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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 205 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Handwriting referrals fill school-based OT caseloads, but many practitioners feel underprepared to address dysgraphia and written expression challenges. In this episode Jayson sits down with Kelli Fetter, founder of Handwriting Solutions, to explore the complex world of dysgraphia—from diagnosis and assessment to evidence-based intervention. Kelli shares her personal journey as both an OT and parent of a child with dysgraphia, and explains why she believes school-based OTPs are the most well-positioned experts to lead on handwriting support. You'll learn practical strategies for implementing MTSS handwriting programs, understanding the difference between top-down and bottom-up approaches, assessing handwriting across different cognitive load levels, and creating intensive intervention models like handwriting camps and clubs. They also discuss the emerging "science of writing" movement and why now is a critical moment for OTPs to step into a leadership role in this space. Whether you're new to school-based practice or looking to sharpen your handwriting intervention skills, this episode is packed with actionable strategies you can bring directly to your students. Listen now to learn how to confidently support students with dysgraphia and written expression challenges — and why it's never too late to make a difference. Listen now to learn the following objectives: — Learners will identify the OTPs role in supporting students with dysgraphia within a tiered MTSS framework, including how to collaborate with teachers, SLPs, and special educators to address written expression as a shared team goal. — Learners will explain assessment strategies across varying cognitive load levels — from tracing and near-point copying to dictation and self-generated writing — to identify automaticity gaps and guide intervention planning. —Learners will explain the diagnostic criteria and team-based approach for identifying dysgraphia in school-aged students — Learners will differentiate between top-down and bottom-up handwriting intervention approaches and determine when each is appropriate based on individual student needs Guest(s) Bio Kelli Fetter is a Certified Handwriting Specialist and the founder of Handwriting Solutions, LLC, where she leads a team providing world-class virtual handwriting, reading, and spelling support to students worldwide. She’s also a respected educator for teachers and therapists, known for her evidence-based approach to handwriting, dysgraphia, and dyslexia. With a background in pediatric occupational therapy across clinics, schools, and early intervention, and inspired by her own daughter’s dyslexia and dysgraphia journey, Kelli is dedicated to empowering families and professionals to unlock every child’s potential. Quotes “Handwriting is complex. It is nuanced.” — Kelli Fetter “Teachers are thirsty for this. They want to be able to support their students.” — Kelli Fetter “True automaticity only comes from being able to self-generate thoughts.” — Kelli Fetter “Professional athletes aren't learning to be professional athletes one time a week.” — Jayson Davies Resources 👉Handwriting Solutions 👉Handwriting Solutions on Instagram 👉Handwriting Solutions on LinkedIn 👉Handwriting Solutions on Facebook 👉Handwriting Solutions Course for OTPs 👉Dyslexia, Dysgraphia, and Dyscalculia in Pediatric Occupational Therapy:A Practice Resource 👉Handwriting Breakthroughs Guidebook ( Freebie) 👉 Sold a Story Podcast 👉The Writing Rope 👉Size Matters Handwriting Program 👉Handwriting Without Tears / Learning Without Tears 👉VMAT (VMI App Tool) 👉ETCH (Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting) 👉THSR (Test of Handwriting Skills–Revised) 👉The McMaster Handwriting Assessment Protocol 👉DeCoste Writing Protocol 👉 Dr. Virginia Berninger Research 👉 Dr. Maryanne Wolf Research 👉Aspire OT Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Hey there, and welcome back to the OT Schoolhouse podcast. This is episode number 205 and today we are diving into one of the most requested, as well as one of the most debated topics in school-based occupational therapy. You already saw the title. You know what it is: handwriting, specifically dysgraphia, is what we're discussing. Now, I know some of you just groaned, some of you just leaned in a little bit closer, and honestly, either way, this episode is for you. My guest today is Kelli Fetter. She is an occupational therapist and founder of Handwriting Solutions, where she runs a virtual tutoring practice. Yes, I said tutoring, not an OT practice. However, her practice is staffed by OT practitioners, OTs as well as OTAs supporting students with dysgraphia. Now, while valuing the full scope of OT within the schools, beyond just handwriting, even Kelli wants to support OT practitioners in their role as handwriting experts because she knows that we are handwriting experts at the end of the day, and she is not afraid to say the things that need to be said. So, in our conversation today, Kelli and I, we are going to talk about what dysgraphia actually is and who, in theory, should be diagnosing it. Why copying in the therapy room does not mean a student has automaticity in the classroom, how cognitive load is quietly sabotaging your students when they are in the classroom, and what a real handwriting intervention model looks like from MTSS Tier One all the way to more intensive services like camps and clubs. Now, if you have ever felt unsure about your role in handwriting, which I know every single occupational therapy practitioner has, this episode is for you. You are really going to appreciate what Kelli has to say today. So let's get into it. Here is Kelli Fetter. Amazing Narrator Hello, and welcome to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, your source for school-based occupational therapy tips, interviews, and professional development. Now, to get the conversation started, here is your host, Jayson Davies. Class is officially in session. Jayson Davies Kelli, welcome to the OT School Hub podcast. It is great to have you here. How are you doing today? Kelli Fetter I am doing great. You know, I don't know. It depends on when this is released, but if we, if you are hearing this and you are at the end of the school year, chaos. I am with you. Hopefully, by now though, we're in summer break and we're kicking back and we're taking a little moment to to relax. Jayson Davies Yes, yeah, absolutely. I think we're looking at early July here when this actually is released. So yes, absolutely. Hope everyone is having a great Fourth of July celebration. You know, weekend long week as a school-based OT, we get some time off. Hopefully, much better. Yeah, hope everyone's enjoying that. Yes, absolutely, absolutely. Well, Kelli, I want to dive into a. I think this is a a fun hot topic question. We're going to kick it off with that, and that is, you know, as school-based occupational therapy practitioners, there is this like constant pressure and this constant like struggle that we kind of consume over, and that is whether we should, you know, dive into this role that we are often find ourselves in as the handwriting specialist or the handwriting teacher, or go the opposite direction and kind of escape from it a little bit, and maybe try and not do as much handwriting. Obviously, the gamut is wide. Those are that's an oversimplification of this. But within your business, you have obviously kind of just gone all in with handwriting, so I want to hear why you decided to go all in with handwriting-not just in your business, but also to you know, like within your OT career. Kelli Fetter My daughter has driven everything that we do at Handwriting Solutions, and for very good reason. I know a lot of us come into our careers and our passions, guided by some sort of personal reason, and she is absolutely my reason. Because when she was diagnosed with dyslexia and dysgraphia, the number of supports out there for dyslexia-I mean, you-it was such a low lift, right? There's so much, so much research and resources, and like it was there were no questions like here's what you do you have a dyslexia diagnosis here's what you do meanwhile now this was over seven years ago dysgraphia people looked at me like I had two heads they were like first of all what is that and is handwriting and even any important anymore and who does this? And let's point fingers. And the psychologist didn't even really still doesn't have a gold standard for diagnosing or assessing dysgraphia. So that is why I'm here, and that is why I am so passionate about handwriting in general, dysgraphia, and. Specifically, OTs role in this because we are the most well-positioned experts in serving these students, and it is a collaborative. And we'll touch on all of this throughout the podcast, but the collaboration is key, and we literally we have the skill set, so I get very I hate the word to use the word triggered, but it's true. I am on a bunch of Facebook pages and groups and conversate, and I love to have these open conversations. But nothing gets under my skin more than when OTs reject their role in handwriting and say I see it so like time and time again. You know what? They can't improve anyway past third grade. You know what? We've got tech, and that's our role is to access education. But let me be honest, as a parent, I refuse to accept that for my child. And I have seen firsthand that we can improve, we can remediate and accommodate at the same time, and so really we're just doing a disservice. It's kind of like what I like to think about because again, most people are more comfortable with the dyslexia world, and so that would be like a school saying, "Okay, the kid has dyslexia. Here's an audio book. Good luck. That's absurd, right? Like nobody would ever like. No, we're going to build their skills up as a team, and OT can be on that team too, and should be. Yeah, supporting that child so that they can learn to read and improve and progress. So I definitely get on my soapbox on this topic. Jayson Davies Yeah, I mean, five minute podcast. We're done. Let's call it a day. No, just kidding. Let's dive further into this because you obviously before you started your business, you were practicing as an OT like so many of us, right? Remind me again. You have you have school based experience. Were you also in the clinic as well? Kelli Fetter I did all the things: early intervention, outpatient, private schools, public schools. I did it all as soon as I got out of graduate school. Jayson Davies Okay, so before you started your business, was that something that conflicted you? You know, like whether you should lean into handwriting, not lean into handwriting, and what? I mean, obviously now you have, but do you recall having that internal conflict with yourself? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think the biggest thing that I realized was a I had never heard of dysgraphia before, which is pretty mind blowing, right? As an OT working in pediatrics, that I had never that word just never in graduate school that we talk about learning disabilities. Never did we really go into dysgraphia much, and handwriting was very looked at from a well, okay. Let's build the foundational skills, which is part of it, right? And I know there's a big debate. I know that we've had you've had speakers come into yeah yeah schoolhouse, and what the research is showing now is that it really should be both, you know, the top down and the bottom up approach, and so I definitely back then was looking at it a lot from that that bottom up approach, and just completely clueless about learning disabilities. To be honest with you, and really, truly, it was not until my daughter was diagnosed that I was like, "Oh, okay, let me figure this out. Yeah, let's figure this out. And and I hear that from OTs all of the time. At least once a day, I get a DM or an email from an OT saying, "How can I support my students? I have a caseload full of students now that are struggling with handwriting, or who are have suspected dysgraphia or a diagnosis, and I have no idea how to help them. Wow. Yeah. Yeah. Jayson Davies Two questions, kind of about dysgraphia, the diagnosis per se. A, who is diagnosing students with dysgraphia? Is it an official diagnosis, or is this kind of a you know they've got difficult writing dysgraphia? Kelli Fetter It is. Yeah. So, psychologist. It could be educational psych, neuro psych. Ideally, a team. I in in the perfect world, I would love a team diagnostic where you have the psychologist, you have an OT, you have a speech, and you have education, and that would just be incredible, right? But let's be real. Like most of the time, it's just the psychologist, but it's it's tricky to diagnose, and I think that's why it is so confusing for everyone, for parents, for OTs, for teachers, is there is not a gold standard tool measurement tool for dysgraphia or diagnostic tool. So it is a lot of piecing together educational history, medical history, teacher report, parent report, OT evaluate, like looking at kind of all the pieces and solving that puzzle. And I think with that that ideal team, right? If we can all be on this team, supporting this diet. That is that is going to get a more accurate diagnosis, and that is going to get better support for that student. The other issue is a lot of psychologists are not well versed in dysgraphia, and I'll give you an example. One of our families, unfortunately, had not reached out to us at that point, went for a diagnosis, and they tested and got diagnosed with ADHD and with dyslexia. And the parent was like, "Oh, I thought they would get a dysgraphia diagnosis. And I kid you not, the psychologist said, "Oh, we didn't test for that. And I mean, this parent had spent 1000s of dollars out of pocket for for these you know this comprehensive diagnostic report and very frustrating. So there's even a misunderstanding at that highest level. Part of it is because of like you said, what exactly does dysgraphia like? What where does that fall? It is a specific learning disability. So we, if we, we won't actually see the word dysgraphia in the DSM because it falls under that specific learning disability. And then you've got the SLD in reading, SLD in writing, SLD in math. So I think just the nomenclature in and of itself can be really so SLD Jayson Davies writing is kind of where this would fall into. Kelli Fetter Exactly. Yep. Yep. But confusing, right? Because then you don't see the word, and then so sometimes in school systems they won't even say the word dysgraphia; they'll just say SLD in writing. There's also the whole. Jayson Davies Do you think we should? Kelli Fetter What? Jayson Davies Where do you fall on that? Should we call it SLD writing, or should we call it dysgraphia, or does it matter? Kelli Fetter Doesn't matter. I mean, like I think. I think for clarity purposes, it would be nice if we could pick one and go with it. But like, does it does it really matter? As long as people are knowledgeable and and aware and educated on it, I really don't like the nomenclature shouldn't stop us from diagnostics or intervention. intervention-that's just. I think sometimes we get lost in the weeds of like, what should we call it? But in the end, as especially as OT practitioners, we're not looking at a student by their diagnosis. We're looking at their function. So yeah. Jayson Davies Yeah, absolutely. You mentioned the evaluation process and talked a little bit about the school or various psychologists being involved. You also talked about you know when you had to go online and look for dysgraphia because of the nature of everything going on in your family with your daughter. I'm curious what you found you know several years ago who was treating dysgraphia at that time? Anyone or like I guess when you're looking at the research, where is the research under what journal is it under, or what websites were you finding that were claiming to quote unquote help students with dysgraphia? Kelli Fetter No, I mean nobody was really doing. Nobody was explicitly addressing dysgraphia then. The research I had to go into psychology. I had to go into education. There was there's research in on handwriting in the OT field, but not so much dysgraphia then. Again, this was seven years ago. Neurology, you know, I definitely had to seek out, and still do have to seek out from other fields the the research. It was highly under researched at that time as well, and really, you know, at that point in time, she was in a private school, and so we didn't have you know the gift of even like doing the whole IEP 504 and we kind of just like piece together, you know, some kind of school plan because they were supportive, but like it was truly just me piecing it together. And I will tell you, I get like I do empathize with OTs who have come from this like medical model and this foundational skill because I could not, Jayson, I could not wrap my head around my daughter's struggles. I was like her fine motor skill. Like I am the I am the Pinterest. I was the Pinterest queen of OT. Like I was like her gross motor skills are fine. Her fine motor skills are fine. She was through the roof visual spatial skills. What is going on? Like why is she like why is she struggling to read basic CBC letters? Why is she writing reversals and all over? Like she can draw. She was artistic, so I can definitely empathize of like that confusion as as an OT practitioner, as a parent, as a teacher with dysgraphia because it is it is a little bit of a puzzle, and it is quite broad in that it could be all of the things. So it could be motor skills impacting handwriting. It could be visual skills. It could be language skills. It could be executive function. It could be attention. All of those impact that occupation of writing. Jayson Davies Yep, absolutely. Well, thank you. We just kind of dove in headfirst into the background of dysgraphia and assessments, kind of before we're talking about school-based OT. So we're going to take a quick break, and when we come back, we're going to really kind of you know pair this with the world of school-based occupational therapy. So stay tuned. All right, Kelly. We're back. We've kind of have talked a lot about kind of the the foundation of dysgraphia, but now I want to apply that to school-based occupational therapy, and I think I want to start with the idea. Like we all know that handwriting is the number one, you know, referral reason within school-based OT. Now, within that, though, do you feel like basically every student that we have that has handwriting concerns that we're going to take on and provide intervention, do they have dysgraphia, or do you feel like that there are various you know things going on? Sometimes it might be true dysgraphia under a specific learning disability, or it could be something else. Kelli Fetter Yeah, it it could be a variety of things, and I think this is where that tiered system, when it is working, it is magical because ideally we are just getting those kids who do have maybe dysgraphia or or other concerns, right? And so we're ruling out a lot in that tier two and tier three. If they are getting good quality handwriting instruction in the classroom and building up some foundational skills as well, that will rule out a lot of our referrals, and then that tier two support of addressing. more broadly, you know, supporting the teacher, providing in services and training, supporting students in a in a more global way, so that again, when we do get those referrals for handwriting, hopefully that percentage will go from 98% a little bit lower, so that we truly are supporting those students. You know, obviously, there's the whole push in versus pull out, and there's nuance to that as well. But ideally, those are the students that we are really getting to spend more time with the ones who who do deeply need that support, and then the others will be supported at those various other tiers and stages. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, and you know, you you bring up the tiers, obviously very important. I think most schools at this point, not every school, but a lot of schools have what they will call MTSS A for academics or MTSS B for behavior. Maybe they have it MTSS math and reading, but I've never heard of a school that has MTSS handwriting or MTSS sensory. If we're going to go down other routes, right? OTs are trying to start these programs, but it's really hard to kind of like the handwriting discussion we had earlier. Do we narrow it down to one thing, or do we keep it broad? Like it's just MTSS OT. What are you seeing? Because I know you you obviously live the world of handwriting right now. What are you seeing in terms of schools implementing or not implementing handwriting programs? Because like that is the tier one, right? Like a foundational handwriting program. What are you seeing? Kelli Fetter So it's actually quite promising. And if you would have asked me this two years ago, I would probably have a different answer. Jayson Davies Okay. Kelli Fetter Because then I was like, oh my goodness, we have a long way to go. I mean, minimal schools were implementing this quality instruction. I think part of you know just bouncing back from pandemic, part of I mean we've got generations of teachers who just they aren't taught how to instruct in handwriting. One of my dear friends, she jokes with me because she put her son in our handwriting camp, and then she was like, "I'm a teacher, and I remember vividly walking in my first day and thinking nobody ever taught me how to teach this kid how to hold a pencil, so there's that. But I I think now you you're obviously seeing the headlines of schools are bringing back cursive. Jayson Davies Cursive, yeah. Kelli Fetter So it's on the radar. We've got a long way to go, but it is on the radar, which is a lot better than we were a few years ago. I'm like cautiously optimistic in that, though, because I do think our schools need training, our teachers need training, the systems need training. It needs to be a more a more important part of the school day. And it can easily be a more. I think that's sometimes like the misconception is that oh, another thing we have on our plates as teachers, right? That it really doesn't have to be this huge big thing. It can be easily embedded in their literacy that they're already doing, kind of like the science of reading shift. If you as. OTs, you know the listeners here. If you followed anything with the science of reading, you're seeing that shift in the school system. Of they went from balanced literacy and three cuing system, and realize that's not evidence based, and our kids are suffering, and the reading scores were going lower. So now we've got this shift of science of reading pulling in the science, reteaching the teachers of how to teach reading, so I think I I am optimistic that we're going to have the science of writing movement to really shift. Okay, handwriting actually is really important, and the science is there to prove it. And how do we implement this to fidelity because it's one thing to just have it mandated and legislated. Oh, okay, yay! We brought back cursive, but if we spend two weeks on cursive and then forget it, well, that's not really going to do us a lot of good either. Jayson Davies Yeah, you know that's interesting. You bring up the science of reading. I actually learned about the science of reading. I don't know all the specifics of it, but I actually found out about it because Beverly Moskowitz over at Size Matters Handwriting Program is kind of taking on using the term science of writing. That is what she's really going in on, and so you know you brought up that too. And so that then forced me to learn about the science of reading because I I saw that. So I yeah I I love it. Obviously, you brought up the the elephant in the room though is that just because it's mandated doesn't mean it's going to be really emphasized. Two weeks of cursive is not going to do anything. Just like oftentimes we'll get into later, right? 15 minutes of handwriting practice once a week probably isn't going to do much either. So yeah, it's a struggle. Where do you see, or how do you see this as an opportunity for school-based OT practitioners? