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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 182 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. In this episode, Jayson sits down with Amy Fehr, MSOT, OTR/L , an experienced school-based OT and current clinical advisor at BlazerWorks, to tackle the pressing challenges and exciting opportunities that all therapists—whether contracted, new, or in-district—face in the ever-evolving landscape of school settings. Discover how to effectively build rapport with staff, advocate for the vital role of occupational therapy, and navigate the complexities of district onboarding and supervision. Are you ready to elevate your practice and make a meaningful impact in your school community? Whether you're just starting out or looking to enhance your established role, this episode is packed with practical tips and insights to help you thrive and feel truly valued within your school team.  Tune in now and take the next step in making a lasting impact on your students and school community! Listen now to learn the following objectives: Learners will identify effective strategies for OT practitioners to build rapport with school staff and administrators. Learners will understand how to leverage IEPs and team meetings to advocate for the OT role. Learners will recognize ways to support professional identity, confidence, and inclusion in school teams. Learners will understand how district leadership can foster a more inclusive environment for all OT practitioners. Guest(s) Bio Amy Fehr is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 15 years of experience. She earned her Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University in St. Louis School of Medicine. Amy began her career in clinic-based and early intervention settings before transitioning to school-based practice in Southern California. Amy has served as an OT/PT Coordinator in schools, supporting interdisciplinary teams and program development. In her current role as a Clinical Advisor for BlazerWorks, she supports school-based occupational therapy practitioners across the U.S. and is especially passionate about mentoring and empowering new therapists. Quotes "We see the kids so holistically as OT practitioners. And I think that that's something that's very unique to OT when it comes to that IEP team and our role in that IEP team."  — Amy Fehr "You're the expert. There is no one else at that table that knows the role and scope of occupational therapy as well as you do."  — Amy Fehr "I always tell therapists, anytime you have the student at the center of what you're talking about, you should never feel insecure about what you're talking about."  — Jayson Davies "We are a medical field in an educator's world — and so, you kind of have to remember that... It's their classroom. It's their class."  — Jayson Davies Resources 👉 BlazerWorks 👉 Linkedin 👉 AOTA Supervision Guidelines 👉 Pearson Tutorials 👉 WPS tutorials  👉 WPS (Western Psychological Services) : Offers free and paid training videos for assessment tools. 👉 Medicaid Billing Resources 👉 OT Schoolhouse Collab Episode Transcript Expand to view the episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome to episode 182 of the OT school house podcast. I'm your host, Jayson Davies, and today we are diving into a very important topic for all school based ot practitioners out there, especially those of you who might be working as contracted therapist. Joining us today is Amy fair, a passionate pediatric OT and clinical advisor with blazer works, who brings over 12 years of experience in school based practice, early intervention and leadership roles in this episode, Amy and I are going to address the complex nature of being a contracted ot for a school or a district. We'll share the good, the bad, the ugly, and even the best parts of being a contract therapist as an OT or an OT a during our chat, Amy shared a bunch of strategies to help contracted OTPs feel more confident, more included and more connected within their school districts, from building rapport with staff and administrators to advocating for the role of occupational therapy and navigating common challenges like onboarding and professional identity. Amy provides invaluable tools and insights that you can start using this school year. So if you're a contracted OTP, or if you work alongside contracted occupational therapy practitioners and want to better understand maybe their experiences, this episode is for you stick around and learn to strengthen your professional relationships and make a lasting impact on the students and schools that you hope to serve every day.    Amazing Narrator     Hello and welcome to the OT school house 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     Amy, welcome to the OT school house podcast. How you doing today?     Amy Fehr     I'm well, thank you. Thank you for having me.    Jayson Davies     Absolutely it's great. Finally, having you on the show, we have been connecting, oh gosh, over the last two and a half years about I think now you're one of the Yeah, yeah, you were one of the original members of the OT school house collaborative. We've now met at a ot a few times, so it's really been cool getting to know you. Thanks for hopping on the show.     Amy Fehr     Yeah, of course, I'm happy to be here.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and you are in a very unique role, and I'll let you speak more to that in a bit. But I want to start off with, I don't know, a new favorite question of the podcast, if I can call it that, which is, if you had, you know, magic snap of the fingers, and could change one thing about school based? OT, what would that be?    Amy Fehr     Oh, goodness. There's a lot of things you could list. There's a lot of things that I think one of the biggest things is I would love to see some more structured guidelines for ot services and the role of OT in school based practice from state level, administrations, from federal level, administrations, just Some, some more structured guidance would be really helpful.    Jayson Davies     I'm glad you kind of said that, both from state and federal, because that was going to be my follow up was, Are you thinking more state level or federal level? And you know, I know you're aware of this, but not every state has guidelines. And I think that would be kind of the first step that I'd really want to see is each state kind of having what school based ot looks like in that state, because, as you know, especially, every state does things a little differently. And so, yeah, in fact, quick follow up, then you said, state and federal. Yeah. What about it at the district level? Are you seeing districts having guidelines in place, or are OTs kind of flying by the pants and creating guidelines, or just special education guidelines. Have you seen that?     Amy Fehr     You know, I've I've really seen that. It varies district to district and within states even so, some districts have some really great guidelines that are put in place by their local education agencies. There are some selpas in California, specifically, that have some really great guidelines. North Carolina also has some some stronger guidelines for their practitioners, which is really nice. But then there's others that you talk to people and they just say, Oh, well, this is just how we do it here. Yeah, I    Jayson Davies     totally understand, and that's one of the reasons, when I was working up in the high desert here in California, they had never had internal ot practitioners, and so I took it upon myself after it probably took, like until year three that I was there, but I was like, You know what? We're growing. We're going to be hiring another ot practitioner. I want to put systems in place. And so, unfortunately, this was before AI was around, but I started to develop guidelines. And I went, I scoured the internet for different guidelines, and I was like, You know what? I like this piece. I'm kind of reworded and put it in for our district, and I like this from LAUSD, and I like this from North Carolina, and I like this and and I started to build my own internal guidelines, because otherwise, as the team. Grows. People kind of come in and they're used to doing something at their district, and that might not quite be how you want it at your district. And so yeah, that was something that I kind of took upon myself to do. And I think that districts should, you know, kind of have something related to OT in place. So definitely. All right, well, let's move on to our main topic of the day. And you've worked in a variety of settings, including as a lead ot practitioner as well as an OT PT coordinator for a district. And from your experience, how is being a contracted ot different or similar to being a in house as a district higher occupational therapist, or even maybe a county therapist or or SELPA therapist, if we're using California language. And does that vary from area to area?    Amy Fehr     Wow, that's that's a great question. It really does vary from what I've seen. You know, from area to area, I've contracted into several districts. I have been a district direct employee in several school districts, the main points of the job are the same, right? I am responsible for my caseload and responsible for evaluations and treatments, that sort of thing. But sometimes with contracted practitioners, they're brought in solely for a specific purpose. They might be brought in to just do evaluations or, you know, just help with compensatory time, that sort of thing. So that can vary for sure. And I think sometimes too you see more of from a district direct standpoint. You see more of the district direct employees maybe partaking in some of the MTSS roles, or the pieces of maybe providing some professional learning opportunities for their colleagues, that sort of thing, more so than contracted employees a lot of times.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. And I was going to ask you about MTSS a little bit later, because I see that as well being just not impossible from the contractor's perspective, absolutely not. But typically, in house therapists seem to be able to get their foot in the door a little bit easier. There you're now in a very unique role with blazer works, and it's almost like you're back in that ot PT coordinator role a little bit you mentioned professional development and providing professional development being potentially a little bit more simpler for in house therapists, but you are kind of changing that. You and blazer works are changing that a little bit by providing a lot of professional development for contracted therapists. Can you explain a little bit about your role at blazer works, and maybe even tie in that professional development a little    Amy Fehr     bit Sure? Yeah. So I currently work as a clinical advisor for blazer works. I'm an Occupational Therapy advisor on our advisory team. I work with 40 other special education professionals of varying backgrounds, special education teachers, former administrators, school psychologists, speech pathologists. Essentially, we have an IEP team behind the scenes, a very large a very large IEP in all walks of life, and spanning the entire country. So we're literally coast to coast. And the great thing about that is we have a lot of different minds, a lot of different minds, a lot of different different experiences to pull from, and we use those experiences. We use our expertise to help support contracted therapists who are placed into school districts with the staffing agencies that that partner with laser works. Gotcha, yeah. Okay,    Jayson Davies     that's cool, because in in a lot of I don't know, I remember when I first got hired on as a contracted therapist back in 2012 you know, they, they often town, oh yeah, we have mentorship and oh yeah, we have professional development, and then you kind of get hired. And sometimes that isn't the case. And so it sounds like, with laser works, you're helping those contracting therapist with those pieces that sometimes are promised but aren't delivered. So that's really cool.    Amy Fehr     Yeah, absolutely. We provide one on one support. We have group training opportunities. We have an entire portion of our team that is dedicated to developing professional learning opportunities for the school districts that we partner with, and also providing some of that to the contractors that we put out    Jayson Davies     there. Awesome. Okay, so then, as we were talking about professional development, sometimes it can be a little bit simpler, in my experience, for someone who's in house to provide that professional development, maybe to other teachers or even just other therapists. How do you in your role as an advisor, either A, provide that professional development yourself, or B support contracted ot practitioners to provide some of that professional    Amy Fehr     development. So that really depends on the district and the relationship that we have with the district. So our team will provide professional learning opportunities for any of the districts that we partner with. We have a huge professional learning menu that they can choose from. And then the it's a district wide opportunity in those instances, which is great, because then, you know, hopefully those contracted employees that are also there have options for that, and they have access to that. But then on the other side of it, on kind of that more contractor support side, we also offer some professional development opportunities for engaging in community learning forums. So in regard to the contracted employees may be providing some of that professional development. One of the things that I always like to encourage therapists is I like to empower them to approach the approach the administrators approach their site principles, and, you know, put themselves out there if that's something that they're interested in doing one of my my in my very first contracted role, I was asked to do a district wide presentation on sensory processing in the schools and using sensory strategies, and having being a person who had transitioned over from sensory a sensory based clinic that was actually an area where I felt the most, the most confident in school based practice at that time, so I was able to do that. But I think it's you know, if you have that passion and you have that expertise and you're willing to do it, put yourself out there,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah, absolutely. And I think we should be putting ourselves out there more and not. You know, whether it's for century, whether it's for a simple handwriting training, any other type of training, absolutely, any quick tips for getting across information to teachers? Well, any, any do's or don't do's that you experience while providing training,    Amy Fehr     I think the biggest thing is to follow their lead. That's one of the hardest parts, I think, about just school based ot in general, is making sure that you're respecting their classroom and you're respecting their their space, their time, but also then making sure that we're putting ourselves out there without overstepping, without overreaching. Does that make sense?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely, absolutely. I like to say we're, we're a medical field in an educators world. And so, you know, you kind of have to remember that at the end of the day, it's the teachers that are having an impact on way more students than we are. And while we have a very specialty mind. You know, we have an OT brain. We can't just impose our everything ot onto them. We have to be very mindful that it's their classroom, it's their class, and we can't just change everything. We have to, you know, work with them, not be their boss, which is never the case so    Amy Fehr     absolutely. And I think knowing that you're not going to be able to change the world overnight, right? Taking those small steps and maybe finding that one teacher to connect with, to make those small changes with, and then building on that, it really does become a snowball effect from there. Yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah. All right, we got off on a little bit of a professional development tangent, and that's totally fine, because it is important. It's really important for us to be able to explain what we do and support others. But going back to contracted therapy, or being a contracted therapist, and kind of how that works, or whatnot, both in your experience as as a contracted therapist, as well as in your current role, where you work with a lot of contracted therapists. What are some of the most common challenges that you've seen contracted therapists face while trying to feel included and integrated within a school team?    Amy Fehr     You know, when we talk about challenges that contracted OTPs phase, a lot of it really comes down to the basics of onboarding and not feeling like part of the team. So one of the biggest barriers can be maybe not being introduced, literally just not being introduced to the people that they're going to be working with on site. It's not uncommon for a contracted ot to show up one day and without an email address, without access to those IEP systems, no idea where they're supposed to work, and that lack of orientation can set the tone and make it harder to feel grounded from day one.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and I mean, I've had that experience, so I totally understand that. Have you seen that be different, whether or not it's a larger ot PT team versus, you know, maybe a district that only is hiring or contracting with one, maybe two, three therapists? I    Amy Fehr     think there are definitely variabilities across districts, and I noticed that personally whenever I went and. To a district as a contractor with a larger team, there was a point person that was ready to receive me, you know, she was the lead for that team, and then and they took me under their wing and got me going. Sometimes, whenever you are going into a smaller district, or maybe there's just a couple of OTs, and you don't really see each other, it can definitely be more difficult to find that time, to do that training and to think of all of the things that need to be done, because especially if it's a special education coordinator or somebody who's juggling a lot of plates at the time, you know it's sometimes hard to just think of all the things that have to go, that that have to be done in order to help that person feel more just more successful, more more welcomed and just ready to go.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. I mean, it doesn't matter what role you're in as a school based ot practitioner, whether you're a a contract therapist or an in house therapist, or an in house therapist, we just know that people don't fully understand what we do, and so any chance that we have to kind of support people understanding what we do can make our job a little bit easier. It's nice to work with people that understand what you do, and that's why I'm such a huge advocate for getting ot practitioners into administrative roles, because it would be awesome, just for once, to have someone be my boss that knows what I do. On that kind of note, you talked a little bit about, you know, advocating for for ot practitioners to go and, like, meet their administrators and put themselves out there. But what are some other strategies that contracted ot practitioners can use to build rapport with school staff and administrators, even if they're on campus only, you know, one or two days a week.    Amy Fehr     Yeah, that's the hard part, right? As OTs, a lot of times we are itinerant and we're moving around. And so this is something that's not unique to contracted professionals, right? It's something that ot practitioners, who are district hired can also relate to and they can also kind of try some of these strategies potentially, if they're having some of these same feelings. But one of the biggest things to remember is that anything that you do, it does not have to be flashy, it doesn't have to be big in order for you to kind of start feeling more connected on site. So those small, intentional actions can really add up. I always tell people to start with simple introductions, you know. And sometimes you're going to have to keep reintroducing yourself. It can sound super basic, but even a quick Hey, I'm the OT, I'm I'll be here on Tuesdays and Thursdays. Let me know if you ever need anything that can make a big difference. And since you are new to campus and you're not there every day, they may not remember your name, and that's okay. Just reintroduce yourself. You may not remember their exactly you're meeting how many new people at every new site you go to. So reintroduce yourself. Be okay with that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, that was something I was totally terrible with, especially as a newer, younger grad, and I finally started putting people's names into my phone on the notes, like by school I would write principals, name, secretary's name, custodian, name teacher in room 22 name, like it was so many people, it was hard to keep track.    Amy Fehr     Yeah, absolutely. And one of the pieces, one of the resources that we equip our contracted therapists with is a kind of a quick cheat sheet. We encourage them to make one for themselves, but we also have one that they can take and they can put down the information of the office manager, the classroom teachers, the principal, the contact information, all of that in one place you go, the more digital route, that's great. But for those who like pencil paper, we have that resource as well. And then we encourage some, some of the therapists that I work with, they've really had great success putting together their own friendly one pager, so something that basically just says who they are, what school based ot looks like how staff can reach you with your contact information. And you know, it's a gentle way to kind of educate everybody, as well as open up those lines of communication, especially for individuals who maybe aren't super sure of what the role of OT involves.    Jayson Davies     Okay, so we got introducing yourself. What are some other ways that ot practitioners can go about building rapport?    Amy Fehr     Another big thing is being visible when you can so popping into the staff lounge at lunch, say hi in the hallways. I know we have a tendency as OTs to kind of want to duck and cover when we see teachers coming, because we think another referral is coming our way. But say hi. Take that minute when you're going, when you're taking a kiddo back to class, to just greet the teacher. You know, if they're not in the middle of the lesson, obviously, but plant those little seeds of connection as you go, and people will start to associate your face as a friendly face of support, and they'll remember those tiny interactions of. Over time?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely so introducing yourself, big one, making yourself visible. Any other ones that you want to cover really quickly, I    Amy Fehr     think following through and keeping people in the loop with what you're doing, that's a really big one, because when a teacher asks for help, even a quick letting them know I looked into that, and here's what I'm thinking, goes a long way, especially when you're not at that site every day. So keeping people in the loop of what you're working on and making like, making sure that they know that you heard them you're actively working on the things that you've talked about, that builds reliability and credibility with the staff,    Jayson Davies     yeah, to a degree like that over communication. A, it kind of helps people to going back to your previous ones. It helps with people remember who you are. B, you're kind of making yourself a friendly face by staying in contact with them. And C, you're showing them that you're trying to support them, even if it takes a few weeks to get them an answer, at least you're letting them know you're working on it. So absolutely great ideas. Yeah, I also like to add into that just quick wins. Yes, like giving a teacher a quick, easy win, if you can find something that's you know, it only has to take you five minutes, but it saves the teacher tons of time or tons of energy with a student, that goes a long way as well. It does All right, so, so that's a few great things to kind of first start doing. I kind of want to get into this, because I don't know if you have thought about this, but I have, and I want to get your thoughts on this. How can contracted therapist and or in house therapist, in a way, use IEPs to their advantage, to help build rapport and help build understanding of occupational therapy.    