out that goes directly to our email, so it's probably the best spot. We're also on Instagram and Facebook, although not our strength keeping up on that one. But we do do we do try to to do some social media, Jayson Davies yeah, yeah, and we will be sure to link to all that in the show notes for the episode. So be sure to check out the show notes, and yeah, one more time, Kristen, Brianna, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it, and we'll definitely keep in touch to find out all those things that you're dreaming of and that you put into place a year, three years, five years from now. It'll be fun. So thank you again. Appreciate it. Breanna Lynch Thanks for having us. Thanks, Jayson. We appreciate it. Jayson Davies All right, that is a wrap on episode 206 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A huge thank you to Brianna Lynch and Kristen Brocam from Holding Space Collaborative for joining me today for such a rich, honest conversation about how we as OT practitioners can and should be supporting student behavior beyond the sensory lens, the work that they are doing is exactly the kind of thing that our field needs more of. Not thinking about sensory and sensory integration so much as thinking about participation and how maybe we use a sensory integration lens in order to support participation, whether that is related to behavior or otherwise, and of course, thank you to you for listening today. Whether you are a full-time school-based OT practitioner, maybe a part-time kind of within the schools and somewhere else, or maybe you're a stay-at-home parent right now just thinking about getting back into the schools, I really appreciate you being here, and I hope that today's episode gave you something to think about as you start the 2026 27 school year, or if you're listening to this later, whatever school year you are in right now. Now, if you enjoyed this episode and you want to keep going deeper on topics like this one and others, I'd love to have you join us inside the OT Schoolhouses School-Based OT Collaborative. That's our online community built specifically for school-based OT practitioners with resources, professional development, and direct mentorship from myself and the OT Schoolhouse team. And for this episode specifically, members can also get access to a slide deck that we build based on today's conversation. This is something that that will actually be able to help you kind of almost pitch to your administrators how you can support behavior within your school site. You can get all of that as a member over at otschoolhouse.com/collab. Until next time, keep showing up for your students. And keep being yourself, the amazing OT practitioner that you are. Take care. Amazing Narrator Thank you for listening to the OT Schoolhouse podcast. For more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to otschoolhouse.com. Until next time, class is dismissed. Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! 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! 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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 205 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Handwriting referrals fill school-based OT caseloads, but many practitioners feel underprepared to address dysgraphia and written expression challenges. In this episode Jayson sits down with Kelli Fetter, founder of Handwriting Solutions, to explore the complex world of dysgraphia—from diagnosis and assessment to evidence-based intervention. Kelli shares her personal journey as both an OT and parent of a child with dysgraphia, and explains why she believes school-based OTPs are the most well-positioned experts to lead on handwriting support. You'll learn practical strategies for implementing MTSS handwriting programs, understanding the difference between top-down and bottom-up approaches, assessing handwriting across different cognitive load levels, and creating intensive intervention models like handwriting camps and clubs. They also discuss the emerging "science of writing" movement and why now is a critical moment for OTPs to step into a leadership role in this space. Whether you're new to school-based practice or looking to sharpen your handwriting intervention skills, this episode is packed with actionable strategies you can bring directly to your students. Listen now to learn how to confidently support students with dysgraphia and written expression challenges — and why it's never too late to make a difference. Listen now to learn the following objectives: — Learners will identify the OTPs role in supporting students with dysgraphia within a tiered MTSS framework, including how to collaborate with teachers, SLPs, and special educators to address written expression as a shared team goal. — Learners will explain assessment strategies across varying cognitive load levels — from tracing and near-point copying to dictation and self-generated writing — to identify automaticity gaps and guide intervention planning. —Learners will explain the diagnostic criteria and team-based approach for identifying dysgraphia in school-aged students — Learners will differentiate between top-down and bottom-up handwriting intervention approaches and determine when each is appropriate based on individual student needs Guest(s) Bio Kelli Fetter is a Certified Handwriting Specialist and the founder of Handwriting Solutions, LLC, where she leads a team providing world-class virtual handwriting, reading, and spelling support to students worldwide. She’s also a respected educator for teachers and therapists, known for her evidence-based approach to handwriting, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. With a background in pediatric occupational therapy across clinics, schools, and early intervention, and inspired by her own daughter’s dyslexia and dysgraphia journey, Kelli is dedicated to empowering families and professionals to unlock every child’s potential. Quotes “Handwriting is complex. It is nuanced.” — Kelli Fetter “Teachers are thirsty for this. They want to be able to support their students.” — Kelli Fetter “True automaticity only comes from being able to self-generate thoughts.” — Kelli Fetter “Professional athletes aren't learning to be professional athletes one time a week.” — Jayson Davies Resources 👉Handwriting Solutions 👉Handwriting Solutions on Instagram 👉Handwriting Solutions on LinkedIn 👉Handwriting Solutions on Facebook 👉Handwriting Solutions Course for OTPs 👉Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia in Pediatric Occupational Therapy:A Practice Resource 👉Handwriting Breakthroughs Guidebook ( Freebie) 👉 Sold a Story Podcast 👉The Writing Rope 👉Size Matters Handwriting Program 👉Handwriting Without Tears / Learning Without Tears 👉VMAT (VMI App Tool) 👉ETCH (Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting) 👉THSR (Test of Handwriting Skills–Revised) 👉The McMaster Handwriting Assessment Protocol 👉DeCoste Writing Protocol 👉 Dr. Virginia Berninger Research 👉 Dr. Maryanne Wolf Research 👉Aspire OT Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Hey there, and welcome back to the OT Schoolhouse podcast. This is episode number 205 and today we are diving into one of the most requested, as well as one of the most debated topics in school-based occupational therapy. You already saw the title. You know what it is: handwriting, specifically dysgraphia, is what we're discussing. Now, I know some of you just groaned, some of you just leaned in a little bit closer, and honestly, either way, this episode is for you. My guest today is Kelli Fetter. She is an occupational therapist and founder of Handwriting Solutions, where she runs a virtual tutoring practice. Yes, I said tutoring, not an OT practice. However, her practice is staffed by OT practitioners, OTs as well as OTAs supporting students with dysgraphia. Now, while valuing the full scope of OT within the schools, beyond just handwriting, even Kelli wants to support OT practitioners in their role as handwriting experts because she knows that we are handwriting experts at the end of the day, and she is not afraid to say the things that need to be said. So, in our conversation today, Kelli and I, we are going to talk about what dysgraphia actually is and who, in theory, should be diagnosing it. Why copying in the therapy room does not mean a student has automaticity in the classroom, how cognitive load is quietly sabotaging your students when they are in the classroom, and what a real handwriting intervention model looks like from MTSS Tier One all the way to more intensive services like camps and clubs. Now, if you have ever felt unsure about your role in handwriting, which I know every single occupational therapy practitioner has, this episode is for you. You are really going to appreciate what Kelli has to say today. So let's get into it. Here is Kelli Fetter. Amazing Narrator Hello, and welcome to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, your source for school-based occupational therapy tips, interviews, and professional development. Now, to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies. Class is officially in session. Jayson Davies Kelli, welcome to the OT School Hub podcast. It is great to have you here. How are you doing today? Kelli Fetter I am doing great. You know, I don't know. It depends on when this is released, but if we, if you are hearing this and you are at the end of the school year, chaos. I am with you. Hopefully, by now though, we're in summer break and we're kicking back and we're taking a little moment to to relax. Jayson Davies Yes, yeah, absolutely. I think we're looking at early July here when this actually is released. So yes, absolutely. Hope everyone is having a great Fourth of July celebration. You know, weekend long week as a school-based OT, we get some time off. Hopefully, much better. Yeah, hope everyone's enjoying that. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Well, Kelli, I want to dive into a. I think this is a a fun hot topic question. We're going to kick it off with that, and that is, you know, as school-based occupational therapy practitioners, there is this like constant pressure and this constant like struggle that we kind of consume over, and that is whether we should, you know, dive into this role that we are often find ourselves in as the handwriting specialist or the handwriting teacher, or go the opposite direction and kind of escape from it a little bit, and maybe try and not do as much handwriting. Obviously, the gamut is wide. Those are that's an oversimplification of this. But within your business, you have obviously kind of just gone all in with handwriting, so I want to hear why you decided to go all in with handwriting-not just in your business, but also to you know, like within your OT career. Kelli Fetter My daughter has driven everything that we do at Handwriting Solutions, and for very good reason. I know a lot of us come into our careers and our passions, guided by some sort of personal reason, and she is absolutely my reason. Because when she was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia, the number of supports out there for dyslexia-I mean, you-it was such a low lift, right? There's so much, so much research and resources, and like it was there were no questions like here's what you do you have a dyslexia diagnosis here's what you do meanwhile now this was over seven years ago dysgraphia people looked at me like I had two heads they were like first of all what is that and is handwriting and even any important anymore and who does this? And let's point fingers. And the psychologist didn't even really still doesn't have a gold standard for diagnosing or assessing dysgraphia. So that is why I'm here, and that is why I am so passionate about handwriting in general, dysgraphia, and. Specifically, OTs role in this because we are the most well-positioned experts in serving these students, and it is a collaborative. And we'll touch on all of this throughout the podcast, but the collaboration is key, and we literally we have the skill set, so I get very I hate the word to use the word triggered, but it's true. I am on a bunch of Facebook pages and groups and conversate, and I love to have these open conversations. But nothing gets under my skin more than when OTs reject their role in handwriting and say I see it so like time and time again. You know what? They can't improve anyway past third grade. You know what? We've got tech, and that's our role is to access education. But let me be honest, as a parent, I refuse to accept that for my child. And I have seen firsthand that we can improve, we can remediate and accommodate at the same time, and so really we're just doing a disservice. It's kind of like what I like to think about because again, most people are more comfortable with the dyslexia world, and so that would be like a school saying, "Okay, the kid has dyslexia. Here's an audio book. Good luck. That's absurd, right? Like nobody would ever like. No, we're going to build their skills up as a team, and OT can be on that team too, and should be. Yeah, supporting that child so that they can learn to read and improve and progress. So I definitely get on my soapbox on this topic. Jayson Davies Yeah, I mean, five minute podcast. We're done. Let's call it a day. No, just kidding. Let's dive further into this because you obviously before you started your business, you were practicing as an OT like so many of us, right? Remind me again. You have you have school based experience. Were you also in the clinic as well? Kelli Fetter I did all the things: early intervention, outpatient, private schools, public schools. I did it all as soon as I got out of graduate school. Jayson Davies Okay, so before you started your business, was that something that conflicted you? You know, like whether you should lean into handwriting, not lean into handwriting, and what? I mean, obviously now you have, but do you recall having that internal conflict with yourself? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think the biggest thing that I realized was a I had never heard of dysgraphia before, which is pretty mind blowing, right? As an OT working in pediatrics, that I had never that word just never in graduate school that we talk about learning disabilities. Never did we really go into dysgraphia much, and handwriting was very looked at from a well, okay. Let's build the foundational skills, which is part of it, right? And I know there's a big debate. I know that we've had you've had speakers come into yeah yeah schoolhouse, and what the research is showing now is that it really should be both, you know, the top down and the bottom up approach, and so I definitely back then was looking at it a lot from that that bottom up approach, and just completely clueless about learning disabilities. To be honest with you, and really, truly, it was not until my daughter was diagnosed that I was like, "Oh, okay, let me figure this out. Yeah, let's figure this out. And and I hear that from OTs all of the time. At least once a day, I get a DM or an email from an OT saying, "How can I support my students? I have a caseload full of students now that are struggling with handwriting, or who are have suspected dysgraphia or a diagnosis, and I have no idea how to help them. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Jayson Davies Two questions, kind of about dysgraphia, the diagnosis per se. A, who is diagnosing students with dysgraphia? Is it an official diagnosis, or is this kind of a you know they've got difficult writing dysgraphia? Kelli Fetter It is. Yeah. So, psychologist. It could be educational psych, neuro psych. Ideally, a team. I in in the perfect world, I would love a team diagnostic where you have the psychologist, you have an OT, you have a speech, and you have education, and that would just be incredible, right? But let's be real. Like most of the time, it's just the psychologist, but it's it's tricky to diagnose, and I think that's why it is so confusing for everyone, for parents, for OTs, for teachers, is there is not a gold standard tool measurement tool for dysgraphia or diagnostic tool. So it is a lot of piecing together educational history, medical history, teacher report, parent report, OT evaluate, like looking at kind of all the pieces and solving that puzzle. And I think with that that ideal team, right? If we can all be on this team, supporting this diet. That is that is going to get a more accurate diagnosis, and that is going to get better support for that student. The other issue is a lot of psychologists are not well versed in dysgraphia, and I'll give you an example. One of our families, unfortunately, had not reached out to us at that point, went for a diagnosis, and they tested and got diagnosed with ADHD and with dyslexia. And the parent was like, "Oh, I thought they would get a dysgraphia diagnosis. And I kid you not, the psychologist said, "Oh, we didn't test for that. And I mean, this parent had spent 1000s of dollars out of pocket for for these you know this comprehensive diagnostic report and very frustrating. So there's even a misunderstanding at that highest level. Part of it is because of like you said, what exactly does dysgraphia like? What where does that fall? It is a specific learning disability. So we, if we, we won't actually see the word dysgraphia in the DSM because it falls under that specific learning disability. And then you've got the SLD in reading, SLD in writing, SLD in math. So I think just the nomenclature in and of itself can be really so SLD Jayson Davies writing is kind of where this would fall into. Kelli Fetter Exactly. Yep. Yep. But confusing, right? Because then you don't see the word, and then so sometimes in school systems they won't even say the word dysgraphia; they'll just say SLD in writing. There's also the whole. Jayson Davies Do you think we should? Kelli Fetter What? Jayson Davies Where do you fall on that? Should we call it SLD writing, or should we call it dysgraphia, or does it matter? Kelli Fetter Doesn't matter. I mean, like I think. I think for clarity purposes, it would be nice if we could pick one and go with it. But like, does it does it really matter? As long as people are knowledgeable and and aware and educated on it, I really don't like the nomenclature shouldn't stop us from diagnostics or intervention. intervention-that's just. I think sometimes we get lost in the weeds of like, what should we call it? But in the end, as especially as OT practitioners, we're not looking at a student by their diagnosis. We're looking at their function. So yeah. Jayson Davies Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned the evaluation process and talked a little bit about the school or various psychologists being involved. You also talked about you know when you had to go online and look for dysgraphia because of the nature of everything going on in your family with your daughter. I'm curious what you found you know several years ago who was treating dysgraphia at that time? Anyone or like I guess when you're looking at the research, where is the research under what journal is it under, or what websites were you finding that were claiming to quote unquote help students with dysgraphia? Kelli Fetter No, I mean nobody was really doing. Nobody was explicitly addressing dysgraphia then. The research I had to go into psychology. I had to go into education. There was there's research in on handwriting in the OT field, but not so much dysgraphia then. Again, this was seven years ago. Neurology, you know, I definitely had to seek out, and still do have to seek out from other fields the the research. It was highly under researched at that time as well, and really, you know, at that point in time, she was in a private school, and so we didn't have you know the gift of even like doing the whole IEP 504 and we kind of just like piece together, you know, some kind of school plan because they were supportive, but like it was truly just me piecing it together. And I will tell you, I get like I do empathize with OTs who have come from this like medical model and this foundational skill because I could not, Jayson, I could not wrap my head around my daughter's struggles. I was like her fine motor skill. Like I am the I am the Pinterest. I was the Pinterest queen of OT. Like I was like her gross motor skills are fine. Her fine motor skills are fine. She was through the roof visual spatial skills. What is going on? Like why is she like why is she struggling to read basic CBC letters? Why is she writing reversals and all over? Like she can draw. She was artistic, so I can definitely empathize of like that confusion as as an OT practitioner, as a parent, as a teacher with dysgraphia because it is it is a little bit of a puzzle, and it is quite broad in that it could be all of the things. So it could be motor skills impacting handwriting. It could be visual skills. It could be language skills. It could be executive function. It could be attention. All of those impact that occupation of writing. Jayson Davies Yep, absolutely. Well, thank you. We just kind of dove in headfirst into the background of dysgraphia and assessments, kind of before we're talking about school-based OT. So we're going to take a quick break, and when we come back, we're going to really kind of you know pair this with the world of school-based occupational therapy. So stay tuned. All right, Kelly. We're back. We've kind of have talked a lot about kind of the the foundation of dysgraphia, but now I want to apply that to school-based occupational therapy, and I think I want to start with the idea. Like we all know that handwriting is the number one, you know, referral reason within school-based OT. Now, within that, though, do you feel like basically every student that we have that has handwriting concerns that we're going to take on and provide intervention, do they have dysgraphia, or do you feel like that there are various you know things going on? Sometimes it might be true dysgraphia under a specific learning disability, or it could be something else. Kelli Fetter Yeah, it it could be a variety of things, and I think this is where that tiered system, when it is working, it is magical because ideally we are just getting those kids who do have maybe dysgraphia or or other concerns, right? And so we're ruling out a lot in that tier two and tier three. If they are getting good quality handwriting instruction in the classroom and building up some foundational skills as well, that will rule out a lot of our referrals, and then that tier two support of addressing. more broadly, you know, supporting the teacher, providing in services and training, supporting students in a in a more global way, so that again, when we do get those referrals for handwriting, hopefully that percentage will go from 98% a little bit lower, so that we truly are supporting those students. You know, obviously, there's the whole push in versus pull out, and there's nuance to that as well. But ideally, those are the students that we are really getting to spend more time with the ones who who do deeply need that support, and then the others will be supported at those various other tiers and stages. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, and you know, you you bring up the tiers, obviously very important. I think most schools at this point, not every school, but a lot of schools have what they will call MTSS A for academics or MTSS B for behavior. Maybe they have it MTSS math and reading, but I've never heard of a school that has MTSS handwriting or MTSS sensory. If we're going to go down other routes, right? OTs are trying to start these programs, but it's really hard to kind of like the handwriting discussion we had earlier. Do we narrow it down to one thing, or do we keep it broad? Like it's just MTSS OT. What are you seeing? Because I know you you obviously live the world of handwriting right now. What are you seeing in terms of schools implementing or not implementing handwriting programs? Because like that is the tier one, right? Like a foundational handwriting program. What are you seeing? Kelli Fetter So it's actually quite promising. And if you would have asked me this two years ago, I would probably have a different answer. Jayson Davies Okay. Kelli Fetter Because then I was like, oh my goodness, we have a long way to go. I mean, minimal schools were implementing this quality instruction. I think part of you know just bouncing back from pandemic, part of I mean we've got generations of teachers who just they aren't taught how to instruct in handwriting. One of my dear friends, she jokes with me because she put her son in our handwriting camp, and then she was like, "I'm a teacher, and I remember vividly walking in my first day and thinking nobody ever taught me how to teach this kid how to hold a pencil, so there's that. But I I think now you you're obviously seeing the headlines of schools are bringing back cursive. Jayson Davies Cursive, yeah. Kelli Fetter So it's on the radar. We've got a long way to go, but it is on the radar, which is a lot better than we were a few years ago. I'm like cautiously optimistic in that, though, because I do think our schools need training, our teachers need training, the systems need training. It needs to be a more a more important part of the school day. And it can easily be a more. I think that's sometimes like the misconception is that oh, another thing we have on our plates as teachers, right? That it really doesn't have to be this huge big thing. It can be easily embedded in their literacy that they're already doing, kind of like the science of reading shift. If you as. OTs, you know the listeners here. If you followed anything with the science of reading, you're seeing that shift in the school system. Of they went from balanced literacy and three cuing system, and realize that's not evidence based, and our kids are suffering, and the reading scores were going lower. So now we've got this shift of science of reading pulling in the science, reteaching the teachers of how to teach reading, so I think I I am optimistic that we're going to have the science of writing movement to really shift. Okay, handwriting actually is really important, and the science is there to prove it. And how do we implement this to fidelity because it's one thing to just have it mandated and legislated. Oh, okay, yay! We brought back cursive, but if we spend two weeks on cursive and then forget it, well, that's not really going to do us a lot of good either. Jayson Davies Yeah, you know that's interesting. You bring up the science of reading. I actually learned about the science of reading. I don't know all the specifics of it, but I actually found out about it because Beverly Moskowitz over at Size Matters Handwriting Program is kind of taking on using the term science of writing. That is what she's really going in on, and so you know you brought up that too. And so that then forced me to learn about the science of reading because I I saw that. So I yeah I I love it. Obviously, you brought up the the elephant in the room though is that just because it's mandated doesn't mean it's going to be really emphasized. Two weeks of cursive is not going to do anything. Just like oftentimes we'll get into later, right? 15 minutes of handwriting practice once a week probably isn't going to do much either. So yeah, it's a struggle. Where do you see, or how do you see this as an opportunity for school-based OT practitioners? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I it is literally like that's why I think I I am so passionate about OT practitioners being the leading force in this. This is like our moment to shine, and if we can be the driving force because we understand neurology, because we understand motor skills and motor learning theory. So if we can be kind of that leader and the driving force behind this movement, I mean, it will not only boost the school and the students and the rapport and all of that, but as a profession, I can see it really giving us a lot more credibility for what that is. As an aside, for any listeners who do want to know more about the science of reading and that whole, you know, history of that, and you're into podcasts clearly because you're here. Sold a story podcast is a great starter for you if you want to know more about that, and then I urge you to really ponder and like do some critical thinking of how that mirrors the handwriting and the writing piece, because it I can just it's laying the groundwork to what I hope in 235, years that we will have this whole movement for the science of writing and bringing that back in the school system. So yeah, I think again, just making our role. This is why I think that that role in the school as the OT practitioner is so powerful because again we can we're you know just one on one consulting with teachers, but providing some parent education, some teacher training. We've actually at Handwriting Solutions we've built out entire teacher trainings because teachers are thirsty for this. They want to be able to support their students, so we were like, okay, we'll train you, and it's really cool to train teachers, kind of from an OT lens as well, and then they're directly implementing, which again will end up making our lives a little bit easier. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter A little bit more manageable caseloads, hopefully. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I in the past have you know implemented an MTSS OT program at a school that I worked at. You know, it really started with one classroom, and then it kind of grew from there. Is literally one classroom that had one of my students in the class, and the teacher was like, you know, I I see you doing handwriting with that one student. You know, can we team up and and just instead of working just with that one student, can you come into the class and you know let's let's put together a program, and that's how it started. And then I had you know more teachers reach out say, hey, you know you did this with Miss So and So. Can can you do this in my classroom? And and it really built from there. I'm curious what you think are kind of some of the precursors or pre things that we might need to put in place if we want to put an MTSS handwriting program together. Do you feel like it's better just to kind of do what I did and start with that one teacher? Do you feel like it's better to submit a proposal, write something up, and hand it to the administrator? Thoughts? Kelli Fetter Yeah. I think it just. I wish there was like a a really simple answer to that, but I can tell you that it is so dependent on every school, every district, every state. Even some schools are like so receptive, and they are eager to see the research and to implement the latest evidence, and some are just so resistant, and so it really likely just depends on the school system that you are in and what their capacity is, and and so with that said, it's okay if you just start in that one classroom because, like you said, it it can have a ripple effect, and and of course, if that then leads you to this big proposal, and you know, great. But it's okay if you need to just start there with just a small group or one classroom at a time, and and grow it from from there. PTA is another way to just get some nice traction as well. Getting the parents, I had a parent email me this week about like there's you know, and again this is so common. The school, their child's school, is pushing tech, and they're like, she's like, they won't even consider handwriting. They're just like tech, tech, tech, you know. And she's like, can you point me towards research to to really show them the impact and the importance of writing by hand, and to hopefully shift their their thinking and this big picture, right? Which I at first was like, "Wow, way to go! Like it's a big thing to take on as a parent, but yeah, yeah, like we need parents, we need individuals. We might be the only one in that whole school screaming it, but. Jayson Davies I love that. Kelli Fetter Yeah, it needs to happen. Jayson Davies I advocate for the same thing. Like parents can be, you know, sometimes we have tough times with parents, but parents can also be our greatest advocate, especially when it comes to to this topic. I think, and you know, if parents want the schools to focus on handwriting? The schools will focus on handwriting because parents will make us think about it. They will talk to the administrators. Like we don't have to even ask them to. They will talk to administrators. They will go to board meetings. They will, you know, they will come up with with solutions. Sometimes when there is a problem, of course, that they're they're very passionate about. So absolutely, yeah. Now I don't expect you to have all the titles and names and journals and authors off the top of your head but you you've mentioned research kind of on best practices and also maybe research that points away from some of the the age old traditions and thought processes when it comes to handwriting. What where do you tend to look for, and what is? What are you finding? What are they saying about handwriting? Kelli Fetter Yeah. So I am working on a book, which I know I've shared with you before. So hopefully, it will be very accessible for people, so that they don't have to scour the internet for hours and hours to find this research. But I have done a major deep dive, like I said, looking at all different areas and fields to to collate and collaborate and synthesize all of it. But essentially, a couple of the leaders, Dr. Berninger, Dr. Wolf, are big leaders in the science of writing. Dr. Chang and Patel Zwicker is another name that comes to the top of my head that have multiple articles. But here's a little tip, a little AI tip. You can also just drop in AI and ask it for, and then of course do your vetting. Like click through the article, read the article. Make sure it's like sound. But that's a good, easy, quick way if you're in the heat of the moment. And yeah, you're like, what's the research actually say about this? It's a good, quick, easy way to to to get that going. But again, hopefully, my also my goal is to build out somewhere on our website kind of a landing page of research because people have been asking. I get asked about that all the time from parents, from OT practitioners, from teachers. Like, what is the research actually saying? And I think you know, going back to this whole shift, my co-author and I talk a lot about this this top down versus bottom up approach, and she is more. She's a works with students with dyslexia, and so she is coming at it from mostly a bottom up because the reading tutors are handling that top down approach. So it's interesting in this nuance of okay, and I. I tend to come at it from a top-down approach with handwriting at handwriting solutions. But then, what I would recommend, say for a school-based or an outpatient OT practitioner, may look a little bit different in some ways because they might also need to be addressing some bottom-up foundational skills. It's just that leaving off the top down that is often missed in traditional OT. Jayson Davies Yeah. Okay. Well, let let's come back to that topic. I want to. That's exactly where I was going next. But real quick question: You listed off a bunch of names of authors within the science of of handwriting, science of writing, is that primarily in the psychologist world, neuropsych world? That is a good question. Kelli Fetter Probably all over. Yeah, all over. Yeah, I have seen more publications in AOTA lately, though that has been refreshing. But yeah, I would say all over. Jayson Davies Okay, perfect. Now let's talk about that bottom up, top down, because I hate so many of the conversations that we have in the world of occupational therapy, sensory versus behavior, and the other is definitely you know top down or bottom up. You have alluded to something I very much appreciated. You know, kind of you got to go both ways a little bit here. You got to kind of come at this from from two directions. Handwriting is complex. There's a lot of factors, right? And you know we we often talk whether or not pencil grip matters, whether or not fine motor skills matter, all that. And then you have the other side of the conversation, like it's just you got to practice it. You practice, practice, practice. Handwriting is complex. Can we just acknowledge the handwriting is complex? Kelli Fetter Yes, please. Yeah, it's complex, and therefore it takes a team. Like it takes a team. We're not going to be the end all, be all. Like wave our magic wand for dysgraphia and handwriting. It has to be a team. That's why we, in my business, we pulled in my daughter's dyslexia tutor because I was like, okay, great, we got handwriting to a really functional skill or level, and then the plateau happened because of spelling. So now we need to pull in a specialist for spelling. So it's so convoluted and nuanced, and we can't just be the only one, but we should be. Okay, one of the big ones, yeah. Jayson Davies So let's role play this, right? Like if we're on an IEP team, we got a teacher, you got the OT, we got a speech therapist all involved, right? General ed and special education teacher. Now we're going to write a goal, you know, for the student to legibly write. We'll just say it's a sentence or two sentences. Kelli Fetter Yep. Jayson Davies How is that beyond an OT goal, and give me some examples about how you work as a team. Kelli Fetter Yeah, so obviously the OT role easy. Like we're looking at the actual functional skill of handwriting, as well as those foundational skills, those underlying performance skills. Gen Ed, special ed, obviously, if they are getting any sort of pullout services for spelling, for grammar, for syntax, for SLP can kind of overlap with that too. I think it's funny in the SLP world they kind of have a similar conversation of whose role is it? Is it the SLP role for dyslexia, or is it the special ed role for dyslexia? Interesting. Yeah, because they can address phonological skills and phonemic proficiency and. Jayson Davies Makes sense. Kelli Fetter Yeah, fluency and you know on and on and on. So. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter but I I'm of the like we don't need to necessarily like divide. Like here's what you get to do and here's what you like. I think if we're all coming together and addressing the big goal, which I I love that goal. Right, that's a very functional goal that every team member can contribute to, then that's really how the student is going to thrive. And like you said, if we're only working with a student 15 minutes once a week, that's really hard to make progress. But if I'm working on it, and the speech therapist is working on it, and the special education team is working. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter those minutes add up, and it's it's compounding and addressing parts, but also addressing the whole, to hopefully lead to faster progress. Jayson Davies Yeah. Now thinking about the OT role and going back to that discussion about top down, bottom up. Do I guess how do we make a session? Right, we got 30 minutes with a student. How do we make a session? How do we build this session that incorporates both a little bit of each of that top down and bottom up? Kelli Fetter Okay, great question. I love this. Okay, so let's pretend that we're going to the gym, and we want to get stronger, and but we we can only go to the gym 30 minutes once per week. Yeah, exactly. That's gonna it's gonna take off a bit to really get measurable strength, or if strength is your goal, that's currently my goal. But it's gonna. Take a moment. So, what if we use those 30 minutes to work on maybe some performance? You know, some some top down, like some reps, get some reps in, some observations, some educating the teacher who is with that student. Those rest of the minutes, that's where it becomes way more powerful, and I would argue if we can have more touch points with that student in the week, which I know is a huge dynamic system shift. So it's going to take us a while to get there. Yeah, but if we can maybe have two touch points a week with that student versus one, I think we're going to see faster and better outcomes. Just like if you're going to the gym twice a week versus once a week. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter it's kind of how I think about it. Jayson Davies Yeah, and and we talked a moment ago about collaborative goals, right? Yes, and I think that lends itself a little bit to maybe that second touch point isn't us, but if that second touch point is the RSP teacher focusing a little bit on handwriting or the general education teacher, that that's still a touch point that has been influenced by you being on the IEP team. Kelli Fetter Yeah, and same thing, you know, if the goal is is the foundational skill building, again, we're not going to strengthen hands in 15 minutes once a week. Like that's just impossible. So yeah, how can we make sure that that's happening outside of our therapy session, but also parent leveraging the parent too, and and really getting. I know that's trickier in a school based setting than say an outpatient setting, but for us in like how we do things at handring solutions is it is so evident when parents are active and engaged and carrying over versus when they're not. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter So I think that could be underutilized superpower of ours. Jayson Davies Oh, absolutely! Parents are are amazing. Now, for a long time, it was kind of thought if you work on fine motor skills, you will improve handwriting. I think we've kind of put that to rest, and we are almost at a point. And and of course, not everybody, but we're seeing this switch to that more top top down approach, where it's like if you want to improve handwriting, you just have to improve handwriting or work on handwriting. You mentioned earlier that we're starting to see research that's kind of pointing a little bit to to not one or the other, but a and you know the the underlining skills and the actual act of handwriting. Can you elaborate a little bit more on what that what you're finding in that research? Kelli Fetter Yeah. So I think so. For example, the grasp, our you know debate, right? Of like does grasp matter? And so oftentimes a pencil grasp is not functional because of weak hand muscles, and so in that case, we have to have that bottom-up approach to to improve the grasp, which will then improve their pencil control, and that top-down approach as well. So I think that's where the the nuances and the research is. I just I I don't tend to be like an extremist of okay, we've shifted completely from bottom up to completely top down. I just think that is more nuanced than than that, and we have to really individualize. I mean, that's what we do best, right? Is individualize to each student. Some students, that's that's you know you shift your framework based on the student too. Jayson Davies Yeah, I think I mean that's why the occupational profile, which we had an episode about a few weeks ago, is is so important. Understanding the goals and understanding where the student is. One of the things that I, you know, research is so important, but research is still limiting you to the information that you have on the six pages of that article, and I think that there's a lot of missing information there that if we had would kind of flip the script on some of our articles because in the articles we are told baselines on assessments, right? We are told where the student started on the handwriting without tier screener, or where they started on the edge and where they ended up at the end. But it doesn't tell us where the student fell on the edge baseline and post. Who was the one student in the 20 or 30 kids identified that had a non-functional grasp, and that student is naturally lumped in with everybody, and we don't know the results of that one student. That you know, the one student out of 20 who had a non-functional grasp. Maybe that student didn't benefit from the Learning Without Tears program or from an. The other programs