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I it is literally like that's why I think I I am so passionate about OT practitioners being the leading force in this. This is like our moment to shine, and if we can be the driving force because we understand neurology, because we understand motor skills and motor learning theory. So if we can be kind of that leader and the driving force behind this movement, I mean, it will not only boost the school and the students and the rapport and all of that, but as a profession, I can see it really giving us a lot more credibility for what that is. As an aside, for any listeners who do want to know more about the science of reading and that whole, you know, history of that, and you're into podcasts clearly because you're here. Sold a story podcast is a great starter for you if you want to know more about that, and then I urge you to really ponder and like do some critical thinking of how that mirrors the handwriting and the writing piece, because it I can just it's laying the groundwork to what I hope in 235, years that we will have this whole movement for the science of writing and bringing that back in the school system. So yeah, I think again, just making our role. This is why I think that that role in the school as the OT practitioner is so powerful because again we can we're you know just one on one consulting with teachers, but providing some parent education, some teacher training. We've actually at Handwriting Solutions we've built out entire teacher trainings because teachers are thirsty for this. They want to be able to support their students, so we were like, okay, we'll train you, and it's really cool to train teachers, kind of from an OT lens as well, and then they're directly implementing, which again will end up making our lives a little bit easier. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter A little bit more manageable caseloads, hopefully. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I in the past have you know implemented an MTSS OT program at a school that I worked at. You know, it really started with one classroom, and then it kind of grew from there. Is literally one classroom that had one of my students in the class, and the teacher was like, you know, I I see you doing handwriting with that one student. You know, can we team up and and just instead of working just with that one student, can you come into the class and you know let's let's put together a program, and that's how it started. And then I had you know more teachers reach out say, hey, you know you did this with Miss So and So. Can can you do this in my classroom? And and it really built from there. I'm curious what you think are kind of some of the precursors or pre things that we might need to put in place if we want to put an MTSS handwriting program together. Do you feel like it's better just to kind of do what I did and start with that one teacher? Do you feel like it's better to submit a proposal, write something up, and hand it to the administrator? Thoughts? Kelli Fetter Yeah. I think it just. I wish there was like a a really simple answer to that, but I can tell you that it is so dependent on every school, every district, every state. Even some schools are like so receptive, and they are eager to see the research and to implement the latest evidence, and some are just so resistant, and so it really likely just depends on the school system that you are in and what their capacity is, and and so with that said, it's okay if you just start in that one classroom because, like you said, it it can have a ripple effect, and and of course, if that then leads you to this big proposal, and you know, great. But it's okay if you need to just start there with just a small group or one classroom at a time, and and grow it from from there. PTA is another way to just get some nice traction as well. Getting the parents, I had a parent email me this week about like there's you know, and again this is so common. The school, their child's school, is pushing tech, and they're like, she's like, they won't even consider handwriting. They're just like tech, tech, tech, you know. And she's like, can you point me towards research to to really show them the impact and the importance of writing by hand, and to hopefully shift their their thinking and this big picture, right? Which I at first was like, "Wow, way to go! Like it's a big thing to take on as a parent, but yeah, yeah, like we need parents, we need individuals. We might be the only one in that whole school screaming it, but. Jayson Davies I love that. Kelli Fetter Yeah, it needs to happen. Jayson Davies I advocate for the same thing. Like parents can be, you know, sometimes we have tough times with parents, but parents can also be our greatest advocate, especially when it comes to to this topic. I think, and you know, if parents want the schools to focus on handwriting? The schools will focus on handwriting because parents will make us think about it. They will talk to the administrators. Like we don't have to even ask them to. They will talk to administrators. They will go to board meetings. They will, you know, they will come up with with solutions. Sometimes when there is a problem, of course, that they're they're very passionate about. So absolutely, yeah. Now I don't expect you to have all the titles and names and journals and authors off the top of your head but you you've mentioned research kind of on best practices and also maybe research that points away from some of the the age old traditions and thought processes when it comes to handwriting. What where do you tend to look for, and what is? What are you finding? What are they saying about handwriting? Kelli Fetter Yeah. So I am working on a book, which I know I've shared with you before. So hopefully, it will be very accessible for people, so that they don't have to scour the internet for hours and hours to find this research. But I have done a major deep dive, like I said, looking at all different areas and fields to to collate and collaborate and synthesize all of it. But essentially, a couple of the leaders, Dr. Berninger, Dr. Wolf, are big leaders in the science of writing. Dr. Chang and Patel Zwicker is another name that comes to the top of my head that have multiple articles. But here's a little tip, a little AI tip. You can also just drop in AI and ask it for, and then of course do your vetting. Like click through the article, read the article. Make sure it's like sound. But that's a good, easy, quick way if you're in the heat of the moment. And yeah, you're like, what's the research actually say about this? It's a good, quick, easy way to to to get that going. But again, hopefully, my also my goal is to build out somewhere on our website kind of a landing page of research because people have been asking. I get asked about that all the time from parents, from OT practitioners, from teachers. Like, what is the research actually saying? And I think you know, going back to this whole shift, my co-author and I talk a lot about this this top down versus bottom up approach, and she is more. She's a works with students with dyslexia, and so she is coming at it from mostly a bottom up because the reading tutors are handling that top down approach. So it's interesting in this nuance of okay, and I. I tend to come at it from a top-down approach with handwriting at handwriting solutions. But then, what I would recommend, say for a school-based or an outpatient OT practitioner, may look a little bit different in some ways because they might also need to be addressing some bottom-up foundational skills. It's just that leaving off the top down that is often missed in traditional OT. Jayson Davies Yeah. Okay. Well, let let's come back to that topic. I want to. That's exactly where I was going next. But real quick question: You listed off a bunch of names of authors within the science of of handwriting, science of writing, is that primarily in the psychologist world, neuropsych world? That is a good question. Kelli Fetter Probably all over. Yeah, all over. Yeah, I have seen more publications in AOTA lately, though that has been refreshing. But yeah, I would say all over. Jayson Davies Okay, perfect. Now let's talk about that bottom up, top down, because I hate so many of the conversations that we have in the world of occupational therapy, sensory versus behavior, and the other is definitely you know top down or bottom up. You have alluded to something I very much appreciated. You know, kind of you got to go both ways a little bit here. You got to kind of come at this from from two directions. Handwriting is complex. There's a lot of factors, right? And you know we we often talk whether or not pencil grip matters, whether or not fine motor skills matter, all that. And then you have the other side of the conversation, like it's just you got to practice it. You practice, practice, practice. Handwriting is complex. Can we just acknowledge the handwriting is complex? Kelli Fetter Yes, please. Yeah, it's complex, and therefore it takes a team. Like it takes a team. We're not going to be the end all, be all. Like wave our magic wand for dysgraphia and handwriting. It has to be a team. That's why we, in my business, we pulled in my daughter's dyslexia tutor because I was like, okay, great, we got handwriting to a really functional skill or level, and then the plateau happened because of spelling. So now we need to pull in a specialist for spelling. So it's so convoluted and nuanced, and we can't just be the only one, but we should be. Okay, one of the big ones, yeah. Jayson Davies So let's role play this, right? Like if we're on an IEP team, we got a teacher, you got the OT, we got a speech therapist all involved, right? General ed and special education teacher. Now we're going to write a goal, you know, for the student to legibly write. We'll just say it's a sentence or two sentences. Kelli Fetter Yep. Jayson Davies How is that beyond an OT goal, and give me some examples about how you work as a team. Kelli Fetter Yeah, so obviously the OT role easy. Like we're looking at the actual functional skill of handwriting, as well as those foundational skills, those underlying performance skills. Gen Ed, special ed, obviously, if they are getting any sort of pullout services for spelling, for grammar, for syntax, for SLP can kind of overlap with that too. I think it's funny in the SLP world they kind of have a similar conversation of whose role is it? Is it the SLP role for dyslexia, or is it the special ed role for dyslexia? Interesting. Yeah, because they can address phonological skills and phonemic proficiency and. Jayson Davies Makes sense. Kelli Fetter Yeah, fluency and you know on and on and on. So. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter but I I'm of the like we don't need to necessarily like divide. Like here's what you get to do and here's what you like. I think if we're all coming together and addressing the big goal, which I I love that goal. Right, that's a very functional goal that every team member can contribute to, then that's really how the student is going to thrive. And like you said, if we're only working with a student 15 minutes once a week, that's really hard to make progress. But if I'm working on it, and the speech therapist is working on it, and the special education team is working. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter those minutes add up, and it's it's compounding and addressing parts, but also addressing the whole, to hopefully lead to faster progress. Jayson Davies Yeah. Now thinking about the OT role and going back to that discussion about top down, bottom up. Do I guess how do we make a session? Right, we got 30 minutes with a student. How do we make a session? How do we build this session that incorporates both a little bit of each of that top down and bottom up? Kelli Fetter Okay, great question. I love this. Okay, so let's pretend that we're going to the gym, and we want to get stronger, and but we we can only go to the gym 30 minutes once per week. Yeah, exactly. That's gonna it's gonna take off a bit to really get measurable strength, or if strength is your goal, that's currently my goal. But it's gonna. Take a moment. So, what if we use those 30 minutes to work on maybe some performance? You know, some some top down, like some reps, get some reps in, some observations, some educating the teacher who is with that student. Those rest of the minutes, that's where it becomes way more powerful, and I would argue if we can have more touch points with that student in the week, which I know is a huge dynamic system shift. So it's going to take us a while to get there. Yeah, but if we can maybe have two touch points a week with that student versus one, I think we're going to see faster and better outcomes. Just like if you're going to the gym twice a week versus once a week. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter it's kind of how I think about it. Jayson Davies Yeah, and and we talked a moment ago about collaborative goals, right? Yes, and I think that lends itself a little bit to maybe that second touch point isn't us, but if that second touch point is the RSP teacher focusing a little bit on handwriting or the general education teacher, that that's still a touch point that has been influenced by you being on the IEP team. Kelli Fetter Yeah, and same thing, you know, if the goal is is the foundational skill building, again, we're not going to strengthen hands in 15 minutes once a week. Like that's just impossible. So yeah, how can we make sure that that's happening outside of our therapy session, but also parent leveraging the parent too, and and really getting. I know that's trickier in a school based setting than say an outpatient setting, but for us in like how we do things at handring solutions is it is so evident when parents are active and engaged and carrying over versus when they're not. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter So I think that could be underutilized superpower of ours. Jayson Davies Oh, absolutely! Parents are are amazing. Now, for a long time, it was kind of thought if you work on fine motor skills, you will improve handwriting. I think we've kind of put that to rest, and we are almost at a point. And and of course, not everybody, but we're seeing this switch to that more top top down approach, where it's like if you want to improve handwriting, you just have to improve handwriting or work on handwriting. You mentioned earlier that we're starting to see research that's kind of pointing a little bit to to not one or the other, but a and you know the the underlining skills and the actual act of handwriting. Can you elaborate a little bit more on what that what you're finding in that research? Kelli Fetter Yeah. So I think so. For example, the grasp, our you know debate, right? Of like does grasp matter? And so oftentimes a pencil grasp is not functional because of weak hand muscles, and so in that case, we have to have that bottom-up approach to to improve the grasp, which will then improve their pencil control, and that top-down approach as well. So I think that's where the the nuances and the research is. I just I I don't tend to be like an extremist of okay, we've shifted completely from bottom up to completely top down. I just think that is more nuanced than than that, and we have to really individualize. I mean, that's what we do best, right? Is individualize to each student. Some students, that's that's you know you shift your framework based on the student too. Jayson Davies Yeah, I think I mean that's why the occupational profile, which we had an episode about a few weeks ago, is is so important. Understanding the goals and understanding where the student is. One of the things that I, you know, research is so important, but research is still limiting you to the information that you have on the six pages of that article, and I think that there's a lot of missing information there that if we had would kind of flip the script on some of our articles because in the articles we are told baselines on assessments, right? We are told where the student started on the handwriting without tier screener, or where they started on the edge and where they ended up at the end. But it doesn't tell us where the student fell on the edge baseline and post. Who was the one student in the 20 or 30 kids identified that had a non-functional grasp, and that student is naturally lumped in with everybody, and we don't know the results of that one student. That you know, the one student out of 20 who had a non-functional grasp. Maybe that student didn't benefit from the Learning Without Tears program or from an. The other programs that are being tested, so that that's a piece that we miss in the research. And you know, unless you do get a study of one individual student with a pencil graph that's non-functional. Kelli Fetter Yeah. Jayson Davies like those studies, I don't know that exist. Kelli Fetter Right. Well, and yeah, that's it because yeah, research in and of itself has to be so narrow to measure these outcomes, and so it's rare to measure the outcome of multiple factors. There is one research, and I'm blanking on the researcher. I want to say, yeah, I'll dig it up, and we'll put it in the show notes. Jayson Davies We'll put it in the notes. Kelli Fetter and it looked at. It was one of the few that actually did look at a like bottom up approach only a sensory motor approach combined with handwriting instruction, and then I think just the handwriting instruction. I forget I could be misquoting that, but I know that the the outcome. Jayson Davies I think I know the article you're talking about. Yeah. Kelli Fetter The outcome was the sensory motor approach coupled with the handwriting instruction led to the best outcome? That's pretty powerful for us, I think. Yeah, to kind of again come at it from from both angles, depending on the student. Jayson Davies Yeah, man, the nuances. One of the terms I've been hearing more, and and I really actually like this term because you know handwriting is getting a kind of you know it's it's that UG term. Whenever someone in school-based OT hears handwriting, they just kind of give a shrug. But we're starting to to use the term written expression, and I like this term because it written expression is used by teachers in multiple ways. Versus handwriting is very strict handwriting. What are your thoughts on that term, written expression, and the role we have as occupational therapy practitioners, both maybe handwriting and beyond? Kelli Fetter So I like there's a new image again, kind of played off of the science of reading. There's the reading rope in the reading world, and so I believe it was a researcher came up with the writing rope, and it's a really great visual for us as OT practitioners and for the schools in general to look at because it does kind of break apart those written expression pieces and parts and that transcription, which is basically the handwriting and the spelling part, and I love that as the written expression term because a that's what the diagnosis is typically called specific learning disability in written expression. B it is more all encompassing, so it does feel like we it lends itself more to okay. Well, we can have a role, and SLP can have a role in written expression, and again, that that collaborative approach. But look up, definitely look up that that writing rope because I think it is just a really solid visual. So we can say, oh, okay, there's our role. Like, pinpoint that. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, yeah. All right. Well, we're going to take our final break, and when we come back, I've got a question about auto mass, automaticity, automaticity, and you know, making sure that our students can actually write fluently because I know that comes up a lot. So we'll be right back. All right, Kelly. We've all had the student that when we work in the OT room, they've got it down. They can copy the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog, no problem. But we get back into the classroom, and the work samples from the classroom are just they they don't they don't measure up to what's needed, right? And they can't keep up in the classroom. Thoughts on that? Kelli Fetter Oh yes, I've got thoughts on that. So I have this conversation a lot, and we actually developed a whole like framework to conceptualize this, looking at the cognitive load. So I've seen sometimes OTs in Facebook groups again. They'll say, you know, what do you think about this student? And it's just a copy model, and that cognitive load is not matching the cognitive load that they will need in the classroom. So when I am teaching professionals or parents about this, I frame it as you know that that basic easiest lowest level cognitive load is typically the tracing or the imitation, and then the next load is the copying from near point, and then copying from far point, and then writing from dictation where the teacher is telling them what to write, and they write it, and then that highest cognitive load is that self-generated thoughts. The problem is if we're only working on copy skills and OT sessions, but they're expected to write from self-generated thoughts. That's why it's that's why it's breaking down. So we kind of have to scaffold and go. You know, work backwards and build up those foundations first, and bring them to that next highest cognitive load level, and then of course accommodate and support them as they are working their way up. Yeah, because the cognitive load in the classroom, not to mention, like yes, the writing output cognitive load is heavier, but also yeah, there's the sensory aspect, and one of my favorite activities that I do when sometimes when we do workshops is have parents or professionals copy like different figures, and it could be reversed and upside down and a mixture of print and cursive, and they have to do it with their non-dominant hand, and then I read to them while they are doing it, and at the end I'm like, "Who can tell me what I told just talked about? And they're like, "No, I thought we were doing a writing test. And that's it. I'm like, "That's the easiest and best way to really get them to understand cognitive load and how in the classroom it's like they can only have the bandwidth for so that's when it all falls apart and usually handwriting is the first thing to fall apart because they're so they're thinking so hard about like what do I want to write what was that really good idea oh yeah that okay spelling falls off handwriting falls off is like the top, the top two. So if we can automate handwriting in a safer space, and then bridge it up, you know, up the level of cognitive load, and then if they can get that spelling support, where that is more automated as well, that is how we reach automaticity in the classroom. Jayson Davies Perfect. perfect. We're going to come right back to that in a moment. You mentioned the different ways that you're going to assess handwriting, different levels, right? Copying, and then move your way up to eventually writing from their own their own thought processes. Is there a particular tool that you like to use for doing that, or do you just kind of, you know, I write down a few letters, let them copy it. I write down a few words, let them copy it, and then I give them a sentence to write. Kelli Fetter Yeah, we. I mean, there's a variety, of course, handwriting assessments out there. I just don't love. I'm not like married to any of them. Maybe one day I'll have to like come up with my own screener or whatever. But basically, that's what we've done. Is we've kind of when we have handwriting assessments. We have built out our own process for looking at all of those pieces and parts, and then we measure like to get some data. We measure, you know, letters per minute or words per minute. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter And then measuring like found or like mechanical skills too of line placement and sizing and spacing and starting, and sequencing, and all of that. But yeah, it's like there's just there's really not a gold standard handwriting assessment. There are a lot of options, and I will say something is better than nothing. So yeah, we absolutely should be assessing handwriting in whatever modality and means that you have. Jayson Davies Yeah, I mean, I've used. I think we've all used the THSR. We've used the etch. I I like the etch. It's short and it does have most of those components that you're talking about. So that's one that I've used. The McMaster standardized. I believe it's the THSR. What's that? Kelli Fetter The McMaster is another one. The cost. Decos. Yeah, yeah. I'm like decost. Jayson Davies Yep. Kelli Fetter Yep. Yep. Jayson Davies Yeah. So there's some out there. Kelli Fetter Yeah. Exactly. Exactly. So usually it's like whatever is handy in your school is fine, and then you just fill in the gaps, you know. Yeah. Based on those levels. And to be honest, if you don't have you know access to one of those, it really isn't that much different than like what Kelly just said. You know, just have them copy a sentence, have them write out a sentence from dictation, have them write a sentence from their own thoughts. And once you have that, you can easily compare the difference between copying and writing from their own thoughts. If there's a big difference, what does that mean, Kelly? From yeah, we see we see that a lot. That and that is one of the most powerful visuals that we share with parents because I'm like, look, no cognitive load. They can write their alphabet fine. Look at what happens when we add cognitive load. You can't read it, and so that indicates a few things. That indicates, you know, then you go back to that written expression piece of where where are the gaps? So is it a handwriting automaticity thing? Often it is. Is it a working memory? Is it a processing speed? Again, going back to the spelling, it's like they get so hung up on that and the grammar. It could be a variety of factors, for sure. Jayson Davies Okay. So to what degree can OT going back to that, right? A student is able to copy no problem, cognitive load increases their their handwriting decreases. How can OT support that automaticity to decrease the cognitive load? Is that our role? Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think. Definitely, is our role in parts. So, looking at the executive function is a big area that you can see that kind of fall apart. Ensuring that they are actually automatic because copying is easier because you've got the visual. But is it a true automaticity? Are they? Do they have that visual memory of the letters? Because if you take that visual off, you know, away from them, can they still have the visualization of what that letter is supposed to look like? Sometimes, and this is in like extreme cases or with younger kids, when you remove that visual, they draw the letter. You bring the visual back, they're writing the letter okay. The you know so it's interesting to see kind of how that how that plays out in their in their their brain and their neurology. But I will say that you never even if a child is strong in copy that does not indicate automaticity, and true automaticity only comes from being able to self-generate thoughts without the visual. Jayson Davies So I hope my faces over here did not like make you get confused because I'm over here thinking about everything you're saying, and hopefully we get this on YouTube eventually. But so everyone can see. But how do we not have a standardized version of how long it takes a kid at every grade level to write the Quick Brown Fox jumps over the lazy dog? Like Kelli Fetter I know. Jayson Davies Wouldn't it be the simplest thing, like assessment tool ever, to just have first graders all around the country, second graders all around the country, just write from their own rote memory, the quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog. I mean, or something, right? Write, write one sentence. How long does it take to write out, you know, 20 characters or something like? Yeah, we should have that. Kelli Fetter Yeah, I mean, there's definitely data that is more broad in that, and that's what we pull from is like x number of words per minute based on grade level, but it doesn't break down the cognitive load, and that's where it's frustrating. So we'll see that a kid is faster with copy, but way slower with with dictation, or way slower with with the self generated thoughts. And so it'd be really interesting if somebody will do a study on breaking that down and like what should the expected pacing be for those various cognitive loads because it's hard to compare, right? Like copy pacing versus I mean even as adults, you know. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, it'd be interesting. And that's what leads to the difficulty with the research that's out there because we don't know the cognitive load of the research presented, and we also don't know any other factors about the individual students and and all that. You know, we're getting a general. Okay, you talked about like the the spelling issue, and obviously this is the cognitive load issue. If you are kind of seeing that where a student, they're obviously getting slowed down because it's just hard for them to remember how to spell words, and it's the grammar. That's what's really slowing them down. Do you try to? I mean, you mentioned executive functioning, but do you attempt to address this, or is that something that we try and work more closely with the teacher, let them know what we're seeing and and maybe what they can do? Any any thoughts? Kelli Fetter I think all all of the above. I think consulting and collaborating with the teacher absolutely making sure they are getting explicit and systematic instruction in spelling because often they may not be. It seems like that's fallen off of the curricula in a lot of schools too. They teach reading, and then they're like, "Okay, we're good. And really, reading instruction needs to extend third, fourth, fifth grade to to get that encoding, which is spelling. Spelling falls into the encoding as OT practitioners, what we can do is scaffold, and so you know, scaffold for their executive functions, scaffold for their spelling, as well as maybe pull in some memory tools, some graphic organizers, some other external strategies that might support them in the moment while they're building those spelling skills outside of our sessions, and I think that our role could definitely be powerful in that. Jayson Davies Yeah, man, so many. We only got to like a third of the questions that we actually planned for today, but I'm glad because all the all the discussions we've had today I think are going to be so helpful for everyone listening. We got to start to wrap up here, and one thing that I find really cool that you've done is you started to develop summer camps, and you're even helping other people to develop summer camps in handwriting. Now. For the everyday school-based occupational therapy practitioner, they may not be interested in a summer camp. However, I do want to pick your brain on how they can use this idea, this concept of a handwriting camp within their school-based OT practice. So I'd love to get just your thoughts on that because you have that experience. Kelli Fetter Yeah, I think there's actually been an article come out. I'll have to dig for this as well about a club model, like a handwriting club in a school system, and I think that could be so powerful and something the OTs could really capitalize on. And you know, as far as what that looks like logistically, it would you know depend on your situation. But even if it was once twice a week, that would be powerful. Our camp model is actually four days a week back to back. You hit that motor learning really hard. Of course, it's not like then we we don't say okay, you're done, you're good to go, bye bye. Like then we have like you know a follow up plan with the family, extended practice opportunities, and then sometimes they filter into our one on one tutoring model. But why I love the camp and the club that intensive model is it kind of goes back to if if OT practitioners are listening, that more episodic approach to therapy, which is really really powerful when it comes to motor learning theory. If we can hit the skills really intensive for a short time, and then kind of take a step back and let them, you know, apply those skills, and then maybe check in, do some touch points later on. To me, that can be a more powerful and effective model than stretching, you know, this intervention out. Jayson Davies 30 times a year. Kelli Fetter That's right. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter I would rather do 30. If we're doing 30 times a year, I would rather let's like go really intensive and then let's space out those last few. Again. Jayson Davies So when you say intensive, you mentioned four days a week. How many hours, or is it one hour or 30? It's an hour. Kelli Fetter Yep, an hour a day. Very like I mean, when you look at our structure, they're not writing. They're they're not pencil to paper for that whole hour. So yeah, yeah. You know, we we do very intentional brain body warm ups, hand warm ups to get their their bodies and their brain ready to write. We do multi sensory sensory motor warm ups and handwriting lessons, and then really about maybe 20 minutes of that is pencil to paper, depending on the student's age. More longer if they're older, less maybe if they are younger. But they're still writing. You know, there might be writing on a chalkboard or a dry erase board or in sand or whatever. Yeah. But it really is some of these before and afters. Like the pictures speak 1000 words, and it it's amazing what those. It's less time for them to forget if they just did it yesterday and then they're doing it again today. There, you don't have that regression, that skill loss. yeah. Jayson Davies There's a reason that kids go to school every day for five days a week for five hours or for 180 consecutive days for the same exact reason. Did Did you say how long are they a week long, two week long, four weeks long? Kelli Fetter Right now we're doing four, just one week, four days. But typically we'll recommend four days. Okay, yeah. So it's a short burst. It is instructional level only. So I say that you know if they need more of a remedial level, they're gonna need more than four days. But and and again, it's not like we wave our magic wand and they're good to go. They still have to do that outside work to achieve the automaticity. But what it does is give them the foundation, four days of foundational handwriting instruction, which so many kids don't have so. Jayson Davies Yeah, and I, I think this would be a perfect tier two MTSS program, right? Like we just kind of work with our administrator and say, you know what, maybe if four weeks after the school year starts, I'm going to host this little two week program and kindergarten teachers can basically recommend any student to be a part of that program. They are the ones referring kids to the program, not the OT going to evaluate them. And you have this little program that might prevent four assessments throughout the rest of the school year, which, to be honest, is going to be less time than the camp itself. So you're kind of replacing four four hour assessments later in the school year with you know 10 hours of of camp. Kelli Fetter Right. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. For sure. I love that. I love that model. I'm here for it. I mean it is. Jayson Davies All right. Kelli Fetter It is so powerful. I just can't say. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter And that's why. So this will be interesting too. Initially, when I very first started Henry Solutions, we did a once a week model, and I quickly learned no, it's twice a week, a minimum twice a week that we are working with students, and that's one on one, of course. Jayson Davies Yeah. Kelli Fetter and. It's amazing to see how much faster their gains are. Yeah. Jayson Davies I mean, it totally makes sense. We know that you know professional athletes aren't learning to be professional athletes one time a week. Kelli Fetter That's right. Jayson Davies Kids are going to school to do learn to do reading, math, everything a lot more than one time a week, and so I don't know why we think that we should be so magical to to help a student with handwriting in one time a week? Kelli Fetter That's right. I mean, I wish. Jayson Davies There's no research out there that points. Kelli Fetter to it. No, no. Well, I always use yeah for parents. Sometimes I explain it as exactly like you said. Like if I wanted to learn how to golf. Okay, well I could grab my golf clubs and go to the golf course and hit once a week, and it would take me a really long time. But if I hired a golf professional and they gave me some lessons, and then I practice a few times on the off days, yeah, I still probably won't be great. But I'll be, I'll be doing better. I'll be doing better than I was. Right, right. Yeah. Jayson Davies Yeah. We're gonna see Kelli out there on Thursdays, Fridays through Sundays on on TV soon. Now, all right, Kelli, it has been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. This has been a great conversation. I know it's going to help a lot of practitioners. Where can everyone go to learn more about you and everything you got going on? Kelli Fetter Yeah, we've got a lot going on. So it's handwriting solutions.org is our website? You will see tabs for parents, tabs for professionals or educators, OTs. As I mentioned, I am working very diligently on getting this book out. So TBD on when it will actually be out. But we are building a course for OT practitioners that will hopefully launch this fall. So I will make sure that we include a link in the show notes so that you can kind of sign up on a wait list or get in on our email list. We send weekly emails, very educational, zero fluff. As with Jayson's emails, they're just I love Jayson's emails every week. It's yep. You're welcome. Jayson Davies I love yours too. Kelli Fetter Thanks. Jayson Davies They're one of the few that I actually stay subscribed to, so no, I can attest to them as well. Kelli Fetter Yeah, yeah, very powerful. And then yeah, we're always doing workshops and trainings, and just it is a passion of mine. If you can't tell, so and I think comes from a genuine place of you know living the struggle, and so I want to empower as many OT practitioners as possible. So yeah. Also, we're on Instagram, we're on Facebook, we're on LinkedIn. I can probably drop a freebie as well. So make sure you check the show notes for a little little special freebie for the OT school house listeners. Jayson Davies Perfect. Yes, check it out. Head on over to the show notes. The link is right down here, or just head on over to OTSchoolHouse comm podcast, and you'll see Kelli's episode and click there, and you'll have all the links that we talked about. We're going to do our best to dig up as much of that research that we discussed today, put them into the show notes to make it nice and easy for you all, Kelli. Thank you so much for being here. Really, really appreciate it. I know we're gonna have to do this again sometime. Maybe when that book comes out, we can we can do another one. It's Penny, right? You're working with Penny. Kelli Fetter Yes. On that. Yep. Jayson Davies Awesome. Yes. So we'll have to get both of you on here and do a nice little dyslexia dysgraphia session together. Kelli Fetter Love that. Jayson Davies It has been a pleasure. Thank you so much, and we'll definitely keep in touch. Take care. Kelli Fetter Yep, thank you. Jayson Davies Okay, that is a wrap on episode number 205 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Thank you so much for being here, and a huge thank you goes out to Kelly from Handwriting Solutions for joining us today and sharing her expertise around dysgraphia and handwriting support in schools. I cannot wait until that book comes out that she teases about both dysgraphia and dyslexia. That's going to be amazing. Make sure to check out the show notes at otschoolhouse.com/episode 205205 for all the links to Kelly's website, her Instagram, and all the resources that we mentioned today. Especially for this episode, that is going to be super important for you. And of course, thank you for listening. Like seriously, you show up for your students every single day, and even in the heat of summer, like many of us are right now, you're here listening to a podcast, thinking about your students and how you can better yourself for your students. Episodes like this one only exists because of your drive to keep learning and growing as a practitioner, and I cannot thank you enough for showing up here today and listening to the podcast. Now, if you want to keep that momentum going, I would love to have you join our school-based OT collaborative. It is the community that we have built specifically for school-based OT practitioners, just like you, it is packed with resources, professional development, CEUs, mentorship, all that great stuff. And you can learn all about it over at otschoolhouse.com/collab. That's otschoolhouse.com/colab to learn more and join us today. Until next time, take care. Enjoy your summer. Amazing Narrator Thank you for listening to the OT Schoolhouse podcast. For more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to otschoolhouse.com. Until next time, class is dismissed. Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! 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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 204 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. If you're a school-based occupational therapy practitioner feeling burnt out, dysregulated, or overwhelmed by your caseload, this episode is for you. Robyn Chu, MOT, OTR/L, author of Sensory Wellness: The Art and Science of Thriving, joins us to flip the traditional sensory conversation on its head. Instead of focusing solely on how to support students' sensory needs, Robyn discusses how understanding your own sensory processing can be the foundation for everything else you do. Robyn discusses why "calm all the time" isn't the goal, how sensory input actively creates emotions (not just reactions to them), and why you have more control over your regulation than you think—even in challenging school environments. Drawing from neuroscience research and years of clinical experience, she offers practical insights on energy management, nervous system regulation, and why addressing your own sensory wellness isn't just another item on your to-do list—it's what makes everything else work. Whether you're driving between five schools in a week or sitting down to write reports in a fluorescent-lit room, this episode offers practical wisdom on energy management, nervous system regulation, and why "calm all the time" isn't the goal. Listen now to learn how sensory wellness can help you be your best self for your students—and for yourself. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Learners will identify how your own sensory processing patterns impact your daily regulation and work performance Learners will recognize the difference between interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory input and why it matters for adults Learners will apply practical sensory adjustments to your work environment that you can control, even in challenging school settings Guest(s) Bio Robyn Chu, MOT, OTR/L, is an occupational therapist, author, and researcher specializing in sensory integration and its impact on emotional regulation, mental health, relationships, and performance. With over twenty years of clinical experience, she is the founder and Executive Director of Growing Healthy Seasons, a therapy practice with more than 75 therapists. Her work is grounded in research and clinical application, including research conducted with UCLA and UCSF, where she has focused on how sensory processing shapes human behavior and well-being. Robyn is recognized for translating complex neuroscience into practical sensory frameworks that people can apply in daily life. She is the author of Sensory Wellness: The Art and Science of Thriving and the Sensory Wellness Reflection Journal, available at robynchu.com. Quotes "Sensory wellness is not one more thing to add to your list. It is the foundation that makes everything else on your list actually work." — Robyn Chu "Sensation is a key ingredient of how we actively make emotions and shift our experiences." — Robyn Chu "The most energetically costly thing that can happen is your body getting stuck in a fight-or-flight response." — Robyn Chu "We still often forget about all the interoception and all the different ways that sensory has an impact on us—and we're the trained ones.” — Jayson Davies,M.A.,OTR/L Resources 👉Sensory Wellness: The Art and Science of Thriving by Robyn Chu — Robyn's book on sensory wellness for adults, parents, and practitioners 👉Sensory Wellness on Audible — Audio version of the book, read by Robyn 👉Robyn Chu's website: Growing Healthy Seasons — Free downloads, activities, and links to neuroscience research 👉Future Horizons Publishing — Publisher of Sensory Wellness 👉Star Institute — Sensory processing training and research organization 👉Lisa Feldman Barrett's research on emotion — Neuroscience research on how emotions are actively made through sensation 👉UCSF Neuroscience Research Team — Robyn's research collaboration with Dr. Pratik Mukherjee (radiologist/neuroscientist) and Dr. Elysa Marco (neurologist) Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Hey there, and welcome back for episode number 204 of the OT School House podcast. I'm your host, Jayson Davies, and today we're doing something a little different, something perfect for summer, whether you are listening to this right when it comes out before Fourth of July or maybe you're listening to it a little bit later as the school year's just about to get started. This is the perfect episode to start with before you kick off the school year. Today, we're spending some time thinking about our own sensory needs, as opposed to the sensory needs of all the students that we serve. So, I want you to kind of let go a little bit of all the students that you're thinking about right now, that you usually think about when we are listening to this podcast, and let's think about ourselves today. Our guest is Robyn Chu, a occupational therapist, author of Sensory Wellness: The Art and Science of Thriving, owner of three OT clinics in Northern California, and someone who has spent the last 20 years at the intersection of sensory integration, clinical practice, and neuroscience research this summer I wanted to take a step back from the day to day grind of school based occupational therapy and as I mentioned before focus a little bit more on us the practitioners and Robyn's book does exactly that she takes everything we know about sensory processing and flips it toward the adults doing the incredible demanding work like us in this conversation, we talk about why sensory wellness isn't just one more thing to add to your already overflowing plate, it's the biological foundation that makes everything else on that plate actually work. We get into what it means to bring the body back to work, why calm all the time is actually not the goal, and how understanding your own sensory system might be the key to preventing burnout and supporting your students. If you've ever driven between schools, skipped a bathroom break, or just sat in silence on the way home simply to decompress after a long, crazy day, this one is for you. Let's get into it with Robyn Chu. 