Amy Fehr     I think one of the biggest things when we're going into an IEP meeting is coming in from that collaborative team approach more than anything, and when teachers and other staff members feel supported by you, you're more likely to get that trust and support back. So making sure that when we're going in, we're not coming in confrontational. We're not even if there is a disagreement, there's going to be disagreements, whether that's with you know, family members, or if that's with school district members, we all have our own roles to play. We all have our own perspectives that we're taking, but maintaining that professionalism coming to a collaborative conclusion that hopefully benefits mostly that student. That's what it all comes back to, right? Is helping the kiddo, keeping that focus there, but letting the teachers know that you're there to make their job easier. That's kind of our goal, right? Whenever we're helping with finding some universal designs for learning or putting in some different accommodations, helping kiddos find some different things that are going to help them access what the teacher is trying to do for them so or what the teacher is trying to give them in regards to their curriculum that day. So we're on the same team, and just making sure that we're coming back to the table and we we keep that at the forefront is, I think, really big,    Jayson Davies     absolutely, I think IPS as being a very useful tool for ot practitioners. It's a it's a space where you can share your knowledge. It's a space where you can share your genuine concern for both the student, I said both, but there's, it's more than two. For the students, for the teachers, for the parents, for the administrators, you can really show your concern and and show how you want to support them. So yeah, absolutely.    Amy Fehr     Yeah. And I think when it comes down to it, we look at the kiddos so holistically as ot practitioners, and I think that that's something that's very unique to OT when it comes to the IEP team, and our role in that IEP team. And you know, what you have to say is important. So, yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah, it's, I love that you say that because, like, I I've said this almost started as a joke when I was at one of my districts and we used to say that when Jayson and when Angel, who was a school psychologist, were on the IEP team, a parent should never need an advocate, or a student should never need an advocate, like we would talk about that because, like, we genuinely cared so much, like about the student, that you could never Find an advocate that would care as much about that student and about supporting that student and that parent and and I've kind of transitioned it now to like, whenever an OT is on an IEP team, like there should never be a need for an advocate. And that's partially because what you're just talking about, we we see things from such a holistic lens that we have. Yeah, of course, we can't support in every possible way, but we are very good at seeing where the student needs support from, and we're very good at, you know, identifying, yeah, that is definitely if a speech therapist isn't involved, let's get a speech therapist involved, because we're seeing this if an ape teacher or if a PT is not involved, I feel like we're one of the first people to kind of say, look, I can do so much with this student for this particular area, but we need the PT. We need the speech therapist, we need the adaptive PE teacher, whoever it is that we need. So I don't know we're great advocates, and I think that also helps to build rapport.    Amy Fehr     Absolutely. Yeah, that goes a long way.    Jayson Davies     Yeah. All right, I want to move on to the second half of our conversation and talk about advocacy and district leadership and professional identity and confidence, but I do have one more question for you, kind of related to onboarding a little bit, and that is as a new school based ot contractor walking into a school. What are some of the questions that they might want to ask, whether that's of the administrator of a fellow OT, you know, how do they go about just kind of learning the rope? So what should they speak up about? A little bit. Does that question make sense?    Amy Fehr     It does, and it's it's going to vary, obviously, from district to district based on their onboarding processes. Some districts, you know, for all people who come in, whether they're contracted or direct employees, have a system in place that makes a lot of that. The questions unnecessary, but the biggest things for me are always where, like getting that caseload, which schools am I going to be at, which IEP system are we using today? Which that you can google anymore to find that out. Do I have access to that system? Who do I talk to to get access to that system? You know, gosh, the headache, yes, it's all coming back to you now, isn't it, but the nuanced things, if you How do I get access to that system? How do I get, you know, am I going to have an email address that's associated with the district? Who do I need to talk to about, you know, if a laptop is being provided, who do I need to talk to about that? Who do I report to, from a district standpoint, that can be a huge one is, who do I direct my district questions to? Because even if they have a mentor outside of the district for the therapy side of things, an outside mentor is not going to be able to to assist as much in regard to questions about district systems and district programming. So having a person that they can can, that can be their go to, I think is one of the best, like, one of the best tools that they can ask for?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, totally agree. All right, I have a follow up to this question, and we will get back to that right after this short break. All right, we are back with Amy, and as promised, I do have a quick follow up to that. A little bit that question was about what ot practitioners should be asking of the district administrators, other practitioners. There one thing you didn't actually touch upon, and I want to get your take on this, is ot practitioners coming in and getting an understanding of supplies, available, evaluations available, maybe any sort of like, just like all the tools that we use, day, day in, day out, and maybe even a report, you know, a template for a report. What should an OT practitioner come in, and should they have questions about that? Should that already kind of be in a handbook? Or what are your thoughts?    Amy Fehr     I think that that's something that you know, is when it comes to the day in and day out supplies, then I do encourage ot contractors to ask for those resources. As far as, where can I find these things? What do I have access to? A lot of times, though, that doesn't come from the administrator that you're meeting with day one. A lot of times that's going to come from somebody else within the OT team, or maybe your your go to district supervisor. So it really depends on who's, I guess, greeting you in that first day. But once you kind of get into that rhythm and you know where you're supposed to be going. You have some of those other basic things down. Then absolutely find out where your treatment space is going to be. Find out, you know, hopefully you have one of those. Find out what resources you have access to, which evaluations they use within that district, where you find those. Do you have to check them out? Are they on site? What do you Who do you need to go to if you need to order more those types of things? And then I always spend some time my first day or so, rummaging through some of the resource supply closets and seeing what's there, like, what kind of tools and toys and activities do I have already there on site that I can, that I can work with and use for for services and for treatment. And then I think the other piece you mentioned was the template, the evaluation templates. And absolutely you want the contractors to follow the district template. If there is, hopefully there is a district template. There's not always one, but you absolutely want them to follow that district template. This is something that the district has put forward, saying that this is the format we would like you to follow, that all of our practitioners follow. So we always encourage that. They ask for that as well.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and again, I just have a bunch of follow ups to this one. If you come across an evaluation, say, you know, you you start working at a school district and like, Oh, you have access to these three assessment tools that are random letters that you've never heard of before, then what recommendation might you have for that contracted therapist to just kind of learn about evaluation tools that they've just honestly have never heard about before. Maybe they don't have the bot two or the bot three, maybe they don't have the Peabody. Maybe they don't have the M fund, and they've got all these other ones that just are random. Any suggestions for that? I    Amy Fehr     think the biggest thing is my first go to is the manual I'm I'm kind of old school with that. I go right to that, that manual, and kind of look at it a little bit. I like to go through the actual protocols and see what exactly am I assessing for here? What is this, looking at what's asked of the kiddo, talking with other therapists on the team, and maybe even asking if you can observe an evaluation that they do, if they're utilizing those tools, that can be great. If it's a smaller team and, you know, you're the sole OT or maybe you there's just not the chance for that observation. You know, as silly as it sounds, YouTube can be a great resource when it comes to some of that    Jayson Davies     true true. There's a lot of students like ot students who have to, like, do assignments about how to administer the bot two, or how to administer the bot three, or the SPM. And, you know, they're, they're not professional YouTubers. They're sometimes hard to hard to get through. But they can be helpful for, you know, getting a sense of how to use a specific tool. So,    Amy Fehr     and I know I feel those types of questions too, whenever I have therapists going in, and they're like, I have never seen this before. What is this? And you know, if it's something that I'm familiar with, I can give them my take on using and my perception and like how I've used it in the past, that sort of thing. But sometimes it really depends on what type of learner you are too, right? Are you somebody who can just read through the manual and figure it out, or are you somebody who needs that visual of seeing somebody else administer it? And some companies are great about having their own videos out there on YouTube now over administration?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I was just gonna say WPS and Pearson have some decent free videos for their for their tools. You just have to go to the page and then, kind of you go to the page for that specific tool, and then at the bottom, sometimes there's, like a Videos tab. And a lot of them, I think, will have like a paid, you know, type of course, for it specific tool. But a lot of them have free videos that are like an hour long presentation on how to use the SPM to like that. They have some good stuff for free. So check that out. Absolutely, I think, kind of along a similar role. Here is, you know, once you've been there for a little bit and you're starting to understand how to complete an evaluation. You've got that report template and whatnot. What are some of the advice that you give to your or to the therapist that you work with on being a little bit more confident in IEPs or standing up for you know what OT is, and sharing the role of OT in staff meetings, like, how do you get them just to feel a little bit better sense of confidence in what they're providing to the teams?    Amy Fehr     So the first thing I always want to tell them is you're not alone in that, especially coming in as maybe somebody newer to the district, or if you're a new school based therapist, or new graduate school based therapist. You that feeling of, you know, I'm not sure if I should speak up or everyone else knows more than me. Those types of, those types of feelings and those thoughts are not uncommon. So first, I just want to say you're not alone. Secondly. Me, I want to share a phrase that one of the contractors I work with shared in our new to schools community last month. This is something that a coworker shared with him, and he said it really helped him with this exact scenario. He was told you are the expert. There is no one else at that table that knows the role and scope of occupational therapy as well as you do. So remember, you were invited to that table for a reason. You bring a perspective that nobody else in the room has, and whether you're at that school every day or just a few times a week, you've seen things with that student. You've tried strategies that have worked, and your input can make a real difference for that kiddo. So I always suggest kind of anchoring back to your purpose. Ask, how can I use my voice to support this student's success? Then that kind of also gives that shift from the focus being on your nerves and puts it back on the impact that you can make.    Jayson Davies     That's great advice. Yeah, I I always tell therapist something similar, in the sense of like, anytime you have the student at the center of what you're talking about, you should never feel insecure about what you're talking about. If you were talking about supporting a student, you're probably on the right track. Just keep going. So, yeah, I love that. You're the expert. Yeah, you're the expert. And you have that there, and you have the student in mind, like, anything that you're doing to support that student, go for it. Yeah,    Amy Fehr     yeah, yeah. It's okay to feel nervous, right? We all get there. We're all we've all been there. No matter how many IEPs you do, there's still going to be some that bring those nerves. But we need to speak up anyway, like you were just saying every time we use our voice, we're not just advocating for ourselves and for our roles as OTs, but we're helping the team to better understand the student and their needs, as well as what ot can bring to the table, and that's where that holistic approach really shines.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, absolutely. All right, we've been putting a lot of focus on the contractor or on the therapist for the first, you know, two thirds of this episode. But I want to turn it around a little bit and talk about a little bit from the actual district role and what they can do to support therapists. So as someone who's kind of been in a coordinator role or a few coordinator roles, what can districts and special education leaders within a district do to better support and include contracted therapists?    Amy Fehr     So that's a great question, and honestly, the answers are more simple. They just take a little bit of intentionality. So first and foremost, treat a contractor like part of the team. I know that sounds kind of obvious, but there have been situations that I've you know, I've heard tell of where contracted therapists aren't included in emails or professional development days or sometimes even invited to staff meetings. And it's not usually out of malice. It's usually just an oversight, but those little things can really affect how connected and how valued a therapist feels. Another big one is clear onboarding. So even if it's just a quick hey, here's where to get the supplies, here's where to go for the tech help. Here's how we schedule IEPs, those basics help therapists hit the ground running. And we know how important hitting the ground running is in our jobs. Oh yeah. So when you're itinerant or contracted, you don't you don't know what you don't know at that point, right? Especially when you're trying to do this across multiple sites. So any little helps with that can help and or any little tips like that can help a quick 15 minute check in at the beginning of the year can make a huge difference. I also always encourage leaders to assign a district point person we talked about that a little bit earlier, so someone on site or in the district who the therapist can go to with questions, so not just about the clinical stuff, but about the systems. You know, even where's the copier code? That's a huge one. So that's another big one. Is encouraging that point person, it's    Jayson Davies     always fun when you have a copy code at like, three different sites, and you have three different    Amy Fehr     numbers that you have to remember, or you have to borrow, the psychologist's copy code because you were not given.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. That's why you make friends with the secretaries. Make friends with the secretary. Absolutely    Amy Fehr     no and, and honestly, one of the easiest and the most impactful things that districts can do is acknowledgement. I mean for any leader, whether it's a site leader or a special education director, you know, a quick email saying thanks for jumping in so quickly, or we appreciate the work you're doing with our students. Those are, those are huge. It goes a long way, and it reminds contracted therapists that their work matters, and they're not just there filling a spot on a case. Load and helping them stay in compliance, because at the end of the day, you know, they're there to help the students, and they're there to help the school, and they just want to be respected and included. Yeah, yeah, absolutely.    Jayson Davies     You've worked with a lot of contracted therapists, and you so you yourself have been a contracted therapist. What has been the best onboarding experience that you have heard about or experienced and kind of what did that look    Amy Fehr     like? So I actually just had a meeting with a program specialist who oversees OTs and PTs at a district that we work with, and she was talking a little bit about their onboarding program that they do, and they actually for all of their OTs, regardless of if they're contracted or or direct hires, they have a two week period that they use to get them ready and up and running. So they do training on their IEP systems. In that time, they keep them secluded for the first week to where they don't even introduce them to the the rest of the team, because they know that the rest of the team is going to just overwhelm them. So they focus on those district level things. First, you know, the getting all of the email set up, getting the tech stuff going, getting any trainings done that need, need to get done. That's the first priority. And then in that second week, they use that second week to introduce them to their they all have a buddy within their the OT team, so they all have somebody to go to that's been there for a bit, and then they transition them into going and observing them they've they basically shadow them for a week while they're also getting to they kind of use the mornings to shadow, and They use the afternoons to get set to hit the ground after that sounds pretty good. It sounds like a pretty ideal situation. So I, you know, I'm used to starting school day one and then just jumping right in. So it's, it's nice that they offer that transition time and that they acknowledge that it's needed.    Jayson Davies     What would you recommend to an A therapist who is the only therapist on campus, the only OT and could use that mentorship from a buddy, but they're just, you know, isn't one in their district? What could that therapist kind of do to maybe get some external support.    Amy Fehr     Yeah, that's that's a really good question. The first place I would go is, you know, if you don't know this answer already, talk to your recruiter. Ask them, Does the company have a mentor they can provide you, as far as you know, that ot side of things you know, somebody like, what blazer works provides for for our professionals that we put out there whenever it comes to that mentorship and advisory support. So, you know, a mentor in that sort of way. Another thing is you can look onto social media. There's obviously the OT school, house collaborative. You have that community built in there, where you get that professional learning in addition to the community forum. And then it's always important to have somebody on site, I think too. So finding another related service provider that you've connected with. For me, it was always, it always seemed to be an SLP. I don't know what it was about the SLPs, but I was always able to find an SLP, if I was, if I needed to say, how does this work here? What do you do if, have you ever had this? And they're usually great. I mean, they're, they're busy too. So I don't always like I sometimes would feel guilty taking their time, but I just tried to be very mindful of that, and they were always very willing to help.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I loved my SLPs that I worked with, and I also loved the school psychologist. They were always so hopeful. That's    Amy Fehr     who I leaned when I first, when I first came through, I mean, the school psychologists were, and the OT A that I worked with, I don't know that I would have made it through my first position without them. I asked a million questions. And I, you know, I think sometimes you just have to be okay with putting yourself out there.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, absolutely. We're going to take one more break, but when we come back, I want to ask you about the therapist who's ready to take on more responsibilities. All right, we're back, and I'm looking at the therapist now. They're feeling. A little bit more comfortable in their role. They've onboarded and maybe they're starting to see that the school that they work with is including other related service practitioners, maybe into the general education system. Maybe they've got MTSS going on. Maybe there's others that are doing some of those professional development opportunities for teachers. But the OT, the OT a the OT department, is not included in this yet. What advice do you have for that therapy practitioner that wants to be a little bit more included?    Amy Fehr     So yeah, once you've had that time to settle in, I think it's a great idea to approach that conversation with the administration, whether it's site admin, that's where you would typically want to start with an NTSS program or something along those lines, or a coordinator, you know, I would just approach the conversation in a way that's open and supportive. So, you know, for example, I've really enjoyed working with the students and staff here. If there are any ways I can be more involved or helpful for the team, I'd love to know, you know that opens the door with putting without putting pressure on anyone, and without overstepping your role, it's simply letting them know that you're engaged, you're ready to jump in, you're ready to support in ways that align with those teams needs, right? And I think you can also be specific, you know, depending on your interest or skill set, so you can talk about how you've supported MTSS systems in the past, and maybe what that looked like, or if there's a particular area within MTSS. So if you're wanting to do, for example, a collaborative handwriting approach with some of the Kinder first grade teachers for MTSS, lean into your skill set, lean into your area of expertise. So and you may not get an answer right away, and I think that that's something else that you need to be okay with.