that are being tested, so that that's a piece that we miss in the research. And you know, unless you do get a study of one individual student with a pencil graph that's non-functional. Kelli Fetter Yeah. Jayson Davies like those studies, I don't know that exist. Kelli Fetter Right. Well, and yeah, that's it because yeah, research in and of itself has to be so narrow to measure these outcomes, and so it's rare to measure the outcome of multiple factors. There is one research, and I'm blanking on the researcher. I want to say, yeah, I'll dig it up, and we'll put it in the show notes. Jayson Davies We'll put it in the notes. Kelli Fetter and it looked at. It was one of the few that actually did look at a like bottom up approach only a sensory motor approach combined with handwriting instruction, and then I think just the handwriting instruction. I forget I could be misquoting that, but I know that the the outcome. Jayson Davies I think I know the article you're talking about. Yeah. Kelli Fetter The outcome was the sensory motor approach coupled with the handwriting instruction led to the best outcome? That's pretty powerful for us, I think. Yeah, to kind of again come at it from from both angles, depending on the student. Jayson Davies Yeah, man, the nuances. One of the terms I've been hearing more, and and I really actually like this term because you know handwriting is getting a kind of you know it's it's that UG term. Whenever someone in school-based OT hears handwriting, they just kind of give a shrug. But we're starting to to use the term written expression, and I like this term because it written expression is used by teachers in multiple ways. Versus handwriting is very strict handwriting. What are your thoughts on that term, written expression, and the role we have as occupational therapy practitioners, both maybe handwriting and beyond? Kelli Fetter So I like there's a new image again, kind of played off of the science of reading. There's the reading rope in the reading world, and so I believe it was a researcher came up with the writing rope, and it's a really great visual for us as OT practitioners and for the schools in general to look at because it does kind of break apart those written expression pieces and parts and that transcription, which is basically the handwriting and the spelling part, and I love that as the written expression term because a that's what the diagnosis is typically called specific learning disability in written expression. B it is more all encompassing, so it does feel like we it lends itself more to okay. Well, we can have a role, and SLP can have a role in written expression, and again, that that collaborative approach. But look up, definitely look up that that writing rope because I think it is just a really solid visual. So we can say, oh, okay, there's our role. Like, pinpoint that. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Well, we're going to take our final break, and when we come back, I've got a question about auto mass, automaticity, automaticity, and you know, making sure that our students can actually write fluently because I know that comes up a lot. So we'll be right back. All right, Kelly. We've all had the student that when we work in the OT room, they've got it down. They can copy the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, no problem. But we get back into the classroom, and the work samples from the classroom are just they they don't they don't measure up to what's needed, right? And they can't keep up in the classroom. Thoughts on that? Kelli Fetter Oh yes, I've got thoughts on that. So I have this conversation a lot, and we actually developed a whole like framework to conceptualize this, looking at the cognitive load. So I've seen sometimes OTs in Facebook groups again. They'll say, you know, what do you think about this student? And it's just a copy model, and that cognitive load is not matching the cognitive load that they will need in the classroom. So when I am teaching professionals or parents about this, I frame it as you know that that basic easiest lowest level cognitive load is typically the tracing or the imitation, and then the next load is the copying from near point, and then copying from far point, and then writing from dictation where the teacher is telling them what to write, and they write it, and then that highest cognitive load is that self-generated thoughts. The problem is if we're only working on copy skills and OT sessions, but they're expected to write from self-generated thoughts. That's why it's that's why it's breaking down. So we kind of have to scaffold and go. You know, work backwards and build up those foundations first, and bring them to that next highest cognitive load level, and then of course accommodate and support them as they are working their way up. Yeah, because the cognitive load in the classroom, not to mention, like yes, the writing output cognitive load is heavier, but also yeah, there's the sensory aspect, and one of my favorite activities that I do when sometimes when we do workshops is have parents or professionals copy like different figures, and it could be reversed and upside down and a mixture of print and cursive, and they have to do it with their non-dominant hand, and then I read to them while they are doing it, and at the end I'm like, "Who can tell me what I told just talked about? And they're like, "No, I thought we were doing a writing test. And that's it. I'm like, "That's the easiest and best way to really get them to understand cognitive load and how in the classroom it's like they can only have the bandwidth for so that's when it all falls apart and usually handwriting is the first thing to fall apart because they're so they're thinking so hard about like what do I want to write what was that really good idea oh yeah that okay spelling falls off handwriting falls off is like the top, the top two. So if we can automate handwriting in a safer space, and then bridge it up, you know, up the level of cognitive load, and then if they can get that spelling support, where that is more automated as well, that is how we reach automaticity in the classroom. Jayson Davies Perfect. perfect. We're going to come right back to that in a moment. You mentioned the different ways that you're going to assess handwriting, different levels, right? Copying, and then move your way up to eventually writing from their own their own thought processes. Is there a particular tool that you like to use for doing that, or do you just kind of, you know, I write down a few letters, let them copy it. I write down a few words, let them copy it, and then I give them a sentence to write. Kelli Fetter Yeah, we. I mean, there's a variety, of course, handwriting assessments out there. I just don't love. I'm not like married to any of them. Maybe one day I'll have to like come up with my own screener or whatever. But basically, that's what we've done. Is we've kind of when we have handwriting assessments. We have built out our own process for looking at all of those pieces and parts, and then we measure like to get some data. We measure, you know, letters per minute or words per minute. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter And then measuring like found or like mechanical skills too of line placement and sizing and spacing and starting, and sequencing, and all of that. But yeah, it's like there's just there's really not a gold standard handwriting assessment. There are a lot of options, and I will say something is better than nothing. So yeah, we absolutely should be assessing handwriting in whatever modality and means that you have. Jayson Davies Yeah, I mean, I've used. I think we've all used the THSR. We've used the etch. I I like the etch. It's short and it does have most of those components that you're talking about. So that's one that I've used. The McMaster standardized. I believe it's the THSR. What's that? Kelli Fetter The McMaster is another one. The cost. Decos. Yeah, yeah. I'm like decost. Jayson Davies Yep. Kelli Fetter Yep. Yep. Jayson Davies Yeah. So there's some out there. Kelli Fetter Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So usually it's like whatever is handy in your school is fine, and then you just fill in the gaps, you know. Yeah. Based on those levels. And to be honest, if you don't have you know access to one of those, it really isn't that much different than like what Kelly just said. You know, just have them copy a sentence, have them write out a sentence from dictation, have them write a sentence from their own thoughts. And once you have that, you can easily compare the difference between copying and writing from their own thoughts. If there's a big difference, what does that mean, Kelly? From yeah, we see we see that a lot. That and that is one of the most powerful visuals that we share with parents because I'm like, look, no cognitive load. They can write their alphabet fine. Look at what happens when we add cognitive load. You can't read it, and so that indicates a few things. That indicates, you know, then you go back to that written expression piece of where where are the gaps? So is it a handwriting automaticity thing? Often it is. Is it a working memory? Is it a processing speed? Again, going back to the spelling, it's like they get so hung up on that and the grammar. It could be a variety of factors, for sure. Jayson Davies Okay. So to what degree can OT going back to that, right? A student is able to copy no problem, cognitive load increases their their handwriting decreases. How can OT support that automaticity to decrease the cognitive load? Is that our role? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think. Definitely, is our role in parts. So, looking at the executive function is a big area that you can see that kind of fall apart. Ensuring that they are actually automatic because copying is easier because you've got the visual. But is it a true automaticity? Are they? Do they have that visual memory of the letters? Because if you take that visual off, you know, away from them, can they still have the visualization of what that letter is supposed to look like? Sometimes, and this is in like extreme cases or with younger kids, when you remove that visual, they draw the letter. You bring the visual back, they're writing the letter okay. The you know so it's interesting to see kind of how that how that plays out in their in their their brain and their neurology. But I will say that you never even if a child is strong in copy that does not indicate automaticity, and true automaticity only comes from being able to self-generate thoughts without the visual. Jayson Davies So I hope my faces over here did not like make you get confused because I'm over here thinking about everything you're saying, and hopefully we get this on YouTube eventually. But so everyone can see. But how do we not have a standardized version of how long it takes a kid at every grade level to write the Quick Brown Fox jumps over the lazy dog? Like Kelli Fetter I know. Jayson Davies Wouldn't it be the simplest thing, like assessment tool ever, to just have first graders all around the country, second graders all around the country, just write from their own rote memory, the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. I mean, or something, right? Write, write one sentence. How long does it take to write out, you know, 20 characters or something like? Yeah, we should have that. Kelli Fetter Yeah, I mean, there's definitely data that is more broad in that, and that's what we pull from is like x number of words per minute based on grade level, but it doesn't break down the cognitive load, and that's where it's frustrating. So we'll see that a kid is faster with copy, but way slower with with dictation, or way slower with with the self generated thoughts. And so it'd be really interesting if somebody will do a study on breaking that down and like what should the expected pacing be for those various cognitive loads because it's hard to compare, right? Like copy pacing versus I mean even as adults, you know. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, it'd be interesting. And that's what leads to the difficulty with the research that's out there because we don't know the cognitive load of the research presented, and we also don't know any other factors about the individual students and and all that. You know, we're getting a general. Okay, you talked about like the the spelling issue, and obviously this is the cognitive load issue. If you are kind of seeing that where a student, they're obviously getting slowed down because it's just hard for them to remember how to spell words, and it's the grammar. That's what's really slowing them down. Do you try to? I mean, you mentioned executive functioning, but do you attempt to address this, or is that something that we try and work more closely with the teacher, let them know what we're seeing and and maybe what they can do? Any any thoughts? Kelli Fetter I think all all of the above. I think consulting and collaborating with the teacher absolutely making sure they are getting explicit and systematic instruction in spelling because often they may not be. It seems like that's fallen off of the curricula in a lot of schools too. They teach reading, and then they're like, "Okay, we're good. And really, reading instruction needs to extend third, fourth, fifth grade to to get that encoding, which is spelling. Spelling falls into the encoding as OT practitioners, what we can do is scaffold, and so you know, scaffold for their executive functions, scaffold for their spelling, as well as maybe pull in some memory tools, some graphic organizers, some other external strategies that might support them in the moment while they're building those spelling skills outside of our sessions, and I think that our role could definitely be powerful in that. Jayson Davies Yeah, man, so many. We only got to like a third of the questions that we actually planned for today, but I'm glad because all the all the discussions we've had today I think are going to be so helpful for everyone listening. We got to start to wrap up here, and one thing that I find really cool that you've done is you started to develop summer camps, and you're even helping other people to develop summer camps in handwriting. Now. For the everyday school-based occupational therapy practitioner, they may not be interested in a summer camp. However, I do want to pick your brain on how they can use this idea, this concept of a handwriting camp within their school-based OT practice. So I'd love to get just your thoughts on that because you have that experience. Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think there's actually been an article come out. I'll have to dig for this as well about a club model, like a handwriting club in a school system, and I think that could be so powerful and something the OTs could really capitalize on. And you know, as far as what that looks like logistically, it would you know depend on your situation. But even if it was once twice a week, that would be powerful. Our camp model is actually four days a week back to back. You hit that motor learning really hard. Of course, it's not like then we we don't say okay, you're done, you're good to go, bye bye. Like then we have like you know a follow up plan with the family, extended practice opportunities, and then sometimes they filter into our one on one tutoring model. But why I love the camp and the club that intensive model is it kind of goes back to if if OT practitioners are listening, that more episodic approach to therapy, which is really really powerful when it comes to motor learning theory. If we can hit the skills really intensive for a short time, and then kind of take a step back and let them, you know, apply those skills, and then maybe check in, do some touch points later on. To me, that can be a more powerful and effective model than stretching, you know, this intervention out. Jayson Davies 30 times a year. Kelli Fetter That's right. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter I would rather do 30. If we're doing 30 times a year, I would rather let's like go really intensive and then let's space out those last few. Again. Jayson Davies So when you say intensive, you mentioned four days a week. How many hours, or is it one hour or 30? It's an hour. Kelli Fetter Yep, an hour a day. Very like I mean, when you look at our structure, they're not writing. They're they're not pencil to paper for that whole hour. So yeah, yeah. You know, we we do very intentional brain body warm ups, hand warm ups to get their their bodies and their brain ready to write. We do multi sensory sensory motor warm ups and handwriting lessons, and then really about maybe 20 minutes of that is pencil to paper, depending on the student's age. More longer if they're older, less maybe if they are younger. But they're still writing. You know, there might be writing on a chalkboard or a dry erase board or in sand or whatever. Yeah. But it really is some of these before and afters. Like the pictures speak 1000 words, and it it's amazing what those. It's less time for them to forget if they just did it yesterday and then they're doing it again today. There, you don't have that regression, that skill loss. yeah. Jayson Davies There's a reason that kids go to school every day for five days a week for five hours or for 180 consecutive days for the same exact reason. Did Did you say how long are they a week long, two week long, four weeks long? Kelli Fetter Right now we're doing four, just one week, four days. But typically we'll recommend four days. Okay, yeah. So it's a short burst. It is instructional level only. So I say that you know if they need more of a remedial level, they're gonna need more than four days. But and and again, it's not like we wave our magic wand and they're good to go. They still have to do that outside work to achieve the automaticity. But what it does is give them the foundation, four days of foundational handwriting instruction, which so many kids don't have so. Jayson Davies Yeah, and I, I think this would be a perfect tier two MTSS program, right? Like we just kind of work with our administrator and say, you know what, maybe if four weeks after the school year starts, I'm going to host this little two week program and kindergarten teachers can basically recommend any student to be a part of that program. They are the ones referring kids to the program, not the OT going to evaluate them. And you have this little program that might prevent four assessments throughout the rest of the school year, which, to be honest, is going to be less time than the camp itself. So you're kind of replacing four four hour assessments later in the school year with you know 10 hours of of camp. Kelli Fetter Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I love that. I love that model. I'm here for it. I mean it is. Jayson Davies All right. Kelli Fetter It is so powerful. I just can't say. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter And that's why. So this will be interesting too. Initially, when I very first started Henry Solutions, we did a once a week model, and I quickly learned no, it's twice a week, a minimum twice a week that we are working with students, and that's one on one, of course. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter and. It's amazing to see how much faster their gains are. Yeah. Jayson Davies I mean, it totally makes sense. We know that you know professional athletes aren't learning to be professional athletes one time a week. Kelli Fetter That's right. Jayson Davies Kids are going to school to do learn to do reading, math, everything a lot more than one time a week, and so I don't know why we think that we should be so magical to to help a student with handwriting in one time a week? Kelli Fetter That's right. I mean, I wish. Jayson Davies There's no research out there that points. Kelli Fetter to it. No, no. Well, I always use yeah for parents. Sometimes I explain it as exactly like you said. Like if I wanted to learn how to golf. Okay, well I could grab my golf clubs and go to the golf course and hit once a week, and it would take me a really long time. But if I hired a golf professional and they gave me some lessons, and then I practice a few times on the off days, yeah, I still probably won't be great. But I'll be, I'll be doing better. I'll be doing better than I was. Right, right. Yeah. Jayson Davies Yeah. We're gonna see Kelli out there on Thursdays, Fridays through Sundays on on TV soon. Now, all right, Kelli, it has been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. This has been a great conversation. I know it's going to help a lot of practitioners. Where can everyone go to learn more about you and everything you got going on? Kelli Fetter Yeah, we've got a lot going on. So it's handwriting solutions.org is our website? You will see tabs for parents, tabs for professionals or educators, OTs. As I mentioned, I am working very diligently on getting this book out. So TBD on when it will actually be out. But we are building a course for OT practitioners that will hopefully launch this fall. So I will make sure that we include a link in the show notes so that you can kind of sign up on a wait list or get in on our email list. We send weekly emails, very educational, zero fluff. As with Jayson's emails, they're just I love Jayson's emails every week. It's yep. You're welcome. Jayson Davies I love yours too. Kelli Fetter Thanks. Jayson Davies They're one of the few that I actually stay subscribed to, so no, I can attest to them as well. Kelli Fetter Yeah, yeah, very powerful. And then yeah, we're always doing workshops and trainings, and just it is a passion of mine. If you can't tell, so and I think comes from a genuine place of you know living the struggle, and so I want to empower as many OT practitioners as possible. So yeah. Also, we're on Instagram, we're on Facebook, we're on LinkedIn. I can probably drop a freebie as well. So make sure you check the show notes for a little little special freebie for the OT school house listeners. Jayson Davies Perfect. Yes, check it out. Head on over to the show notes. The link is right down here, or just head on over to OTSchoolHouse comm podcast, and you'll see Kelli's episode and click there, and you'll have all the links that we talked about. We're going to do our best to dig up as much of that research that we discussed today, put them into the show notes to make it nice and easy for you all, Kelli. Thank you so much for being here. Really, really appreciate it. I know we're gonna have to do this again sometime. Maybe when that book comes out, we can we can do another one. It's Penny, right? You're working with Penny. Kelli Fetter Yes. On that. Yep. Jayson Davies Awesome. Yes. So we'll have to get both of you on here and do a nice little dyslexia dysgraphia session together. Kelli Fetter Love that. Jayson Davies It has been a pleasure. Thank you so much, and we'll definitely keep in touch. Take care. Kelli Fetter Yep, thank you. Jayson Davies Okay, that is a wrap on episode number 205 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Thank you so much for being here, and a huge thank you goes out to Kelly from Handwriting Solutions for joining us today and sharing her expertise around dysgraphia and handwriting support in schools. I cannot wait until that book comes out that she teases about both dysgraphia and dyslexia. That's going to be amazing. Make sure to check out the show notes at otschoolhouse.com/episode 205205 for all the links to Kelly's website, her Instagram, and all the resources that we mentioned today. Especially for this episode, that is going to be super important for you. And of course, thank you for listening. Like seriously, you show up for your students every single day, and even in the heat of summer, like many of us are right now, you're here listening to a podcast, thinking about your students and how you can better yourself for your students. Episodes like this one only exists because of your drive to keep learning and growing as a practitioner, and I cannot thank you enough for showing up here today and listening to the podcast. Now, if you want to keep that momentum going, I would love to have you join our school-based OT collaborative. It is the community that we have built specifically for school-based OT practitioners, just like you, it is packed with resources, professional development, CEUs, mentorship, all that great stuff. And you can learn all about it over at otschoolhouse.com/collab. That's otschoolhouse.com/colab to learn more and join us today. Until next time, take care. Enjoy your summer. Amazing Narrator Thank you for listening to the OT Schoolhouse podcast. For more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to otschoolhouse.com. Until next time, class is dismissed. Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! 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. Click here to view more episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast

Occupational Therapy Practitioners possess strongholds of sensory processing and underlying neurological processes, They understand constructs from contemporary neuroscience, illuminating the essential role of the vestibular system for neural networking that supports learning and communication. Learners of this course will receive theoretical foundations as well as evidence from contemporary neuroscience so that they will expand their understanding of how the interventions support the mechanism of change - neuroplasticity, which results from the vestibular activation in an otherwise underperforming vestibular system. B2S Conference Free Tools Free Education SBOT Goal Bank Courses The Collaborative Log in More < Back Vestibular Interventions that Support Learning Outcomes Presented by: Connie Wall,OTD Watch on-demand and earn AOTA-Approved CEUs Access this Course in The Collab Explore The Collab Benefits Course Description Occupational Therapy Practitioners possess strongholds of sensory processing and underlying neurological processes, They understand constructs from contemporary neuroscience, illuminating the essential role of the vestibular system for neural networking that supports learning and communication. Learners of this course will receive theoretical foundations as well as evidence from contemporary neuroscience so that they will expand their understanding of how the interventions support the mechanism of change - neuroplasticity, which results from the vestibular activation in an otherwise underperforming vestibular system. Learning Objectives 1. Learners will identify 2-3 indicators of delayed Vestibular maturation within primary school aged children. 2. Learners will recognize how vestibular activation mediates attention, memory, learning, and communication. 3. Learners will discover and identify 2-3 ways to activate vestibular functioning universally within the classroom or within the clinic setting. 4. Learners will recognize and articulate 2-3 expectations for vestibulOTherapy outcomes for children who have under-registration and delayed maturation of this sensory system. Your Instructor Connie Wall,OTD Throughout her doctoral research and tenure as a school occupational therapist and Adjunct Professor, Connie has developed expertise in a wide variety of clinical interventions, using an investigative approach to determine the most effective interventions for helping each individual child. Her clinical expertise, research, and publications have developed her leadership with vestibular interventions in pediatric - occupational therapy. Connie is keenly interested in the impact of vestibular therapies in relation to children’s occupational performance. As a seasoned pediatric OT with over 25 years of clinical experience, specialty certification in Ayres Sensory Integration, and OT doctorate, friends and colleagues look to her for professional expertise and positive leadership. Her mission is to help children and their supporting adults understand and integrate vestibular supports into their daily routine to empower children to reach beyond their potential and soar. She is hopeful the constructs of her educational offerings will be transformative to the classroom and pediatric OT programming to promote children's achievement in social and academic occupations. Contact Hours This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) OTSchoolhouse.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #0252. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy As an AOTA-Approved provider of professional development, OTSchoolhouse.com courses are accepted by NBCOT® at a rate of 1.25 NBCOT PDUs per each hour of course content. NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Purchase Options - Collab Find The Collab Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact Agenda 0-5 minutes Introduction 5-15 minutes Defining the Problem 15-25 minutes Overview of Supporting Theories and Evidence 25-40 minutes VestibulOTherapy Assessment / Screening tool 40-50 minutes The Intervention Mechanism of Change 50-55 minutes Research Outcomes 55-60 minutes Questions and Answers Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the School-based OT Collaborative . The Collab is an online community dedicated to providing school-based OT practitioners with highly valuable professional development and interactive support to implement learned strategies. In The Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the School-based OT Collaborative and watch this course inside our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods A combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck and Q+A with the presenter Target Audience & Educational Level This is an introductory level course intended for occupational therapy practitioners working in school systems or with a goal to better understand occupational therapy in school systems Course Completion Requirements To receive a certificate for this course, you must watch the recorded course in its entirety. Then, you will need to take a learning assessment test and earn a score 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email. Special Needs Requests This course will include closed captioning and a transcript may be available upon request. You may also rewatch the course or sections of the course as needed. Additional accommodations may be requested by reaching out to us via email. Financial & Non-financial Disclosures Speaker Disclosure Connie offers resources and consultation through her website vestibulotherapy.org . Sponsor Disclosure The OTS Collaborative Community is a product of the OT Schoolhouse. Content Disclosure This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service. Schoolhouse Education, LLC is proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider of Professional Development AOTA-Approval for this Professional Development Opportunity is in progress. Stay Tuned! Terms and Conditions Schoolhouse Education, LLC will keep a record of your completed CE courses. When applicable, transcript services may include reporting to professional associations and/or state licensure boards. While Schoolhouse Education, LLC will make all reasonable efforts to offer CE credit for its courses, it is not responsible for state or national, or regulatory current policies or changes in CE requirements that may make courses ineligible for CE credits. Participant Agreement By registering for or attending any event or activity associated with the Schoolhouse Education, LLC and OT Schoolhouse, I agree to the following: Professional Development/Information Disclaimer The material presented in this course is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the occupational therapy and/or medical condition or professional development issues being discussed but rather is intended to present the opinions of the presenters, which may be helpful to other health care professionals at arriving at their own conclusions and consequent application. Attendees participating in this professional development education program do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the A-Z School-Based OT Course, Schoolhouse Education, LLC, and OT School House and its staff or representatives for reliance on any information presented during these educational activities. Waiver of Liability Agreement I release Schoolhouse Education, LLC, OT Schoolhouse, and its staff, presenters, and any other individuals or entities associated with this course from any and all liability connected with my participation, as well as from any liability related to changes to the schedule, events or activities. I acknowledge and agree that I am participating on my own choice and assume all risk in connection thereof and that in the event that a need for emergency medical service arises, I authorize and consent to such services being provided at my own expense. Cancelation & Refund Policy In the event that Schoolhouse Education, LLC must cancel the event for any reason, participants will be offered a credit toward the rescheduled event. OT Schoolhouse Collaborative subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Join Essentials Learn Access to this course and over 40 live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Join Impact Learn Everything in Essentials, plus: The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Support + Mentorship Access the OTP Lounge, plus: Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular ^ Back to top of page ^

Find courses specific to school-based OT practitioners Courses Included with an OTS Collaborative Membership The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative is our premium membership community where school-based OT practitioners learn and grow together. Members of OTS Collab receive complimentary access to the following live and recorded courses and other monthly programming events designed to help you support your students more effectively. Learn more about OTS Collaborative Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: August 8, 2026 Learn More Postsecondary transition planning is a collaborative process designed to prepare students for meaningful participation in life after high school, yet many school-based occupational therapy practitioners report uncertainty regarding their role within this process. This course provides practitioners with an occupation-based framework for understanding transition planning through the lens of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Participants will explore common barriers, examine occupational therapy's role in supporting postsecondary readiness, and learn practical strategies for implementation, advocacy, and sustainability. By the conclusion of the course, practitioners will leave with evidence-based resources and tools that can be immediately integrated into school-based practice. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: June 18, 2026 Learn More This course explores integrative/collaborative and consultative service delivery models in school-based occupational therapy practice. Participants will examine how effective collaboration with teachers and educational staff supports student participation in meaningful school occupations within natural classroom environments. The course emphasizes practical, occupation-based strategies that can be embedded into daily routines to promote carryover and functional outcomes. Relationship-building, communication, and real-world implementation considerations are highlighted to support successful collaboration. This training is designed for school-based clinicians seeking realistic and sustainable approaches to collaborative and consultative service delivery. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 Learn More This course, Participation-Anchored Coaching (PAC): What it Looks Like in Practice, is the second installment in a series designed for school-based occupational therapists. It moves beyond theory to provide a practical roadmap for shifting from isolated "pull-out" therapy to participation-focused, in-class coaching. Participants will explore clinical reasoning through a MOHO-informed lens to analyze student barriers within real classroom routines. The course emphasizes "rapid prototyping," a method of testing small, testable supports in context to drive sustainable student independence and teacher agency. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: April 20, 2026 Learn More This session will offer School-Based Occupational Therapists favorite quick tips and tricks to support students with a myriad of motor skills, self regulation skills, executive functioning, visual motor and visual perceptual skills - to include pencil grasps, scissor use, breathing, teaching letter formation, writing supports, classroom seating, and sensory processing that are all needed for students to participate in the classroom and school environment. These tools will help you be a power source of quick adaptations allowing you to help the entire classroom and school environment. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: March 19, 2026 Learn More This course introduces Participation-Anchored Coaching (PAC), a MOHO-informed model that centers student participation and belonging as the primary outcome of school-based occupational therapy. Participants learn to assess teacher occupational identity, competence, and preferred interpersonal modes using the adapted Mini Teacher OSA and Mini IRM Teacher Interview to identify alignment gaps that influence classroom participation. Through MOHO-guided occupational formulation, Design Thinking, and Self-Determination Theory, participants co-create teacher-informed strategies and TICKS-based, measurable goals that directly enhance student engagement. The course emphasizes the practical application of evidence-based assessment and iterative problem-solving to produce sustainable, participation-focused outcomes in school settings. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: January 21, 2026 Learn More This course focuses on practical tools for intervention to improve transition related outcomes for students on your caseload. The course will highlight the role of occupational therapy in delivering interventions related to self-determination, pre-vocational training, and exposure to employment. Additionally, the course will identify ways to engage with key stakeholders including parents and teachers to assist in positive transition services for middle school and high school students. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: December 17, 2025 Learn More This course explores the evolving landscape of school-aged mental health in a post-COVID world and the expanding role of occupational therapy in supporting students’ emotional, behavioral, and functional participation. Drawing from Dr. Monica Keen’s clinical experience and her doctoral capstone research on interprofessional mental health collaboration, this session examines current mental-health trends, trauma-informed care, behavior changes following the pandemic, and evidence-aligned OT strategies for school settings. Participants will learn practical, occupation-based approaches for addressing emotional regulation, engagement, and school participation within a tiered model of support. The course concludes with collaborative discussion and actionable steps for strengthening OT’s role in school-based mental health. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: November 19, 2025 Learn More This course equips school-based occupational therapy practitioners with a practical, ready-to-use framework to stay organized, efficient, and confident throughout the academic year. Participants will gain access to structured checklists for onboarding, daily operations, and year-end transitions, as well as clear guidelines for referrals and discharge planning. Designed specifically for the school setting, the course empowers OTs to streamline documentation, collaborate effectively with teams, and deliver services that are occupation-based and educationally relevant. By taking this course, practitioners will feel more prepared, supported, and aligned with best practices in school-based OT. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: October 16, 2025 Learn More This session offers an in-depth exploration of the Sensory Pyramid of Learning, breaking down each tier to examine how foundational sensory and motor skills influence student behavior. Participants will gain a deeper understanding of how challenges at different levels of the pyramid can manifest in the classroom, affecting attention, emotional regulation, and overall academic performance. Practical strategies for identifying and addressing these challenges will be discussed, empowering educators to create more supportive and effective learning environments. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: September 18, 2025 Learn More Everyday Ethics in School-Based OT: Navigating Challenges with Clarity & Confidence equips school-based occupational therapists with the tools to confidently address real-world ethical dilemmas that arise in educational settings. Through case studies, decision-making frameworks, and updated guidance from AOTA, FOTA, and state-level regulations, participants will strengthen their ability to apply ethical principles to complex situations involving service delivery, documentation, advocacy, and the use of emerging tools like AI. This course enhances professional judgment, reduces uncertainty when facing ethical pressures, and promotes alignment with best practices and legal requirements. Ultimately, attendees will leave with actionable strategies to advocate for ethical change within their districts while maintaining student-centered, legally compliant, and neurodiversity-affirming care. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: September 4, 2025 Learn More Building on the foundational assessment principles from Part 1, this course explores the continuum of assistive technology (AT) tools available to support student participation and access in the school environment. Participants will examine a range of AT solutions, from no-tech adaptations to high-tech computer-based tools, and learn how to match these interventions to student needs. The session will also address the occupational therapist’s role in AT implementation, including collaboration, training, and progress monitoring. Through interactive discussions and case studies, attendees will gain practical strategies for integrating AT into daily routines and educational goals. By the end of the course, therapists will be prepared to effectively support students in utilizing AT for greater independence and academic success. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: August 28, 2025 Learn More This course provides school-based occupational therapy professionals with the knowledge and skills to assess and consider assistive technology (AT) solutions for students with diverse needs. Participants will explore the assessment process, including identifying student abilities, environmental factors, and task demands to determine appropriate AT supports. The course will cover best practices in collaboration with educators, families, and other team members to ensure successful AT integration. Case studies and hands-on activities will enhance practical application, empowering therapists to make informed decisions that promote student participation and independence. By the end of the course, attendees will be equipped with effective strategies for AT assessment and implementation within the school setting. Price Free for members of the OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: July 16, 2025 Learn More By taking this course, occupational therapy practitioners will be able to analyze national K-3rd grade academic standards and complete a crosswalk with required sensorimotor abilities for students to meet these demands. Furthermore, OT's will leave this course being able to assess and provide interventions embedded within the MTSS format to support student success through addressing foundation sensory perceptual and motor skills whether it be for a classroom, group or individual need. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: June 25, 2025 Learn More This course will focus on the EMPOWER model, a neurodiversity-focused occupational therapy framework designed to support school-based practice. Participants will learn how to apply the model to better understand and address the lived experiences of neurodivergent students. The session will cover strategies for conducting meaningful assessments, applying models of disablement within school settings, and identifying interventions that are neurodiversity-affirming. By using the EMPOWER model, school-based OTs will gain tools to promote neurodivergent well-being, advocate for anti-ableist practices, and empower students to thrive in an educational environment. This approach encourages practitioners to reflect on their practices and amplify the voices of neurodivergent students, helping them navigate and succeed in a world that can often be disabling. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 15, 2025 Learn More Social and emotional development supports a child's occupational engagement in all settings. Occupational therapy practitioners' holistic approach to prevention and positive mental health promotion is ideal for bolstering each core competency of social-emotional learning as defined by CASEL. This presentation will highlight how pediatric occupational therapy practitioners can use evidence-based interventions in each stage of childhood to promote social and emotional development while utilizing a public health, trauma-responsive, and relational (rather than behavioral) approach. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: February 27, 2025 Learn More With increasing workloads, occupational therapy practitioners must utilize existing resources in new ways to support all learners. Balancing the expectations of school-based practice, OTPs often miss recent research and practice trends. Using an OT lens, student support capacity can be enhanced through collaboration and coaching between OTPs and educators through knowledge translation (KT). This presentation will identify ways for OTPs to apply at least one KT strategy within their own schools through the MTSS process. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: January 22, 2025 Learn More As we continue to decrease children’s time and space to move and play outdoors, we are seeing a simultaneous rise in the number of children that are presenting with sensory and motor deficits. At the same time, classroom teachers are observing more and more children having trouble with attention, falling out of their seats in school, increased clumsiness, and even aggressiveness with games like tag on the playground. So, how can we reverse this alarming trend of sensory and motor issues in children? How can we ensure that children are fully engaging their body, mind, and all of their senses? Using the same philosophy that lies at the heart of her popular TimberNook program—that nature is the ultimate sensory experience, and that psychological and physical health improves for children when they spend time outside on a regular basis—Angela Hanscom offers several strategies to help children thrive in outdoor environments using a therapeutic approach to nature play. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: December 19, 2024 Learn More This professional development course explores new insights into autism through the lens of the "intense world" theory. Participants will engage with contemporary perspectives on autism, including challenges related to sensory overload, emotional intensity, and the societal pressures of masking. The course focuses on supporting neurodiverse individuals in educational and social contexts, emphasizing authentic self-expression and meaningful participation. Through interactive discussions, participants will gain practical tools to enhance their ability to support autistic clients while fostering inclusive environments. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: November 12, 2024 Learn More This course will guide occupational therapy Practitioners in assessing fine motor skills by focusing on five often-overlooked areas that provide critical insights into a student's needs and strengths. Participants will learn how to incorporate these key areas into evaluations and reports to better inform intervention strategies. Practical techniques for gathering and applying this information will be shared, empowering OTPs to enhance their assessments. The one-hour presentation offers actionable steps to improve understanding and support of students in school settings. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: October 23, 2024 Learn More Join us as Jayson Davies explores how AI tools can enhance assessment, intervention, and documentation processes to empower OT practitioners to increase student independence and save time. Also, discover innovative use cases for Artificial Intelligence in school-based OT. Tune in to stay ahead of the curve and use this innovative technology in your OT practice! Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: October 15, 2024 Learn More Join us for an engaging panel discussion featuring occupational therapy professionals Kelsey Kornaus, and Jayson Davies as they share their top strategies for a successful start to the school year. Whether you’re a veteran therapist or new to the school environment, this session is designed to equip you with practical tips and insider knowledge to navigate the unique challenges of school-based practice. In this session, they will dive deep into essential topics, including effective caseload management, building strong collaborative relationships with educators and Parents. You'll also gain insights into organizing your time, handling the unexpected, and more! Don’t miss this opportunity to kickstart your school year with confidence and a clear plan. Get ready to leave with actionable strategies that will set you up for success for this school year! Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: August 21, 2024 Learn More Sensory integrative processing is foundational to how we learn about our bodies, engage with the environment, interact with others, make meaning out of activities, produce motor responses, and participate in learning. It also has direct links with our regulation and influences our behavior. Yet, deciphering sensory integrative processing-- and the 8 sensory systems that includes-- can be quite challenging. What does sensory integrative processing actually involve? Why is it so vital for behavior responses, emotional regulation, and learning? How can you better understand and influence the sensory integrative processing needs of students, and yourself, to provide occupational therapy services? In our time together we will explore these questions and many more so you will be better equipped to recognize nuances of sensory differences, how a student's emotional regulation holds the key to understanding sensory differences, provide accommodations and adaptations for students with various sensory needs, and utilize another tool by which to view behavior! Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: July 24, 2024 Learn More Sensory integrative processing is foundational to how we learn about our bodies, engage with the environment, interact with others, make meaning out of activities, produce motor responses, and participate in learning. It also has direct links with our regulation and influences our behavior. Yet, deciphering sensory integrative processing-- and the 8 sensory systems that includes-- can be quite challenging. What does sensory integrative processing actually involve? Why is it so vital for behavior responses, emotional regulation, and learning? How can you better understand and influence the sensory integrative processing needs of students, and yourself, to provide occupational therapy services? In our time together we will explore these questions and many more so you will be better equipped to recognize nuances of sensory differences, how a student's emotional regulation holds the key to understanding sensory differences, provide accommodations and adaptations for students with various sensory needs, and utilize another tool by which to view behavior! Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: June 26, 2024 Learn More As an occupational therapy Practitioner (OTP), understanding sensory processing is crucial in assessing and addressing the diverse needs of individuals. In part 1 of this course, we will discuss the eight sensory systems, including the classic five (vision, hearing, taste, touch, smell) as well as the less-known vestibular, proprioceptive, and interoceptive systems. Participants will learn how sensory information is processed in the areas of modulation, discrimination, and integration, influencing individuals' responses and behaviors. OTPs will gain skills in identifying sensory processing challenges and implementing effective interventions tailored to each individual's sensory profile. By the end of the course, participants will be equipped with a comprehensive understanding of sensory processing and its impact on occupational performance across the lifespan. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 15, 2024 Learn More Non-academic times of the school day, can be significant contributors to student mental and physical health. Conditions that promote positive mental health include participation in enjoyable activities within caring environments that foster positive emotions (Fredrickson & Joiner, 2018). When students participate in and enjoy healthy recess and after-school leisure activities, have good friends, and perceive school personnel to be supportive, they feel more connected to school which, in turn, enhances academic performance. The aims of this session are to provide detailed information about how to implement the Refreshing Recess (RR) programs emphasizing inclusive participation, friendship promotion, mealtime conversations, healthy eating, and active play; and describe a tiered approach to Making Leisure Matter during after-school times. OTPs will be able to use the Every Moment Counts website to implement Refreshing Recess and promote leisure participation within a tiered model. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: April 17, 2024 Learn More This course describes concepts and strategies from the Size Matters Handwriting Program, a proven curriculum-based approach to teaching handwriting. Proficient writing skills are fundamental for every student, constituting a vital life skill. Writing offers enduring advantages to children, allowing them to showcase their understanding in academic settings, equipping them for prosperous careers ahead, and granting them the ability to articulate their thoughts, emotions, perspectives, and concepts with confidence. Fun ideas will be presented for many subjects to promote peer mentorship, self- monitoring and self-advocacy, as well as functional, legible printing across the curriculum. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: March 18, 2024 Learn More This course offers a deep dive into occupational therapy interventions for teens and young adults in school settings, focusing on executive function difficulties. Participants will learn about identifying and assessing executive function challenges, and the practical application of evidence-based strategies tailored to this age group. Emphasis is placed on collaborative approaches that integrate school, home, and community resources to support students' executive skills. Through a blend of theoretical understanding and case studies, the course equips practitioners with the tools to foster independence, academic success, and smoother transitions to adulthood for students with executive function deficits. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: February 20, 2024 Learn More Sensory modulation, defined as the ability to respond appropriately to sensory information and remain at an appropriate level of alertness, is critical for academic and social success. Research shows that modulation is a skill that can be taught. When viewed within a larger educational framework, sensory modulation is seen as a component of emotional regulation and social-emotional learning. This webinar covers the evidence supporting instruction in sensory modulation, basic concepts and terminology to be used in this instruction, and a specific curriculum available to ensure success in this endeavor. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: January 17, 2024 Learn More Join us for an interactive webinar focused on enhancing writing skills and progress monitoring for students of all backgrounds and abilities. Writing is an essential skill, and every student should be empowered to express their thoughts and ideas effectively. We'll touch upon the Universal Design for Learning concept and introduce various methods of writing. Dive into inclusive strategies for diverse classroom settings and explore efficient progress monitoring. Equip yourself with tools to boost effective communication and writing in students; have pen and paper ready for interactive segments. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: December 13, 2023 Learn More In this 1-hour course, you will learn the five key aspects of a valuable and efficient, top-down, school-based OT evaluation. We will discuss the exact steps you can follow from the point you receive the referral to the point that you are ready to present your findings. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: November 14, 2023 Learn More Do your pediatric clients depend on others to get through their school day? Are they reliant on prizes or adults to be motivated to accomplish tasks? Learned helplessness is a big problem for many children and there is a better way! This course will offer concrete strategies that can be included in current therapy interventions to help clients grow up into self-determined adults. In addition to getting them engaged and motivated, higher levels of self-determination are correlated with positive school, employment and independent living outcomes. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: October 10, 2023 Learn More Occupational Therapy Practitioners possess strongholds of sensory processing and underlying neurological processes, They understand constructs from contemporary neuroscience, illuminating the essential role of the vestibular system for neural networking that supports learning and communication. Learners of this course will receive theoretical foundations as well as evidence from contemporary neuroscience so that they will expand their understanding of how the interventions support the mechanism of change - neuroplasticity, which results from the vestibular activation in an otherwise underperforming vestibular system. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: September 21, 2023 Learn More Effectively navigating the RTI process will allow support for students, teachers and families as well as impact the appropriateness of related service referrals. Increase your knowledge of the RTI process through the history, federal and state law, and tiered components. Learn to incorporate specific, increasing intensity of instruction with evidence-based interventions to match a students needs within each tier. These supports may increase a student's success within the general education curriculum and the need for referrals to a specialized instructional service. Incorporating successful strategies for communication and advocacy with leadership, time management, and resources for therapeutic interventions may break down barriers. The result is a win-win for the administration, therapist, teacher, and student. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: August 16, 2023 Learn More Dr. Gibbs provides an overview of Trauma Informed Care and introduces the ACTION from Trauma Approach. The approach maps out neurological connections to further enhance understanding of the underlying mechanisms influencing behavior following exposure to trauma. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: July 20, 2023 Learn More At this point, virtually everyone has heard that mindfulness is a tool for mental health, and you may have even tried meditation or yoga for yourself. Mindfulness practices are increasingly being introduced into educational programs, and for good reason because the research is mounting for the positive impact on children and the professionals that serve them. In this introductory course, you will learn about the evidence for using mindfulness for children, teachers, and children in particular. You will learn about the brain science that links mindfulness and executive function. Lastly, you will walk away with some practices that you can bring to the classroom that will be as good for you as they are for the students you serve. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: June 21, 2023 Learn More Participants will deepen their knowledge of working with students with visual impairments. Information will include an overview of the sensory systems and how sensory information is processed differently for students with visual impairments. Participants will gain an understanding of common sensory characteristics expressed by students with visual impairments while learning how to assess and develop strength-based collaborative intervention strategies. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 17, 2023 Learn More OTPs are often asked to assess sensory functions of children on their caseload, even though sensory integration is an advance practice area. Practitioners that take this course will receive an introduction to sensory functions and their impact on children's ability to participate in their school settings, with a focus on sensory perception and praxis. Assessment strategies will be reviewed, as well as basic interpretation of data and goal development. OTPs will have a deeper understanding of the complexity of sensory integrative issues, and strategies of how they can further develop and refine their own practice. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: April 19, 2023 Learn More "Expanding Your Leadership Skills Through Fieldwork Education" will focus on how to host an OT fieldwork student and the skills it takes to be a Fieldwork Educator. If you have you ever thought of hosting a fieldwork student but needed more information on how to start, this course will walk you through the basic steps needed to develop a relationship with an OT school, who to ask at work, and the resources that might be needed to host your first student. The presentation will also cover a few skills that help a practitioner to be successful Fieldwork Educator and how to highlight these leadership skills on a resume. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: March 23, 2023 Learn More This course is designed to support, empower, and educate occupational therapists that work within the educational setting with the tools needed to navigate student behaviors using a mindful and neurodiversity-affirming approach. It will review introductory concepts to becoming a neurodiversity-affirming practitioner, specific strategies and supports to use in the moment and ongoing, and resources to further expand your knowledge on alternative ways to train and work with paraprofessionals to help them implement and support carryover of strategies from sessions to the classroom. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: February 15, 2023 Learn More What is dysgraphia? Many professionals think it is simply a handwriting challenge. However, orthography is so much more than handwritten material. Debunking these three myths will change your perspective and clarify your understanding of dysgraphia. You will become the expert in your community about this disability and become competent in explaining the definition to other community members. Together, we can change the lives of 110 million children. Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: January 18, 2023 Learn More As occupational therapy providers working in public education schools, IDEA requires that we provide services in the least restrictive environment (LRE). But what is the LRE, and how do we determine where and with what frequency OT services should take place? This one-hour workshop will discuss how the LRE became a prominent factor in public schools. We will also look into what factors play a role in determining services in the LRE for students and how OTPs can determine what services to recommend to an IEP team to ensure students are receiving OT services in the LRE. As part of this course, participants will receive handouts to help them determine services for their students going forward. Learn more

Dr. Gibbs provides an overview of Trauma Informed Care and introduces the ACTION from Trauma Approach. The approach maps out neurological connections to further enhance understanding of the underlying mechanisms influencing behavior following exposure to trauma. B2S Conference Free Tools Free Education SBOT Goal Bank Courses The Collaborative Log in More < Back Self-Regulation and Trauma Responsiveness Presented by: Varleisha D. Gibbs PhD, OTD, OTR/L, ASDCS, FAOTA Watch on-demand and earn AOTA-Approved CEUs Access this Course in The Collab Explore The Collab Benefits Course Description Intergenerational, Organizational, Social, and Cultural trauma This course delves deep into the signs, symptoms, and evidence-based intervention approaches to address the various forms of trauma and challenges with self-regulation. Specific treatment techniques and strategies, including sensorimotor activities, self-regulation, and activities to address cultural safety based on the ACTION from Trauma Approach. Case examples will further illustrate symptomology such as emotional dysregulation, musculoskeletal problems, challenges with sensory perception, poor self-regulation, the impact on self-help skills, and cognitive deficits. Dr. Gibbs provides an overview of Trauma Informed Care and introduces the ACTION from Trauma Approach. The approach maps out neurological connections to further enhance understanding of the underlying mechanisms influencing behavior following exposure to trauma. Learning Objectives 1. Learners will examine the neurological connections and implications to lived experiences resulting in trauma and related conditions (i.e. Autism, SPD, and ADHD) 2. Leaners will apply methods and strategies to provide trauma responsive care 3. Learners will analyze Intergenerational, Organizational, Social, and Cultural trauma Your Instructor Varleisha D. Gibbs PhD, OTD, OTR/L, ASDCS, FAOTA As an occupational therapist, Varleisha has a passion for designing strategies to support individuals in their journey to live their most independent and fulfilled lives. In addition to being a licensed occupational therapist, she is an author, speaker, and expert in the areas of the neurological connections for self-regulation, sensory processing, trauma responsive care, and health and wellness. She holds four degrees in psychology (University of Delaware), Master’s in Occupational Therapy (Columbia University), a clinical doctorate in Occupational Therapy (Thomas Jefferson University), and a PhD in health sciences and leadership (Seton Hall University), with a focus on health disparities in the autism community. Varleisha’s experience extends beyond her professional training, as her personal journey consists of various traumatic events that have shaped who she is today. Contact Hours This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) OTSchoolhouse.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #0252. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy As an AOTA-Approved provider of professional development, OTSchoolhouse.com courses are accepted by NBCOT® at a rate of 1.25 NBCOT PDUs per each hour of course content. NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Purchase Options - Collab Find The Collab Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact Agenda 0-5 minutes Introduction 5-15 minutes Review of neurological connections and the Parasympathetic Nervous System 15-25 minutes Applying neurological connections to lived experiences for people with trauma-related conditions. 25-40 minutes Understanding Intergenerational, Organizational, Social, and Cultural trauma 40-50 minutes Introduction to trauma responsive care 50-55 minutes Moving forward with the ACTION Framework 55-60 minutes Questions and Answers Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the School-based OT Collaborative . The Collab is an online community dedicated to providing school-based OT practitioners with highly valuable professional development and interactive support to implement learned strategies. In The Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the School-based OT Collaborative and watch this course inside our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods A combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck, polls, and Q+A with the presenter Target Audience & Educational Level This is an intermediate level course intended for occupational therapy practitioners working in school systems or with a goal to better understand occupational therapy in school systems Course Completion Requirements To receive a certificate for this course, you must watch the recorded course in its entirety. Then, you will need to take a learning assessment test and earn a score 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email. Special Needs Requests This course will include closed captioning and a transcript may be available upon request. You may also rewatch the course or sections of the course as needed. Additional accommodations may be requested by reaching out to us via email. Financial & Non-financial Disclosures Speaker Disclosure Dr. Gibbs is an employee of AOTA. She is also the author of books shared in this session. Sponsor Disclosure The OTS Collaborative Community is a product of the OT Schoolhouse. Content Disclosure This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service. Schoolhouse Education, LLC is proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider of Professional Development AOTA-Approval for this Professional Development Opportunity is in progress. Stay Tuned! Terms and Conditions Schoolhouse Education, LLC will keep a record of your completed CE courses. When applicable, transcript services may include reporting to professional associations and/or state licensure boards. While Schoolhouse Education, LLC will make all reasonable efforts to offer CE credit for its courses, it is not responsible for state or national, or regulatory current policies or changes in CE requirements that may make courses ineligible for CE credits. Participant Agreement By registering for or attending any event or activity associated with the Schoolhouse Education, LLC and OT Schoolhouse, I agree to the following: Professional Development/Information Disclaimer The material presented in this course is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the occupational therapy and/or medical condition or professional development issues being discussed but rather is intended to present the opinions of the presenters, which may be helpful to other health care professionals at arriving at their own conclusions and consequent application. Attendees participating in this professional development education program do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the A-Z School-Based OT Course, Schoolhouse Education, LLC, and OT School House and its staff or representatives for reliance on any information presented during these educational activities. Waiver of Liability Agreement I release Schoolhouse Education, LLC, OT Schoolhouse, and its staff, presenters, and any other individuals or entities associated with this course from any and all liability connected with my participation, as well as from any liability related to changes to the schedule, events or activities. I acknowledge and agree that I am participating on my own choice and assume all risk in connection thereof and that in the event that a need for emergency medical service arises, I authorize and consent to such services being provided at my own expense. Cancelation & Refund Policy In the event that Schoolhouse Education, LLC must cancel the event for any reason, participants will be offered a credit toward the rescheduled event. OT Schoolhouse Collaborative subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Join Essentials Learn Access to this course and over 40 live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Join Impact Learn Everything in Essentials, plus: The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Support + Mentorship Access the OTP Lounge, plus: Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular ^ Back to top of page ^

Join us as Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L, shares how AI tools can support school-based OT assessments, interventions, and documentation processes. By using AI to reduce the hours we spend on paperwork, we increase the amount of time we spend with our students. We'll cover current and evolving research, ethical considerations, and practical use cases for AI in school-based OT. Also, discover innovative use cases for Artificial Intelligence in school-based OT through an interactive demonstration. Stay ahead of the curve and use this innovative technology in your OT practice!