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Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 190 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Get ready to blast off into a powerful new way of understanding sensory processing in schools. In this episode, Danielle Pluth and Ruth Isaac—Canadian occupational therapists and creators of the Good Sense OT Rocket Ship —share the innovative visual framework that’s transforming how OTs assess, communicate, and support student participation. The Rocket Ship helps therapists differentiate sensory-based behaviors from other performance factors , guiding you from foundational sensory regulation all the way up through sensory-motor, reflexes, perceptual motor skills, interoception, and cognitive functions at the top of the “rocket.” This structure gives OTPs a clear map for identifying root causes of behavior and choosing targeted, meaningful school-based strategies that go far beyond “wiggle cushions and chewelry.” Whether you’re brand-new to sensory integration or have years of experience, this conversation will deepen your clinical reasoning, strengthen your confidence, and help you clearly communicate sensory needs to teachers, parents, and IEP teams. If you’ve been searching for a practical, visually powerful way to explain sensory processing to your teams and build stronger intervention plans, the Good Sense Rocket Ship may be exactly what you’ve been missing. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Understand the Good Sense Rocketship Framework and its application in addressing sensory-related behaviors in school-based OT practice. Learn strategies to identify and assess sensory processing challenges and their impact on students' functional performance. Explore effective interventions to support regulation, sensory-motor development, and collaboration with educators and parents. Guest(s) Bio Danielle Pluth is an OT in Medicine Hat, Alberta Canada. She graduated from the University of Alberta in 2002. She worked in various areas before starting her business Advance OT where her team provides OT services in local schools, community and their sensory clinic. Danielle has done extensive post graduate education in the area of sensory and OT. In addition, she completed her SIPT certification in 2016. Danielle has created a universal sensory program for teachers and parents that has been used throughout schools in her division since 2008 called Good Sense for Teachers and Parents. Ruth Isaac is an OT who has worked in pediatrics for 20 years. She studied at the University of Manitoba and has been working exclusively in pediatrics since 2005. She has worked with Danielle at Advance OT since 2008. Ruth has also done extensive post graduate education in the area of sensory and OT. In addition she complete her SIPT training in 2012 and completed the University of Southern California's Sensory Integration Certification program (OT610)in 2017. Ruth has created a universal fine motor program for teachers and parents that has also been used throughout schools in her division since 2007 called Fine Fun for Teachers and Parents. In 2021, Danielle and Ruth created Good Sense for OTs to fill the gap to help all OTs feel confident in using a sensory processing lens for OT services in the school and clinic setting. She is passionate about educating as many OTs as possible in this area to help change kid's lives. Quotes ”The first layer was looking at regulation, being out of that just right state. Thinking about how sensory is coming out as an output in motor sort of a way. And it's a foundation as well. And it can also impact regulation. -Ruth Isaac “Often we see behavior being that tip of the iceberg. And we want to have a lens or a way to look at what's going on below the surface.” -Ruth Isaac "The semicircular canals are going to tell me is my head up, is it down, is it spinning around, and that information is going to feed the muscles around my eyes for eye coordination." -Danielle Pluth “Connect the dots and make it super easy for someone to understand, why I'm working on sensory regulation and how that is impacting daily living activities or academic learning and hitting all the other sections in between.” -Jayson Davies Resources 👉 Good Sense Rocketship Framework 👉 Instagram Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there school based ot practitioners. This is Jayson, and you're listening to Episode 190 of the OT school house podcast. Thanks so much for clicking play on this episode, and I hope it provides you with precisely the sensory information that you need in this moment today, I'm thrilled to welcome Danielle pluth And Ruth Isaac, the creators of the good sense ot framework, this pair of OT practitioners based in Canada have developed an incredible visual tool called the good sense rocket ship that will make it super easy for you to understand and address all the sensory processing concerns that you may see in your school practice. If you've ever struggled to explain the connection between sensory challenges and classroom behaviors, or if you found yourself handing out fidgets without a clear framework for why you're doing that, this is the episode for you. Danielle and Ruth will break down their comprehensive approach that goes far beyond wiggle cushions and jewelry without explanation to help you confidently assess and address your students sensory needs, you'll learn how to trace behaviors back to their sensory foundations and communicate effectively with teachers and parents using this powerful visual model. Whether you're new to sensory integration or an experienced practitioner, you'll gain practical strategies to elevate your practice immediately. Stay tuned as we blast off with the good sense rocket ship framework.    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     Danielle and Ruth, welcome to the OT school house podcast. There's two of you here today, so I'm going to do my best to prompt you. So Danielle, how are you doing this afternoon?    Danielle Pluth     Oh, I'm doing well. Thank you. Yeah, it's beautiful here.    Jayson Davies     So yeah. And Ruth, how about you? How are you doing?     Ruth Isaac     Doing good. I'm excited to be here and chat with you.    Jayson Davies     Yes, and this is a special occasion, because it's happened a few times, but this is one of the times that we are speaking to an occupational therapist combo here that are not in the United States. So why don't you go ahead one of you share a little bit about where you are and kind of the setting that you're in.    Danielle Pluth     Sure, we are in medicine, Hat, Alberta, Canada. We work within we have contracts with the school divisions here, and we also have a clinic, so we see children privately within the clinic and also in the community and in their homes. So our city is about 60,000 people or so, and we're in all the school divisions here.    Ruth Isaac     One of one of our school districts is a lot of driving. I drive two hours to get to one of my schools and two hours to get back. That's the farthest one.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah. So it's fairly large region of southeastern Alberta, wow.    