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, that that's absolutely true. And to be honest, sometimes administrators, I don't think really know how to respond when you bring up questions like these to them and and I've said it several times on this podcast before, but sometimes I just go straight to the teacher, and I start with one teacher and start small, and then you kind of build that evidence to show the administrator how you can support, support them. Yeah,    Amy Fehr     I think that's great. And now that you mentioned that I've had instances myself where, you know, I've been able to build that rapport with like, one individual teacher, and then sometimes that builds your confidence as a practitioner too, right? And so then after you see it work, and you see it kind of get to that place where it's benefiting the teacher, it's benefiting you, it's benefiting the students, then it kind of empowers you to go to the administration from there.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, all right, as we start to wrap up this podcast, I want to play a little quick response game with you, and I just have a few topics that I kind of want to get a yes no and maybe a little bit of an elaboration on it. We'll start off with one that we've already discussed a little bit, but can contracted therapists participate in MTSS    Amy Fehr     Absolutely, they're there. They're on site. They're providing services for your students, for your for your schools. The one caveat to that might be if they were solely brought in for the purposes of evaluations, or, you know, completing compensatory minutes, that sort of thing, if you always have to look at that fine print right of what's in the contract, but I would say 90% of the time Absolutely,    Jayson Davies     all right, what about Medicaid? Can contracted therapists support the district by billing Medicaid.    Amy Fehr     Absolutely. They use the same systems that the District uses. The district helps get them set up with that, with the login information for the billing, and they bill just as any other occupational therapist would.    Jayson Davies     Okay. Can OT, ours that are contracted supervise OTs that may or may not be contracted by the same company. Yes, 100%    Amy Fehr     it doesn't matter what company they're from. It doesn't matter if they're district direct or if they're contracted. OT, ours can supervise OTs on site for at like for the district.    Jayson Davies     Have you ever experienced or heard about when a district, typically, a very small district, has such a limited caseload that they hire or contract a full time OT, A, but then have a very limited ot presence, whether that be contracted or part time. How does that, I guess, kind of you know, keeping on the realm of contracted, where a contracted OT is supervising a district ot A,    Amy Fehr     so. A contracted OT, can definitely supervise a district. OT, a I actually experienced that in my very first position. I think when it comes down to kind of the nuances of the amount of time and all of that, though, you always have to go back to your state guidelines for supervision.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. Every state has different levels of supervision, whether it can be in person or it can be virtual, and if you need to cover the entire caseload, or    Amy Fehr     observations are required, all of those sorts of things, yeah. So    Jayson Davies     of course, as always, go back and get more information supervision. All you have to do is Google your state, OT, OT, a supervision and your licensure board, and it'll    Amy Fehr     come a ot A has a really great resource for that as well. They actually have a full resource by state for ot a supervision guidelines, yeah.    Jayson Davies     Last question, does the way that contracts with contracted ot practitioners, the way that they're structured, does it sometimes limit a therapist ability to support students? I think    Amy Fehr     that's when you that's that's a hard that's a hard question, because I think it goes back to the way that the contract is drawn up, and so that's one thing that I always say, you know, talk with your agency about make sure that you understand them, the ins and outs. I've heard instances, not from the people that I support, thankfully, but I've heard instances where contractors say, Oh, well, I'm only paid for services delivered, so essentially, when you're with a student, to those direct services, or potentially those indirect services in regards to a consultation, potentially, but sometimes we know there's a lot more to our jobs than that right there. Yeah, we there's so much more than just delivering services, because there's the paperwork, there's the evaluations, there's the treatment planning, there's the collaboration. I mean, you can go on and on with those things that happen without the student present, and that's all part of your job, that's all necessary for the student's growth and development and for the impact that your services are going    Jayson Davies     to have. Yeah, yeah, I know that's a tough question. Thank you so much for for, you know, taking a chance at it because, you know, it's hard, and I think it really speaks to the need for us as individuals, not even just as ot practitioners, but just as individuals. So make sure that we know what our role is based upon the contract, and then maybe we have to decide whether or not we want that contract based upon what that is. And maybe we decide that we want to advocate or we want to take it as it is now, but advocate later for expanding it. You know, situations change at different schools right now, maybe they only need you to do evaluations, but maybe a year from now, maybe they they need more services or consults or whatnot. So, yeah, very, very unique situation, so thanks for taking that on. All right, one more question, and then we'll wrap up here, and that is, what message would you like to leave with contracted ot practitioners who may be struggling to feel like a valued part of their school team.    Amy Fehr     So I think the biggest thing is to know that that can be a completely normal feeling, so you're not alone necessarily in that, but also know that your work matters, so even if you're not at every staff meeting or looped into every conversation, you're still showing up for the students in a way that makes a real impact for them. You bring a unique lens and skill set to the team, and that perspective is so, so valuable, even if it isn't always recognized right away. So keep taking those small steps to build the relationships. Make sure you celebrate the little wins, yours, as well as those of others. And you know, don't be afraid to advocate for your role. So you deserve to be at that table. You are the expert, and you're doing important work. So keep going with it. Absolutely, absolutely    Jayson Davies     great way, great way to wrap this up. Well, Amy, it has been a true pleasure having you on the show. Thank you so much for joining us. And before I let you go, where can others go to learn more about yourself and also about blazer works, which sounds like you're doing a pretty amazing job with the team over there and supporting people.    Amy Fehr     So you can find me on LinkedIn at with Amy fair, and you can also find me on the blazer Works website. It's Blazer works.com if you go to the clinical advisors tab, you can actually check out my little about me page, and you can even message me directly from there.    Jayson Davies     Awesome. And we will be sure to link directly to those as well to make it nice and easy for you, just head on over to the show notes. Thank you so much for coming on the podcast. Really appreciate you being here, and we'll definitely, uh, keep in touch to see how things are moving forward with in the contractor world. Thanks again.    Amy Fehr     Awesome. Thank you, Jason.    Jayson Davies     All right. Thank you so much for tuning in to this episode of the OT school house Podcast, episode 182 with insightful and inspiring Amy, fair. Amy, it was an absolute pleasure having you on the show and learning from your wealth of experiences as both a practitioner as well as a clinical advisor, your advice on rapport, building on advocating for our role and navigating the unique challenges of being a contracted ot practitioner will no doubt resonate with so many of the school based ot practitioners that listen to this show. So thank you so much for sharing your knowledge and your passion with us and to you you know listening out there today, thank you for spending your invaluable time with us today. If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe to the show and leave a review if you're on Apple podcast, or you can also comment on this specific episode if you're listening on Spotify. It really helps us to reach more school based ot practitioners, just like you, and it also helps us to know that you're enjoying this episode, so that we continue on with more episodes just like it. Before you go, I do want to remind you to check out the OT school house collaborative that is an extension of this podcast, and it is a fantastic space where you can access exclusive resources, professional development opportunities and mentorship to help you grow as a school based ot practitioner. Amy is actually a valued member of our community, and you can connect with her inside the collaborative. If you want to learn more about the contracted role as a school based OT or her role within blazer works, I also want to thank Amy, as well as our other amazing member, for being a part of this supportive network of school based ot practitioners. I'd love for you to join us too, and you can learn how to do that over at ot  schoolhouse.com/collab , and sign up today. Thank you again for listening, and I'll see you next time on the OT school house podcast. Take care.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT school house podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OT schoolhouse.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

Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 181 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Are you a school-based occupational therapist looking to streamline your practice, build stronger collaborations, and navigate the complexities of documentation, assessments, and district requirements? In this episode, Krupa Kuruvilla shares invaluable tips and systems she's developed over her 10+ years in the field. From managing limited workspace to effective parent communication, her insights will help you kick off the school year with confidence and organization. Whether you're a seasoned pro or just starting out, these practical strategies will elevate your OT practice and make your school year more manageable and impactful. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Learners will identify practical strategies for organizing caseloads, documentation, and assessments. Learners will recognize effective communication techniques with teachers, support staff, and families. Learners will understand how to navigate shared workspaces and limited resources in school settings. Guest(s) Bio Krupa earned her Bachelor's in Occupational Therapy in India in 2008 and her Master's from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2009. Over the years, she worked across diverse settings, both adult and pediatric, while seamlessly stepping into management roles. However, her true forte emerged in School-Based Pediatrics, where she found her niche. In 2021, Krupa founded TotalReport, a company dedicated to documentation for Pediatric Occupational Therapy practitioners across schools, clinics, and early intervention programs. TotalReport has been featured on numerous national platforms, and she has been a speaker at various events across the U.S., Canada, and India. Currently, Krupa serves as the Head of Strategy and Operations for Schools at Ascend Pediatrics, In her spare time, Krupa enjoys writing fictional novels, reading, watching movies, dancing, cooking, and, most importantly, spending time with her husband and two children. Quotes "Give yourself permission to grow and breathe, and prioritize connections over perfection."  — Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L "School-based OT is that communication is the glue that holds your treatment together."  — Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L "The key to staying on top of Medi-Cal billing is breaking things down into manageable steps and staying ahead of deadlines."  — Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L "Stay two steps ahead with your assessments—review, plan, and build in buffer time."  — Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L “I like to use text replacement… to type an acronym, and it will replace it with the full word.”  —Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L Resources 👉 Total Report Website  — Access templates, resources, and tools created by Krupa to support school-based OTs. 👉 Google Drive & Google Calendar  — Essential tools for organization and scheduling. 👉 Trello  — Optional project management tool (use with caution for HIPAA compliance). 👉 Evernote  — Note-taking app for quick documentation.(use with caution for HIPAA compliance). Episode Transcript Expand to view the episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome to episode 181 of the OT school house podcast. Thank you so much for being here as we wrap up the month of July and work our way into August. Summer is coming to a close, and we are going to be diving back into the back to school season. So that is why in this episode, we are diving head first into what it takes to start off the school year strong as a school based ot practitioner. In today's episode, I'm joined by Krupa Kuruvilla, an occupational therapist with over a decade of experience both as a practitioner as well as now an operations leader for a company, who works alongside school districts and school based ot practitioners. She's also the founder of total report, which is an OT geared company revolutionizing documentation for school based practitioners. Today, Krupa is here to share her strategies for navigating the chaos of the back to school season, and what better of a time to do it. Krupa is going to be bringing practical tips for building rapport with staff, managing the ever shifting caseload and workloads and all that fun stuff that comes with being a school based ot practitioner, as well as transforming limited workspaces into effective therapy environments. So whether you are a veteran ot practitioner looking to streamline your systems, or a first year practitioner still finding your rhythm, or even you're just about to start your very first year as a school based ot practitioner. When school starts up this season, you are in the right place to help save time, save energy, and get off to a great start. So grab your Google Calendar, your favorite sticky notes, and maybe even a cup of coffee or tea, because we are about to turn your back to school stress into back to school success. Let's do it.    Amazing Narrator     Hello and welcome to the OT school house 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     Krupa, welcome to the OT school house podcast. How are you doing today?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Hi, Jason, I'm good. How are you    Jayson Davies     doing? Fantastic. Thank you so much for being here. We're going to dive into some really great topics at the perfect time today, because we're going to be talking about, like, really kicking off the school year to to have a successful school year. And you know, this episode coming out right at the end of July, early August, is the perfect time to do that. I want to start off by asking you a question. It's obviously summertime right now, and a hot take is whether or not people work during the summer when they're off contract. So I wanted to actually give you a moment to talk a little bit about your the way that you work in school based ot as a contract or as an in house employee, how that works, and get your take on whether or not you work during the summertime.    Krupa Kuruvilla      Great question. First of all, I hope all the OTs who are not working this summer are having an amazing holiday. And for those of you who worked es y, thank you so much for doing that. I have worked in a variety of ways. So when I was working with contracting companies, I didn't always get a chance for ESI. But when I was working directly with the school district, they kind of preferred having in house employees, and we always got first dibs. So I did do a lot of ESI when I was working contracting. I mean, not contracting when I was working directly with the school districts. At the moment, though, I have moved over from clinical to non clinical. So I do deal with a lot of OTs. I am in the operation side, so I deal with OTs who are doing es y. I think it's great. I think it's, you know, it's a nice continuation of what you have already been doing through the school year, and it's just so nice to see the kids and kind of maintain where we want them to be at so yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah. And kind of along those same lines, though, as that, what were some things that maybe either whether you were working es y or not, what were some things that you like to do during the summer to kind of maybe even prepare a little bit for that next school year.    Krupa Kuruvilla     Oh, yeah. So what I do typically at the end of the school year, when whether or not I'm working summer, so if I'm working es, y, first of all, I want to make sure that I have the caseload and everything before I even start on day one, I want to make sure that all the kids who are receiving as y are showing up the service minutes are correct. The frequency is accurate. You know, I like to make sure what my workspace is going to be in the schools, where I'm going to be seeing them, and if I'm not working as why, I like to kind of check out on all my documentation, make sure all my notes are complete. I like to have a running calendar of all the makeup sessions that need to be done, because sometimes, I mean, it happens often that you're not able to get through all those makeup sessions at the end of the school year. So I need to make sure that those minutes are accounted for when you start the next school year. I like to have all my IEP timelines and any upcoming evaluations, because come August, there will be a lot of evaluations that, you know, from the get go, you have to start doing those. So I like to have all of those in order in my calendar. I like to stay very organized. And I think Google has been a lifesaver when it comes to that. You know, Google Sheets, Google Calendar, Google everything, and at the beginning of the school year, I'd like to kind of say that, because it kind of joins into the end of the school year. I do send out, you know, welcome letters, welcome templates, so I work on those at the end of the school year as well, when I'm wrapping up, you know, just to make sure that I have an updated template, an updated welcome letter and things like that, just to make sure that the documentation is complete. And when it comes to equipments and materials, I have an inventory just to see what am I running low on? What do I need to replenish? What do I need to swap out? What needs to be cleaned, sterilized? And then I go from there.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, good deal. And yeah, you know, you started to kind of lead to the next direction that I wanted to go with starting the school year. But I do have a quick follow up, because you brought up the idea of missed sessions. And I think we're gonna, we were gonna get into this later, but you brought it up now. And in your experiences, as you mentioned, you've worked four districts as a contractor in house, and now you know, in this administrative role a little bit, how have you seen makeup services made up within the different areas that you've been in? So it's    Krupa Kuruvilla     tricky. It's almost like a jigsaw puzzle that OTs need to work with. I when I am scheduling my treatment sessions for the beginning of the school year. When I was doing that, I would always make sure to keep in some buffer time, because the buffer could be for anything. Sometimes you're pulled into an impromptu meeting, sometimes the principal just wants to talk to you about a certain student. At other times, you're traveling in between school sites, so you need to have that travel time buffered in as well. So I would use that buffer time many a times for my makeup sessions. The other alternative is, if there's students that are absent, and you know, you kind of have those 30 or 45 minutes to kind of make up on the sessions that you've missed. So I think those two were my go to is when it comes to making up sessions.    Jayson Davies     Did you ever have a district? And I don't think I really had this. I know I always thought about it as an option, but did you ever have a district where they wanted to make up some of those sessions during a break, whether it be summer, spring break, winter break, where they would actually ask you to get in touch with a parent to say, Hey, can you make up some of these services during a break?    Krupa Kuruvilla     You know what? Actually, I've had a lot of parents approach me with that question, but the districts that I worked with didn't really allow for that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, and I've heard it happen, but it seems like in most cases, the district wants to, almost to a degree, operate on their terms, and they want to do it while a child is in school, so I get it just wondering, if you had experienced that    Krupa Kuruvilla     one, oh, just on the same topic, I could also group students who have similar goals, and if they have group on their IEPs, then that's another quick way to make up sessions as well.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, good idea there. All right. We started with kind of summer, because right now it is summertime as we're recording this, but I want to dive into the start of the school year. And so you alluded to some, and I think you're going to work some of those back in here. But what are some of your go to steps during those first few weeks on campus to kind of get you set up for a successful school year? So I    Krupa Kuruvilla     like to call the first few weeks the OT version of back to school boot camp. I like to set the stage, you know, for the rest of the year. So the first thing that I do is get my caseload in order. I review the IEPs, the students that I have on the caseload, their service minutes, and then there's always trying to crack the mysterious case of the workspace, because, unfortunately, not OTs have a room at the district or the schools that you're working at. So, you know, sometimes you would be just working out of a closet, or it could be an empty classroom with no furniture, so kind of working through, you know, where you would be seeing the students when you're pulling them out, where can you just get some quiet time to sit and do your paperwork? The next important thing I would do is just building these relationships. I make it a priority to introduce myself to the admin, the other support staff, the related service providers. I feel like building these communication bridges earlier on in the school year, just makes collaboration so much easier. And if I can remember everyone's coffee otter, then that's bonus points for me. Other than that, I think just the school secretary, more often than not, has been my best friend. So I gather all these resources from them about, you know the school map, because you need to know where the classrooms are, where you will be working. You know where these students are located, the IEP can. Calendar, most important, so you can plug those dates in, about IEP and you can have those timelines ready. You know when you have an annual coming up, when's the tri annual, your evaluations, the bell schedule, which is extremely important when it comes to kind of plugging in your schedule. You know when you'll be seeing them for your sessions. And then just a staff directory to know where you can find what teacher and how you can just get in touch with them. And then other than that, I think logistics, like getting your email set up and your I, you know, just going to it, and getting your information for all, you know, the IEP systems, the logins for the IEP systems. Yeah, so I think these are all the steps that I take to set myself up for success at the beginning of the school    Jayson Davies     year. Okay, yeah. And you mentioned some key pieces that I often talk about as well, like getting to know not just the teachers, but also the support staff. A lot of OT practitioners swear by getting to know the custodian. You talked about the secretary as well. There's a lot of people to meet, and so I just want to get your take on how you go about organizing that part a little bit. Because I know in my history working in the schools like I'm terrible with names, and I would forget the Secretary's name at every single school site, and I'd forget the custodians name, and I forget even the teachers that I work with on a regular basis their names, but how do you kind of, do you have any strategies for keeping it in order with that?