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 Robyn, welcome to the to the OT School House podcast. And first of all, congratulations on your brand new book out, Sensory Wellness. So happy for you to get that out. We had the chance to officially meet in person at AOTA in Anaheim. It was wonderful. Thank you so much for the book. I really appreciate it. Robyn Chu Of course, and thank you. Yes, this is a huge milestone, and really excited, very, very excited about this. Jayson Davies Yeah, and you know, as I'm going through the book, a few things really came to my mind, and the first thing was that I wasn't reading a book about how to provide sensory interventions to a child, which is, you know, what most books are about, right? Robyn Chu Yeah. Jayson Davies and so I just really appreciate how you flipped the script from sensory integration, for you know, kind of that general term, and turned it into sensory wellness and sensory health, presumably for the adult that is reading it, right, and I really want to just kind of let you share a little bit like where that decision came from, because you are a sensory trained occupational therapist, you know sensory very well, you own multiple clinics, and you support children, you know all day, every day, but you flip this to adults, and so I want to just kind of hear your why. Robyn Chu Well, my why began in a parent meeting a long time ago, about 10 years ago now. I was talking with some parents about the sensory needs of their child, specifically vestibular needs, one of my favorite systems. And the dad was at this parent meeting, and his eyes got wide, and he said, Oh my goodness, wait, this is all sounding so familiar. And he and his wife went home, and they talked about their own sensory needs, and he dug up this psychologist report from, you know, 40 years before, and found words like super active, really energetic, won't stop talking, bouncing around the room, and they emailed me that night, and they said, Well, okay, so you're going to help our kid, you're going to help our family, but How do we get help? What do we do? And then you layer on that years of mentoring occupational therapists from around the world, starting out with my partnership with the Star Institute in Colorado, and therapists saying I technically know what to do now, and I'm so grateful, but my own regulation is getting in the way, I can't keep thoughts straight. I'm, you know, I'm flipping out, I'm dysregulated in the session, I'm worried, and now I'm getting burnt out, because this is such hard work. So those two things added together, and I thought this book needs to support the helpers. Yeah, it needs to help the helping professionals. Jayson Davies Yeah, and I think you're right, and this is something that's not just for the parents of the students that we support, either, right? Like, as I, again, as I was reflecting a little bit, I started to wonder, I was like, do we almost kind of have this like branding problem with sensory, and you know, as OT practitioners, we really understand sensory. We understand how a little bit of vestibular or proprioceptive input, you know, around 2o'clock in the afternoon can really keep us going for the rest of the day. But outside of OT, the terms that you might hear that might, you know, make a light bulb go off in the OTs mine might be like stress anxiety, and those are the terms that are being used outside of ot, and I almost feel like somehow we have to merge this, and you know, sensory wellness, the title of your book, I feel like that's kind of meshing those together, and I just wanted to hear your thoughts, kind of as you, you heard me say that. Robyn Chu Hopefully I love that. Hopefully it's a bridge. Hopefully it generates questions. Hopefully it helps people to say, well, I was thinking I was overwhelmed, maybe I'm overstimulated and under aware, and start asking their own questions, getting to know their own sensory preferences. Yeah, I hope it generates curiosity for people. Jayson Davies Yeah, and trying to piggyback off of that, you know, in today's world, for those who don't understand sensory wellness and sensory processing and integration, how do you feel, or if at all, how do you feel that people actually practice sensory wellness at all right now, you know. Before reading your book, and we weren't really understanding sensory. Robyn Chu I think that the news and social media point to a lack of awareness, a lack of conscious choice within sensory, so we've got people who are in front of screens more than ever, who are skipping meals, who are working so, so hard, are shoving down even the urge to need to go to the bathroom. I talk to OTs all the time who are like, I don't even know when I need to go to the bathroom anymore, because I just don't go all day long, and then I get home, and I realize, oh my, so right, these bait, right, totally these basic sensory messages that our bodies are trying to send us. I think we might be at an all-time high as a society of ignoring those messages, which, um, I try to look at things glass half full a lot optimistic side that means there's a lot of ways that this can help right like because the needs are so great because people are out of survival ignoring incoming sensory clues we can really help this could be a game changer for people. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, that's really unique. Because I mean, even back in OT school, right, we learn how some of our senses are designed to actually kind of turn off a little bit when we need to focus on something else, but to what extent are we doing this in a way that might, you know, be a little hazardous, as opposed to what our body is really designed for. Robyn Chu Right. You mentioned that the OT programs, and that has been my favorite part of the book launch, actually is talking with the OT students and feeling the resonance because they're saying I want to get in a helping profession, right? I want to be the helper, and I'm already burnt out, like I'm already at my max capacity. So, what do I do now? And seeing those dots connect for OT students, I did a guest lecture recently, and one of them came up to me and said, this actually, this lecture, this one class changed the trajectory in my life. Jayson Davies Wow. Robyn Chu so that was really powerful. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, and that speaks to how things change over time, because I mean, it sounds like you correct me if I'm wrong, but when you wrote this book, were you writing it kind of for that parent that you mentioned, that you know they have a, they have their own student that they're trying to support, and they themselves are overwhelmed, but now you're finding out that this applies to so many more. Robyn Chu Yeah, absolutely right. So the parents were the first vision. In my mind of why I wanted to write this book, and then it really expanded from there. OT students, OT practitioners, even 2030 years in the field, are saying, "Oh, I can bring my body to work, I can tune into my own sensory needs, and that'll actually help me be a more effective practitioner. Jayson Davies Yeah, you use that term. I can bring my body to work. What do you mean by that? Robyn Chu Well, I work with a lot of therapists who go to work with treatment plans that are well thought out that they've spent hours on right, and there's a list of activities that they're going to do, either they're going to have the kid do, or maybe they're going to do them with the kid, but I rarely, when I first start working with a therapist, do I hear that therapist say, well, in the first couple minutes of the session, we both tune into our bodies and figure out what we need from a sensory perspective in order to be ready to play, ready to learn, ready to grow, and include their own body, their own interoceptive and exteroceptive sensory needs in their plan for their day. Jayson Davies Wow, yeah, you know, these are things that we, I mean, even us as OT practitioners, who, whether we're SIP trained or gone through Star Institute, or, you know, one year out of OT school, we understand sensory, I don't know, what, 90% more than the general population, you know, and we still don't think about, we still often forget about all the interoception and all the different ways that sensory has an impact on us, and we're the trained ones. Robyn Chu Right? Yeah. Well, I often hear we're like, shoulds, you know, the concept of a should, right? Like, I know I should meditate, or I should eat a little nutritious food during the day, but those shoulds are creating kind of like a cognitive dissonance, a push and pull, almost like a fight within their body of well, I know what I should be doing, and I got to just use my brain to think harder and do more, as opposed to starting with what is my body needing and modeling that for and with the clients that we're working with, like as simple as an OT saying, "Wow, I'm just noticing this room is really loud right now, and it's hard for me to hear the words that you're saying, Sam, Johnny, Kate, right? So, ah, what do you think we should do? Right, like I'm modeling that my sensory systems are talking to me in this minute, and they're giving me information about how I can be my best therapist self, and I'm narrating it out loud. I think those can be incredibly powerful words. And then at the end of the day, you don't want to sit in silence. I so many OTs are like, I just drive home and I sit in silence in my car. How about if we don't get to that point where we need that every single day? That would be cool. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, the overwhelm is just so, so real in our profession, and so many other professions. Robyn Chu Yeah. Jayson Davies you got me thinking a little bit, because we talked about, you know, how OT practitioners, we understand sensory to a degree, most of us, right? And we still forget some of these things, and others don't understand the idea of sensory integration at all, can't even tell you the vestibular and proprioceptive are sensory systems, right? Robyn Chu So true. Jayson Davies The outside world, and when I say outside world, outside of OT, right, I think really views sensory as a reaction, but we know that we can plan and we can use sensory and we can, I mean, look at, look at sensory integration itself, and just using it as an example, we know that the environment plays a very important role within our treatment, and we know that being child-led makes an impact, and a lot of that is adapting the environment, making the adapting the environment to set it up for the child to succeed, but outside world they don't understand that. So, is that something that you really wanted to try and convey within your book? Is like letting people know, like you can have an impact on your environment. Robyn Chu Yes, and so one of the things I really was excited about in this book, another bridge, actually, is taking this momentum that our society has created with all of our sensory founders, Jean Ayres, there's so many of them, our world likes the word sensor. Three, now, so. Jayson Davies True. Robyn Chu When I started out as an OT, too much, that's says every school-based OT ever, right? So, when I started out as a school-based OT, my boss, a principal, used to be a principal, administrator, special ed director, said, do not put the word sensory in your report, it is a bad word. We don't, so this was 20 plus years ago. We don't use that word. It is a bad word. It is illegal, out of bounds. As a sensory school-based therapist, you may not use it. So now the pendulum has shifted so far that movie theaters have sensory-friendly movie show times. Right, my daughter and I were going to go to the Nutcracker Ballet in San Francisco, sensory friendly offering a matinee. Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu Our world is wanting to and using the word sensory a whole bunch, and they don't necessarily know what it means, so then as school-based OTs, we get referral after referral after hot potato thrown right at us. Ah, they said the word sensory, so could you take this now, and can we sign an assessment plan immediately? And so our poor school-based OTs are like, what do I even do? How do I survive this huge wave that started out as exciting momentum? Right, we want to acknowledge that sensory plays a role, a huge role in behavior, in success, in learning, and yet it doesn't mean that every single kid that we work with needs one on one direct services and assessment plan signed. So, anyways. Jayson Davies Robyn, don't you do this to us. I love this. I love, I mean, like, there's so many rabbit holes that I could go down with just in the last two sentences that you said, because absolutely right, we are getting overloaded with these evaluations, and the concern is sensory. It's not that the student is overwhelmed because of an environmental factor in the classroom, it is simply the referral reason is sensory, and you know, right, there's at least eight different sensory systems that can be in play, and it can be very difficult to tease out which sensory system is, and you also alluded, right, sensory and behavior are very connected, and we understand that, but others don't necessarily understand that. Gosh, I like.. I'm talking right now, like I don't even know where I'm going with the question, right? Absolutely, but it's hard, and I think that it leads to the, like, you mentioned, right, the overwhelmed of the school-based OT practitioner themselves, right. So to kind of get us back on track here, I want to kind of bring the focus back to the overwhelmed, you know, school-based OT practitioner, and you know, again, we have a general idea of sensory integration, but in your book you still really dive into the eight different systems, but as I mentioned earlier, this is not a textbook where we're talking about supporting school-based or not, where we're talking about our clients, we're talking about adults themselves. So, right, when you're talking about the sensories and you're taught the sensory systems in reference to adults rather than the children that we serve, is it all still the same information, or does it feel like, you know, us as adults need slightly different information about sensory processing than when we're working with our students? Robyn Chu Oh, that's a really good question. Is it all the same information? Yes, and I would say most occupational therapists are not fully up to date on what the research is saying about sensory integration and processing, so is it the same as you know for your students? Yes, and that information is ready to evolve with the help of neuroscience, with the help of fMRIs, of DTI analysis, of understanding more this division between interoceptive sensory input, including proprioceptive and vestibular input, information that represents what's going on in your body, and extra receptive, and by starting to understand that as the initial division, we can understand more how to take care of our bodies and. No matter what environment we're in, right? So a school-based practitioner says all these external factors, some of them sensory, some of them not, are impacting my regulation. Yeah, yes, that is true. Absolutely. Can I change how many assessment plans you have on your desk right now. No, I cannot. Can you change the amount of fluorescent lights in the classroom that you have been assigned? Amazing Narrator No, Robyn Chu but you can turn them off. You can use natural light, so you can adjust some of the extra receptive sensory input, and you can, no matter what environment you're in, adjust your interoceptive sensory inputs, so we, as adults, can understand sensory at a more complex level, even dividing interoception into visceral organs, giving us input and the other interoceptive components, and I know this is a huge hot topic. We could talk about this for a whole hour, but this is important for the adult trying to understand their own sensory needs. Jayson Davies So, what I'm hearing is we understand that a sensory integration type of framework can work when we're supporting our children, you know, given that we have the training and everything, but that will look different if we are trying to support ourselves, partially because, you know, we are adults, our brains are different, we have a general more control over our own selves and our actions, you know, it doesn't matter who you're supporting, you have more action over yourself than you do anyone else, right? And so we hope so. Yeah, we hope so, right? Robyn Chu We, we really hope so. Yes. Jayson Davies yeah. Robyn Chu No. Well, I'm making a joke only because I think this is something important to emphasize here. We have more of an internal locus of control, we hope, than the kids that we're working with. Right, we hope that we've gotten to a point in our own development, and yet I think in this post-COVID world, a lot of people are feeling like the world is just happening to them, it's hitting them like wave after wave of hard and so finding our way back to that internal locus of control can be done through sensation, so that's why I feel like I made the joke, because it's so real right now. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And a term that I've heard, you know, within sensory wellness is that this is not just, how do I want to say this? I feel like we are framing sensory wellness as a biological foundation, per se, and not just a strategy. And so, how is it that if we have this foundation within sensory, that it can improve our entire life, per se, and what does that foundation really hold true to be? That's a very limited question. Robyn Chu So, that's such a great.. so, okay, here's the first place I want to go with it, and then you can back me up from here. So, Lisa Feldman Barrett has done a lot of research on emotion, right, and, and some people might jump to when they hear the word regulation, they jump to emotion, right. I'm frustrated. I just, I just talked to some moms that were talking about rage cleaning, right, like they people feel like, okay, emotions are driving my actions. Jayson Davies Okay. Robyn Chu Sensory is such a biological foundation that it actually is helping you actively make emotions. So, Lisa Feldman Barrett's work turned the whole mental health world on its head, because she came out and said, look, the research is saying emotions don't just happen to you, they are made. How are they made? They're made through sensation and past experiences coming together in your brain, and your brain then predicting what might happen next. Sensation is a key ingredient, so the biological foundation is not just it is fight or flight versus rest and digest. Obviously, it is autonomic nervous system that we learn in school. Yes, and it is the key ingredient of how we actively make emotions and shift our experiences. Jayson Davies Wow, wow. Thank you for the, for the knowledge on that research. I appreciate it. Robyn Chu We can go backwards and talk about more of, more other things of about the. Components, the biological foundation of sensation, but that is just where my heart wanted to jump to for the listeners. Jayson Davies I think it's interesting, because when you've looked at the development over time, all sorts of programs have leaned heavily on emotions, right, and I know there is kind of this this movement right now about sensory versus emotions, you know, the type of language that we use really matters, and that kind of, you know, is very much ingrained in what you just said, but I hadn't heard about the research that really kind of where that comes from, to a degree, and so I guess, how do we use that with ourselves, you know, if we're having a bad day, right? Right, how do we.. how do we use sensory approaches, if we want to call them that, to, you know, make our day better, as opposed to, you know, thinking to myself, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts, think happy thoughts. How do we go about using this? Robyn Chu Just look for the bright side, really, really hard. Where's the silver lining? Oh, it's not working. Yeah, absolutely. So I'm thinking about our sensory world, and I'm thinking about environmental adaptations, adjustments that we can make to incoming actively seeking input, right. So, so you're having a bad day, you don't quite know why you're having a bad day, but the sky is no longer blue, there's no rainbows or unicorns, and you know, and you let's say that you are a. I just have a thought, you know, how we have emotional intelligence, like your EQ. What if we have your SQ? So, what if you are a highly intelligent sensory? You're, you have a high sensory quotient, your SQ is off the charts, all right, and, and you know that the temperature outside, the sweat that comes on your eyelids and your upper lip, it just drives you insane. It's so frustrating. You might also know that you can adjust other systems in order to be able to tolerate that external input that you really, really don't like, that is maybe having being a key driver in your bad day. So, the higher your, we're going to do this now, the higher your SQ, your sensory sensory quotient gets, the more tools you have, the more you're able to adapt your environment, but also adapt the active drivers that you're adding to your day, without feeling like it's just another thing on my to-do list, or man, if I was just more capable of thinking happy thoughts, I would be a better person, because that's not real. Your brain is doing its very best job of predicting with the incoming information from your sensory systems, but you can now change that incoming information both in what you're doing and where you're doing it. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, I think the same thing kind of holds true, like we can't in the moment change our processing ability of the sensory stimuli, but we can absolutely turn up the AC, or you know, change our current environment, and yeah, we can't, you know, if you're at Disneyland, you can't just leave 100 degree day in Anaheim, but like to an extent we can absolutely have control over the environment and make changes based upon that. One of the chapters in your book, as we get into more of the, you know, actionable ideas, you talk about energy, and this is something that I know autism level up, they have really talked about energy rather than emotions, so I just want to pick your brain on, you know, how does sensory, all the things in our life, and how we process it, to what degree, or how does that impact energy? Robyn Chu Oh, okay, so you get a whole bunch of sensory input that is triggering to you, whether it is triggering because of the way you are wired genetically or past trauma experiences, you now go into a fight or flight response. The most energetically costly thing that can happen is your body getting stuck in a fight or flight response, then your energy level goes way, way down. Adrenaline has been going for too long, cortisol levels have been high for too long. Now your immune system is compromised, and now your energy level drops even more because your body's fighting whatever every single kid in the class. Classroom had that day as they're sniffling and wiping their nose, right. So, so there is the energy, there's the micro level of wow. If I have more colors on my walls, I feel more alert. If I put a little drop of peppermint in my water, I feel more energetic, sensory arousal level, right. There's also the cumulative effect of a lack of sensory wellness. If you get stuck in fight or flight, if you don't have the fluctuations that define health, the heart rate variability level, like my, my aura ring, or you know, your, your watch could tell you right, if your heart rate variability is low, and you don't have these fluctuations between the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous system, your energy level is going to drop substantially, and I think this is something those beginning programs that teach about energy understandably simplify, right. We want to teach kids about what it feels like to have lots of energy and be super tired, and how to adjust that. I think that's a noble effort, that's a really good start. And to your point, as OT practitioners, for ourselves, we can add to that, we can work a layer above that too. Jayson Davies Okay, so you were talking about the heart rate activity and the parasympathetic and sympathetic, and to me, what I heard was, I feel like you're saying actually going between the two can make you, am I oversimplifying this, making you more alert by going between the two? Is that accurate? Robyn Chu Yes, absolutely. So, there is a huge.. Jayson Davies Go ahead. Robyn Chu there's a huge misunderstanding that I feel like occupational therapists are doing a noble, wonderful job of trying to fix, and that is that calm all the time is best. We don't want calm all the time. Calm all the time is a serial killer, that is not what we are going for, right? So when we're thinking about energy demands, if I find, let's say I'm amazing, and I find my energy level up, and I do them all the time, and I am just at that brink of alert, but not dysregulated, I'm just going, going, and I get 10 reports done with those awesome sensory inputs that have kept my energy level up right at that calm alert state. I also need tools to come back down from that, because at some point I want to be able to go to sleep at night, so the most advanced energy adjuster is someone who fluctuates between different energy states that match what they need to do that day. Jayson Davies That makes sense, right? Like, who? Yeah, it's if you're at a pool party, being calm, you know, sometimes is good, and some, if you want to lay out by the pool, com is great. If you want to, you know, do a cannonball, column is not great. So, and it's okay, obviously, to be at different alertness levels, have different energy levels. Sometimes it feels like we don't have control over that, right? Like, if it is a mundane day at, you know, school is out, and we just have two and a half hours, or an hour and a half, even, just to write reports, it can sometimes be difficult to muster up that energy and bring up our arousal level a little bit to kind of get through the work day, you know. Some of us turn to caffeine. Cheers, right, and but there's, but there's other ways, and I feel like we're really good at kind of sharing those other ways with our teachers and the kids that we support, but we're not always great at doing that ourselves, hence the caffeine, so I guess I kind of bring this full circle. Is that kind of your goal with this entire book, is to help you know the adults in our lives, and us included, to help us better understand our own sensory systems and how we can impact that? Robyn Chu Yes. yes, with a so what? So I absolutely got a different it wasn't, and Jayson Davies that time it was so what this time. Okay, let's go Robyn Chu So, well, who cares if you understand your sensory needs if you're not getting to do what you love to do and want to do. In life, so this is this is why I get so excited, because I feel I hope that sensory wellness is actually touching on the heart of what occupational therapists do, and that is we connect foundational body functions with meaningful life participation in the things we care about most, being our best selves for our clients, and I want us to do that for ourselves too. Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu So I'm hoping that people understand their sensory needs and preferences, and then that helps them to do what they want to do the most and connect with others. Jayson Davies Yeah, I mean, at the end of the day, the reason that we care about our well-being is so that we can do the things we love. Robyn Chu So, yeah, exactly. Jayson Davies Do you feel like your book reads differently from an OT perspective versus a non-OT perspective. Robyn Chu Well, my editor would say maybe so, and I hope that putting all those definitions in there helped, so that helped so that people could understand and benefit from it, either. Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu as occupational therapists or non-OTS. Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu That was it. Was a, it was a battle that I was facing while writing it. Right, is I want this to help occupational therapists, even if they've done every sensory training ever. Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu And I don't want to lose the parents and the non-OTS in the process of helping them. Jayson Davies And that's the hard part, right, because I mean, even if you go on to school-based OT communities, we see sensory become, you know, complex and difficult to understand, and that's from people who have to some degree sensory training, and kind of goes back to the big getting, you know, one of the first questions I asked you about, like sensory branding, like sensory is not easy to understand, and so I love the idea of your book, because for that exact reason, because it kind of is bringing a understanding of sensory and the so what piece to it to you know the non-OT practitioners out there, and that's important, along with two OT practitioners. Robyn Chu Yeah. Jayson Davies You know that, like, this is the type of book that you could, you know, hand to your friend that isn't an OT and is feeling a little overwhelmed, and so I think that's, that's a, that makes it great. Robyn Chu Thank you. Yeah, I recently talked with a group of athletes at a college, a local college, and heard from them how much they feel this is going to be helpful in their competition, in their training schedule, in their competitions, because you think about it, each and every one of us have things, hopefully, that we love doing, and for the athlete, the college athlete, it can be really tricky. They're balancing a lot, it's different things that they're balancing, but they're also trying to come down from the high of competition to be able to fall asleep at some point, and then gather the energy to do the next day of double day training, so that's been kind of a fun eye opener of hopefully this is for everyone, hopefully we can all reconnect with our senses and be our best self. Jayson Davies Yeah, exactly. Earlier I didn't dive into it, but you talked about, you know, how there's studies going on the fMRIs and whatnot, and like those are things that OT research doesn't have necessarily the resources or even potentially just the the knowledge of even how to make it happen, but we are seeing that in other research realms outside of occupational therapy to a degree, we're seeing it in OT, but not nearly as much as I think we really need to, because I think those are the types of studies that really connect with the world outside of OT, and you know, those are the types of things, oh, that you could see on news, like, honestly, like, how often do you see on the news, like this new FR, FMRI study, right? Like, I don't know, I would love to see more of that. It is difficult, but I think that that is the kind of shift that needs to happen for the general public to use sensory in a way that is, you know, not every single aisle is filled with sensory toys at Target. We need to, we need to develop this, this understanding of sensory, and so that's what's great about your book. It really can help with that. It is not an OT textbook. It is a book that you know someone can pick up and really start to understand the different systems and how to, how they interact, but also how to.. what's the word I'm looking for.. actually have an impact on their own sensory system. So, really appreciate that. Robyn Chu Love it. Yeah, that's what I'm hoping. And yes, if anyone listening is excited about doing neuroscience research, we have a couple of great teams across a couple universities, and there is room for you. This is an important field. We need to start looking at what is happening neurologically and physiologically before, during, and after occupational therapy interventions, so these are expensive studies, but they're very, very fun studies, and they have to be inclusive of multi-discipline collaboration, so it's, it's been really fun, but there's more to come. Jayson Davies When you say multidisciplinary, are you saying multidisciplinary in the sense of like multiple people, different disciplines that are treating the student, or multidisciplinary in the sense of like the OT working with neuroscience, who is doing kind of the data piece, Robyn Chu the second one, so on our team at UCSF right now we have Prateek Mukherjee, who is an incredible radiologist and neuroscientist. We've got Elisa Marco, who is a neurologist. She's working with these families in a clinic as a neurologist, practicing medicine, but also doing the research, looking at the brains, and then we've got incredible neuroscience students, PhD students who are crunching numbers, and oh my goodness, knee deep, waist deep in computer code, analyzing the data with incredible computer power, so it does take everyone. I'm not going to be the one that is running a whole bunch of code and saying, okay, I got this number for you guys, but I am going to help as the occupational therapist to say that's really interesting that we're seeing an increase in connections in the brain within in brain connections and decrease in out of brain connections. What does that mean for resilience building within our intervention? So this is, I think, this is where the field is going. This is the exciting stuff, but that's just me. Jayson Davies It kind of has to, everything, yeah, I mean, everything's being data driven, and we have, I mean. Robyn Chu yeah. Jayson Davies With the, with neuroscience advancements in the last, what, 50 years, if not even 20-25, years. Robyn Chu Even five years, right? Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, I mean, and then you, you bring AI in as a data analysis tool, I mean, we are going to start, yeah, we're going to see, so it's going to be possible, not just easier, it's going to be possible to see connections that couldn't be seen a decade ago, and yeah, we have to, let's be honest, like we know that data is important, we as OTs are not always great at data, you know, our goals are very functional. Yes, and they are very, they're hard to track sometimes. I'll just say that they are hard, they're difficult, but we need to, and if we can get the neuroscience to help back us up, it only makes it even better. So that's awesome. See, another, another topic for another day, we should dive into the research behind OT and fMRI, that'd be great, but. Robyn Chu Absolutely. Jayson Davies Robyn. Before, before I let you go earlier, I kind of asked you a little bit about how most adults practice sensory wellness, and to a degree, it was kind of, you know, a little not non-existent, but you know, it varies, really. It does. What is your goal? For you know, after someone reads your book, you know, what is your hope that their few weeks after that start to look like? Robyn Chu I hope that after someone reads my book, they will daily be thinking about how they might not be able to change the whole world immediately, but they can change their world that's right around them. I hope that someone will recognize that there are adjustments, and even if they feel slight, they will know that they are important, and that that occupational therapist is worth the two extra minutes that it takes to adjust the sensory input, because of what they will be able to do and who they will be able to help in the middle of that day. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, I'm gonna ask you one more follow-up, pie in the sky type of question. Robyn Chu Love it. Jayson Davies Where should occupational therapists be in the medical world in order to support others in doing the same thing, not just through a book, but actually through like a service as occupational therapy? Does that make sense? Robyn Chu Where should we be? Jayson Davies Yeah, traditionally occupational therapy lives in certain worlds, right? There's school-based occupational therapy, there's acute health. Where do you feel that occupational therapy needs to be if we truly want to make an impact on the general public well-being? I mean, this could be, you know, yeah, in our, in our, you know, in Kaiser, in our, whatever, medical offices, this could be in the government somewhere. Where do you feel like we need to be? Robyn Chu Okay, so I think occupational therapists need to be a part of wellness programs, so we can start within our own profession, we can make sure that we're prioritizing wellness amongst our immediate team, right? So we have IEP meetings, we can also have meetings with our current team to support their wellness, but what I hope is from there you said pie in the sky, Google will call me up and say, man, our wellness program as an organization is missing the boat. We are teaching time management and executive functioning, and we're buying pizza for everyone on Fridays, and yet it's all falling flat. Help us bridge the gap. Help us make our wellness program effective. This is a whole industry that we, as occupational therapists, have a unique ability to help in. So, I see us going there. Jayson Davies I, that's fantastic. I love the, I love big ideas. I love big ideas, and I love even more when I see on LinkedIn, like that has been achieved, right? Like, I love seeing on LinkedIn, like, someone's like, "Oh, I got a new job working at this tech firm. I'm like, "You're an OT, what are you doing at a tech firm? And, like, yeah, they're in the wellness department, or they're helping with improving accessibility for users of a product. Like, I love that. Go ahead. Robyn Chu Can I tell it? Well, there's something that's already happening right now, but it's just really small. I met an OT at AOTA that works at a college, and she's supporting the college students from a regulation standpoint. Can we do more of that? Right, like, why can't we do more of that? Because we know college students are asking for accommodations more than ever before, and the rates of anxiety and depression amongst college students is skyrocketed in the last 10 years, five years. So, where are we? There's, there's like a health department within a college. Why are we not there? So, I would say that's a place that we already are a tiny bit, but could we expand that? Could we do more? Can we help more? Jayson Davies Yeah. Robyn Chu And the answer is yes, obviously. Jayson Davies Absolutely. Yeah, and you notice it's not uncommon for various departments in a university to kind of like create student clinics and whatnot, so it's very doable, especially with every college that has an OT program, right? It could turn it into a field work experience, and all that good stuff. Yeah, no, I agree. I've heard of a few people doing something to that degree, and I think it's just, just awesome. And then it leads to people, you know, once they leave the college, I'm talking about the outside general public, if they, you know, appreciate that program at college. Well, it's something that is in their mind when they go to work, when they become an administrator at Google, or when they become, you know, some person who can make an impact somewhere. Yeah, they recall, you know, occupational therapy had an impact on me, and this wellness program back in college. You know, let's, let's hire an OT, so great. Robyn Chu Let's hire an OT, right? Yes, absolutely. Yes, Robin, I think that's amazing. Jayson Davies Yes, thank you so much for being here. Really appreciate it. Where is the best place for people to learn more about you and your book? Robyn Chu All right, well, I would say for the school-based occupational therapists listening who drive between five to 10 schools in a week, Audible is the easiest way of accessing my book. And then, in the moments you have in between sessions, my website has links to all the neuroscience research that I've gotten to be a part of, and that website is robinchu.com It also has free downloads too, so there's activities that you can do even if you don't buy the journal or the book. So. Jayson Davies Awesome, we'll be sure to link to both of those. Great idea with Audible book, because yes, all the time, all the time I use Audible. Me too. Robyn Chu I'm right with you. Jayson Davies Yeah, all right, Robyn. Well, it has been a pleasure. Thank you so much. Really appreciate it. And I can't wait to continue diving into your book and also see how it's going to make more impact in all the OTs, as well as the general public that we talked about today. So, thank you. Really appreciate it. Robyn Chu Yeah, thanks so much for having me. It's been a blast. Jayson Davies All right, and that wraps it. Up for today, Robyn. Thank you so much for joining me on the OT School House podcast. Your passion for sensory wellness through your book and through everything that you've done in your OT career is not just wonderful for the students that we serve, but also for us practitioners, and we really appreciate it. It's really something that we, as school-based OT practitioners, need to hear from time to time, so I'm glad we were able to do this episode. And if you haven't already picked up your copy of Sensory Wellness, the art and science of thriving, do yourself a favor and grab the audible version. It is perfect for listening between schools or on your commute home. If you enjoy the audible version, go grab the physical version. It's nice to have to actually reference from time to time when you just need to read a page or two to get back in this mindset of we can do amazing things. Thank you so much for spending a part of your day with us, Robin, and I really appreciate it. You pour so much into your students, and I hope this conversation reminded you that your own sensory needs matter as well, if you're looking for more support, more professional development, and maybe even a community of school-based OT practitioners who genuinely get what you do every single day. I would love to have you join us inside the OT School Houses School-Based OT Collaborative. It's where we share resources, host live and recorded professional development sessions, and connect with practitioners just like you. You can learn more about the OT schoolhouse over at OT schoolhouse.com/collab And remember, if you join the impact here, you also get access to the back to school conference. Until next time, take care of yourselves just as much as you take care of your students. You deserve it. I'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! 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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts. Welcome to the show notes for Episode 203 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Struggling to figure out how occupational therapy fits within your school's MTSS framework? In this episode, Dr. Courtney Boitano shares findings from two groundbreaking studies on sensory processing interventions for kindergarten and fifth-grade students. As a faculty member at San Jose State University and a school-based OT with over 15 years of experience, Courtney provides practical insights into implementing tiered sensory supports that actually work. You'll learn how to use free screening tools like the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) to identify students who need additional support, why teacher consultation may be more impactful than you think, and how to implement Zones of Regulation strategies across different tiers. Whether you're new to MTSS or looking to refine your approach, this episode offers evidence-based strategies you can start using tomorrow to support students and empower teachers with sensory processing challenges in your schools. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Learners will identify the research findings from tier 1 and tier 2 sensory interventions with kindergarten and fifth-grade students Learners will implement evidence based teacher consult strategies as a high- impact MTSS intervention. Learners will identify the Strength and Difficulties Questionnaire as a screening tool to identify students who may benefit from sensory processing interventions and determine appropriate tier- level supports. Guest(s) Bio Courtney Boitano OTD, OTR/L, BCBA-D Courtney Boitano is a faculty member at San Jose State University teaching in the occupational therapy masters and doctorate (OTD) program. Courtney also teaches the Pediatric Clinic course at SJSU. Recent research has focused on the role of school-based occupational therapy practitioners in MTSS to affect students’ sensory processing. As an occupational therapist, she has over 15 years experience working in a variety of pediatric settings and school-based practice. Her clinical practice, OT OuTside focuses on children with developmental disorders and parent support. Quotes "The consultation piece was huge. It was like a different person filling out the post-test of the SPM because they didn't just see the tip of the iceberg—they understood what was beneath it." — Courtney Boitano OTD, OTR/L, BCBA-D “MTSS can work beautifully when there's alignment at the administrator level.” — Courtney Boitano OTD, OTR/L, BCBA-D “MTSS isn't just the OT doing MTSS. It's not just the reading specialist doing RTI. It's not just the behaviorist doing PBIS, but it's all of us like really working together to see how can we support the student in across these domains and how can we like bridge it together.” — Courtney Boitano OTD, OTR/L, BCBA-D Try to get your foundation under you with everything else, I think, before really diving into MTSS.” — Jayson Davies,M.A.,OTR/L Resources 👉Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire (SDQ) 👉Sensory Processing Measure (SPM) 👉Zones of Regulation 👉San Jose State University OT Program 👉OT Outside (Courtney's Practice) 👉California Foundation for Occupational Therapy 👉Courtney's Research Article Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies Jayson, hello, and welcome to the OT School House podcast. If you are a school-based OT practitioner, or maybe you're thinking about becoming one in the future, I want you to know that you are in the right place. I'm your host, Jayson Davies, an OT practitioner just like yourself. Today, I'm thrilled to welcome Dr. Courtney Boitano to the OT School House podcast. Courtney is a faculty member at San Jose State University with over 15 years of school-based OT experience, and today she's here to share with you research on sensory processing interventions within the MTSS multi-tiered system of support framework. If you've been wondering how to actually implement MTSS in your school, beyond just talking about how tier one is for 80% tier two is for 15, and tier three is for the final 5% of your students. This is the episode for you. We're diving into Courtney's research with kindergarten, as well as with fifth-grade students, to uncover what really works when it comes to sensory supports, primarily at tiers one and two, by the end of this episode, you're going to learn how to implement free screening tools to identify students who may need sensory supports, understand the practical difference between tier one, two, and three interventions, and also discover why teacher consultation might be your most powerful MTSS strategy, even though it may be the hardest to prioritize. Stay tuned to learn how Dr. Boitano implemented this 10 week MTSS program, and how you can too. Stay tuned. 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 Courtney, welcome to the OT School House podcast. It is such a pleasure having you here today. How are you doing? Courtney Boitano Good, thanks for having me. I'm so excited to be here. Jayson Davies Absolutely. Well, I have to start with something here. I was just on the California Foundation for Occupational Therapy, and looking at the awardees, and I happened to type part of your name in, and it just came up like nine different times. You apparently have figured out how to get some support with your research, and what it looks like some of your students' research through the CFOT. That's awesome. Courtney Boitano Yes, yeah, I'm so grateful for the work they're doing to support research and getting our work out there. Jayson Davies Yeah, and for those of you who are not in California, the California Federation Foundation, sorry for occupational therapy. It's kind of this: they are not associated with our state association, but they are closely aligned in their goals and furthering the aspect of occupational therapy. And they do have several different grants that they offer every single year. And Courtney has apparently used it for herself as well as really enabled her students to use it, which is just fantastic. What has that process been like? You know, helping your students understand that they can get support that way. Courtney Boitano Yeah, it's been so helpful to, for not only their learning, but also that kind of sense of empowerment, of like we're, you know, doing great work, and there is support out there for it, and to get even that, you know, practice of writing a grant proposal, and the some of the research I've done that we're going to talk about today was funded through a CFOT grant, and it just also makes, you know, getting those different protocols, you know, it's costly, or having a little incentive to give to participants just helps all of that research come together as well. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, absolutely. Well, really quickly, thank you, CFOT, for, you know, making that possible for many of the OT professionals out there that want to find some research, because in some cases, like today, that eventually leads to several published articles and information for us to talk about on the OT School House podcast. So, thank you, CFOT, not sponsored, just a nice little shout out. All right, Courtney, you have a lot of experience within the world of occupational therapy. You are on staff at San Jose State University, you have been a school-based occupational therapist. You also have some of your own clinical experience with OT outside in that platform. How have these experiences really led you into these articles that you ultimately published about with MTSS? Courtney Boitano Yeah, and I've gosh, when I graduated from USC with my master's, I knew I wanted to be a school-based OT. They had an opportunity, it was a training grant that we could, a small cohort of us could complete our level two field work in. In schools, and you know, concurrently, while we were doing our coursework, and I loved the experience so much. I was at Long Beach Unified, and just had an amazing mentor, and it was great to, you know, have that clinical practicum experience, and be able to talk about it in our coursework with, you know, our instructor, and I then did the OTD at USC, and was working at LA Unified, and just went straight into schools. So, now, for like, gosh, almost 20 years, I've been working in schools, and, you know, still do a little consulting here and there, supporting students and schools, teachers, administrators. I just love that aspect of Jayson Davies it. Yeah, yeah. Wow. Fun note, I also had access to that school-based OT special program at USC. That correct me if I'm wrong, but when you came out, you also got like a little, not a stipend, but they helped with your student loans, right? Courtney Boitano Exactly. Yeah, it was amazing. It was an amazing training grant. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, I did not do that. I did not think I'd end up in the schools, and that's kind of funny now, right? So, yeah, kind of wish I would have done that program, you know, given where I am today. But that's awesome. I'm glad, you know, that's really cool, because it's not many people get to come out of school with the foundational understanding of school-based OT. USC had that program in place for, for so many years, I don't think they have it now, because it was a grant, right? So it's really awesome that that you're able to get that. You said you landed at LAUSD after that, right? Courtney Boitano Yeah, yeah, so I was at LA USD, and then I worked for the Southwest Selpa down there in Southern California. Ended up working with a smaller school district down in Southern California, but just have always been so drawn to that energy that schools provide, and that that collaborative piece. Jayson Davies Yeah, How long would you say it took you to a learn about MTSS, or did you already know about it from the USC program? And then, how long did it actually take you to, you know, what? Say, I can see students beyond the IEP, and let me actually figure this out. Courtney Boitano Yeah, you know, it's really funny. Recently, I was going through some of my, you know, old like school materials, like, yeah, it's you know, when it was just like paper, you know, printed with that plastic comb, and so I had this booklet on RTI in public schools, and I remember, I think LAUSD, you know, they would do different like in services for the rehab professionals, OT, PT, and so it was like an in-service on that, and it's really interesting to look back at that, and then to look at where we are now with RTI and MTSS, and to see that we've been doing it now, you know, for a very long time, but just that evolution of how it's become so encompassing in so many different realms and domains where students and teachers need that support, so it's been especially, I think, helpful for us as OTs, as we've had these conversations about case load versus workload, and these different models, and to to look at how we can make that happen, because we can reach so many more students when we are implementing RTI MTSS frameworks. Jayson Davies Yeah, at LA USD, were you at that time, were you able to get into MTSS at all, or did it take you a little bit further down in your career to actually figure out how to make it actually work a little bit? Courtney Boitano Yeah, I'm definitely kind of with that. That evolution of what it's been has been how I've also evolved in my own practice of how to do it, and it's so it is. It's hard when you're a new grad and working in the schools and managing the caseload and the different school sites and and just building those relationships and knowing how to do it, so I think there were little like glimmers of being able to do it. I remember my first, you know, first year collaborating with the adapted PE specialist, and there was a great team, you know, APE Speech and myself, and we worked really closely together, and would be at the same site on the same days, so we could do some like really cool groups and kind of bring in those tiered interventions, and I would say that's almost more unique, right, to have that kind of like magical team chemistry come together, where it's like we all were like, oh yeah, we could be doing this and have these different groups, and so it was, you know, long story to say, you know, it's been easier at, you know, some schools versus other schools and. And also, just as I mentioned, kind of having that relationship and rapport building, so it's become easier as I've been able to establish a rapport with the teachers, with the administrators, with the school site. Jayson Davies Absolutely, part of the reason I asked you that question is because I wanted to hear that answer. I kind of assumed that that was going to be the answer, because that's my answer too. Like, MTSS is not something that you can jump into most school sites and start doing on day one. Most schools don't have MTSS built within the confines of OT, or OTs built within the confines of MTSS, to probably say it more correctly. And so it is something that you, as OT, kind of has to, you have to take that on, and maybe you do find a really awesome SLP and an AP teacher or a PT that, that will do that with you, but I often, you know, get asked, and I'm sure you have too, from, you know, newer students, like, what to focus on in your first year as a school-based OT, and, like, MTSS was the last thing I'm telling people to focus on, not because it's not great, like it is great, but it's so difficult, and try to get your foundation under you with everything else, I think, before really diving into MTSS 10 years from now, that might be different, Courtney Boitano yeah, for sure, Jayson Davies but that's how I kind of view it right now, so awesome, I think that is helpful for everyone listening in their first year, maybe even first few years of school-based OT. Courtney Boitano Yeah, all Jayson Davies right. Well, let's go ahead and dive into kind of explaining MTSS from the from the way that you actually perceive MTSS. Everyone has a slightly different understanding of MTSS and RTI, but I would love to hear kind of how you explain MTSS, whether it be to a fellow OT, a teacher, or a parent, even. Courtney Boitano Yeah, and kind of building off of what we were just talking about, how it's evolved. It's been interesting to really see how the terminology has even changed with these frameworks, and how you know, and in kind of doing this work with students, and we've looked at the literature, you know, you go back and it's like it was called early intervening services initially, and then you started to see RTI creeping into the literature a little bit more, and now that more prevalent term that's being used both in the literature and then at school districts is that MTSS term, and so I really, you know, see it as being kind of MTSS as that broader umbrella, and then response to intervention that RTI is kind of that that part underneath the umbrella, those tiered interventions across domains, whether it's for reading, behavioral support, OT being in there, and you know, with MTSS, it's really governing those multiple processes that are supporting students, and so it's, you know, RTI is under that PBIS, the positive behavioral interventions and supports, also falls under that umbrella, and that biggest piece, kind of tying it all together, is that collaborative piece, right? That it's multiple professionals working together, it's not just OT doing MTSS, it's not just the reading specialist doing RTI, it's not just the behaviorist doing PBIS, but it's all of us like really working together to see how can we support the student in across these domains and how can we like bridge it together. So I love that that umbrella image to see how it all, it all falls under that, and it all has to be covered under that umbrella, Jayson Davies yeah, yeah, absolutely. I mean, it takes a village, right, to raise any human being and to support any human being on campus. Definitely takes a village. So, yeah, along the lines of that, I think most of us understand that there are three tiers of MTSS and RTI. There was three tiers too, as well. How do you overarchingly describe the three tiers of MTSS? Courtney Boitano Right, you know, I always go back to those percentages because it, it makes sense to me when, when we're looking at that, you know, tier one being that the 80% of students, tier two being that 15% of students who need just a little bit more support, and then that, you know, tier three being that 5% that smaller percentage of the students who need that more one on one focused intervention, and so I can really, you know, see how when the team approach comes together to meet the students and the teachers, I include the teachers in there of how, how are we doing those tiered interventions for the teacher, not just for the student, but you know, there are those those teachers, I think we can even kind of align some percentage. Is to teachers, there's some teachers, you know, where we can, we'll kind of get into this, you know, where it is like maybe we're doing an in-service, or maybe there's a teacher who needs more of that one on one consult with the OT, and so, how can we meet both the needs of the students and the teachers within those tiered levels? Jayson Davies Yeah, it's so interesting how MTSS can look very different, like two OTs can implement MTSS even at the same particular school, but it's going to look so different. I do feel that the teachers are one part of the dynamic, of course, we are part of the dynamic at play, all the other team members are part of that, and it all influences what your program can actually look like, right? Like, we have to, to a degree, play to our strengths, and some teachers we collaborate really well with, and other teachers maybe we don't have that same connection, but that doesn't mean we can't get creative in a different way to continue to support that teacher at various levels, and of course, their students. So, yeah, absolutely. How do you find that MTSS and special education work together or integrate together? Does that question make sense without additional context? Courtney Boitano I think so, and I mean the way that that I conceptualize that is, you know, MTSS can certainly be and is used for the general ed population, right, but where we bring in that that special ed piece is, you know, where we are seeing, and let me back up a little bit, of like I think the classroom dynamic has changed so much from 20 years ago, 10 years ago, to even five years ago, right? The classroom looks so different, so even in a, you know, quote unquote general education classroom, like we are seeing kids with significant needs whose needs aren't being met, and so I think, you know, just keeping that kind of binary separation of general ed and special ed, of course, you know, we have our, you know, frameworks and laws to really define that, but we're seeing it kind of intertwined so much now, and so MTSS really provides a great way to meet the needs of kids, whether they are in general ed or, you know, are in a special day class, you know, in special education, getting an IEP, or have a 504 plan, or have nothing, right? And so I think MTSS really helps to kind of bridge that gap, because you know, like I said, the classroom is looking so different, and teachers are needing so much support, and we really can provide that support to them, because that, that support they're needing is, you know, behavior management, you know, kids having decreased attention spans and a need for more movement, more differentiation, and how they're being taught, and so, and how their needs are being met, and so we can really help teachers understand that. I think we have a really unique perspective for that, so going back to your, you know, question of like MTSS, I think really is that perfect bridge between special ed and general ed, and then just what the classroom is looking like these days. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, one something that's come up a few times is about I think people forget that even if a student is in a classroom, a more contained classroom, a special education classroom, per se, that, and maybe they have direct OT one time a week for 30 minutes or less, consult, or whatever it might be, that they fall outside of this realm of MTSS, but I don't think that's true. I mean, we can absolutely still be supporting that teacher at tier one that's going to support that student. We can potentially have that student involved in a group inside the classroom at tier two, whether or not that is on the IEP or not on the IEP, because we just happen to have a tier two program in that classroom, and I think that sometimes goes forgotten a little bit. Courtney Boitano Absolutely, I agree 100% And yeah, I don't think they can be separated, of like, oh, MTSS is just for that general ed, and yeah, it has to be embedded across, you know, general ed, the, you know, essay sai classrooms for all levels of kids, like we, we really need that, Jayson Davies yeah, yeah, all right, I want to start diving into your research a little bit, you did two different, you have two different published research, one, the effects of sensory processing at tier. One and tier two among kindergarten students, and the other is tier one and tier two for sensory processing with fifth grade students. So, you've done this kind of twice with two different populations. My question here is, before we dive into that, this is a question that I go back and forth with all the time as an occupational therapy practitioner going down the MTSS route, are we providing occupational therapy as MTSS, or are we providing a specific support, such as handwriting, fine motor skills, sensory processing, social skills, emotional regulation, as part of that MTSS, and I ask this because I feel like sometimes if we just try and say OT is MTSS, it's just too broad, it doesn't allow us to go into one specific area. Obviously, you kind of have well defined this as sensory processing, and I'm wondering if that was, I mean, for research it has to be on purpose. But yeah, trying to collect your thoughts on that. Courtney Boitano Yeah, I think you raise a really good point, and I think it's one of the things that I often come to, just as an OT, of like what we're doing as occupational therapists is is going to look different based on the unique needs of the individual, or in this case of the classroom, and so this was defined, you know, as okay, we're doing, you know, the OT was specifically, you know, defined as sensory processing, because that was the unique need in both the classrooms, and you know what, I continue to emphasize is the unique need, really across classrooms. Now that's what I'm constantly hearing teachers really struggle with, is like really that, and when I say sensory processing, that you know self regulation, you know, kids being able to do that modulation to, you know, bring that arousal level, you know, we have to be able to match that arousal level to different activities, settings, environments, and that's a big challenge right now, and so this was, you know, sensory processing was chosen because that was the need, and how this all came about, so I can dive into a little like context. Let's Jayson Davies go in. Yeah, let's go for it. Courtney Boitano So, so at San Jose State, we have these really unique clinics on campus, and I lead our pediatric clinic, and so one day we're on campus, and then as a school-based OT, you know, when I started teaching our clinic course, I was like, well, you know, so many grads go into school-based OT, can we have one day be at a school? And so we got this contract with a local, it's a parochial school, so a local school nearby, and one day a week, the student, a small cohort of students, usually around like 10 to 12 students, we go to this school, and this was all, you know, we don't have the manpower, there's just, you know, a few of us, so it's not individual services, so we're doing RTI, this was, you know, okay, How can we expose students to those tiered interventions, so we're doing tier one whole class and tier two small group interventions, and so in response to the needs, you know, following the pandemic, the school administrators, you know, noticed that the fifth grade students, and so that was the first study that came about, also because at San Jose State, master's students do a group research project together that is led by a faculty mentor, and so I, you know, had this kind of need from the school with administrators, kind of saying, like, these fifth graders don't have tools for self-regulation, you know, following the pandemic, we're just seeing a, you know, huge shift in how they're showing up in the classroom, so I thought, okay, this could be a great research study, so it, you know, really was this great opportunity, not only for education of, you know, the clinic students, the research students, and then just to kind of satisfy my own curiosity, but to really meet this, this unique need that we're seeing across schools. So, so we did that first with the fifth graders, and then there were a few shifts I wanted to make, so then we did it with the kindergartners, so I could talk about a little, a little bit more about the fifth graders, but if you have a question, Joe, Jayson Davies I, that's exactly what I want to dive into, is that that first article that you have, you were looking at specifically tier one and tier two for sensory processing for fifth grade children, so I mean, let's. Just dive into, I think, a little bit of the methodology, like what did it actually look like. Courtney Boitano Yeah, so because you know that was kind of the problem that was brought to us, of like, here we have this fifth grade class and they need tools for self-regulation, so we did, we use the SPM, the sensory processing measure, as a screening tool, and what that really turned out, and it was at two different schools, so the one school where we have the clinic, and then we did another nearby parochial school, so same kind of makeup of students, so we can get some comparison, and the difference was that at one school they had us, this, you know, OT students coming in and doing, you know, the tier one and tier two interventions, and then at the other school, the fifth grade teacher got a workshop, like a in-service that I led one one day, you know, after school, and so what we found with using the SPM as a screening tool was that in reality, you know, there was just a small handful which aligned with what we know about RTI, right, that there's going to be about 15% of students who really, you know, are showing that they need that, you know, tier two intervention, and so this is, you know, wrapping everything into a nutshell, real briefly. But after looking at that, it was like, oh, you know, that using the SPM as a screener for the whole class is just not feasible. It's time consuming for the teacher. It's really cool. Jayson Davies So the teacher had to do it. Oh Courtney Boitano yeah, so the teacher filled out the SPM, and the, you know, it was costly too, because the, you know, cost of each SPM. So, what we found, you know, from doing that with the fifth graders was that there were some results with the in-service, you know, teachers were understanding the zones of regulation more, and we chose the zones of regulation because it was already kind of being used in the school, so there was some kind of base knowledge of what the zones of regulation is, and it aligned with their social emotional curriculum, and we also, in terms of what that intervention looked like it also brought in some like mindfulness-based strategies, so things like, you know, helping the kids with, like, okay, what are some coping strategies when you are, you know, getting into the yellow and red zone, you know, breathing techniques, taking a break, and it was great to see that the teacher's understanding of what these terms were was, you know, really changing, so because you know I saw that the SPM was not a great screening tool, and we were then hearing, like, you know, our kindergarteners are coming in, and I was like, that would be a great class to do it with, because they don't have the knowledge of the zones of regulation. So, what could this look like with a group of young kids who are coming in? Some have had preschool, some haven't had preschool, some have had, you know, a junior kindergarten program, TK program, some haven't, so we're really, you know, kind of getting a broad, broader mix of background coming in, and one of the things that we then changed with this, instead of using the SPM as a screener, is that we did the Strengths and Difficulties Questionnaire as a screening tool, and this was one the I don't know if you're familiar with the SDQ, but it's a free tool, and it really kind of can tease out some of that behavior, and the like kind of more sensory like components of, you know, like being fidgety, decreased attention, and I have a BCBA also, and I have a BCBA because when I was working at the SELPA, they had a small cohort of students, they offered, or not students, of people working in the Selpa. Yeah, they said, you know, if you're interested, we're going to have a cohort, and I was like, "Gosh, I'm constantly getting asked the question, is it sensory or is it behaviors? It's like, "Sure, I'll do it Jayson Davies if you're gonna let me go for it. Yeah, sure. Courtney Boitano So that's always been interesting to me to look at kind of that behavioral piece, and that's what teachers really identify, right? They identify the behaviors. Yes, I often use that, like iceberg, you know, analogy of like what you see above the iceberg, at the tip of the iceberg are the behaviors, right? The, you know, kids blurting out, the kids out of their seat, you know, they can't focus, but then we, you know, with our OT perspective, we understand what's underneath that I. Iceberg, so all that to say, I thought, okay, the SDQ really kind of helps to tease out, like, okay, what is that behavior, and what we can then look at, like, what are these sensory components underneath that iceberg? So we replicated it with the kindergartner students, but this time instead of just doing the RTI interventions, the tier one and tier two, and the in-service, we added a consultation piece, so we had three kindergarten classrooms, instead of just like before, we had 2/5-grade classrooms, we had these three different groups, and what we before I jump into what we found, the interventions that were being done for the RTI group, the same idea of following the zones of regulation, because the teacher used the zones in the classroom, but also including, you know, some real like hands-on kindergarten age, you know, different artwork. They are doing sensory activities to, you know, understand, kind of bring in that interoception piece about, like, when we're feeling this way, when our body is feeling this way. Like, what does that tell us, and what can we do with those kind of, you know, mindfulness-based strategies, of, you know, the breath work, asking for help, being able to, you know, advocate for yourself and take a break when you need to take a break, and then one teacher got, you know, consultation, and then another got just that in service, so what was interesting about this, and jump in if you have a question too. Well, I was gonna Jayson Davies ask, so just to clarify, so three different classrooms, one just got one in service up front, I'm assuming that was, or did all the teachers get that in service, or did you literally just sit down with one teacher. Courtney Boitano No, that's a good question. So the teachers that this was at another school, so two schools again. So two teachers at this one school got the in service. All the teachers, you know, grades K through eight got the in service, and then at the other school it wasn't the in-service, it was RTI intervention. So then the other school, the third teacher got both the in-service and the consultation piece. Jayson Davies Okay, so in service, and then what? How often was the consultation? Courtney Boitano That was about every two weeks, I want to say, Jayson Davies okay, over the course of how long? 1010, weeks, okay. And then course or classroom number three, then was the one who actually had the RTI intervention itself, and kind of just really briefly, what did that look like? I know you talked about zones of regulation a little bit and interception, but as far as like frequency and whatnot, what did that look like? Courtney Boitano Great question. So it was once a week, and it was broken into that tier one whole class, so going in and doing like a whole class, you know, activity on, say, you know, understanding our internal cues one week, and then next week about, you know scenarios and role playing different zones of regulation, and then there