Jayson Davies     So that is a very large area to have to cover really quickly, because I think you are a little familiar with school based ot in the States, at least from you know, just, I know you haven't practiced here, but you've heard about it. If you kind of had to quickly explain to someone just the differences, like, how do you describe it as being similar or different to school based ot where we follow, or in the states where we follow, idea, we have a lot like, we have our own caseload and whatnot. Is it similar to that in Alberta, or is it a little different?    Danielle Pluth     I think so. I mean, we have, they're called ISPs, that we follow like so documents that the teachers will write that have the functional goals and whatnot in there. A lot of our recommendations are in there, along with speech and physio. We have kind of a set amount of time per school division, and then we have a lot of freedom to determine how we do our service delivery with regards to OT and OT assistant. What I've heard from the States, it sounds like you guys are a bit, maybe a bit more restricted with you have to really say how much time you're spending per child per week. Those kinds of things. We don't have those kinds of restrictions, so we can kind of flow a bit more within our service delivery, from Universal to groups to direct one to one. We probably can't do as much direct one to one as we sometimes hear that you can do down in the States. But even that, I don't know for sure, we tend to be more of a consultative model. Our ot assistance would do more of maybe, like direct like treatment groups and stuff like that that we've oversee. I think.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. I think that kind of is a good, good idea. It gives people a good sense of what's going on. So today we're here to talk about the good sense program that you two have developed and put together and are now even providing training for and I had the pleasure of sitting in on one of your webinars a few months ago, and just so excited to have you all here, because I was like, Oh, this is awesome. I want to bring it to everyone here on the OT school house podcast. Yeah. But before we dive into kind of the the nitty gritty of it and talk about. This really cool, good sense rocket ship you have here, I want to ask you, like, what inspired you to develop this program? What was the problem that you saw, and what was the problem that you aim to solve?    Ruth Isaac     Well, we've been working for a little while. It's probably over 20 years ago, and we never really okay, it's hard to admit, but we never really knew exactly like, the theory that we were using. We were just, like, eclectic. We're just doing a little bit of everything. And I think we've all been at that place at 1.0 yeah, where you're trying a little of this, and you're trying a little of that, and you're trying a little of this. And we just realized that we needed more of some structure to help guide and support us as we were doing our treatment and as we worked at mentoring more people in our community here, or our group of therapists.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah, I think we've come a long ways. Like in the early 2000s sensory theory was pretty new in Canada, and it was pretty kind of ooga booga To be honest, like people didn't really so, yeah, it was kind of new, and initially, like, a lot of our referrals were for like, wiggle cushions and fidgets and like things that eventually you're like, wait a minute, I think I can do more as an OT and we really didn't get much training on sensory theory in school. So both Ruth and I went down to the states, and we did all of our SIP training, and Ruth did the OT 610 so all that extra stuff that we brought back here, we started developing universal programming for the schools, because we're like, you know what? You guys can trial legal cushions and fidgets. So we developed a good sense, actually, for teachers, program that is a step by step program to help them implement strategies in the classroom. And then what was happening is our education kind of just really took off, and as we would get new therapists in, they just wouldn't be at the same level that we needed them to be. And what the schools were now expecting us to know, because we are supposed to be the sensory experts, right? So I kind of progressed where, you know, we needed, like, an in between. We can't send everybody away all the time.    Ruth Isaac     To all the different therapy, like, yeah, like, trainings, right? Not everybody    Danielle Pluth     can do all, yeah, we've done so many. I mean, when, when you have like, 15 years, we're worth a post grad education, right? So just needing to pull that together, and we decided to come up with our own sort of training model. And then it just kind of grew and grew where we ended up developing a framework, and that framework now, you know, it's what we use every day when we're working, and it's what we train our staff in. And then we decided, you know, let's try to make an online course, because it looked like it'd be so easy, but, and we just, we're very passionate about sensory, so we wanted to bring that to everyone out there who's interested, right? To have a way to use leaders really feel sensory is really occupational, like, based in an occupational therapist invented it. So we want, we want to own sensory and we want to make sure OTs are trained to be able to run with it right out of university. Because a lot of schools don't teach, even teach the theory, let alone how to then functionally use it out when you're working.    Ruth Isaac     So yeah, and I think that our different areas where we work are looking to us to be the experts, and so we want to be at the table. We want to be having these conversations, and we want to be showing what we can do as occupational therapists. And we don't want to be this, that the other thing and just trying different things. We want to have a structure and a way of approaching how we're providing service.    Jayson Davies     Awesome and that kind of I have two follow ups here, but I'll start with this one. As you mentioned, you in the system that you're in, you work both in a clinic and also from a school perspective, as you were developing good sense, did you find that it catered more to one versus the other? Does it fit for both? Kind of how did that develop?    