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Yeah, I know this is very common, especially when you're traveling between multiple school sites, it's easy to kind of either forget the names or just even get the names mixed up. But when I meet staff members in general, I try to keep it really warm and very clear, and I've introduced myself as, you know, not just Hi, I'm the OT, but I also just give a quick question that I'm here to support the students. What do you think is the best way, or, you know, what has worked with you in the past? So just beyond the introduction, I try to make myself visible and available in small ways. So I make it a point to just walk into the office every morning say hi to everyone. Help a teacher adapt an activity. It could be a teacher who, you know, I have the students on my case over I do not but if they need help adapting the classroom or, you know, just some alternative seating in their classroom, I try to make myself available there. I love sharing resources, so whether it's staff that I'm working with or whether it's, you know, service providers, who I am not constantly in touch with, but I love sharing resources, because I just feel like they're so helpful, whether you're seeing, you know, some sensory concerns with a child or fine motor concerns. I think OTs have this amazing bank of knowledge that could help every teacher. So, and I've learned that these relationships, honestly, Jason, don't usually start in formal meetings. It's, you know, the best relationships can start in the break room or in the hallway, or, you know, in the copy room when you're just making copies. So that's what I think, going the extra mile. It it helps a huge deal. Yeah,    Jayson Davies     I want to ask you this. Sorry. This is a situational question, I think, and I want to see how you do this, because there have been some times where I've sat out down on my desk, I'm like, Oh, this is a great article that I've got in my hand or in my that I'm looking at on the computer, or this is a great resource that I'm looking at and I'm thinking about a teacher. I'm thinking about someone on campus that might be able to use this resource. But at the same time, in the back of my head, I don't want to be that person that's like, pushy. I don't want to be like, here's an article that I think you'll enjoy. You should spend 10 minutes of your time reading this, because we both know what kid we're thinking about, and so sometimes I won't send it because I'm feeling a little self conscious. Have you ever experienced that? And how do you make it so that teachers actually want the resources and don't necessarily feel like the OT is just giving me more work, yay. I    Krupa Kuruvilla     know I completely understand. I know it's so exciting when you find something that relates directly to your caseload, and you just want to shout it out from the roof, rooftops like, you know, this is I found something amazing. But what I've noticed, what works best with communication, with the IDT or the interdisciplinary team, is that tailoring your communication to each one's type. So let's say a psychologist would appreciate an in depth explanation of what you've read, or, you know, just some insight. Teachers are so busy they have 25 students, and, you know, they're juggling so many different things. So they appreciate more short and actionable updates. So when it comes to that, I will talk about specific students who this can help. And, you know, just catch them in the break room or on their break in the hallway. Or, you know, sometimes I just walk to class with them, and then I just, you know, start the conversation with something like, Hey, you know, what do you want to hear something about this? Or, I found an amazing way to help. Jason, you know, do you have a couple minutes? So. So instead of just kind of sending them the article or narrating the whole research that I've read, I kind of try to make it relevant to them for each particular student and just catch them, you know, even if it's a couple minutes of their time, I'm sure it helps. And then that's kind of like the hook to get them into it. And then if they want to learn more, more often than not, they do approach me,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah, you, you kind of work that in back to a response that you said earlier about like, providing quick wins. And I think that's absolutely, like the best way to do it. If you can help someone in five minutes, they're, you know, probably 20 times more likely to come back and and ask you for more support in the future. So absolutely, quick wins for the win. All right, one more question really related to starting off the school year, and you mentioned Google as being your go to organizational tool at the beginning of the school year, there's so much to juggle. Like we have schedules, we have Bell schedules that we have to work around. We've got lunch and all that fun stuff, not to mention a caseload of, you know, 50 to 100 kids. So what are some strategies that have helped you to organize when reviewing your caseload at the start of the school year?    Krupa Kuruvilla     I think reviewing your caseload is like, you know, just organizing your caseload is like completing a sudoku puzzle. You know, there'll be changes. I think that's one thing that OTs need to remember. You will never have your caseload set in stone in week one, and I think once you recognize that, and once you know how common that is, it'll be easier to just be more flexible. So first, what I do is, when I'm reviewing my caseload, I create a simple caseload tracker, so it's nothing fancy. It's just on Google Sheets, or you can use Excel, whatever works for you. I have the student names, their locations, their classrooms, their IEP dates, the service minutes and the goals that I'm working on. And I I color coded by school, like my life depends on it, so I know exactly how many students I have in what classroom and at what school. And this also kind of helps me plan my schedule when I am doing that at the end of week one or week two. And then it's easy to kind of spot overlaps or, you know, some scheduling challenges. So it'll always be a draft schedule at first, and the only guarantee in school based OT is that there will be a shift in your schedule by week two or week three, even at some point. So I also use digital tools like Google Calendar, so I plug in my schedules, and then always leave some buffer time for, you know, travel time, makeup sessions, evaluations that will just fall in your lap without any prior notice. And then I think recurring reminders has what helped me the most to stay organized. So I set up my IEP due dates, my progress report timelines, and then I have recurring reminders for all of these at least a week or two in advance. So it's not an ugly surprise when it just when it's time for the IEP,    Jayson Davies     yeah. Regarding the Google Calendar, do you invite teachers when you set up that recurring you know, every Monday at 830 for Jason, do you invite the teacher, or do you prefer not to have the teacher on that? Because I could see both    Krupa Kuruvilla     reasons. Yeah. So actually, that depends on the teacher. So some of them are really tech savvy, and they would love to have that information on their Google Calendar. A lot of the teachers are still old school. They might not even check the invite for the entire school year. So in addition to adding them to Google Calendar, I also like to give them my schedule and paper, because some teachers just prefer that. And when I go into the classroom, I see that pinned on the board like 830 in the morning, all right, Johnny, it's time for ot so I think you have to weave your way around the way others work as well, because it's truly a team effort when it comes to that,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah. I tried doing the invited teacher to the Google, you know, invite, yeah. And I kind of kind of shot myself in the foot sometimes, because if you don't update that Google Calendar, if you like, say you have an IEP and you don't delete that, or if you don't move it on your calendar, or something, I have had teachers trying to track me down and be like, hey, 830 it's Johnny's time. Where are you? And, yeah, so if you're going to invite teachers, you got to be on top of your of your own calendar. So, Oh, for sure. Yeah, for sure. All right, we're going to take our first quick break, and when we come back, we're going to start talking a little bit about collaborating with teachers. All right, and we are back, and I want to dive in with Krupa now about communication and collaboration. So Krupa, what are some communication tips that you have had, or that you've used that help you to coordinate with teachers, psychologists and all the other providers that we work with.    Krupa Kuruvilla     So like I said before, and I just want to drive home the fact the school based OTs that communication is kind of the glue that holds your school based treatment together, and being a good therapist is not. Just about the therapy itself. It's about how well you're working with everyone involved in the care of that student. So you have to be clear, you have to be consistent and make sure you're on the same page, not just about your goals and your treatment for the student, but even things like scheduling or any modifications that might be needed. So it's, you know, sometimes, again, like I said, tailor your communication according to how your audience would receive it. So don't wait for a problem to communicate how, you know, send out a quick email, maybe have a brief meeting or just a quick chat. Just keep the lines of communication open so we can address needs as they arise, and then you can work on simple questions like, how's that plan working so far? Do you need anything from me? And one thing that I've learned to do over the years is that, like teachers appreciate really short updates. And other service providers like SLP psychologists, they may want more in depth information, so try to keep things and your updates relevant to each person's role, so everyone feels heard and understood. Everyone, just like you, is juggling multiple things. And I think we need to take that into consideration and be mindful of that. I think one really good way. I just want to state an example of how a shared Google doc helped an SLP and I, we were co treating the student, and we were seeing him two times a week. One time was an individual session, and the second one was a co treat session. So this SLP and I, instead of waiting for some time, you know, to find each other and talk about what happened. We had a shared Google Doc, and we had our treatment notes on there, so she knew what exactly it was that worked with the student when I saw him for ot on that Monday, and then I knew how he responded to strategies or whatnot in speech on Tuesday, and when we co treated him on Thursday, we were on the same page. So I think just having a simple thing like a shared doc went a long way,    Jayson Davies     absolutely. And you know, I was reviewing your your school based ot Pocket Guide, as we were kind of planning for this, something that you've got over at total report. And one thing within your initial checklist is actually emailing parents. I just want to talk just briefly about that and ask you, like, how important is that communication with with parents, from your standpoint, and what are some of the things that you do to kind of keep that communication up?    Krupa Kuruvilla     I think building rapport with families is so essential, and it's such it's so less talked about, I think it sets the tone for such a strong collaborative year. So I love to do that by starting by reaching out early to them, you know, within the first couple weeks, just a quick introductory email or a phone call, or it could even just be a note sent home in the student's backpack, and just make it a point to introduce yourself, share a little bit about, you know, what you're going to be working on, and just be really warm and be clear. I don't drive, you know? I don't dive straight into goals or concerns. I think, you know, just having a very warm introductory chat, it shifts the conversation from here's what I'm going to do to let's do this together. So ask them what they see at home. Ask them what their hopes are for the school year, for their student, for their child, and I think that goes a really long way in meeting families where they are. So for me, I just want them to feel comfortable, and I want them to know that they can count on me to communicate and to genuinely listen, because that builds a really strong foundation for teamwork.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. And reaching out to the parents is always I've never regretted reaching out to the parent. I've regretted not reaching out to a parent before, but I've never regretted actually reaching out to a parent. Yeah, going back to a little bit of the collaboration. And as you know, many of us as school based ot practitioners, we have many school sites, sometimes three, sometimes 12, that we have to attend to. So how do you handle sometimes limited workspaces or shared spaces that you might have to use because no one has an OT room or Yeah? How do you handle that?    Krupa Kuruvilla     I think the limited or the shared workspace challenge is, like every school based OTs rite of passage, it has to happen to you. I think the two main keywords that I would use to address this is just be creative and be adaptable. So one thing that has really helped me is having a rolling cart of my therapy materials. So I make sure that I have a well packed therapy bag or a rolling cart where I keep, you know, some of my fine motor stuff and some sensory tools, and just keep things organized, keep them in clear Ziploc bags or in clear bins and folders. So that's kind of your ot on the go and embrace the idea that the office doesn't have to be a traditional office. I have worked in tiny closets. I have worked in empty classrooms with no furniture. I've worked in hallways. I've worked in the NPR room. So just having those extra supplies with you and being flexible to having a functional workspace. I think you just have to maximize whatever's available to you. And the next thing again, you know, it's coordination, collaboration with teachers, with other service providers, you can sometimes work in the classroom without disrupting the classroom routine. I had a couple teachers who would love for me. They would just give me a quiet corner in their classroom, and I was able to work with students there. I was even able to work in libraries sometimes. So I would talk to the librarian, ask her for times where classes would not be attending library. And then I would take a small room, you know, just take up some space in the library. I think if you speak with the related service providers who have an office, which are typically the psychologists and the SLPs. It's all about availability and timing. They might not be at that school every day of the week, so that factor also plays into your scheduling. Let's say the SLP is at this elementary school three days a week, I can plan on being there the other two days a week. So I can use the room, so you can share the workspace with other providers. And what I would like to do is just have the schedule of occupancy so nobody's double booked. So let's say Vanessa the SLP is using the room on Mondays, Krupa the OT is using it on Tuesdays. We have a psychologist using it on Wednesdays, and there will be changes, of course, so you have to be flexible, but that's another idea that you can implement for a limited or shared workspace.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and sometimes maybe you do have to be there on the SLP day, and there's usually some other space that you can find and you know to do that evaluation that you need to get done before tomorrow's IEP. So yeah, speaking of moving toward IEPs and whatnot, we're going to talk about evaluations in just a minute and protocols. But before we do that, I want to talk just about documentation. And you know, documentation is important. We have progress reports, daily notes, keeping track of IEP timelines. What are some brief tips that you like to utilize yourself and share related to documentation.    Krupa Kuruvilla     So this might sound really strange to some of the listeners, but I love documentation, and it's it's the foundation of my entire business model. It's this never ending task, but it's essential, and my system is almost part routine and part tech. So it's a whole lot of time management, to be honest. So for any kind of documentation, I feel like a little bit of structure goes a long way. So just having templates for daily notes, for your progress notes, for your evaluations, so you're not reinventing the wheel every single time you have to do one of those for, let's say for daily notes, I just keep a simple log of my sessions, so I would have the student's name, the frequency, the date that I'm treating them on. Just have the goals that you're working on, what tools were used, what progress you saw, were there any setbacks? It's nothing fancy. It's honestly just a regular running document that I update weekly when I see the student for OT    Jayson Davies     and so do you create like a separate document? Sorry, really quickly. Do you create like a separate Google Doc for each student and just kind of keep that as a running document?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Yes, I do that, and I do it by school. So then I have everything in, like this elementary school, there's a folder with all my students in here, and then that way, when it's time for progress reports, you already have a clear record of everything that you've been working on, and you can see whether the student is progressing. You can see the weekly list of tools that were being used, what was successful, what was not, any accommodations that worked. Trust me, data collection is a breeze with this process. And then when it comes to progress reports, I kind of track everything on a weekly or a monthly basis, so nothing falls through the cracks. And then I recommend reaching out in advance or reaching out earlier to teachers or other team members if you need any information, so you're not scrambling to get any information last minute. And of course, for IEP timelines rely heavily on digital reminders, Google calendars, my best friend, IEP meeting dates, progress report deadlines, evaluations that are coming up, and set recurring reminders because you want to avoid that last    Jayson Davies     minute panic, yeah, yeah, or the last minute not realizing that you didn't get invited to the IEP and had to figure out, oh, the IEP is actually today, at 10am you mentioned like really a enjoying documentation, but really leaning on an organization. And and a little bit of tech. You just really highly spoke about the organization that you put into play, and you briefly talked about the tech being Google Docs, Google everything. Are there any other like simple tech tips that you use, that others can use relatively simply, or even other programs they use? It sounds like you're really ingrained in Google, but yeah, any other tips?