was also a tier two small group component, so then breaking into small groups with the different activities for zones regulation. Jayson Davies okay, so I'm assuming the classroom itself, the tier one was like a 30 minute collaboration lesson with the teacher, and then some students got an additional 15 to 30 minutes for the tier two part of it. Okay, gotcha. And again, over the course of 10 weeks, right? Courtney Boitano Yeah, Jayson Davies awesome. Okay, was the SDQ is that what was used to determine Tier One and Tier Two in that case, or how? How do did that determine who was Tier Two? Courtney Boitano Great question. So we use the SDQ as a screener for then who would we would have administered the who we would administer the SPM to, so then we use the SPM again, but instead of just using it for the whole class, we were then able to administer the SPM. The teacher filled out the SPM for the students who the SDQ total difficulty score was elevated. Jayson Davies Interesting, how big or so were these classrooms, just in general? I'm assuming 15-ish kids, Courtney Boitano right? Yes, we had 11 who consented to participate for the RTI group, and so not all 11 had, you know, had these elevated scores on the SDQ. So I want to say it was about Jayson Davies like five. Courtney Boitano Yep, I was just gonna say five. Who, then we administered the SPM four. Jayson Davies okay? And then were those five, if they got the SPM, did that basically mean that because they had the elevated score, or whatever score on the SDQ, those five were in tier two, and you use the SPM to help with the data for only the kids who were at tier two. Is that summarized correctly? Courtney Boitano Right. Yes. Yes. Jayson Davies Okay. Got it. Courtney Boitano Lot of things going on with the study, because we had the teachers completing the zones implementation surveys, you know, the zones of regulation came out with some data collection tools, which wasn't in existence when we did the fifth grade study, so it was really, it was interesting to bring that in, to use that as a survey to, to have to be able to measure then how the teachers were implementing and understanding the zone, so we used those measures as well for the teachers. They were completing different surveys, and and we were able to kind of look at that for both the students and the teachers. Jayson Davies Yeah, I really wanted to break that down a little bit, because school-based OT practitioners are always trying to figure out, like, well, how do I know when a kid needs tier two intervention, and so you know you're kind of providing that, and of course this was research, so you probably did more than you really might need to do in a clinical setting, maybe you don't need to do the SPM, you just use the SDQ, which is already free for anyone to access, and of course the SPM does get expensive. And then could you have used the, I mean, if you didn't have the SPM, would you have just used the SDQ again later, or maybe you already did that? Courtney Boitano You know, that's a.. that's an interesting question. I do like using the SPM for that follow-up piece, because I really think that is the great bridge between, okay, here are these behaviors that the teachers are seeing and are reporting, and then we can bring in the SPM to really back that up and give some concrete examples of, you know, well, here are these different areas where we're seeing, like, oh, you know, actually, you know, their auditory scores are really hearing on the SPM are really high here, or we can really kind of tease it out a bit more, so I think the SDQ serves as a great screener for that, and what was interesting, I mean, our results were not as, as great as I would have loved to see, like, oh, all the SPM scores, you know, really changed, but what we did find was a positive correlation between the results of the SDQ on the total difficulty score, so it gives you a total difficulty score on the SDQ with elevated scores on the SPM, so it did show, like, oh, this really can be a good screening tool if you didn't have the time, you know, didn't have the resources to, you know, I mean, it's mainly time, it's really time consuming for the teacher to do an SPM on, say, 20 kids, but the SDQ shorter, faster, so you could use it as that screening tool, and we did see this positive correlation. I mean, granted, it was a small sample size, so we want to be careful with general generalization, but, but then what we saw too is, so because the SDQ is more kind of behavior-oriented, and it gives you some pro social scores. We saw that there was a negative significant correlation between the pro social scores on the SDQ and the social participation subscale on the SPM. So, what that means, yeah. Jayson Davies Explain. Courtney Boitano as the pro social behavior scores went up on the SDQ, the social participation difficulties went down, and vice versa. So that's what we would want to see. So we would want to, you know, we don't want to have these elevated scores, and then seeing that, you know, if they're having more social participation difficulties, we would want to see that. Then you know their scores are kind of. Jayson Davies Yeah. Courtney Boitano opening out, leveling out. Jayson Davies It wouldn't make sense if both scores were elevated for good social and difficulty with social skills. So, okay, we're going to take a quick break, getting closer to the end of the episode, but I do want to follow up with you more about the results, and also ask you one more question about using that SPM. So, we'll be right back. All right, Courtney, I do want to move on more to the results, but first, going back to the SPM, this was in a parochial school, you know, not your typical school setting. Mean, or not, your typical public school setting, I should say. In the public school setting, you've worked in LAUSD, a few other school districts, you know the whole referral process and the assessment plan to use standardized tools and whatnot. Can you picture what that would look like when we're using it in this process, whether it's the SPM, the SDQ, or any other tool, when we're using it as this like screener versus an assessment tool on an IEP. Do you think that, and maybe you have more insights on this? Do you feel like we have to let parents know that we're using the SDQ or the SPM if we are giving it to the entire classroom or a group of kids as opposed to an individual student used for the purpose of an IEP. Courtney Boitano I think that's a conversation that is often had about, like, okay. Where is this kind of gray area of, is it? Are we able to do this, you know, just as kind of practitioners in a classroom, or.. and I think just the broader, because there are, you know, nuances and different have different rules for that, but I think just as a broader kind of lens to look at MTSS, I think when we can have these really intentional systems in place at the administrator level, so really looking at kind of that macro level of like having this in place of like we're doing a screening tool, using a screening tool, doing a screening for all, maybe it's at the start of the year, for every grade, you know, K through fifth, parents are, you know, asked to complete the STQ, or we're asking, you know, teachers to do it, and it doesn't need to then come from the OT per se, we can help advocate for this, but if there's a real intentional system put in place, and this is where I think MTSS can can work beautifully when it there's alignment at that administrator level of we're going to be using these screening tools, and then OT can come in and say, oh, you know, I'd really like to look at those SDQs that had elevated scores. I know that that might be indicative of sensory processing challenges, and I'm going to, you know, then when I'm in the classroom, I'm going to just do an observation, and we can certainly be doing an observation, and then say we notice, oh yeah, gosh, that here's three kids who I'm really seeing some red flags. Then we could go that step further, of maybe we need to, you know, start some data collection, get some, you know, consent in place to maybe, you know, whatever the school's policy is for that data collection period to then you know maybe have an SST and and go you know further down the line but I think when it really is done intentionally and across again that collaborative piece of it's part of the PBIS so the behavior support team is involved it's this, you know, hopefully, gosh, you know, the school counselor, if a school can have a counselor, you know, they're involved too, because it has metrics that can be really indicative of needing additional mental health support, we can really then create that wraparound support we, we strive for. Jayson Davies yeah, yeah, I like to often like kind of compare a really like if we were to put a screening process in place as occupational therapy practitioners, it needs to be a system like what you're talking about, and I often kind of just compare it to the way that a lot of schools do like vision screening every so many years, every student gets screened for vision, and you know it's every kid doing it, it's not being singled out who's getting it. I notice might go home a week or two before saying, "Hey, your kid's going to be screened, please let us know if you don't want this to happen. Like, that is something that can happen, but yeah, it has to happen at a systems level, and you could probably start with just the three kindergarten classes on campus first year, and maybe work up from there, but yeah, I do think it needs to be part of a system. I would not advise an OT just to go ahead and start this screening process without reaching out to the principal and saying, hey, I found this new SDQ that I've heard about on a podcast, and it'd be really great if we could just give it to every kindergartner, and you know, look at the data and see if there's something we can do. There you go. Yeah, a template to use. Courtney Boitano A little like anecdotal story of my own children's school, you know, public school. They, as I. Was, you know, doing this study, and kind of came across the SDQ. I was like, oh, I've done this before, and so my kids' school, they did that, they did that, they sent it out, kind of same thing, just like you said. We're, and it came from the counselor, we're going to send out the SDQ, totally optional to complete it, and they did it two times a year. Jayson Davies Oh, wow. Courtney Boitano And it was so great, and this school also has a really strong PBIS program and systems set up, and it is where I have seen I often go back to it, just, you know, mentally, of like this is where RTI was done so beautifully, because I was also providing some OT services there too, and so I was able to go in and, like, co-treat with the teacher, I would lead a center while she was doing her writing workshop, and while I only had, you know, two kids on my caseload in that classroom, I was able to touch all 20 by having them come through my center, and you know, just kind of give that OT lens of like, oh, you know, those little pencil grip adjustments, or like, oh, I'm kind of noticing that this one, you know, their writing is all over the place, let's try it, you know, slant board, or whatever, those little, those little weeks we can provide. Jayson Davies Yeah, I love the idea of MTSS, but I will admit it is hard to put into place, and that's why we're seeing a lot of professional development around it. Dr. Jan Hollenbeck, Jamie Spencer, and Mahler Bushel just presented about it at AOTA Inspire in Anaheim, and it was a full packed room, like everyone wants to do this, but it's not easy, and it's great, like we have the ideas now, we just got to put it into place, and we got to put the systems in place with support from other people, which is like where this entire conversation started by you talking about your amazing APE teacher and speech therapist that you got to work with, so all right. Before we do wrap up, though, I know that you kind of teased a little bit ago that the findings weren't exactly what you'd hoped for, but this is also a small study, and kind of a, you know, pilot per se. What were some of the results that kind of, you know, were not what you hope for, and also just, you know, how you feel that it can move forward. Courtney Boitano Yeah, for sure. Yeah, I mentioned, you know, of course, I wanted to see that we would really see big changes on the severe difficulties and moderate difficulties on the SPM, and that wasn't the case, but what we did find, you know, as we kind of sat with the results, and like, okay, what does this tell us? You know, one of the things we thought of, the students and myself, is like, I think, you know, it really shows how the teacher's understanding of sensory processing changed, and we, we know that, because we also had this qualitative component where we interviewed them, and we were able to, like, really hear what, what this was like for them to be a part of this, and they had a totally different lens on doing the, you know, pre and post of the sensory processing measure, they had a totally different lens after even just the in service, so we saw that, you know, the in service was really helpful, both for the fifth grade study and then the kindergarten study, that the teachers gained so much, but the consultation piece was huge, so in doing the post test of the SPM, it was a, it was like a different person filling it out, right, because they didn't just see the tip of the iceberg, right, they didn't just see the behaviors, they understood what was a little bit beneath it, which was just so cool to the testament of OT and what we can provide from these different modalities, right, whether we are working with the students or we are doing an in-service for K through eight teachers, or we are doing that consultation piece a couple times a month, and again, like really tailoring it, that's the nice thing about that consultation, really tailoring it to the unique needs of that teacher of that classroom of the students in her classroom. Jayson Davies so you had a total of three different tier one interventions, you had the upfront workshop, you had the consult with the teacher, would you call that still tier one? Courtney Boitano Well, no, I kind of think of it different. Jayson Davies tier two. Courtney Boitano Yeah, I would say, like, yeah, that's more.. I mean, maybe even tier three for the teacher, because it was that one on one time. Jayson Davies Interesting. Yeah, I like to think of the personally, I like to think of tier one as being like beyond the classroom, so multiple teachers. First, I like to think of tier two as being classroom specific, because I think that just kind of puts it in a nice shell, and then maybe small group, which then it confuses - it gets confusing because now you're saying wait as a classroom or small group, and then tier three being more the individual. Either way, the point of my question was to kind of go back, would be of the three different models you used, if you were talking, you know, to a school-based OT and said, 'Hey, I want to get involved with MTSS. Would you, would you advise one versus the other? Courtney Boitano I would highly advise that consultation piece, and I often talk to colleagues, you know, working in schools, and really, you know, as they share the, like, the consultation piece is the hardest, because it's what it's where we kind of can feel like, oh, we have wiggle room, right? Like, oh, I have an IEP, like I'm not going to make that consultation time, like I could push it off, right? Or, you know, just to the teacher isn't available when you're available, and. Jayson Davies Yeah, it's hard. Courtney Boitano It's very hard to really figure out how to do that, but kind of going back to where we started with, like, how does this work well? And I think it works well when we have that rapport built, where we, we build that community at our school sites, and I've, it's why I love school-based OT. It's, you know, I've some of my best friends are teachers that I've worked with, right. And it's just the hanging out for 15 minutes over lunch in their room, and that's the consultation piece, right? Or it's, you know, they're doing car line in the morning, and I'm out there with them, chatting, and you know, having it's also great to get to know that, you know, the family side, yeah. work with, but you know, finding these ways where we can build that community, so that that consultation starts to happen more seamlessly, where we, you know, can become kind of more top of mind for the teachers to be like I'm going to run that by Courtney, I'm going to run that by my OT, so it doesn't seem like such a big ask or a big kind of to-do item on our on our list of things to do, and so I think, like, that is one of my big takeaways. It's so impactful for the teacher to get that opportunity to problem solve, to troubleshoot. We can offer a few, you know, suggestions and strategies. They can try it and tell us whether or not that worked. They're with the student five days a week, where we might only be with them once a week, maybe twice a month, and so it can really help with that carry over and empower them, like the teacher at the school who got the consultation piece. She was a veteran teacher, you know, 20 plus years, and she said at one point she was like, I just feel like all of my tools in my toolbox are not working anymore, and you know such a sense of defeat, right? Of like, I know what I'm doing, I'm a good teacher, but nothing is working. But then there was a sense of empowerment, right, where we can offer those tools, and she's doing it, not the OT coming in and leading the group, it's not the OT coming in and making environmental adjustments, but she's doing it for what works for her and her class. And then she felt the sense of empowerment and could speak to the parents too, and actually bring up some of her concerns. That was a big piece too, of sometimes feeling like I don't know if it's my place to bring up some of these concerns, but where we can help with that explanation of what's going on, not just from a behavioral but from a nervous system perspective, and increase their knowledge of what to do, build that toolbox up again can be really empowering for for teachers who are feeling like this is a different classroom than I stepped into 30 years ago. Jayson Davies Yeah, one on one can be so impactful. I'm wondering if you think that if you had met with, assuming that there are other kindergarten classrooms at that school, do you think you could have had similar impact if you met with all two or three of the kindergarten teachers at the same time? Courtney Boitano Absolutely, because I think that also builds a sense of comradery. I mean, hopefully they already have that sense of camaraderie amongst themselves, but really gives that opportunity for them to to use each other to to build off each other strengths, you know, they know the school system, they know the administrators, so to really get some of those conversations going about, you know, how they could even advocate as the kindergarten team, right, or the first grade team, or whatever it might be, Jayson Davies yeah. Yeah, I just think that's a way that you can, it can be difficult to talk to three, four, or five different teachers, time consuming, but yeah, if you can meet with all the kindergarten teachers at once, maybe even K and one, if they're having similar concerns, or at least maybe TK and K, like that can save you some time and help more people all at the same time, so for sure, very cool. Courtney Boitano Yeah, I love trying to go to their team level meetings, like a number of, you know, will get out early one day a week for collaboration, and then they'll break into, like, they'll have maybe a faculty meeting, and then break into their team level meetings, and so I'll try to go to, like, whatever is kind of top of mind that I know they're needing some support, and even just listen, you know, maybe some weeks I'm not saying anything, and I can, you know, get some charting done, but, but just hearing what's going on, right, and it just also builds that that sense of community, and being being someone who's on their team too. Jayson Davies Yeah, yeah, that's important, having someone on your team. So, all right, Courtney, I think that is going to wrap us up. We talked a lot, and we did not get to dive into every single detail of your articles, but that's okay. They are available, they're out there on the JOT C to read, and you can access them there. So, thank you all. Thank you, Courtney, so much for your time. I really appreciate it. And thank you all for listening to this episode. Really quickly, Courtney, where is the best place for people to potentially find you if they just want to learn a little bit more about you, about the research you've done, your, you've done, and are doing? Courtney Boitano Yeah, I have a website for my small private practice, OT outside.com and then also, you know, at San Jose State on our website, and it can easily be reached there as well. Jayson Davies Fantastic. And if you are potentially a student listening, San Jose State, you could go there and learn with Courtney and the rest of the staff that they have up there, which are some amazing people. I always enjoy when we get to AOTA and get to see some of my San Jose State friends, it's always fun. So, Courtney, thank you so much. Really appreciate it. And we'll definitely have to stay in touch, especially when you have new research coming up, perhaps soon. All right. Well, thank you so much. We appreciate it. Courtney Boitano Thank you. Jayson Davies Well, Courtney, I want to say thank you one more time for joining us today and sharing your research on MTSS, as well as how you actually implement these sensory interventions in practice. Your work at San Jose State, as well as in the schools, is helping us to understand how to make MTSS more sustainable and impactful, especially through teacher consultation, which, as you shared, can sometimes be a little difficult to prioritize, as well as implementing, so thank you for that. Really helpful. Now, I don't think I've mentioned this quite yet. I usually do, but be sure to find all the links that we referred to in this episode in the show notes, like the SDQ and the zones of regulation at ots.com/episode 203203 203203 and if you want to dive even further into implementing MTSS within your schools, building consultation skills, and getting support from a community of school-based OT practitioners like us, who are doing this work right alongside you, I'd love to have you join us inside the OT School houses school-based OT collaborative. There you'll get access to courses, monthly mentorship calls with myself and a supportive community of practitioners navigating the same challenges that you are every single day. Head on over to OT School house.com/collab to learn more about all the resources, mentorship, and CEUs that we have available, and join us in the community. Thanks again, Courtney. Really appreciate you being here, and also thank you for listening. Until next time, keep making a difference in the lives of your students, and yeah, we'll catch you in episode 204 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 School house.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