Danielle Pluth     It fits for both? Yeah, yeah. It's the foundation of how we do OT services here. So we developed the good sense rocket ship framework, and that's specifically looking at the child from a sensory theory, sensory lens. But we are also using it within like a PEO model, where we're still looking at the environment around the child and the tasks themselves. So we can use it in the school, and we can use it in the clinic, in the schools. The other thing about it is, as you use it for your clinical reasoning, for how you're assessing and then coming up with your intervention strategies, you can decide where on the rocket you kind of want to start, and are you going to take more of a bottom up approach or a top down depending on. Environment around the child. So if you're in a more consultative model, you might do more of a top down approach to help children in those areas to optimally function within their let's say, their classroom, whereas if I'm seeing them in the clinic, I might be able to do more of a bottom up approach, because I can go a bit more with actual treatment and intervention to make you know, impact some of their functioning within that that theory as well, if that makes sense. And we also look, even within the school, how much can we do some bottom up as well? I think what it helps the most is to help you to know where are my biggest priorities, and how am I going to intervene? So I know for sure. Am I doing a top down? Am I doing a bottom up? And who around the child is going to do what? So we might have an OT assistant or an educational assistant doing some of the bottom up stuff, and we might be doing more of the top down or vice versa, just depending on who's available. So it helps that whole thought process, no matter where you are, even if you're in the clinic, it might be, what can parents be doing to help support the child as well?    Jayson Davies     Awesome, perfect. And then the other follow up that I had here was because it's really hard these days to talk about sensory without talking behavior, and so I wanted to get kind of your take on as you were developing this, like, how was that conversation in your own mind? Because I'm sure you anticipated people asking you about sensory and behavior. I'm sure you've been asked about sensory behavior and behavior plenty of times. So how did that kind of work its way into the good sense program? And how do you share that with people?    Ruth Isaac     I think that often we see behavior being that tip of the iceberg, right? And we want to have a lens or a way to look at what's going on below the surface. Sometimes, maybe we've seen where people will say, OTs behavior, and then we don't get involved. And when we're like, oh, somebody else has to deal with that. That's not something that we can deal with. And we feel pretty strongly that actually using a sensory frame of reference can be a great way to help navigate and support a child who's having difficulties and having different behaviors. And there might be different reasons as to why you might be seeing those behaviors. If we're thinking about the good sense rocket ship, those behaviors are things that are at the very top right and and we're looking at what else could be going on there that could be impacting.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah, like, if they are over responsive to noise or touch or movement at the bottom of the rocket ship, that could be impacting their behavior, they're going into fight or flight, or they're going into shutdown. You can have kids who have poor postural control in the middle part of the rocket that can impact their breathing and their regulation that way they might have a startle reflex that's impacting like so they're, yeah, I think we, we really feel like it's our job as occupational therapists to own sensory and to use our lens to bring to the table what might be going on for the child as for that piece of the pie, right? There could be other reasons why they're having behaviors other pieces of the pie, but I think it's super important that we bring that full assessment piece there to show you know because, and if they are struggling with those areas, we definitely want to figure out how to help them with those areas. And maybe it's not going to solve everything, but it's going to solve or help that piece of the pie.    Ruth Isaac     Because there's no, there's so many, there's so many reasons that could be going on. That's why that tip of the iceberg.     Danielle Pluth     Yeah, we are also really lucky with the division that we're working in that, you know, like 20 years ago, them seeing, wanting to have a more proactive approach, and being really supportive with us, getting sensory strategies universally in place. And we've seen a huge shift within our division with having universal strategies in the classroom for all kids, having hallway sensory stuff in place for some kids, and then we have sensory rooms for a few kids who need that even extra input. So we've been able to see over the years how much this approach can impact those behaviors overall. So to us, it's just, it's for sure, it's so obvious you absolutely have to Yeah, yeah, awesome. Take a look at that part for every child that we work with.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. And I love, I mean, I remember sitting here and watching the presentation you all, you both gave. And I remember sitting here you talked about evaluation, Danielle, I believe. And I was sitting here like, just thinking about how this is so helpful. Like every ot can just print this out and kind of fill this out as part of their, you know, part of their evaluation, part of their occupational therapy profile, like this can really help you to better understand a student. We're going to dive into the rocket ship here in just a moment, but first we're going to take a quick break, and we'll be right back all right, and we are back here with Danielle and Ruth and. We're going to dive into the good sense ot rocket ship. But before we do, I want to let you all know that Danielle and Ruth have been very kind and are providing a way for you to get the good sense ot rocket ship PDF. So be sure to check out the show notes. You'll find a link there. You'll head over to their actual their website, where you'll be able to get that resource for yourself. So let's go ahead and dive in to the rocket ship here, and I'll let one of you take the lead here and share with us, kind of where we start.    Ruth Isaac     So if you imagine in your brain, because it's a podcast, if you imagine how a rocket ship looks, it's just a fun visual way to show how things build on top of each other, a little reminder that there are things around a rocket ship, if you imagine being in space, there's other things that could be impacting, like fuel or asteroids or things like that, and that might be like sleep or nutrition or home life and all of those pieces that, of course, are going to impact.    Jayson Davies     I just have to say, really quickly, I'm sorry to cut you off, Ruth, but I love that you just like, work the combo model in here, like that is awesome. I love it.    Ruth Isaac     There we go. But, but, like, the rocket ship itself is looking at the sensory but, of course, there's other things going on around there, right? And so when you're looking at that, Danielle kind of talked about starting at the top or starting at the bottom for the point of now we'll start at the bottom and we'll work our way up.    Danielle Pluth     Okay? And I think we mentioned earlier too. So the good sense rocket ship is a framework to look at the child that you're working at with within their environment, and then the tasks as well.    Ruth Isaac     So excellent. So at the bottom of the rocket ship, that's where we're thinking about sensory regulation. So this is where we're looking at visual, auditory, tactile, vestibular, taste and smell, proprioception, overuse, and how that might impact your ability to be in a just right state.