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Honestly, it's whatever works and whatever is really simple. I have seen some service providers use project management software like Trello or I think there was one simple note, Evernote, there was an Evernote. But sometimes I feel like using those could also complicate things a little bit, because you have so many things to keep up with, so it's whatever works for you. Ultimately, yeah, and    Jayson Davies     I think you also have to be careful if you're going to do go that route and use Trello or Evernote or or any of the many platforms out there. Now you got to be careful with with HIPAA and FERPA, and make sure that you know you're not putting information in there that might be constituted as violation. What's nice typically about using Google Drive is that most districts at this point are a Google program. Or you might be sitting here saying, I don't use Google, I use Microsoft, because that's what the District uses, and kind of the same thing. Then you can do everything in Microsoft that you can do in Google, but it's likely that your school has a contract with either Google or Microsoft that basically protects all the information that every teacher, every OT, every SLP, puts into that document. So that's kind of why I also kind of suggest staying with whichever it is Google or Microsoft that you're right,    Krupa Kuruvilla     whatever the district's using, yeah, yeah. One    Jayson Davies     tip that I like to do is, actually, I don't know if you've tried this, but I like to use text replacement. And so what I can do, at least on a Mac, and I'm sure you can do it on a Windows PC as well, but you can basically use auto correct to type in something very short, like an acronym, and then it'll replace it with the full word. So, like, I'm just gonna use IEP as an example. Say I actually wanted to write out Individualized Education Program. I could write IEP too, and my computer would just automatically turn it into the entire writing so I've actually done that for entire templates. And so I'll just write like, t, e m1 and then if I type in T e m1 on my computer, it'll write out a paragraph template, and I just have to go and fill in the blanks. So yeah,    Krupa Kuruvilla     fun stuff. That's amazing for time management too. You'll end up saving so much time if you do that,    Jayson Davies     yep, yeah, it's, it takes a little bit. You can find a Google video on it, or reach out to reach out, and we'll, we'll figure out how to make it happen. So that was great ideas for documentation. Do you ever use Google Forms or Microsoft forms, or whatever for for either data collection, or, I know some people use it for notes. Have you ever tried    Krupa Kuruvilla     that, and it honestly worked for me when I was on the go, because I would have this bookmark just tapped on, you know, my phone, and then I would just quickly input information, because then it's time stamped, so it's so easy to keep track of,    Jayson Davies     yeah, yeah, I agree. I've done it for that, and then one of the things that I've done is used it just to, like, collect data from a teacher, whether it's like an occupational profile that you send out to the teacher, or just data collection on a goal or something I don't know, like you said earlier, it's really like knowing about your teacher. Some teachers would like a Google Form. Other teachers don't want anything to do with technology, and it's much better to talk to them in person. Yeah, all right. Another very important aspect of school based occupational therapy is testing protocols, all the materials that we have to deal with, equipment. How do you manage all those different tools that we have to kind of keep track of as a school based ot practitioner,    Krupa Kuruvilla     again, it's all organization. It comes down to how you're keeping a running inventory of all the things that you have, your therapy, materials, your equipment. It's a juggling act, for sure, but it's all about creating a system that works for you and that's easy to access. So I'm a huge fan of portable solutions, like I said, so I just use small, easily transportable bags or totes that hold the essentials. I label everything clearly, so this is something that I would carry from one site to another, but there's fewer, larger items that I may not need every day or I may not need at every site, like, let's say, a mat or a therapy ball or a weighted blanket. Then I just stock these items at the sites them that I am going to be at. But when it comes to the basic, fine and sensory, sensory tools, it's like Play Doh, clothespins, tongs. You know, these are versatile. They cover a wide range of activities, so I make sure I always have a small selection of these with me. Yeah, for testing protocols. If you're working in a district with other OTs, it's almost always going to be that you're sharing these protocols with others. So it's important to kind of have a calendar of who needs, what protocol, when. So I think a shared Google Calendar between therapists was what really worked for us at many of the school sites that I was at, because we were sharing all these assessments and the tools that we needed. So if you could have, I always keep extra protocols with me, though, because there's certain things that you can test even without having the whole bag with you, like I don't need to have, you know, a specific thing from, let's say, the B OT, which I can use with, you know, just the materials that I have. And then, when it comes to protocols, just make sure you always have, you know, an abundance with you, because it's so easy to just run out of protocols, and then you're kind of scrambling to place an order to get more. So I always make sure that I have what I need. Again. You can track all this on, you know, a spreadsheet, or however you feel best with your team of OTs working with you, and just have a running inventory of equipment, what you need to replenish, what might need repairs. So these are things that we kind of need to monitor on a monthly basis, and that really helped keeping me on track    Jayson Davies     when it comes to protocols. How have your teams managed it when you're at a district that has, you know, one bot or maybe 1m fund kit for several therapists? Have you all used like a checkout system? Or is it just kind of everything's housed at one location, and if you go and look for it, then you find it. If not, you reach out to figure out who has it. How have you done that?    Krupa Kuruvilla     So we did both. Actually, we did have limited materials in many of the districts that I was at, so everything would be stored at the district office. And then we had a checkout calendar. So, you know, let's say group is checking out the bot on certain dates, and that's when having your evaluations planned in advance also helps, because then you can plug in your name for those dates. You know that I'm going to check it out on July 5, or I need it on August 1, and then it's almost always going to happen that the two of you need the bot at the same time, or there's multiple therapists needing it. So I think it's all a matter of, you know, clear communication, or just maybe even sharing it on the same day. Kind of you do it in the morning, and, you know, the other ot can do it in the afternoon, just drive by and drop it off at our school site. That's true collaboration and teamwork, it is. It's just how we get things done.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, very cool. All right, we're going to take our final ad, and when we come back, we're going to talk a little bit about Medi Cal billing as well as some clinical decision making as a school based ot practitioner. All right, we are back, and we've got a few more segments that we want to close out with Krupa. In closing, a nice little fun and reflective closer in just a bit. But first, let's talk a little bit about Medicaid, or Medi Cal, as we often call it here in California. And districts. You know, some districts do do Medicaid, others find it cumbersome and they just don't do it. But from your perspective, how do you stay on top of Medicaid billing or district requirements without getting overwhelmed.    Krupa Kuruvilla     Yeah, so I've only had to do medical billing in two of the districts from all that I've worked in, and I've learned that the key to staying on top of them is just breaking things down into manageable steps and just staying ahead of your deadlines. So first of all, you need to have a solid understanding of the billing and the documentation requirements, so don't be afraid to ask questions. Talk to other OTs, talk to the district's billing coordinator, whoever you need to, and make sure that you have exactly what's needed, whether it's the proper codes, the documentation format, or any other specific forms that you might need, and to keep all of that from becoming overwhelming, just schedule dedicated blocks of time each week to focus extensively on that. That way it doesn't sneak up on you, or it doesn't pile up unexpectedly. So you know the requirements, you know what's needed, and you have a dedicated block of time every week to work on that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I again, just love, like, I don't know you and I work very, very similarly in the way that we block off time, and I did the same thing on my calendar. Like, even if I don't have a specific evaluation that I want to work on, I You can bet every friday from eight to 10am I have a block that says evaluations. Because, you know, my sessions are done for the week, and I just want to reserve that time for evaluations, or on Wednesdays, at 3pm once kids are left, I have a block for billing and for writing notes. And it sounds like you do very similar practice absolutely all right. Now. Now this is going to be a fun one, and I think people are really going to appreciate hearing how you do this, because as school based ot practitioners, you know, we talked about the documentation, about kind of keeping organized, but another system that we sometimes need to be put be putting in place, even if we don't always think about it as a system, as I think you probably will, is the type of services that we provide, and so what do you use, or how do you kind of go about managing or what tips do you have for when it comes to deciding what type of services maybe a student will get? Do you have a system in place, or is it very individualized, and just kind of go with what the evaluation says. Or how do you manage that? Great    Krupa Kuruvilla     question. So I start off by looking at the student's current level of functional independence and how their challenges are impacting their participation in the school day, because that's the whole premise of school based ot services. So ask yourself whether you see the student, are they able to access their education with just a few strategic accommodations, or do they actually need hands on intervention to build foundational skills? And to do that, you have to look at multiple data points. Look at their IEP goals, get teacher input, have classroom observations, and of course, your direct assessments and the results of your evaluations. And then if you see that a student is making progress, or could generalize skills, which is check ins, or, you know, some strategy sharing, then consultative support might be the way to go. But if you do see students who are struggling with fine motor tasks like handwriting or, you know, just coloring or other fine motor skills or sensory regulation or anything that's limiting their ability to learn or to keep up with their peers, that's an indication that more direct or incentive intensive therapy might be needed. And I think what's also important to consider here is how much support the student has in the classroom. So some kids might, you know, they might be thriving with a teacher who is very familiar with sensory strategies, and she's already used to implementing all these things in her classroom. And others might not be the same way, so you have to take that into consideration as well. And ultimately, I think what's important to remember is that it's not about doing more or doing less. It's just about what's meaningful and sustainable for the student and needs can change. You might be seeing a student for direct services, but you know, they might transition to consult in the middle of the year, or even vice versa. So I think just keeping that, just staying responsive and collaborative with the team, will help you determine that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and what would you do in this case, when you, I'm sure you've experienced this in the middle of the school year, you get a student, and it could be maybe they have consult on their IEP. Maybe they have twice a week on their IEP. But either way, you think, maybe that's not quite the most appropriate way or the most appropriate service that they should be getting. Let's say their IEP isn't for six months from now. What might you do to kind of maybe bring this to be more aligned with the services that you think the student needs.    Krupa Kuruvilla     So you definitely start off with what is on the IEP. And I think what's going to back up your decision, if you think differently, is data collection. So just collect a lot of data, like I said in your daily notes, you know, talk about all the strategies that you're using. Talk about things that are working. You know, tools that are working are not working, whether the student is making any progress. And I think that is going to be the deciding factor on whether you want to change services either way.    Jayson Davies     Perfect. Would you, let's go with that same six month timeline? Would you wait for the next IEP? Would you try and hold an addendum? Or would you even consider an addendum?    Krupa Kuruvilla     If it is a student who needs more intensive therapy, I definitely wouldn't wait the six months I would want to jump in sooner rather than later.    Jayson Davies     I think that's a good rule of thumb, especially if you're going to the more intensive. Yeah, I could see why waiting if you're going to go less restrictive or more, yeah, less restrictive, especially considering addendums, can take a lot of time, and then you're going to have to convince everyone that the student needs less services. It's typically easier to go from less to more than it is to go from more to less. So I agree, good idea. All right, when it comes to planning both therapy and assessments, a little bit here we are very crunched for time. So how do you go about planning for your assessments? Most of us have. You know, 60 days to complete an evaluation. How do you go about planning for for assessments when you have all your other services that still need to get done and all your other notes that still need to get done?    Krupa Kuruvilla     So when it comes to planning for assessments, the key is just stay organized early. Stay two steps ahead. So review all your pending assessments at the beginning of each month. Just map them out by date. Keep a running list of things like referral dates. IEP timelines, because I know it's different in each state and school. Specific expectations might differ as well, I would say, build in a lot of buffer time. Some assessments might always take longer than what you have anticipated. You know, it could just be simple things like coordinating with the teacher. Maybe the teacher forgot, or the student is absent that day, or the student is just having an off day, and they might, you know, you might not get accurate results from your testing, or just you don't have a room to perform your evaluation, so you do need to build in a lot of buffer time, and also consider the students needs, so their age, their attention span, just their sensory profile, whether they do well at the beginning of the day, whether they need some time to settle in, and you know you would see them in the afternoon. I think these are all factors that you need to consider when you're planning your assessments, and you're often balancing multiple campuses too. So just make sure you have a well stocked assessment back make sure you have protocols and a lot of snacks. To be honest,    Jayson Davies     don't always get a lunch time. You gotta have snacks for both you and sometimes for the kids too. Yeah, you were, once upon a time, a newer school based ot provider. And I know now you work with various school based ot practitioners, some experience, some that are newer. In what you've seen, how long does it take a newer school based ot practitioner to complete an evaluation, whether it's from your own experience or from what you've seen, but I'm talking about from like referral to maybe the point that the report is ready to go to the IEP team and be reported on, what is your experience or what you've seen been when it comes to needing time.    Krupa Kuruvilla     So I definitely spend a lot of time from the referral on classroom observations. I try and observe the student at different times of the day in different environments, not just the classroom, but also the cafeteria or during PE or on playground equipment. So I think those building in the time for those observations, it takes definitely a couple hours, and then the standardized testing takes a minimum of an hour, depending on how the student is doing. But I like to keep, you know, buffering time for at least an hour, and then just, you know, conversations with the teacher, with other service providers, and then your whole report writing. So I think you need to kind of keep, I would say at least four to six hours per student. Yeah, conservatively, it could be more, it could be less, but that's just how much I like to keep in mind.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, similar here. I think newer school based practitioners can even, you know, sometimes closer to eight hours when they're first getting the hang of it, but four to six hours seems to be in the range. Again, you and I are both California based, and so I know in other states it changes, but yeah, four to six hours because, like you said, I mean, it can take you two hours just getting the observations and a standardized evaluation, or even a non standardized evaluation done, and so it takes up time. Yeah, definitely. All right, earlier we touched on com, on parent communication. At the beginning of the school year, you said, how you like to, you know, get out an email early on, introduce yourself, maybe share a little bit about what you're doing with the student. But as we know, school based ot practitioners is not always or it's not just about the beginning of the school year. We've got to do progress reports, and sometimes we just want to keep in touch with parents in general. So how do you go about kind of continuing that communication?    Krupa Kuruvilla     So I'm a big believer in steady communication, whether it comes to the IDT or families, and like I mentioned earlier, just always ask them how they prefer to communicate. Not everyone would want a phone call or an email. You know, sometimes they just want a brief check in, and that's fine. So just once you know that for each family, I think it will create a very steady rhythm. It might be monthly, might be quarterly, and then when you're giving these updates in the way they find most appropriate or convenient for them, just try to make the updates feel a lot more personal and positive. So let's say, even if little Johnny is struggling with his cutting, when I'm giving an update, I'll say we're working on cutting. But. Guess what? He is able to hold the paper with his non dominant hand, you know, so much better than he did before. So try and make it positive, because parents do want to feel encouraged, and you will be providing them updates with progress reports, and, you know, annual IEPs, but these little check ins, that's what keeps them encouraged and engaged, and I think frame things in a strength based way, just, you know, sprinkle in small news when you you know, sometimes I'm just walking across campus, or I'm leaving school, and I spot a parent, and I just wave and I say, like, hey, Jane rocked her ot session today, and that was sometimes more than enough, you know, just to carry them through the next few weeks just knowing that OT is not just about updates on paper or in meetings, you know, but even just like a friendly check in or just a call out that I think they appreciate that a lot more sometimes than formal check ins, you know, you have your progress reports, you have IEP meetings, but I think this kind of partnership is so much more important to them. And then I also try to include visuals, if possible. So let's say, you know, Mother's Day is coming up, and then, you know, I'll have the kids work on a Mother's Day card for them, and just take it home so they can actually see, you know, what their kids are working on. And this kind of makes the therapy world in school a little more tangible for them, because it's so different from clinics, where you can actually maybe go in and see what they're working on. You can do that in a school so just try to make their up. You know, your updates more tangible when you can. They really appreciate it a lot. Yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah. And, you know, I think that kind of brings us around full circle. We've really started with summer at the beginning of this episode, what you can do to kind of plan for the start of the school year. Then we dove into the actual start of the school year and how you can organize and plan. There. We talked about kind of some clinical decision making and keeping in touch with people, building rapport. And that kind of brings us back to the end of the school year a little bit. And I don't want to dive back into everything that we started with at the beginning of the podcast. But I do have one question for you, because I do get this question periodically, and it's about es y and determining who gets es y. And so I just wanted to get your take a little bit on in the districts that you've worked with who, I mean, the OT practitioner should always have a take on who gets es y, especially for OT, right? But how have you experienced that process within districts about debating who gets OT, E, S y?    Krupa Kuruvilla     So I honestly have been lucky, because my recommendations have always been taken into consideration when it comes to E, S Y, unless, of course, it was the parents who had a different opinion. But I think what we need to keep in mind for ESI is that you're not trying to build new skills. You're trying to maintain or, you know, just keep up with what the student has been working on for the rest of the year anyway. So just keeping that in mind, I think, is important. And just to make sure that the goals that you're working on, you're clear on your goals. And again, what's going to help you drive this decision home is your data that you collect throughout the year. So again, we're coming back to, you know, just look at your data. Look at the progress that they're making, look at how fast or how slow, look at, you know, the tools that they need. And I think that's going to help you make a clear decision on with students who feel need ESY services,    Jayson Davies     yeah. And I think kind of just tagging on your data collection Right? Like, one thing that I like to do is look at data collection right before and right after a break, whether it be like the winter break or even spring break, just kind of seeing if there was regression over that break, or if there was improvement or just kind of stagnant. So a good way to use that data, all right. Krupa, I think that wraps up our big portion of this podcast. But I do have some kind of reflective pieces here that I want to ask you, that I think some people are really going to appreciate here that are listening. And so we'll start with this one first, and we'll keep this kind of brief and move along today. But if you could go back and give yourself advice for your first year as a school based OT, what would that advice be?    Krupa Kuruvilla     That's a great question. I would have so much to tell myself, but if I had to pick something really important, I would tell myself, is give yourself permission to grow and breathe and just prioritize connections over perfection. I think what we need to know is being an effective school based OT is not just about the perfect treatment plans, but it's about relationships. And you're going to get lost literally and figuratively. You know, campuses are confusing case law. Can be huge, but you'll figure it out, and over time, you'll find your rhythm, you'll find your pace, you'll find your people. So just trust the process, because even on your hardest days, you're making a difference probably more than you realize. And I think if you hold onto that, then the school year will be a breeze.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, you're making a difference in connections over perfection. I like both of those awesome what's one tool, checklist or system from your, you know, ot resources, from years of being a school based ot practitioner now that you couldn't live without I think I might know the answer to this, but I want to hear    Krupa Kuruvilla     it. Can I can I give you two Sure? The first one is definitely my school based ot pocket guide. It has my checklist, you know, it keeps me organized. It gives me everything at a glance, what I need to have at the beginning of the school year, the middle of the school year, end of the school year. It talks about documentation, it talks about equipment, resources, everything. It has exit checklists, indicators for ot referrals. So even though I've worked in schools for over 10 years, you know, sometimes just having that quick reminder or a quick visual, it kind of reinforces your decisions, and that really that has been a lifesaver for me. And I think the second one that I would go with is my caseload. At a glance, I think that's my holy grail when it comes to just, you know, it has all my students, their goals, the service minutes and any sensory supports or special considerations that they're using. So, you know, it's just easy when I look at it and I know immediately Bob likes to work while he's bouncing on the therapy ball. Okay, perfect. You know, I'm ready for my sessions now. So it's just a quick reference, and I update it every month or every quarter when things change. But I think these two are my hacks that I couldn't go through school based ot without    Jayson Davies     Absolutely I thought you were gonna go a little more general and just say Google Docs and Google Drive, everything Google all at once, but you went a little bit more specific about your particular tools within Google. We'll go with that. All right. All right. Question number three, what is your favorite ot hack that saved you so much time and sanity over years of being a school based ot practitioner, I'm sure you just you know when you just mentioned your caseload. But another one,    Krupa Kuruvilla     another one. I love stationery, so that has been a lifesaver for me. I use color coded sticky notes or tabs in my planner or in my binder. So I'll have, let's say yellow for IEPs, green for assessments, you know, orange for progress reports. So when I just open up to, let's say September, I know I have three assessments coming up and I have two progress reports to write, you know, just at the top of my head. But I think those color coded sticky notes have been a lifesaver. So that would be my biggest hack that you'll see. My binder is, like, twice its size because I have so many notes or tabs in there, but it's truly a lifesaver, and it's literally information at a glance.