Get the support necessary to make an impact in your schools as a school-based OTP. Join 300+ OTPs learning and implementing best practices together. Get Started Start Feeling Confident in Your School-based OT Role. The School-Based OT Collaborative (The Collab) gives you access to practical resources, a supportive community, and AOTA-approved CEUs so you can confidently apply evidence-based practices in your schools. You may be the only OT at your School, but in The Collab, you have a community of 300+ school-based OTPs helping you turn professional development into real impact. Explore Membership Options See what’s inside ↓ All The Support You Need - ALL IN ONE PLACE - Save hours every week with ready-to-use tools Explore 100+ ready-to-use resources for school-based OTPs, including referral tools, observation forms, treatment ideas, handouts, and IEP supports. Stop guessing. Get answers that move you forward Get practical support through collaborative learning that helps transform “good ideas” into “real change” for your students & OT program. Learn only what applies to school-based OT Access unlimited live and recorded AOTA-approved CEU courses to learn from experts with real SBOT experience. Connect with experienced OTPs solving the same problems you face Join hundreds of OTs & OTAs who understand school-based practice challenges. Share, get feedback, and feel connected in your work. View Membership Options → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Learn. Implement. Make Real Impact in Your Schools. As busy school-based OTPs, we’ve all been there. You attend a great workshop, feel inspired… and then nothing changes. Caseloads grow, systems get in the way, and without ongoing support, even your best ideas stall out. The Collab is designed to break that cycle. We don’t just help you learn best practices — we help you implement them with clarity, confidence, and support so they actually improve outcomes for students and teachers. - What Collab Members Are Saying - “I initially joined the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative two years ago for access to relevant CEU courses. What I found was a community of OTs willing to troubleshoot tough cases, share resources, keep me updated on current research and relevant topics, and so much more. I use the resources in the Collaborative far more than I expected, and the value goes way beyond continuing education. ” — Brooke, School-Based OT Here’s how the Collaborative helps you turn learning into action: ✔ Live Collaborative Hours (Group Mentorship) Get real-time guidance on cases, systems challenges, and school-based OT decisions so you always know your next step. ✔ School-based CEUs you’ll actually use AOTA-approved courses designed specifically for school-based OTPs — not generic PD. ✔ Ready-to-use tools and templates Evaluations, intervention tools, IEP resources, communication templates, and more that save time and improve consistency. ✔ A community that supports implementation You’re no longer the only OT on an island. Get feedback from practitioners who understand your setting. ✔ Advanced tools for efficiency and advocacy Goal Bank, curated research, AI tools, and the Caseload-to-Workload course to elevate your practice. Explore what's included > Join 316 other school-based OTPs CEUs Designed for School-Based Practice Not all continuing education is created with school-based OT in mind. Too often, courses are built for clinical settings, leaving you to translate ideas on your own. In The Collab , every CEU is designed specifically for the realities of school-based practice — from caseload demands and system constraints to collaboration with teachers, administrators, and families. Our goal isn’t to overwhelm you with content. It’s to help you learn what actually applies to your role — and earn CEUs you can use with confidence. What makes our CEUs different ✔ School-based focus, always Every course is intentionally designed for school settings — not clinics, EI, or home-based. ✔ AOTA-approved learning you can trust Earn CEUs through live and on-demand courses that meet AOTA requirements while staying grounded in real-world practice. ✔ Taught by experienced school-based OTPs Learn from practitioners who have worked in schools and understand the systems, challenges, and decisions you face every day. ✔ Practical, immediately applicable content Courses focus on strategies, frameworks, and decision-making you can apply the very next day — not abstract theory. ✔ Flexible learning that fits your schedule Attend live sessions when you can, or access recordings on your own time without falling behind. CEUs in The Collab don’t stand alone. They’re designed to connect seamlessly with mentorship, tools, and implementation support when you’re ready to take the next step. View the full CEU Course Library > Recent & Upcoming Courses This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: August 8, 2026 This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: June 18, 2026 This course is 1.5 hour in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Live (recorded) on: May 7, 2026 Get Support for the Questions You Didn’t Learn in OT School In The Collab, you don’t have to guess or go it alone. Through live Collaboration Hours, Q&A sessions, and community discussions, you can bring real cases and real questions to experienced school-based OTPs who understand your role. This is where you get clarity — not generic advice. Here’s the kind of support members receive every week: I have an IEP meeting coming up — what should I assess? How do I decide if this is sensory, behavioral, or executive function? What assessment tools actually make sense to order? What is my role in middle or high school? How do I provide consults effectively? These are all real questions we address as a community inside The Collab As a member, you can ask your most pressing questions and get detailed responses from the OT Schoolhouse team and other experienced OT practitioners. Explore Collaborative Membership → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Ready-to-Use Resources You Can Apply Immediately Professional development is only helpful if it translates into real practice. That’s why both membership tiers include access to practical, ready-to-use resources. So you’re not starting from scratch after every course. Essentials Members Essentials helps you apply what you learn in individual courses. Members receive resources directly connected to CEU learning, so what you learn can be applied right away. You’ll get access to: Resources associated with all CEU courses All tools and materials included with the A-Z School-Based OT Course Practical handouts, templates, and examples designed to support course implementation A growing collection of resources added alongside future CEU offerings Essentials is a great fit if you want to stay current with evidence-based practice and confidently apply what you learn from CEUs on your own. Impact Members The Collab supports implementation across your entire OT program. Impact Members receive full access to the entire OT Schoolhouse library, designed to support every part of your practice. You’ll have access to: All downloadable templates, tools, and checklists The complete OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank for faster & stronger Intervention planning and documentation. Curated research summaries and evidence resources AI-powered tools that reduce documentation time and decision fatigue The Impact tier is designed for OTPs who want ongoing, comprehensive support. Not just learning, but full implementation across their OT program. An Annual Experience That Brings It All Together Included with Impact Tier Membership Each year, Impact Tier Members receive full access to the OT Schoolhouse Back to School Conference — a live, virtual experience designed specifically for school-based OTPs. The conference is intentionally scheduled to support you when it matters most: right as you prepare for a new school year. It’s where learning, mentorship, and real-world application come together through: Practical, evidence-based sessions led by experienced school-based OTPs AOTA-approved CEUs for your certification and license renewal Real conversations about caseloads, collaboration, and sustainability On-demand access so you can learn on your schedule For many members, the Back to School Conference becomes the moment each year when everything “clicks.” ✔ Included at no additional cost for Impact members ✔ Live + recorded access ✔ AOTA-approved CEUs Trusted by hundreds of school-based OTPs each year to start the school year with clarity and confidence. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs, core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Access to live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Access to Live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact What our Members Think about The Collab Elevated Confidence and Capacity "The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative has been one of the most valuable professional supports in my practice... It has genuinely elevated both my confidence and my capacity as a school-based OT." - Mary Not Just Continuing Education "I initially joined the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative two years ago, primarily for access to relevant courses for CEUs. What I found was a community of OTs willing to trouble shoot tough cases, share resources, keep me updated on current research and relevant topics, and so much more. I use the resources in the collaborative so much more than originally anticipated, and the value in being a member goes way beyond continuing education courses." - Brooke A Safe Space for Questions "The Collaborative is an amazing space with amazing community that has both been awesome to share knowledge and ideas as well as ask questions in a safe space with other individuals in the same setting as me!" - Payton Tools to Advocate "I am thankful for this resource as I navigated my first couple of years as an occupational therapist in the school based setting. Having the articles, community and knowledge available to newer therapists like me has been helpful. Personally, my OT team at my district has used the resources like workload vs caseload model to advocate and shape how we distribute schools and service minutes." - Jamie Members love The Collab Community, Not just the CEUs Members often tell us they join for CEUs, but then retain their membership for the abundant community, mentorship, and resources. The Collab is not your typical CEU subscription. It is a place to connect, share, and grow as a school-based OT practitioner. If you are looking to learn, connect, grow, and better support your students, The Collaborative is right for you. Select Your Membership → Join 316 other school-based OTPs Purchasing for a District or Team? We are proud to work with districts, counties, and therapy teams to support multiple school-based OTPs. Group pricing and purchase orders are available for both membership tiers. 👉 Contact us to learn more 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: P-E-O-P Location: Tampa, FL Favorite Activities: Exercising, cooking, and watercolor painting Taylor Poirier Taylor graduated from University of St. Augustine, Miami Campus in December 2022. She began working as a pediatric OT within the schools and home health setting with Alyssa Campbell Therapies in the Tampa, FL area. She loves learning and creating new ways of therapy for the most client-centered approach. She has now created resources based on the information provided in this podcast and can truly see a difference in the progress her kids make. She loves making other therapists feel confident and excited about the world of OT! Interesting facts about Taylor Taylor works with a private company serving private schools and providing pediatric home health services. Prior to OT school, Taylor worked as a sensorimotor aide, gaining foundational experience in sensory integration and gross motor development. During training, Taylor developed a strong interest in mental health and now integrates both approaches into daily practice. Taylor was also a dancer for 22 years, competing locally and performing in the Disney Thanksgiving Day Parade. Important FAQs 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 or CEU courses without being a Collab member? Some OT Schoolhouse podcast episodes and individual CEU courses may be available outside of the Collaborative. However, membership provides the most consistent, cost-effective way to earn school-based professional development while staying current with evidence and best practices. Is there a cost to joining The Collab? Yes. The Collab is a paid membership, and memberships do automatically renew each year until cancelled. You can cancel your subscriptions at any time inside the community and 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 and a similar video hosting platform Does The Collab include access to the Back to School Conference? Impact members receive full access to the OT Schoolhouse Back to School Conference at no additional cost. This includes live attendance, access to session recordings, and the opportunity to earn AOTA-approved CEUs. It’s intentionally included as part of the Impact experience to support learning, reflection, and implementation at a key point in the year. Note: Access to the Back to School Conference is not included with the Essentials membership. 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 either tier of The 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 at Contact@otschoolhouse.com What's the difference between The Essentials and The Impact tiers? The Essentials tier ($249/year) includes unlimited CEUs, access to the OTP Lounge for community support, access to resources associated with CEU courses, and the A-Z School-Based OT Course. The Impact tier includes all of these benefits plus live group mentorship, the full library of resources, access to the OT Schoolhouse Goal bank, AI tools trained by school-based OT practitioners, research briefs, and access to the Back to School Conference. Can Essentials members attend the Back to School Conference? Access to the Back to School Conference is not included in the Essentials Tier. If you would like to attend the Back to School Conference, you may purchase that separately at an additional cost. The Impact Tier provides the most cost effective way to attend the Back to School Conference. Are the CEUs in the Essentials tier truly unlimited? Yes, they are. Essentials Tier Members can access the A-Z School-Based OT Course as well as all courses listed at OTSchoolhouse.com/courses for as long as your membership remains active. Will my membership auto-renew? Yes, memberships are set up as annual subscriptions that will automatically renew each year. You'll receive renewal reminder emails before your membership renews, and you can manage your subscription settings at any time to cancel or modify your membership. Will The Collab help me get a job in the schools? Many OTPs have told us the courses we offer in The Collab helped them to secure a school-based job. While we do not frequently provide content around applying and interviewing for jobs, the content you'll learn in the community will absolutely help you during your job search. JOIN NOW

Postsecondary transition planning is a collaborative process designed to prepare students for meaningful participation in life after high school, yet many school-based occupational therapy practitioners report uncertainty regarding their role within this process. This course provides practitioners with an occupation-based framework for understanding transition planning through the lens of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Participants will explore common barriers, examine occupational therapy's role in supporting postsecondary readiness, and learn practical strategies for implementation, advocacy, and sustainability. By the conclusion of the course, practitioners will leave with evidence-based resources and tools that can be immediately integrated into school-based practice. B2S Conference Free Tools Free Education SBOT Goal Bank Courses The Collaborative Log in More < Back Empowering OTPs in Postsecondary Transition Planning Presented by: Taylor Rhodes, OTS Watch on demand and earn AOTA- Approved CEUs Access this Course in The Collab Explore The Collab Benefits Course Description Postsecondary transition planning is a collaborative process designed to prepare students for meaningful participation in life after high school, yet many school-based occupational therapy practitioners report uncertainty regarding their role within this process. This course provides practitioners with an occupation-based framework for understanding transition planning through the lens of the Multi-Tiered System of Supports (MTSS). Participants will explore common barriers, examine occupational therapy's role in supporting postsecondary readiness, and learn practical strategies for implementation, advocacy, and sustainability. By the conclusion of the course, practitioners will leave with evidence-based resources and tools that can be immediately integrated into school-based practice. Learning Objectives Learners will explain the foundational concepts, terminology, and importance of postsecondary transition planning as they relate to student readiness for adulthood. Learners will identify common barriers faced by students, families, educators, and therapists during the transition from school-to-adulthood process. Learners will define the occupational therapy practitioner’s role in occupation-based postsecondary transition planning. Learners will apply occupation-based strategies that support postsecondary readiness in educational, vocational, and independent living domains. Learners will integrate advocacy, implementation, and sustainability strategies into school-based occupational therapy practice to support postsecondary transition planning. Your Instructor Taylor Rhodes, OTS Taylor Rhodes is a second-year doctoral student in the Doctor of Occupational Therapy program at Hawaii Pacific University. She earned her Bachelor of Science in Psychology from Georgia State University. Throughout her undergraduate studies, Taylor worked in healthcare and pediatric settings, where she discovered her passion for occupational therapy. These experiences, along with working closely with students across a variety of roles, inspired her commitment to helping students build the skills and confidence needed for successful transitions beyond high school. Contact Hours This course is 2 hour in length. (0.2 AOTA CEUs) OTSchoolhouse.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #0252. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy As an AOTA-Approved provider of professional development, OTSchoolhouse.com courses are accepted by NBCOT® at a rate of 1.25 NBCOT PDUs per each hour of course content. NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Purchase Options - Collab Find The Collab Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Perfect for OTPs looking to keep up with evidence through school-based specific CEUs and core resources Join Essentials Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) Earn 50+ hours worth of CEUs Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Designed for OTPs seeking for support implementing the most recent evidence and best practices Join Impact Learn Access to this course & 40+ live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) (9.5 hours of CEUs) The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Earn Professional development by listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast (ultimate time saver) Support + Mentorship The "OTP Lounge" to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Non-CEU events and discussions (eg. Journal club calls, assessment reviews, etc) Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank ($99 value) Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular Start simple. Grow when you’re ready. Many school-based OTPs join Essentials for CEUs and core resources, then upgrade to the Impact Tier when they want mentorship, advanced tools, the Back to School Conference, and deeper support. Members often tell us that the tools and mentorship they receive within the Impact Tier finally allow them to feel supported as school-based OTs. Join Essentials Join Impact Agenda 0-5 minutes Introduction 5-30 minutes Foundations of Postsecondary Transition Planning 30-55 minutes Understanding the Barriers 55-75 minutes Occupational Therapy's Role 75–95 minutes Advocating for the OTP's Role Within the Transition Team 95-120 minutes Implementation and Sustainability Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the School-based OT Collaborative . The Collab is an online community dedicated to providing school-based OT practitioners with highly valuable professional development and interactive support to implement learned strategies. In The Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the School-based OT Collaborative and watch this course inside our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods An asynchronous course with a combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck and resources. 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 Taylor's course is being developed as part of my doctoral capstone project at Hawaii Pacific University. I do not receive compensation from any products, services, or resources discussed throughout this presentation. Sponsor Disclosure The OTS Collaborative Community is a product of the OT Schoolhouse. Content Disclosure This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service. Schoolhouse Education, LLC is proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider of Professional Development AOTA-Approval for this Professional Development Opportunity is in progress. Stay Tuned! Terms and Conditions Schoolhouse Education, LLC will keep a record of your completed CE courses. When applicable, transcript services may include reporting to professional associations and/or state licensure boards. While Schoolhouse Education, LLC will make all reasonable efforts to offer CE credit for its courses, it is not responsible for state or national, or regulatory current policies or changes in CE requirements that may make courses ineligible for CE credits. Participant Agreement By registering for or attending any event or activity associated with the Schoolhouse Education, LLC and OT Schoolhouse, I agree to the following: Professional Development/Information Disclaimer The material presented in this course is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the occupational therapy and/or medical condition or professional development issues being discussed but rather is intended to present the opinions of the presenters, which may be helpful to other health care professionals at arriving at their own conclusions and consequent application. Attendees participating in this professional development education program do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the A-Z School-Based OT Course, Schoolhouse Education, LLC, and OT School House and its staff or representatives for reliance on any information presented during these educational activities. Waiver of Liability Agreement I release Schoolhouse Education, LLC, OT Schoolhouse, and its staff, presenters, and any other individuals or entities associated with this course from any and all liability connected with my participation, as well as from any liability related to changes to the schedule, events or activities. I acknowledge and agree that I am participating on my own choice and assume all risk in connection thereof and that in the event that a need for emergency medical service arises, I authorize and consent to such services being provided at my own expense. Cancelation & Refund Policy In the event that Schoolhouse Education, LLC must cancel the event for any reason, participants will be offered a credit toward the rescheduled event. OT Schoolhouse Collaborative subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time. Purchase Options - Collab Find the Membership that’s Right for You Whether you’re just getting started in school-based OT or looking for CEUs, mentorship, and implementation support, The Collab has a membership tier built for your needs. Purchase Options - course Essentials CEUs (including this one), core resources, and community for school-based OTPs $249 / year Join Essentials Learn Access to this course and over 40 live-online and recorded AOTA-Approved CEUs ($1500+ value) The A–Z School-Based OT Course ($399 value) Support Access to the "OTP Lounge" forum to ask experienced OTPs for support without judgement Implement Access resources directly tied to accessible CEU courses Not included in Essentials: Live Mentorship Collaboration Hours The Back to School Conference The OT Schoolhouse Goal Bank The Caseload-to-Workload Course Custom-trained AI tools to save you time & energy Our Library of over 100 ready-to-use school-based OT resources Impact Full Access to ALL Resources, CEUs, Mentorship, & Back to School Conference $499 / year Join Impact Learn Everything in Essentials, plus: The Back to School Conference ($419 value) The Caseload-to-Workload Course ($299 value) Support + Mentorship Access the OTP Lounge, plus: Live-on-Zoom Q&A sessions (Collab Hours) with Jayson and the OTS Team Opportunities for 1:1 mentorship calls with Jayson and the OTS Team Implement Access ALL downloadable templates, tools, & checklists ($299+ value) The OT Schoolhouse Goal & Treatment Bank Curated evidence abstracts and links Access to AI tools to save you time most popular ^ Back to top of page ^

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

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!