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah, and when we're looking at this. We're looking at how, yeah, how does this area impact this child? And in our course, we go in a lot more detail with regards to looking at, like, what would a profile of this child be, what's the neurology, what's the assessments that you would do, and then what's the interventions and recommendations? But what we like about this is, as you're doing your assessment, you can start kind of plotting on there how this child is impacted from a sensory lens, and we have down the side of it, fight or flight, too fast, just right, calm, freeze, kind of all down there as well.    Jayson Davies     Yeah. Quick question on that actually, really, if I may, obviously, I have it right in front of me, and hopefully everyone's going to your website so they can get it too. You talked about how you have the visual, auditory, vestibular probe, tag, taste and smell here. Do you tend to get this data by talking to the student, talking to the parents, the teacher? Do you tend to use something like the SPM sensory profile? Obviously, you both have extensive experience, and I'm sure you can get a lot just from observation. But what are some of the different ways that you use to get this data?    Danielle Pluth     So yeah, we like to use the sensory processing measure. Sometimes we'll use the sensory profile, and so we'll get a background, basically sensory history from the parents and also the teacher. And what's kind of unique about our good sense rocket ship is we've put on there the areas that we feel can put you into fight or flight or so we have like, over responsive to touch. You can see on our rocket ship we have that higher up as a thing that could send a child into that fight or flight. We don't. What's different about our approach is we don't say you can be over responsive and under responsive to touch. So you're not going to see touch below the just right state on our rocket this might be confusing until people actually look at the rocket ship, but you'll see on there that we have under responsive to vestibular as something that can cause you to be under the just right state. So our approach is a little bit unique that way. And what it does is, when you're then mapping it out, it really helps clarify from a sensory lens what's actually impacting regulation. So you'll never hear us say they scored out, over and under in every single area, and it's all definite difference. We can't figure out how sensory is impacting them at all. You'll never hear us say that, because we can clearly map it out as to what's what they're actually over responsive to, versus under responsive. And we have it that if you're under responsive to touch, we have that higher up in the rocket ship into sensory motor.    Ruth Isaac     So we're jumping up, yeah.    Danielle Pluth     But I think it's a thing to really clarify, like that's something that a lot of OTs we see struggling with, and that our framework will help you to not struggle with, yeah.    Jayson Davies     And so as you move up into that next level, you do have sensory motor and under under sensory motor. You've got vestibular probe, tactile bilateral coordination, ocular motor and postural control listed. So I'll let you all share a little bit.     Ruth Isaac     So there, as you've moved up in the rocket ship that are the good sense rocket ship, excuse me, there is your sensory motor output. We're taking in that sensory information, we're processing it, and then that can impact our output. And there's a difference here, right the first layer was looking at regulation being out of that just right state. Now we're thinking about how sensory is coming out as an output in motor, sort of a way, and it's a foundation as well, and it can also impact regulation. And there's an example that we talked about earlier, is if you have poor postural control, that actually might be impacting your regulation overall. You might look super wiggly and having a hard time focusing, but it might actually be more related to the sensory motor versus the sensory regulation.     Danielle Pluth     Yeah. So helping you to come up with those kinds of hypothesis. And for a long time, I really, I mean, maybe it's obvious to everyone else, I really struggled with how sensory, sensory regulation, sensory motor were related. And now I feel like I've such a clear picture of how they fit.    Jayson Davies     Danielle, you are definitely not alone in that. Trust me, there are many OTs listening right now that totally feel what you just said right now. Like, that is hard. And then you start talking about praxis, and it's like, the same thing, right? Like, Praxis versus executive functioning and stuff like that. Like, yeah, the sensory world is confusing until you get the education.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah, yeah. And I think, and then having that, that framework right to see that, you know, Praxis is higher, even higher up. And you know, and you need to have your intact proprioceptive and vestibular and tactile motor systems to then have good praxis, good motor planning. And so, you know, if you're jumping, you know, if you find out that your child struggling with motor planning, you have to look lower down to see what's going on in that framework before you can address it. Yeah, so then it just becomes way less overwhelming, because you can figure out where to start and what you're looking at.    Jayson Davies     All right, so I just got an idea, because so many people reach out to me and they're like, the teacher thinks they know everything about sensory. The ABA therapist thinks they know everything about sensory. The admin thinks they know everything about sensory. If that's the case, send them the last two minutes of this podcast and let them see if they still know everything about sensory. I'm just gonna    Danielle Pluth     say that right now. Oh yeah, very complex, but yeah, sorry, keep going.     Jayson Davies     Yeah. No, it is complex. You're right, and we're gonna start moving into what I think makes the good sense rocket ship very unique here, because in a lot of sensory courses that I've taken, they talk about regulation, they talk about sensory motor talk about modulation a little bit, but the next four phases of the good sense rocket ship are often not really addressed in sensory courses here. So the next level up on my screen, it's yellow. So if you have the color version, it's yellow. It's sensory reflexes. And I really like that you have built this in there. So I'll let you talk about that.     Ruth Isaac     Yeah. So on this level, now we are looking at the sensory reflexes, and we're looking at some of the commonly seen reflexes in the classroom, right? So the moral, the tonic lab, atnr, stnr, the spinal glont. There's more, but these are the main ones that we see functionally in the classroom. And we just see how there's an impact there on the higher levels of the rocket ship, and these are impacted by the lower parts of the rocket ship. So again, I know that with reflexes, we need to be careful, right? Because we don't want to just address reflexes. We need to have a functional output for it. But if we seeing a reflex, what else is going on below it that could be causing that? Right? All of those reflexes are based on some of the way that we process the sensory motor and potentially some of the sensory regulation as well. So it's building up as we go up the rocket ship.     