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I like that. I i have mostly moved to digital now, but I still color code my folders in Google Drive and my notion page, for any of you who use notion, I like to have colorful blocks. And back in the day, I did the same thing with binders. I would have a research binder, and I would color code like research related to fine motor research, related to sensory research, related to this and that. And you can bet they were color coded so fully understandable. All right. Last question here, and that is, if you could snap your fingers right now and change something about school based occupational therapy overnight, what would that one thing be?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Caseload caps, without a doubt.    Jayson Davies     Wow, you were on that you knew exactly what you wanted to say that caseload    Krupa Kuruvilla     You can tell I've been thinking about this a very long time.    Jayson Davies     So my question for you is, because I hear this a lot too, caseload caps. I don't know how much time we have for this, but define go a little bit further into that when you say caseload cap. Do you have a particular number in mind?    Krupa Kuruvilla     40 would be a dream. 45 I can work with    Jayson Davies     40 to 45 Okay, second, trying to keep it realistic here. Yeah, no, I understand, uh second follow up, why not workload instead of caseload? Or do you see them as kind of being similar or interchangeable?    Krupa Kuruvilla     Well, it kind of plays your caseload, kind of plays into your workload. So that is why I mentioned caseload in particular. But I do want to mention that your caseload versus your calculator has helped me a great deal, and I have recommended that to over 100 OTs, if I'm being conservative in my number, and it's been really helpful. Yeah, so I wanted to point out,    Jayson Davies     yeah, I mean, and I go back and forth on this all the time, because a caseload is just simpler to a caseload is easier to calculate, it's easier to track. You can track it in just a few seconds, right? You can look at your caseload and you can see how many kids on your caseload. A workload is definitely more complex than that. It takes, you know, you really to do it right. You've got to do a two week time study to really understand your caseload. And so that's why I get conflicted, because in my perfect world, it would be a workload cap. And I think it would be a workload cap in the sense that the caseload should be no more than 18 to 20 hours of direct therapy or of therapy for the caseload. But again, I know that's trickier to kind of track over time, and so I understand the caseload side too. So yeah, I'm glad we have that little three minute discussion right now. Awesome. All right, Krupa, well, it has been such a pleasure for those of you who are listening to this and it sounded wonderful. I just want you to know that Krupa and I endured some technology issues today, and hopefully you had no idea about any of that until I said it right now. So Krupa, thank you so much for endearing some technology issues. Thank you so much for being here and really quickly before we say goodbye for now, or maybe I should say not goodbye, but you know until next time, where can people learn more about you and what you're doing.    Krupa Kuruvilla     My business is called Total report, and I have a lot of the templates that I did speak about in this podcast, and also a lot of resources, handouts, anything that might help school based OTs. You could go to www dot, totalreport, dot, O, R, G, and my you'll find my email there. If you just want to send me an email, ask me questions more than happy, just feel free to reach out.    Jayson Davies     Fantastic. Well, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it your time and energy, and I look forward to staying    Krupa Kuruvilla     in touch. Yeah, thanks for having me. This was fun.    Jayson Davies     Oh, right, that is a wrap on episode 181 of the OT school house podcast. I want to give a big thank you to Krupa for joining us on today's episode and sharing all of her insights in how to have an amazing school year, especially that start to the school year, which kind of sets the pace for the entire rest of the school year. Thank you also for spending your time with us. I know that this is the middle of summer when this episode comes out, so it means a lot that you're taking time during your off contract days to spend time here on the OT school house podcast. We really appreciate it. And if you found this episode helpful, if you find all of or any of the episodes of the OT school house podcast helpful, we would love for you to also join us at the OT school house, back to school conference. It's going to be coming up this August, 23 and 24th live online. And you can also catch the replays if you can't attend live. And we do that every year. So if you're watching this episode later, you can expect a back to school conference to be popping up very soon in August. You can learn all about that over at ot  schoolhouse.com/conference , also, if you have a moment, we'd love for you to review this podcast on Apple podcasts or Spotify. You can actually leave comments now on Spotify about specific episodes, and sometimes I go in there and and write a little reply. So be sure to do that. We love to hear from you. We love to hear what episodes you might want to hear in the future. If there's a specific speaker that you'd like to hear from, we really try to make those come to fruition. So whether it's building your systems or developing your skills or finding a supportive community, the back to school conference will be a great place for you, and this community is a great place for you right here on the podcast. So with that, until next time, keep doing amazing work for your students. I hope that you have a great back to school season, and we'll see you next time. Take care.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT school house podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OT schoolhouse.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

Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 180 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. What do Rubik’s Cubes, art, and therapy have in common? In this inspiring episode, Jayson chats with Kyle Wright, a Rubik’s Cube artist and autistic adult who has transformed a personal coping strategy into a therapeutic tool for others. Kyle shares his journey of late diagnosis, how he found emotional regulation through cube art, and how he’s now empowering therapists and clients alike to find joy, structure, and growth through this creative medium. Whether you’ve never touched a cube or are already solving them in seconds, this conversation will change the way you think about therapy tools. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Learners will identify how Rubik’s Cube-based activities can support the development of fine motor, visual-spatial, and executive functioning skills in students. Learners will describe how to scaffold Rubik’s Cube tasks to meet diverse learner needs and align with individualized OT goals. Learners will explore ways in which Rubik’s Cube art can support emotional regulation and student engagement in therapeutic and educational settings. Guest(s) Bio In July 2024, Kyle Wright was diagnosed with autism as an adult, a moment that profoundly reshaped his understanding of himself and his future. At the time, he was streaming video games on Twitch under the name “Rightbr0tha,” but the constant changes in gaming proved overwhelming. Seeking something more consistent and creatively fulfilling, Kyle—with the support of his therapist and his wife, discovered Rubik’s Cube art and quickly fell in love with its balance of structure and freedom. He launched a 30-day YouTube challenge to test the waters, and by the end of it, his subscriber count had nearly doubled. Just a few months later, his channel gained major traction with over 500,000 views and 2,000 new subscribers in December alone—solidifying that he had found something truly special. Today, Kyle Cubes is more than a YouTube channel. It’s a creative platform and therapeutic outlet that allows Kyle to share his passion for cube art while spreading a powerful message: “Know That You Are Loved.” Quotes “Rubik’s Cube art isn’t just about creating something beautiful—it’s about developing real skills with a fun, tangible outcome.” -Jayson Davies, M.A., OTR/L “You don’t have to solve the whole Rubik’s Cube. You just have to be able to solve one side of the Rubik’s Cube.” -Kyle Wright “Every client is different. Every client has different needs, different things that they need to accomplish. And we need to make the activity fit their particular therapy goals.” -Kyle Wright Resources 👉 Kyle Cubes' Free Therapy Guide 👉 Kyle Cubes' Website 👉 Kyle Cubes YouTube Channel 👉 Kyle’s Daisy Method Video : Tutorial for solving one side of a Rubik’s Cube 👉 Rubik’s Cube Art Membership Program 👉 Kyle's Instagram:@kylecubes 👉 Max Park Netflix Documentary Episode Transcript Expand to view the episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome to episode 180 of the OT school house podcast. I'm your host, Jayson, and as you might have heard, whether it be through previous episodes or through the OT school house newsletter, it is an exciting time right now in my home, as well as here at the OT school house, which, to be honest, are sometimes one the same. Anyways, I just celebrated my birthday on July 3. My wife and I are expecting our second child any day now, literally between, you know, now June or July 14, I think this is episode or that is coming out, and August 1 is the due date. And also with ot school house, we have the back to school conference kicking off in just over a month on August, 23 so like I said, exciting times. But enough about me for now. Let's talk about you and how you can use a toy popularized over 30 years ago to support your students right now in 2025 and beyond. This is a toy that you know, as you probably read in the title of this podcast, something you probably played with when you were between the ages of five and 15, and people are still using it today. Today we're diving into how a Rubik's cube can be used for something completely different than what it was designed for art. Now, if you've ever felt intimidated by these colorful cues, because, like me, you've never actually solved one, don't worry, as you'll learn creating Rubik's Cube art is not about solving the whole cube. It's all about focusing on just one side, making it both fun and approachable for anyone, it also makes it a little therapeutic. Joining us today is Kyle Wright, a Rubik's Cube artist whose life transformed after being diagnosed with autism as an adult and when he realized that video games may not be the best outlet for himself, Kyle discovered the therapeutic potential of Rubik's Cube art, not just for himself, but also for others. Today, Kyle is here to share how we as school based ot practitioners can use this creative medium to support fine motor skills, visual spatial abilities and even emotional regulation with the students that we serve. Also, Kyle has a free Rubik's Cube art therapy guide that he wants to share with us at the end of the episode, so be sure to stay tuned for that. So grab your coffee or maybe a Rubik's cube if you want to fidget with something during the episode. And let's explore how this unique approach can spark creativity and growth in your practice. Let's get started.    Amazing Narrator     Hello and welcome to the OT school house podcast, your source for school based occupational therapy tips, interviews and professional development. Now to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jason Davies class is officially in session.    Jayson Davies     Kyle, welcome to the OT school house podcast. How you doing today?    Kyle Wright     I'm doing great. Jayson, thanks for having me out.    Jayson Davies     Absolutely I, you know, I very rarely have people contact me via our website that I actually end up having on the podcast. But when you reached out, you shared what you're doing, Rubik's Cube, YouTube, art therapy, all that good stuff here, I just knew I had to have you on. So I am so excited to talk everything with you, Rubik's cube, and just a little bit also about your life. And yeah, let's do it. Excited. Yeah, I'm excited. All right. Well, let's go ahead and dive into before we start talking about Rubik's Cube, I want to give you an opportunity to talk a little bit about your kind of last few years of life, because you were diagnosed as someone with autism relatively recently, I believe, and I wanted to kind of get your take on that part of life, like, how was that transition? Was it scary? Was it exciting? Did you just What did that feel like?    Kyle Wright     Yeah, so I'll kind of start from the beginning, honestly, from early on in childhood, myself and my parents both kind of knew something was a little off. You know, I was always a little bit socially different. Always did things a little bit abnormally. But unfortunately, you know, back in the late 90s and the early 2000s when my parents tried to have me diagnosed, they really didn't know a whole lot about level one autism. And I believe I was being diagnosed when I was like, you know, 11 or 12 years old. At that point, I had already learned how to mask too well that the therapy, you know, the therapists, weren't able to, you know, formally diagnose me. And so I was told at that time that I didn't have autism, and I went off to college and did all of that, and, you know, struggled with it, but I got through. But it wasn't really until COVID and kind of the shutdown and all the craziness happened that really I noticed, like, Okay, I've got to do something. Something's not right. Because. Because, you know, I, I work a nine to five job, I had a very structured routine and how I did everything. And one Friday we were, you know, March of 2020, we were in that structure. And then the very next week, it was completely different. And it just completely rocked my world in so many ways, and kind of led me on a, basically a three year journey trying to figure out what was wrong. Because I could see, like, all of my friends, you know, they, all of my coworkers, were, like, thriving. Like, yes, I get to work from home. I don't go to the office again, like all of that, and I'm sitting here like, I hate this. I hate literally every single moment of this. And but, but why? And so, working with me and my wife, we kind of came to the conclusion, like, Yes, I am autistic. I kind of self diagnosed. And then it wasn't until beginning of last year 2024 that me and my wife are like, okay, let's, let's try to get you formally diagnosed. Let's figure out what does that look like as an adult. And, you know, unfortunately as an adult, it's a very complicated process, because a lot of the requirements are for childhood. They don't really like it has to be present in childhood. So it was a long journey. I was diagnosed in July of 24 and as soon as I got the diagnosis, I jumped head first into therapy, and haven't stopped since,    Jayson Davies     wow, wow. There's so many, so many follow ups that I have, I one thing that has been playing back in my mind ever since you kind of said it was that masking back, you know, when you were 1011, 12 years old, looking back at that, what did like? You know, 10 years, 20 years later, we have so much better view of our life 20 years ago. For you, what was that masking? Now that you look back on it like, what were you doing to mask?    Kyle Wright     Yeah, so, I mean, I think one of the biggest things that I struggled as a child, you know, not knowing that I was autistic, was I had a really high tendency of unintentionally offending people. I would make a comment or say something and their facial expression, I'd be like, Oh, I messed up. Like I wasn't supposed to say that out loud, you know, whatever that may be. And so from a very early age, my mother was like, Hey, Kyle, you you can't say that. Like, you can't go up and tell the bigger lady that she's big. It's just not something you do and you're like, just kind of stuff like that. And so from an early age, I just kind of had to learn that while I am different, I also have to fit into this neurotypical world.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and I can imagine that just being really like, your brain wants to do one thing, and you're trying to conform into to this, like you said, neurotypical world, that's like very much pulling you back. And there's some internal conflict, I bet, and so that that's tough, so, but here we are. You got your diagnosis, and then you said that you jumped headfirst into therapy. What's that been looking like? It's    Kyle Wright     been really good. I meet with a couple of different therapists. I kind of have, like a life coach, business coach. I work in it full time. I have a very high demanding job, and so I kind of have like a little bit of a life coach, just somebody to talk to, and then also have an occupational therapist that I see on a regular basis, just to help me with the executive functioning and all of the kind of different struggles I have and as an autistic    Jayson Davies     adult, Wow, very cool. That's, you know, obviously you're on an OT podcast, and we primarily in this podcast. We focus on school based occupational therapy. And so it's funny, I often get asked, like, people who don't know understand OT, and then I'm specifically school based OT, like, how can I do this with my, you know, aged mother? How can I do this with someone at different different lifes than a school based life, and I'm like to be honest with you. OT is very different from school based to working with adults, I don't know, but all that aside, I want to dive into what you're now doing with Rubik's cube. And this is just amazing. I've I binged watch your YouTube channel because it's just so much fun, but I want to get your take on, kind of how you got into Rubik's cube, and then we can kind of start to talk about the therapeutic values.    Kyle Wright     Oh, absolutely. So before I started doing Rubik's Cube art, I was doing, I was Twitch streaming on nights and weekends, playing video games like Diablo four. Four and fortnight. And honestly, I loved the games, but the community was kind of always difficult for me, having to always be on and interacting with chat and streaming and all of the things that go into that is very exhausting for, you know, somebody that has autism, and also, you know, in the last 10 years with the world of video games, we've kind of seen this shift of games being story based and shifting to more like seasonal content. And so games are constantly changing. And as somebody with autism that likes structure and likes routine. I would much rather go play Zelda Ocarina of Time 15 times over, then always feel like I'm having to learn the game over because they changed mechanics. So basically, like, towards the end of my streaming career as a Twitch streamer, I honestly, every time I streamed, I was going into meltdown for like, a solid day or two days after, like, I just couldn't take the stress, and my mental health was really struggling, and so I knew I needed to change. And so that was kind of when I started talking to my therapist, and she was like, Well, sounds like you need to find a new outlet. You need to find something that is, something that you have more control over, something that's not going to change under your feet and cause you so much struggle. And so kind of through that conversation with her, you know, I said, Hey, like, I saw this guy on Tiktok that was making art with Rubik's cubes, and I thought it looked really cool. And I was like, You know what? I'm just gonna go home and buy myself 100 cubes and see what happens. And now you fast forward to today, and I have a whole business around it, and I own over 2000 Rubik's Cubes. Oh, wow, I've got my hands full.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. And so as you made that shift to, you know, from video games to Rubik's Cubes, what was it about Rubik's cubes that, to you, just kind of felt grounding you obviously talked about, kind of the with Twitch and with video games, a lot of change, and with Rubik's Cube now is a little bit something more controlling from the OT World. Obviously, as I know you're aware, we look at, you know, sensory processing and various senses, whether it be visual, tactile, proprioception, all that was there, that part of it, or what was it? Just that just really grounded it for you.    Kyle Wright     So really for me, it's the emotional regulation and being able to have that structure and routine in the activity. And what I mean by that is, before I ever even place my first cube, you can actually see one of my mosaics back here, if you're watching the video on this podcast. But before I even place the first cube, I already know what every cube is going to look like, and I know how it's all going to be mapped out. I know that doing 400 Rubik's cubes is going to take me about three to four hours on average to complete, and there's not going to be any hiccups or changes or anything like that, because I've already done all the planning. And that's really the part of Rubik's Cube art that is the most beneficial, I feel like, to neurodivergent individuals, is it's structured, and you you know what you're getting into when you start, and you're you're not going to be thrown off by that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, that's really I mean, as someone who also likes structure, not necessarily autistic, but as someone like structure, I totally get that. I like having the end goal in sight and almost being able to plan backwards to get to that point. And there's something to be said about routine. I guess kind of a follow up to that a little bit is, how long have you been doing this, and does it ever to the point get almost boring, or do you feel like that routine is so good for you, or and just, there's other ways, I guess, to make it not boring. But I guess, does the routine over and over and over again ever get tiring? A    Kyle Wright     little bit, not really, because, I mean, at the end of the day, I have something new that I've made, you know, even though I'm making it with the same medium, making the same thing, like, you know, one day I might make a portrait of somebody, and I might be like, Hey, today I don't want to do a portrait, because I did that two days ago. Maybe now I'll make a landscape, or I'll make a, you know, there's, there's so many different facets. I feel like a lot of artists, you know, they're like, Okay, I've, I've painted a million farmhouses, so now I'm gonna switch and paint the horse, you know, like, I kind of get that vibe with the Rubik's Cube art. I started doing it back. Back. So I was diagnosed in July of 24 and I think I started exploring Rubik's Cube in September of 24 and I started making cube art, and started just showing it to some friends. I was just doing it for my own therapeutic benefit, and my friends were like, Dude, you need to sell this. You need to share it. You need to do something. And so it's like, okay, so October 16 of last year, I posted my first YouTube channel on what was then my old, you know, Twitch stream, YouTube channel that had like 200 subscribers. And I just made a promise to myself, Hey, I'm gonna post for 30 days and I'm gonna see what happens. And 30 Days turned into 60 days. And now, you know, almost seven or eight months in, I have over 30,000 subscribers on YouTube. So obviously, you know, I hit a I hit something that people like, and I've enjoyed every minute of it.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and speaking to that side of things like, what are you finding? As far as, like, you know, we all talk about in business, you got to find your niche. Obviously, you found your niche with with Rubik's Cube art. But every niche has an audience. What are you finding? Are you finding, I guess, similarities in those 30,000 people that are watching you. Are you gravitating toward therapists? Watching? Are you gravitating toward other autistic people? Watching? Are you kind of discovering that?    Kyle Wright     Yeah, I'm still working on it. I mean, the 30,000 that I have now is mainly just people that think the art is cool, and they think it's really awesome. The therapy aspect of Rubik's Cube bar is fairly new for me. I've started kind of developing that over the last two or three months and and trying to make a plan and a routine to kind of start to shift the YouTube channel to be more therapy based, making content for therapists and other people that can benefit from Rubik's Cube art,    Jayson Davies     awesome and so, so what's driving that? Obviously your background a little bit, but moving forward, what's driving it?    Kyle Wright     Yeah. So the big thing for me is I've just seen how much of a benefit Rubik's Cube art has had in my own life, not just in fine motor skill, visual motor executive functioning, but also just my emotional regulation. And my wife has even told me, like she noticed a huge difference when I start doing Rubik's Cube art versus when I haven't done it for a week or two. She's like, Babe, you need to go do some Rubik's Cube art, because you're getting a little edgy. So, you know, obviously it's, it's working for me, and it's a benefit. And so I'm going to keep doing it as long as I can.    Jayson Davies     Awesome. I love this idea that it's something that you truly enjoy and that you can do it for your own emotional regulation, but it's also something that you are now kind of being able to pass along the knowledge and pass along the know how for other people to support their own emotional regulation. That's completely awesome. So we're going to take a quick break, but when we come back, we're going to dive into the process and the ideas behind how school based ot practitioners can use Rubik's cube, so hang on tight. All right, we are back, and like I said, we wanted to dive into how school based ot practitioners can really start to harness the idea of Rubik's Cube. I know for me, when I was young, I never solved one. I got the first, you know, face, and I got the two rows done, but I can never get that third row and that bottom done, and that always frustrated the heck out of me, and I just didn't want to do Rubik's Cube anymore after watching some tutorials. But for you, it's super emotional. Regulate, regulating. I'm sure that it is regulating to complete a Rubik's view. But even more so for you, you know, doing that art, but for people who see Rubik's cubes as just being like a complete non emotional regulating task, how can, how can we start to use these? Or why should we start to use these in potentially school based practice? How can we support kids using Rubik's Cubes?    Kyle Wright     Yeah, so there's a lot of different therapy goals that you can use Rubik's cubes for, and in a lot of my programs, like, yes, we do Rubik's Cube art, but we also take it and break it down, you know, starting with, you know, rotating the cube to solve that top face and to, you know, instruct the students to place cubes in certain patterns or certain places, you know, obviously kind of stair stepping up that that you know, benefit of the Rubik's Cube art, the big one that I like to always talk about is fine motor and how Rubik's Cube really can support. People with fine motor needs because of the twisting and turning aspect of the cube. And my perfect example of this is Max Park. Max Park is considered to be one of the best Rubik's Cube speed solvers of all time. And he is a 23 year old autistic adult, and the only reason that he was ever introduced to a Rubik's cube was because at the age of 10 years old, he wasn't able to take the bottle cap off of a water bottle, and so his therapist introduced him to the Rubik's Cube solely as a fine motor activity so that he could take the lid off the water bottle. And obviously he loved it, turned it into his full time passion, and now he is the one of only two speed cubers in the world that has ever won the World cube Association world championship twice, and so he is. He holds multiple world records in cube solving.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I think I remember watching the Netflix special on him a few years ago. I'm pretty sure that was him that it came out on right? Yep,    Kyle Wright     they did the Netflix special on him and Timon, which were two of the big cube solvers at that time.    Jayson Davies     That's awesome. Yeah, so fine motor skills, absolutely right? There's and it's crazy. You know, you look at cubers once they get professional and oh my goodness, the fine motor skills that they use like they're no longer using their wrist to to twist the different sides. It's often just a flick of a finger in their twisting sides, and obviously the fine motor skills are there for him now. So, yeah, another aspect that we often look at is visual processing, visual spatial skills, obviously something with cubes that is very important. You want to talk about that for    Kyle Wright     a moment. Yeah, absolutely. So we definitely can support visual spatial, really, in the just the aspect of, you know, looking at a cube and saying, Okay, it's in this current state, but I need it to match this guide, or I need it to match the certain template. If you're doing Rubik's Cube art or just doing other activities, you know, we have students that we work with that are autistic, that we say, hey, let's make a green cross together on one side of your Rubik's cube. And you know, you've got to think about that in a visual aspect. You've got to look at the cube and say, Okay, I need to turn these certain things this certain way to accomplish this goal, and even that for a lot of autistic clients that I've had the opportunity of working with is a huge accomplishment for them, because they're like, whoa. Like, I did something, you know, I accomplished this. So, yeah, I mean, you can definitely get in the visual space as well.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. How? How different is solving a Rubik's Cube from making art with the Rubik's Cube? Like when I see your artwork online, you're just using, obviously, one face of the cube to make the art. But, yeah. How different is it?    Kyle Wright     It is very different. I mean, like you mentioned earlier in the podcast, you you got that first layer pretty easily. You try, you got the second layer, and then you just quite never got to that third layer. And that's honestly what a lot of people tell me when they're like, I don't think Rubik's cube r is going to work for my clients because I don't know how to solve a Rubik's cube. And what I tell these clients is, Hey, you don't have to solve the whole Rubik's Cube. You just have to be able to solve one side of the Rubik's cube. And I have, you know, a video on my YouTube channel that's about six minutes long that teaches you a very easy, simple method for solving one side of the cube. So if you think you can't do it, I would say, definitely give it a try, because you don't know until you try it out.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. We'll be sure to share a link to that YouTube video specifically in the show notes. So be sure to head over to the show notes so you can get a link to that. And kind of going along with that is, how do you start to break down? Because, you know, I can get one side of a cube, but obviously you're putting what, like 40 cubes together, maybe 100 cubes together, to make this, this art piece. How are you breaking that down into manager, manageable steps?    Kyle Wright     Yeah. So basically, what I do is I start with an image. And you know, whether it be something I find online or I create something in paint, I'll start with a photo or something. And there's actually free websites online where you can take an image and it'll actually convert it to. To a grayscale image, and then it assigns each of the values to the different cube art colors, or the colors of the cube. And so the darkest colors are going to be blue, and the lightest colors are going to be white, and everything else in between is the other colors. So that's really the biggest thing, is getting your contrast right, and doing all of the planning of how big does this piece need to be to make it look good? That's where the challenge comes in, because you're not going to be able to go and take a picture of a forest with hundreds of trees and then try to turn that into Rubik's Cube art, it's not gonna look very good, you know? Yeah, there's a lot of considerations that go into that.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and you only got six colors. Have you ever been frustrated by that aspect, or are there Rubik's cubes that you can buy to get past that?    Kyle Wright     So it's actually kind of funny. We actually don't use green in a lot of Rubik's Cube art. So really, we only have five colors, which you would think, yeah, that would be limiting. But I kind of enjoy it, because it's, I don't have to think about too many colors. You know, it's, again, that structured, like I know what I'm getting into, and I plan it out and I just do it. I mean, I honestly don't really even think about it that often,    Jayson Davies     yeah, to a degree. I mean, any sport, any game you play, it's the limits that really make the game kind of interesting and make it fun, right? Like, what's the point of I don't know what's the point of playing soccer, if the soccer goal is, you know, the entire side of the football, the entire side of the soccer pitch, if I can use the right language in soccer, not my forte, but yeah, so kind of having just the six colors, or if you take away green the five colors, it kind of puts some limits on what you can do, but to a degree, that helps you potentially focus a little bit more. So good insight. You've talked a few times now about working with kids, working with others on Rubik's art. I'd love for you to share a little bit about what that looks like for you.    Kyle Wright     Yeah, no, it's been a lot of fun. I've been working with my own occupational therapist as well as a couple of other clinics to kind of do the research to build out my therapy program so that Rubik's Cube art can be more readily available to the masses, because it isn't really something that currently exists in the market to my no to my knowledge, and, you know, just working with these Kids, it's so awesome to, you know, something as simple as making a cross on one face of the Rubik's Cube, or making one face an entire color like the joy and excitement that that brings to the kids is phenomenal. Because a lot of these kids, they've got autism, you know, now, a lot of them, it's lower functioning autism, like, you know, this is a pivotal moment in their life. They were, you know, able to solve something with, you know, a little bit of help from their therapist. But it's just great to see that smile of, like, I accomplished something. Because, you know, a lot of autistic people, we kind of go through a lot of roadblocks in life, you know, there's a lot of things that we can't do, or we just can't do very well, and I've seen that a lot as a high functioning autistic, you know, I'm sure it's even worse for people that are lower functioning. So it just brings me so much joy to get to work with the kids.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, are you? So are you kind of doing groups with your therapist, or are you doing kind of your own thing where you're running a program, or How's that looking? I just want to know kind of what this looks like, because it sounds really awesome.    Kyle Wright     Yeah, it's a little bit of both. And we've done some group activities. So you know, all of our therapists that are kind of using my program. They they have 136 set of cubes actually, kind of the same one here that's on my shelf, and we use that in different group settings or just one on one sessions. I'm always, I'm always with a therapist of some point, whether it's occupational therapy, you know, we're also exploring how to use Rubik's Cube art and speech therapy, you know, all the other different therapy aspects as well, but always just sitting there. And honestly, I just like to observe, you know, I want to watch the occupational therapist, one kind of figure it out for themselves. You know, how, how's this activity going to look with the client, but also using my guide as a, you know, framework. You know, I outline multiple activities and grading and scalability, or not scale. Y'all call it scaffolding. I believe in OT where you, you know, increasing your way, increase the act, working up the scale. And, you know, we're. Creating that program for ourselves. You know, the end goal is to make a 36 cube mosaic art. But a lot of kids, you're not going to start there. So a lot of things that we do is, hey, let's make that cross, or let's make this design with one cube. And then we say, okay, let's, let's do it on three or four cubes. And then once they get up to about nine cubes, we actually have all 26 letters of the alphabet built into nine cube Rubik's Cube art. And so then that really opens it up for the child to say, hey, I want to make the letter the first letter of my first name, you know, and that's like, their first, like, I actually made art with Rubik's cubes. And again, just seeing those, those children, and even the adults we've worked with, they're like, Dude, this is, like, really cool, like, you know, and being able to scale it up to where they can eventually make the art.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I love that. You know, I hadn't even brought up handwriting yet. That was something on on our questions list, but you brought it, brought it up, and how it can work. And I know on your your website, you have, I think, larger versions of letters that you also make, which is really cool, because that's now working your way up from nine cubes up to, I'm assuming, 16 and and even larger. What I really like about the idea of Rubik's Cube, because I've used art in therapy, in school based ot all the time we use like, we'll go on YouTube, and we'll find a artwork, and we'll kind of work through the art, and we oftentimes will use grids for visual, spatial stuff. But what I really like about Rubik's Cube is that, going back to kind of all the things that we've touched on today, you've got fine motor in there, you've got visual spatial in there. You've got emotional regulation, definitely, for when you're getting frustrated and trying to keep calm, like there's a lot here that you can support. And with that, you brought up the scaffolding. Sometimes we have to make one part of that a little bit easier, because we want to focus on the emotional regulation piece. So maybe we make the fine motor easier to focus on the emotional regulation piece, or vice versa. How have you seen that with these kids and and the adults that you're working with, like, how do you adapt it to support them?    Kyle Wright     Yeah, I like to put it this way. You know, every every client is different. Every client has different needs, different things that they need to accomplish, and we need to make the activity fit their particular therapy goals, and so something we've been working on really hard, me and my therapist and a couple of other people on my team is exactly like you said, like you might have a kid that they don't need to focus as much on the fine motor aspect, but they definitely need the executive functioning. So what activities can we create using the Rubik's cubes that are going to put more of an emphasis on the executive functioning and not as much on the fine motor and vice versa, you know, for all the different therapy goals, and that's something that we're currently working on right now. You know, we've, we've found that some students have a really hard time lining the Rubik's Cubes up. You know, they can twist the cubes really well, but when they start laying it on the table, their hand gets real shaky. And so we've made activities where the whole activity is, How many cubes can we line up in a row? Like, let's make a snake, you know, just things like that. There's and this is all stuff that we're providing through my membership program as well, is continuing to innovate and add these different activities that you can do with Rubik's cubes in a therapy setting.    Jayson Davies     That's really awesome. I love that you're kind of taking this to the next level and thinking about the scaffolding and like Rubik's Cube art. It looks awesome. It looks awesome when you finish it you put it on the wall, but it is freaking hard to get to that point. And I love that you're thinking about all the different quote, unquote levels to kind of work your way up there, and figuring out how you can break it down to make it a great starting point for any individual, whether it is, like you said, just getting maybe two colors on on a block to to getting all the way to the artwork, so that that's really awesome. You've mentioned it a little bit here and there, with the guide that you're working on and the membership a little bit, but I want to give you a chance to kind of talk a little bit more about that. The first question related to that is like, what is your overall like? What is your goal like? What do you want to see at, you know, 510, years from now, what is your goal for your program? Like, what would you like to see?    Kyle Wright     I just love that it's getting to help people and people that really need that help. And, you know, five or 10 years, I would love to just have a program that people are sharing, and they're like, Hey, I use this with my autistic kid, and these were the things that he benefited from, or these are the things that and basically have it be a library that not just occupational therapists are using, you know, I would love to see it in speech therapy, in group therapy, play therapy, ABA therapy. Like there's so many different therapeutic outlets that you can use Rubik's cubes and Rubik's Cube art in and really, I just want to grow that membership, not just so that I can equip therapist. You know, that's what I'm doing right now, is focusing on equipping therapists and giving them the activities and the things that they want. But I'm also have a membership specifically for the client. You know, if they want to go home and buy their own set of Rubik's cubes and start making their own art, we provide weekly build guides for that as well, on top of the therapy resources, wow,    Jayson Davies     wow, that's really cool. I I don't know. I just really, I, part of me is amazed by Rubik's Cube, partially because I'm never able to solve one. And I love the idea of being able to, I guess, create art without actually having to solve the full Rubik's cube, and being able to make meaningful I mean, not just skill development, but also have an end product that is kind of cool to have once you work on that skill development. So that's really cool. I know you've given us a link that we can share with everyone to kind of get access to a free guide. And I'd love to let you talk a little bit about what's in that guide that people can go ahead and get access to,    Kyle Wright     yeah, absolutely. So really, the guide kind of starts off, and it just gives you the you know, how much table space you need, the resources that you need to purchase. You know, we have links to all the different resources that you can use to get started the video to learn how to do the the you know, what I like to call the daisy method is the, you know, easy to do, solving one side of the cube. And we highlight all of the different therapy goals that we have found today that we believe, you know, Rubik's cubes can support. And we've kind of written all of that out in an easy, you know, four page, easy to read, easy to digest, and it's got a couple of just basic activities in it that you can really just take right out of the box. And when you get a set of cubes, you can instantly start using with your clients. And I've been getting a lot of feedback from the occupational therapist that I've been working with, awesome.    Jayson Davies     You mentioned attaching like or you mentioned finding goals that kind of relate to Rubik's Cube art. And for me, as a school based ot practitioner, we're often trying to really relate our goals back to academic standards, and it's always possible. It sometimes gets a little tricky, but it's always possible. But with yours, what type of goals are you relating back to? Are you relating back to, like, academic type of handwriting, reading and stuff like that? Are you relating back to getting dressed, ADLs, or all of the above?    Kyle Wright     Yeah. So currently, I mean, end goal is definitely to do as much of that as we possibly can. A lot of the focuses right now are just, you know, fine motor, visual, spatial, emotional regulation. Like we're, we're kind of on the ground floor of everything. But the goal, ultimately, like you said, is to link it back to, okay, this activity with the Rubik's cube can be used to help the handwriting or this, you know, activity can be used to, you know, teach a kid that, you know they can't always do whatever they want. You know, whatever those different goals are like. Obviously, from an academic perspective, there's hundreds of different struggles that neurodivergent individuals struggle with. And the end goal really is for us to make a program that says, Okay, you're trying to support handwriting. In our membership, you can go search handwriting, and we'll give you four or five different activities that you could try. You know, that's really ultimately our goal. But, you know, we're kind of in that beginning phase of really trying it out with these kids.    Jayson Davies     No, that's really cool. I really like the way that you're thinking about it. It's not just Rubik's cube for yourself. It's not just about Rubik's Cube art. For the sake of Rubik's Cube art, it is Rubik's Cube art as both a means and an ends for for skill development. And you you get something to take away with it, right? You like you. I already said it once, but you get the physical product of having something awesome that you created, plus you get the skill development that you're developing while putting that all together. And I love the idea of putting this guide together. Or what, you know, an occupational therapist like myself, or an occupational therapy assistant, someone who's never used a Rubik's Cube. Like, what is that first thing that you kind of first piece of advice that you give to them that are thinking about, hey, I might be able to use a Rubik's Cube in therapy.    Kyle Wright     Yeah. So kind of mentioned it earlier in the hall was, you know, it's, it's, I promise you, it's not as intimidating as you think it is. Because a lot of people, their first thought is, oh, I have to solve a Rubik's Cube. That's not for me. And that's not at all the case, you know, you just need to be able to solve one side of the Rubik's cube. And much like we break down getting to being able to make the cube mosaic out of 36 cubes by starting one cube at a time. We're kind of doing the same thing with the therapist, because we also realize most people in this world don't know how to solve a Rubik's Cube and probably have minimal contact with it, and so we're trying to give those therapists the resources they need so that they can feel confident knowing that they can ultimately teach this to their clients. Yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah. This is going to be fun. I think a lot of people are going to listen to this episode over the summer. This is going to come out in the summertime, and I think they're going to be really interested, to kind of put this out there and start using it with their students come fall when school starts back up. So I really like the idea that you talked about earlier. We do a lot of handwriting. So I can imagine therapists using it to, you know, help kids to understand how to develop their the letters in their name, or even put words together by using Rubik's Cubes. I mean, that that's just really awesome. How, how long does it take to put a smaller project together for some people?    