Danielle Pluth     So yeah, when you're looking at reflexes, we want to make sure our staff are also looking at that underlying sensory motor systems that play into that. And reflexes is kind of one of those controversial areas in the OT world, but we've seen differences when we address them so clinically, we see that it helps children. So that's why we've added it into our into our rocket ship.    Jayson Davies     And I want to go back Ruth that you were talking about, why you put the sensory reflexes there, kind of in the middle of the rocket ship, because I have very little training in reflexes, and it was kind of my perception and the limited experiences that I have that it could potentially be at the bottom of the rocket ship. And I don't know if this is you kind of alluded to, and I would just want to let you kind of reiterate that a little bit, why it's kind of at the middle as opposed to somewhere else.    Danielle Pluth     Yeah. Yeah, that's a good question, because I think, yeah, some people will think that's the first thing to get integrated. But as a baby, as you're developing the vestibular system and the proprioceptive and touch system that that sensory motor level, that's how you are then integrating those reflexes. So they're foundational to the integration of the reflexes, and that's why we have it higher up, because most often, if you do have a reflex that's not integrated, it's because you have a delay underneath in that sensory motor system, in the vestibular or the probe or the tactile. So we want to make sure therapists aren't just jumping right to that reflexes. We want to make sure they're digging deeper to see what's going on underlying.     Ruth Isaac     Exactly, digging deeper.     Jayson Davies     Yeah, I think that's important. Because, like, you kind of said, I think a lot of the trainings, especially if it's not from an OT perspective, a lot of the popular professional development courses out there about reflexes, often call that the base level, and they don't necessarily look deeper.    Danielle Pluth     No, no, and they kind of, like, sell it as like, oh, you test the reflex this way, and then this is the exact exercise you do without you really clinically reasoning through why you're doing what you're doing. So I think it's important to understand that's how we've decided that it fits best, and, and that's Yeah, and we want to make sure that we're addressing those underlying things, yeah.    Ruth Isaac     Yeah. And I think that's then some of those reflexes also can go all the way down and impact regulation. That's where, like, the moral, that startle reflex, right? Like, oh, what was that? And then OT, we're out of that just right state, and we're into a different dysregulated place. So as we're working up the rocket ship, you can see how, as we're going up, things higher can impact all the way down to the bottom, as well as from the bottom, impacting things moving up.    Danielle Pluth     That's one thing we don't have on there. Is kind of arrows coming down. But that is what happens, like when we were talking about if postural control impacts your regulation, you need a little arrow OOP down to regulation, or if that startle reflex down to regulation. So, great point.    Jayson Davies     Great point. Because when we often think about a lot of the theories that we learn, you know, even in elementary school, a lot of things are used in a pyramid, type of MTSS, right? Is an example, level one, level two, level three. But oftentimes it's the top of the pyramid is impacted by the bottom, not vice versa. But the rocket ship goes both ways.    Danielle Pluth     Exactly, even the way we have the too fast, too slow, just right, shut down, you know, down the side of the rocket ship there. We know that that can be circular. It's just, how do you make a model that you can use? That's, you know, we it's, we couldn't make it in a circle, so we didn't know how.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, totally get it all right. So we covered sensory regulation at the base of the rocket, sensory motor at the next level, and then sensory reflexes. What's next?    Ruth Isaac     Now we're up to the perceptual motor, and this is the area that, like most occupational therapists are super familiar with. This is where fine motor fits in. This is where Praxis is in there. There's other pieces in there as well, but those are the pieces that often we know that really well. Again, what could be going on at that level that could be impacting all the way down to the bottom? So if we've got a kid who's really struggling with fine motor skills, for example, that might be causing all sorts of dysregulation, or the opposite way, it could be going all the way up to the way up to the top and impacting the behaviors, right? We're looking at how it's a moving framework, right, right?    Danielle Pluth     And it helps you to be an advocate for your child, to be able to say, like, yes, you're seeing these behaviors up at the top, because they actually, you know, I've had kids in grade seven and eight or whatever who are scoring first percentile on the berry VMI, and nobody realized they had these extreme fine motor delays that were then actually playing into the behaviors they were seeing in the classroom. So I think that's really important when we're able to show that.    Ruth Isaac     As they're moving up and then higher up, that's where we've thrown in, introception, right? The like being aware of hunger and thirst and pain, temperature, your bowel, your bladder and and a lot of our kids, they don't maybe are not as aware of these, like, not like ear quiet, but like quieter sensations within your body, right? And so because everything else below can be so overwhelming, from regulation, from motor reflexes, from perceptual motor, all of those things could be impacting so they're not really as aware of that interception piece. And then, and then you're up at the top, and there we are at the beginning again, with that cognition, right, academics, behaviors, activities of daily living. This is where our referrals come from, right teachers, parents, they're they see and they know that there's issues up there, and they're saying to us, hey, help what's what's going on, and we're able to look at what more could be going on underneath there.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I love how you frame that, like that's where the referrals are coming from, because that's truly as like, we get a referral for handwriting. We don't get a referral for proprioception and bilateral. Motor coordination. Like, yeah. All right. All right. So now that we have this rocket ship framework here, for the good sense rocket ship framework, I want to get a sense for how you actually use it during your evaluation, and maybe we'll go into intervention a little bit, but I'm like envisioning printing this out for every single student that I evaluate, and just marking the heck out of it. And I want to know if that's what you all do, or how do you kind of use it in the evaluation process?    Danielle Pluth     Yes, we have kind of an expanded we basically we have a background observation form that's color we really are into this color coding thing. Our background observation form is color coded to match the rocket, and that's where we put so when I go out to see a child, depending on how much time I have for the child, I mean, in an ideal world, I get a sensory processing measure history done on everybody. I then am going to do my clinical observations based on like earn a Blanchet kind of stuff to help look like the sensory motor pieces. I'm going to do some kind of fine motor screen or assessment. I'm going to talk to the teacher. I might do a classroom observation. And again, all of that is going to depend on the severity, the case load and whatnot, for how in depth I go at each level of the rocket. So basically we have, you know, different assessments that we would do, or different observations at each at each level, and then pulling that together, basically that is where you could mark up the rocket to start seeing, where are you seeing all of the different areas of concern that might be impacting the child's function. And then we do have a color coded initial visit summary to then relay that information to the teachers. And if I will pull out the actual rocket to explain my report to them and show them where my thinking is coming from, and my recommendations, then, as well, are also based on all the areas of the rocket. So whether I'm going to start at the top or the bottom, all of that I outline in my visit summary. So that's how I I use it every single day. So yeah, that's always in the back of the now it's pretty much in the back of my mind. I don't necessarily need the print ot right in front of me, but.    Ruth Isaac     The thing that I like about it as well is that you, once you've marked it up, then you can start to see like, Oh man, I'm doing a lot of circling around one specific area that is going to guide me in my report and in my interventions. And then, if you're at a meeting with a parent, you also have that visual right in front of you. You have a teacher, you have that visual right in front of you. I think we talk about having visuals for kids, but I think we as adults need visuals to help guide us as well, right? Yeah, and then that way it can help to focus you. Where am I going to start my intervention? Sometimes that rocket ship for a kid can be completely like circled every area, almost right. Some kids, you start to see a pattern where you're like, oh, okay, well, I'm just gonna really target a certain area. But yeah, I would use this, this handout a lot, obviously, a little shameless plug for our course, would be to come and learn more about all of those pieces.     Danielle Pluth     But yeah, it's definitely used for my assessment, my clinical reasoning, and for my intervention, the whole process, and then communicating it to everybody, yeah, and it helps us to just feel super confident in knowing why I'm recommending what I'm recommending. I can easily trace it all the way back and show you exactly why do I have that kid on a bungee? I can trace it right back to where I am on the rocket. What the neurology is, what assessments I used, and I can lay it all out for you, which is super helpful.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, that's perfect. I love the idea of visualization. I mean, I don't know, in our conference room at many of our schools, we always had the bell chart, like, just so we could kind of show a parent, like, this is the bell chart for the assessment, and where, where the student is on the assessment, mostly used by the psychologist. But, yeah. All right, well, we're going to take one final break, and when we come back, we'll dive into some intervention strategies with Danielle and Ruth. All right, we are back with Danielle and Ruth, and we're going to dive just a little bit into the idea of using the good sense framework and the rocket ship to help you collaborate and educate others when working with a student. And then we're going to talk about some intervention and advocacy pieces as we wrap up. So the question here is, how do you really use the good sense framework, and I can imagine the visuals being helpful to really help parents to understand or to help teachers understand maybe why behavior is impacting sensory or being impacted by sensory, or maybe even how sensory motor is being impacted by another area.    Danielle Pluth     We like to talk. Um, a lot about and train our staff a lot in we call them little elevator pitches. Basically is, how can you quickly summarize what's going on? So a very quick example might be the vestibular system. So being able to say in a meeting like, you know, little Johnny is over responsive to movement, so it's harder for his movement system to get the input that it needs. And the movement systems in our inner ear, and we have like the semicircular canals are going to tell me, is my head up? Is it down? Is it spinning around? And that information is going to feed the muscles around my eyes for eye coordination. It's going to feed my cerebellum for bilateral coordination, for using both my hands to cut and those kinds of things. And it's going to impact the extensor muscles of my neck for that postural control to keep me upright. And so we'll use little spiels like that to then link it to the top of the rocket ship to show functionally, what they're seeing. So just having little spiels for like, all parts of the rocket ship, and then being able to quickly link it so I feel like I can quickly explain, in a pretty succinct way, of how the different areas are impacting the child so.    Ruth Isaac     And it also helps us to think about, are we doing treatment, or are we doing an accommodation? Right? For example, like, if you've got poor postural control, right, first off, accommodation, make sure those feet are flat on the floor, right? Do they have foot support? Something as simple as that, some different seating options, right? All of these things that we know, but it just helps us to say, okay, that's what we're targeting. Is the postural control of the sensory motor, let's say, and we're doing an accommodation teacher. Here's a quick something I want you to use this. This is why, or maybe we are looking at more of an intervention strategy, right? Could we work at something like just keeping it really simple, getting on the floor, doing some tummy time, where that body is in an extended position? Can they hold that position for a little while.    Danielle Pluth     Or we might give specific exercises that will ask them, you know, for six weeks, can you do these once a day? Because we're targeting this area to help that posture control, so that they can now sit at circle time, you know. So just keep bringing it back to here's where we're targeting. Here's what we're using to target that area, and why the functional impact, and so you just get way more buy in then, because people really appreciate knowing the why and the background, and they're just way more willing and excited to do the recommendations, because it just makes more sense to them.    