Kyle Wright     I mean, really, it just depends on the client. You know, me, myself. You know I could do a 36 cube mosaic in less than 2025, minutes, you know. But I've also been solving Rubik's Cubes my entire life, and you know, the Well, last 15 years of it, at least so half of my life, you know. But we, we understand that, you know, there, there's a learning curve, and so it's going to be a little bit different. The goal is, you know, for a 36 cube mosaic is for the client to eventually be able to finish that in a single therapy session. You know, most therapy sessions, I think, are 4550 minutes, usually, depending on, you know, where you're at, where you work, as far as ot goes. But really that goal is to get the client to that point, and, you know, maybe even doing it faster, because a lot of occupational therapists I've talked to have said, you know, I don't want to spend the entire 50 minutes doing one activity. And, you know, and that kind of goes back to again. Let's start with twisting the cube, making a couple of crosses, like we can make this a five or 10 Minute activity in the beginning, as we're building that scaffolding and really getting them to that point where they can make art in 20 minutes.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and I'll also say that to degree I sometimes like, especially depending on the client. I like when I can break down an activity into multiple sessions. And so even if it was a four or a nine, you know, brick design, I would love to do two today and two next week and two the following week to kind of build up to that. Because I think that, in itself, is a skill that is a time management skill and emotional regulation skill, like, just the ability to break a larger task up. So sometimes it's good to break it up into smaller, manageable pieces.    Kyle Wright     Absolutely, I, you know, but with the therapist that I've worked with, specifically, you know, they've, they've, they've told me they're like, you know, as much as I'd love to do cube art for the whole session, or teach a kid how to make Rubik's Cube art in one session, like, more often than not, that's not going to be the case. You know, we're going to have to gradually build that again over multiple sessions. Yeah,    Jayson Davies     yeah. All right, Kyle, well, it has been a real pleasure talking to you about Rubik's cube. And as I mentioned already, I really see a lot of people, you know, figuring out how they can use Rubik's cubes in school. I think it's great. And we didn't even talk about the social participation side of it, because, I mean, if you can solve a Rubik's Cube, everyone wants to be your friend. So.    Kyle Wright     Exactly, exactly.    Jayson Davies     But I do want to give you one last chance to talk a little bit about something important, because I know for you, faith is such a huge thing, and it's not something I talk about on the podcast very often. It's not something that we bring up. But I know for you, this is something that is like part of it's part of your life, and it's part of your the way you do business and the way you do everything. And so I want to give you an opportunity just. To talk about how faith ties into all this.    Kyle Wright     No, absolutely. A couple of years ago, I started what I like to call the know that you are loved movement. And really, this comes from my time as a kid. You know, again, I knew I was different from a young age, and a lot of other people knew that I was different too, and I got bullied for that a lot in middle school and high school, and I really felt undervalued, and honestly caused me to be at some of the lowest points of my life because of, you know, some of these things these bullies were telling me, you know, I didn't feel like I was loved, and really, I've taken it upon myself that every opportunity I can, I tell people that you are loved, because regardless of your race, your gender, your sexual orientation, whatever it is, at the end of the day, you are a human being, And you deserve to know that you are loved somebody in your life, regardless of if it's a friend, a family member or a co worker, somebody loves you. And I really take that from John 1334 kind of like you mentioned Jason. I am a Christian. And in this Bible verse, Jesus is talking to his disciples, and He says, you know, love others as I have loved you. And he stops right there. He doesn't say, love people if they believe the same politics as you do, or think the same way that you do, like he just says, Hey, I've loved you, so now you're gonna go out into the world and love others. And so really, my mission is to spread that love, and hopefully my goal is to do that through Rubik's Cube art and being able to provide Rubik's cubes as a therapy method.    Jayson Davies     Awesome. I love it, man. Thank you so much for coming on and give a shout out to everyone where they can learn more about you and your cubes.    Kyle Wright     Yeah, absolutely. I'm on YouTube, Instagram, Facebook, most of the social platforms. Just search for Kyle cubes. And like Jason mentioned, if you're interested in taking the next step and trying Rubik's Cube art for yourself, you can visit Kyle cubes.com/ots  to claim my free therapy guide,    Jayson Davies     and you can bet we will have all those links over on the show notes. So Kyle, thank you so much. Really, really appreciate having you here, and look forward to seeing all your artwork over on YouTube.    Kyle Wright     Thanks again, awesome. Thanks for having me. Jayson,    Jayson Davies     all right, that wraps up episode 180 of the OT school house podcast. Remember, you can find all the show notes, including all of the resources shared by Kyle over at ot school house.com/episode 180 we'll have all the links for you there. Thank you to Kyle so much for spending your time with me today as we explored this unique and inspiring world of Rubik's Cube art. Kyle, I can't thank you enough. You sharing your journey, sharing how you have taken this cube and turned it into art, both for yourself and for others, is just absolutely amazing. It is awesome that you're thinking about how you can use a tool or a toy, really, from 30 years ago to support emotional regulation, fine motor skills and creative expression, just just awesome. I also want to thank you. You know the OT practitioner taking your time out of your day today to listen to this episode, thank you for tuning in and being a part of this conversation. I hope you're walking away with fresh ideas about how to bring a Rubik's cube into your own practice. If you have one sitting in at home, maybe you solved it once upon a time and you never touched it again because you were afraid to unsolve it. You know, take this as a as a cue, as a sign that maybe it's time to to dust it off, play around with it, figure out how to solve it again, or figure out how you can bring it into your therapy world, to use it as art or even a separate tool within your therapy practice. One last thing, if you're ready to dive deeper into resources, into professional development and mentorship and all the things that make school based ot practice really fruitful, really amazing and just helps us to do our job, I'd love for you to check out the OT school house collaborative. The OT school house collaborative is a supportive space where you can continue to learn, you can continue to grow, and you can continue to make even greater of an impact within your school setting by getting support myself and other peers here in the collaborative. So you can find all the details about the OT school house collaborative, all about our professional development. Opportunity, our resources, our research that we bring together over at ot  schoolhouse.com/collab or you can find that link in the show notes until next time, keep being an amazing occupational therapy practitioner and remember you are making a difference every single day. Take care and look. You next time.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT school house 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

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. < Back Assessment & Consideration of Assistive Technology for School-Based Occupational Therapy Professionals Presented by: Elisa Wern, M.Ed., OTR/L, ATP Attend live on August 28th, 2025 at 5 PM CST or watch on demand the next day Join OTS Collab & Earn CEUs Learn more about OTS Collab Course Description ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Learning Objectives 1. Learners will identify key factors in assessing student needs, environmental influences, and task demands for appropriate AT selection. 2. Learners will apply the SETT framework and other evidence-based strategies to guide AT decision-making in school-based occupational therapy. 3. Learners will be able to analyze student needs and educational routines to recommend appropriate assistive technology supports in coordination with IEP team members. Contact Hours This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 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. Register for this course and future courses inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative for as little as $120 Register Now Learn More about OTS Collab Agenda ! Widget Didn’t Load Check your internet and refresh this page. If that doesn’t work, contact us. Your Instructor Elisa Wern, M.Ed., OTR/L, ATP Elisa Wern is an Occupational Therapist, with a Master’s degree in Special Education, and RESNA Certified Assistive Technology Professional (ATP) with over 20 years of experience in pediatric therapy. She presents at a variety of state and national conferences including regional training, AOTA, CEC, PATINS A2E, and ATIA, Closing the Gap, OTAP/ECHO TIES Project, CATE, TalkingAAC and AAC in the Cloud. She is the Local Assistive Technology Specialist for Alachua County Schools in Gainesville, Florida, where she coordinates AT services for the district, and serves as the Lead Occupational Therapist. In her spare work time she has a private practice, AT & OT Consulting and Coaching, supporting students and families primarily through teletherapy evaluations, consultations, and interventions as well as consultation for companies. She is a contracted staff member for LessonPix providing training and conference support. She proudly served as a Year 1 Mentor as a Joy Zabala Fellow. Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative . OTS 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 OTS Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative and register in our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods A combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck and both synchronous & asynchronous 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 Elisa is receiving an honorarium for this course. 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! Join OTS Collaborative 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.

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 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 1.5 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. Learn more

The community-based learning community for school-based OTPs looking to make an impact! Unlimited CEUs Live-online Mentorship Every Last One of Our Resources Join the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, where we provide all of the necessary tools to help you implement evidence-based practices in your schools. GET INSTANT ACCESS Kelsey K. School-based OT Jhenny R. School-Based OT Talia G. School-Based OT In the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, we are putting an end to the "learn but never implement " cycle that OTPs often experience after attending PD courses. Our goal in the Collaborative is not to learn more best practices. Our goal is to help you implement best practic es . With our practitioner-powered professional development community , you will benefit from things like: 12+ hours of LIVE-online AOTA- approved sessions every year 30+ on-demand AOTA- approved CEU courses Over 75 templates, handouts, resources, and tools to share and make your own (Plus new tools every month!) Group Mentorship Calls, where you can ask your most pressing school-based OT questions And the ability to receive ongoing support from the OT Schoolhouse team and your colleagues . Here are some of o ur recent and upcoming AOTA-approved courses: Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: July 16, 2025 Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: September 4, 2025 Duration This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: October 16, 2025 Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More VIEW ALL COURSES OT Schoolhouse is proud to be an OTS Collab gives you the education, resources, and support you need to make changes in your school-based OT programs. 01 Highly specific course material Attend highly specific, action-oriented courses directly related to school-based OT. You may attend live or watch the replay to learn from our speakers who have your best interest in mind. 02 Mentorship Group Calls Engage in group mentorship meetings where we review current research and create plans to improve outcomes for our students. Hosted by Jayson, these live and recorded calls are designed to meet your needs. 03 Ongoing community support Utilize our resources and research library to make changes to your practice and ask for feedback along the way. Share what worked, what didn't, and how others can do what you did. By combining professional development courses from leaders in the field with a community of professionals dedicated to school-based OT, you will be ready to take what you learn and implement best practices to better support your students. Each month in OTS Collaborative, we host: One highly specific live professional development course. And one "Ask Anything" Collaboration hour, where no question is off limits. Ask Jayson and the community anything you'd like in a live Zoom call. Plus, all courses, team meetings, and collaboration hours are recorded, so you can catch anything you missed at your convenience. What members are saying? The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative may be new, but we already have therapists thrilled to be a part of this community-powered professional development community! Here is what they are saying: "Having other OTs to collaborate within a safe place is exactly what I have been looking for." "In the OTS Collab, I know I have a group of people in the same boat as me that I could lean on for help, vent to, and share my wins with." "THANK YOU for organizing this!" The support continues long after the courses are over inside OTS Collab. In addition to the live events, you will also receive tons of support and the just-right amount of accountability in our private community. Studies show you are 42% more likely to reach a goal that you declare publicly. But when we attend a professional development course, we often head right back to work without any time dedicated to reflecting on what we learned, developing a goal, and creating a plan. In OTS Collab, we help you to develop goals you can take action on in your practice. The days of attending a course to implement only 1% of what you learned are over. It's time to incorporate best practices, not just learn them. The OT Schoolhouse team and OTS Collab Members are here to support you in our dedicated community portal. Learn More Earn Professional Development. Collaborate with your people. Implement best practices. $39 9 per year SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE $120 or per quarter Member Pricing SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Save 16% (2 months free) when you sign up with the annual plan Interested in a group rate? Contact us here OTPs Supporting OTPs A safe place to ask questions, seek research and therapy interventions, commit to growth challenges, and generally learn and grow without fear of judgment or rejection. Relationship-building opportunities with like-minded school-based OT practitioners that can yield solutions to problems, lead to job opportunities, and establish friendships. First access and discounts to new content and other offerings from the OT Schoolhouse. A community that welcomes members from diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, neurodiversity, and physical ableness. A focused environment to accelerate professional growth and networking due to the absence of fluff content, noisy discussion channels, advertisers, and recruiters. A privacy-first attitude toward all current and future aspects of OTS Collab. The OTS Collab is a place for occupational therapy practitioners who are serious about using strengths-based and best practices to support all students accessing their educational curriculum. We promote and encourage knowledge translation, collaboration, thorough evaluations, tiered interventions, and the creation of evidence through documentation to support students. Feel like it's a match? Outstanding! We can't wait to support you inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative! Join Today Community Fun & Emotional Support While fun and professional development are not always mentioned in the same sentence, we know as mental health providers that all work and no play does not make for a great day. That is why we like to have some fun within OTS Collab. The school year is long. So to break up the grind and let out some steam, we like to have an occasional OTS Collab celebration to acknowledge all the hard work we put in as OT practitioners. Your Community Managers Supporting you to achieve your school-based OT goals, whether you are an experieinced therapist or just getting started in the schools. Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L Jayson is the host of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast and has been emersed in school-based OT for over a decade. He is a husband, father, and dog dad who loves to spend time with his family. Jayson loves school-based OT because he believes that all students deserve to have access to education no matter their abilities. Jayson aspires to be a school district administrator and have a larger impact on staff development and student success. Favorite OT Model: P-E-O Location: Southern California Pets: TJ, a black lab/staffie Favorite aspect of SBOT Jayson loves seeing teachers have success with students. He believes that it is important for both the student and the teacher, that they succeed together. This builds vital rapport among both individuals. Love of Community As a new therapist, Jayson was fortunate to work in a district where the OTs met monthly. But that didn't happen in his second job. Jayson appreciates the ideas and growth that come as a result of OTs gathering. Interesting fact about Jayson Jayson lacks pain sensation on the left side of his face as a suspected result of trauma to the Trigeminal nerve when he was younger. He attributes this to one of the reasons he wanted to become an OT. Favorite OT Model: Kawa Model Location: Ch icago, Illi nois Favorite Activities: Dancing, outdoor activities, traveling, and reading Chandler Sárközi Chandler is a student, sister, daughter, and friend. She is currently an occupational therapy student completing Level II fieldwork. She loves children and has worked with them most of her adult life. One of her favorite jobs prior to graduate school was working at a non-profit school for Autism that utilized the DIR/Floortime Model. Chandler aspires to one day develop schools and curriculums in underdeveloped and underserved areas of the United States and other countries. She would incorporate her occupational therapy background, mental health, and additional interprofessional studies to enhance effectively collaborate with all staff and families, which will help improve the outcomes of the students. Interesting facts about Chandler Chandler has been a vegetarian since she was five years old and became vegan a couple of years ago. She has played the violin since she was seven and was a part of her school orchestra for eight years. She has also traveled to over 20 countries and over 20 states. OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW Important FAQs That's a lot of information. Still, you may have questions. Here are some important ones to know about as you consider joining. Is there a cost to joining OTS Collaborative? Yes. The OTS Collab is a paid membership. The annual membership, at $399 per year, offers the best rate. You can also subscribe at a $120 quarterly rate. Members can cancel their subscriptions at any time inside the community or by clicking here . Do I have to participate in all the live events? How much time does this community require? You can spend as much (or as little) time as you'd like in the community. All events are optional and recorded in case you'd like to watch them at a later time. We host three 1-hour live events each month on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. One of the three events is a live AOTA-approved professional development course. Some members attend each of the three live events and post or comment in the community a few times a week. Other members attend some of the events and occasionally post in the community. You get to choose what works best for you. What platform is used for OTS Collab? We did a ton of research on various membership platforms before making our choice. Ultimately, we chose Circle. Think of Circle as a cross between Facebook Groups and LinkedIn, but without the need to have a profile out in the open. Courses and other events are held on Zoom. Does OT Schoolhouse Collaborative include access to the Back to School Conference? It does not. While the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative includes a great amount of support, it does not include admission to the annual Back to School Conference. However, as an OT Schoolhouse Collaborative member, you will be able to save and get the best available price for the Back to School Conference. Once a member, check out the "Start Here" space for more details. Will professional development be AOTA-approved? All live and recorded professional development courses are AOTA-approved. Podcast Courses are the exception. They will not be approved for AOTA credit, but you can still earn a certificate of completion. As a reminder, NBCOT and most states do not require courses to be approved by AOTA. Be sure to check your state guidelines. Can I earn professional development from the podcast without being an OTS Collab member? Yes, you can. However, we feel that the community aspect within OTS Collab helps therapists to incorporate the knowledge they learn into practical use and student outcomes. Can I register via purchase order? Absolutely. We accept purchase orders for annual membership plans. Click here to learn how. What is the refund policy? We do not offer refunds for OTS Collab. However, you may cancel your subscription at any time. Do you have Community Guidelines? Absolutely, we do. You can read them here. Still have questions? Contact us here. or $39 9 per year Better price per quarter $120 More flexibility Prices will raise in 2025 for new members,s so lock in your rate now. SECURE YOUR SPOT OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW

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!