Jayson Davies     I could totally see myself like, I don't know, I don't know if you have this yet, but I would just like, somehow get this on a whiteboard and carry it around, like I'm a coach on a football team, and just like, Hi teacher, look at this. Is the line. This goes here, and then, just like, connect it for them, and connect the dots, and make it super easy for someone to understand. You know, why I'm working on sensory regulation and how that is impacting daily living activities or academic learning, and hitting all the other sections in between, and kind of showing exactly how it how it works. So question here you've talked a little bit about, and this is more from the theory perspective that we talked so far about how you can go up or down the rocket, vice versa, how one part impacts another part, whether it's top to bottom, bottom to top. When it comes to the intervention side, though, how do you start to decide where to start? Do you start down at the bottom with sensory regulation? Do you start with reflexes? Do you start with interoception? I mean, as I kind of just alluded to, you could draw a line all the way down right and hit each part. But then, how do you move from understanding the difficulties to actually deciding where to start?    Danielle Pluth     I think, like you'll notice on our rocket ship, that regulation piece is the biggest chunk, like even size wise, visually, and so typically, that's where we will usually start. Is that regulation piece, we need to make sure kids are regulated before you can even start accessing the higher level of the rocket. So whether you know and you can look at that different ways, you might be looking at that from a universal level, what needs to happen for that child universally? Are there things in the classroom that we can start implementing that can help them do we need to start implementing, you know, heavy work breaks or things like that, and then looking at, maybe for the child specifically, is there different exercises we need to start working on to help them with those overall systems, depending on, again, how much time you have to work with that child, like, if they are tactically defensive, is, do we have time to actually work on that system, or do we need to put accommodations and strategies in place to help them cope and manage with that system, and just knowing that and being able to communicate that to everyone else around them, like, you know, I'm not going to be able to maybe change this child's tactile system at this like the way that they're processing it. That's why we want to make sure we're accommodating. Working for it.    Ruth Isaac     So yeah, and I think it also depends on where you are working right, what your setting is, what you've got. I think having this background helps you to then be creative in where you're using it. And you know your own setting. You know who you have access to, who your extra tools are, if there are extra people, if there are extra resources, what you have available, but at least you have that structured approach, and you're not just grasping at things. It's taking away that guesswork of like, let's try this thing and let's try that thing, and let's try this thing. It's giving you that organization and confidence to then take it to wherever you are using it.     Danielle Pluth     I'm going to know why I want to try different sensory tools and and in saying that too, you know, we might also need to address the fuel to the rocket initially as well. Like, is this child getting any sleep? Are they getting enough nutrition? Some of those things that might be your biggest red flags at the moment that you've got to address first. So it gives you kind of that systematic you could even number on your rocket which ones are your top priorities that you want to intervene with? First, you know, what, what? And also, kind of looking for your biggest bang for your buck. You know, if I have a kid with a startle reflex and dysregulation and postural control issues, what exercises can I give that's going to target kind of more than one area. Is another thing that you can be looking at too.    Jayson Davies     I am totally looking forward to version two of the rocket ship that has like asteroids on the side of the paper. No, but real question though, there's a lot on the good sense rocket ship, right? There's a lot of different areas that we're going to look at. And I know the two of you at this point, you're no longer, I don't know, maybe you do sometimes, but you're not marking it up, like I've talked about, like we've talked about a little bit today, but in your experience with it, do you ever find that one section doesn't have any difficulty, or is it pretty regular that If you're finding some difficulty with cognitive you're also going to find some difficulty in the other aspects as well.    Danielle Pluth     I think, I think what's fun about it, what I enjoy the most is you're building a profile for each child, and so you might be doing a lot of repetitive assessment type work, but in the end, the mapping out looks different for every child. And I think that's what's kind of neat. It keeps you away from getting like I think in the past, I would just get stuck every kid looked the same, you know, you'd kind of just have whereas, I don't know, for this now, I feel like I'm building a profile that's different for every child. And so I would say I've probably hit every area in some kind of combination for kids that I have worked with.    Ruth Isaac     And it's not cookie cutter, and it's not boring. It's, it's, it's individual, and it's and what's, what's that child's needs, and where do they need support? And where is that just who they are, you know? And what are the things that we need to work on and support?    Danielle Pluth     Yeah, and I think too, like, yes, it, the foundation of it is all sensory. But as you get to the top, we have definitely incorporated other areas of OT and even though the like the self care kind of classroom participation area, we look a lot at like kids play skills and developmentally where they're at with their play skills. So using we bring into it different assessment tools that help us figure out those different areas. And so it just keeps it, yeah, very comprehensive and, like, thorough without it being cumbersome. It's not like we're always assessing every single area, but yeah.    Ruth Isaac     and definitely, today we are doing a very fast recap and stronger chip, we could dive in and spend a lot more time talking about each area.    Danielle Pluth     But I think it, yeah, it starts it gives us that framework, and we run with that, with the majority of our kids, and we talk about like we still, we want to get training from all the OT gurus out there, and that's where we end up adding on the asteroids and all that kind of stuff, right? Because there's other thoughts and stuff out there, and we're always bringing it back to see, how does it fit with our model?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. And I think we're down to the last two questions here, and I want to go back to, I can't remember. I think it was Danielle who mentioned earlier about, you know, initially having difficulty understanding sensory regulation, sensory motor and and I know you know, both are providing a lot of professional development, both online through this program, but also just, you know, mentorship within the therapist and OTs that you work with. And so I want to ask you, what are maybe one or two of the hang ups that you find that practitioners often get hung up on when it comes to sensory maybe those who haven't gone through the SIP training, maybe those who haven't attended some of the other, you know, big programs, the CLASI or whatnot. What are some of those, those hang ups that you often see?    Danielle Pluth     Well, okay, I have, I guess, two things when it comes to sensory, motor. What has happened is, I'll give exercise. And people think my exercises are to impact regulation, and they'll say, you know, there was no change in him afterwards. And I have to get them to understand that we're working on the underlying motor system, and it will take longer, maybe, to see changes. So helping them to see that my exercises aren't always just for regulation, that sometimes it's for other areas of the rocket. So that's one area, I think, for OTs, what happens is, if they haven't been trained yet in sensory, What scares me is that they then sometimes want to dismiss it as an area, they'll say, oh, you know, everyone thinks everything is sensory, and it's a super key area. And so I do, I don't want people to just dismiss that, because they can then struggle, like we had said earlier, with interpreting the sensory profile, thinking, Oh, it's all definite differences, and not being able to pull it apart and clinically reason it, and then also getting hung up on evidence. So saying, like, oh, you know, somebody wants me to trial a weighted vest or a neoprene vest, or we just don't get hung up. We feel like, yes, definitely we want more research articles for all the sensory tools and all the things that we do. But I don't think we should constantly just be throwing stuff out because we are not a profession that has a super well established research base yet, and so I worry that we, if we just start throwing that stuff out when it can be effective, that we're doing a disservice to the children that we work with. So we very much believe that through having our framework, it gives us a way to properly assess and come up with interventions and then to trial them. And so, you know, so we use weighted vests, we use neoprene vests, we use brushing, we use the astronaut training. We use therapeutic listening. We do all of those things in the schools in a systematic way that has proven to be extremely effective. And I think that it's sad to me when I hear OTs just say, Oh, I'm not using I'm not touching that because, and maybe it's different down in the States, maybe we have more leeway or whatnot, but we have we track it, we document it, and we see impressive outcomes. So.    Ruth Isaac     And we just don't we stop.     Danielle Pluth     Let me say, yeah. And we just really want OTs to experience, I guess what we're experiencing in the schools, we're having a lot of success with a sensory approach. It's, you know, yeah, so I think I might have just gone, I'm not sure if I went way off your question or.    Jayson Davies     No, that was spot on. You gave, you gave several great answers. I really appreciate that. Ruth, did you want to add anything?    Ruth Isaac     Yeah, I think when you were asking about, like, when the confusion, I remember when I first started, there's there's so much terminology in our profession, and there's so many acronyms, and it can be really complex. And I remember something just as simple as somatosensory and thinking that was a whole nother thing, that's just tactile probe, that's all that is, and sometimes just sharing that basic information with people so that they understand, Oh, we're talking about proprioception. We're talking about tactile that's what that is. And then how does that functionally impact? That's the piece that I feel like was just really eye opening, especially when I'm working with new therapists. And I remember myself wondering, what is going on here, how, what is the difference between these things, and how does that impact? And having a bit of that neurology in the background is also super important, so that you understand what's working there and how it's not ooga booga.    Danielle Pluth     It's actually grounded in science Exactly. Yeah, exactly. And I was gonna add one more thing on to what you were saying there. Go ahead. I was also just gonna add in there that we've spent a lot of time going through that vocabulary. So anytime we go to a new course, or we hear new terminology, we're constantly trying to figure out, okay, what do you exactly mean by sensory seeking, for example, or sensory craving, or, you know, and distilling that down to what it is, and then figuring out how it fits in with what we're already thinking. Do we need to change what we're thinking? Or is that different than what we're thinking? Or does it already fit into what we are thinking? It's just semantics, right? So we've have spent a lot of time figuring those kinds of things out.     Ruth Isaac     And still working on it. Like, I feel like it's a never ending thing, right? He is, yeah, like, and thank goodness, because otherwise I think we would be bored. Yes, I don't want to be bored with what I do. I want to keep pushing myself. I want to keep thinking about how this impacts a child's function overall. And I want to share that passion which we have with other people, so that they can see that as well.    Danielle Pluth     And that's the thing. Like within our community, we have built a whole program around OTs using sex. Sensory intervention, like with regards to our universal strategies, our direct one to one, our sensory rooms in the schools. And it's been a lot of fun to see impact across our whole division of, you know, 15 schools or whatnot. And so it's, it's neat, and it's nice to have something that you keep coming back to, that you keep, you know, we can keep training our teachers and parents and whatnot in it, and we're continuing to have success.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, perfect. Yeah, no, I think that's another five minute segment that people can send to their admin teachers and people who think that they're sensory experts or even another therapist, like, there's a lot to do with sensory and it requires training. And, yeah, it requires training.    Ruth Isaac     Ongoing, right? You never, I don't think you're ever done, like we're still learning as we continue on.    Danielle Pluth     And I think that that's the thing. Like, if we can have the OTs well trained in sensory, then you can really see that sensory is not just wiggle cushions and jewelry. That kind of brings us full circle, back to the beginning, right? So some people can think, Oh, if I give you a box of sand, I'm doing sensory intervention. Well, that's a sensory strategy, but that's not the basis of sensory theory, right? So, yeah, I think there. There's so much more to it and that that I know psychology has really gone into sensory but we've like, it's that vestibular probe piece too, that we really bring, as occupational therapists to that whole lens as well, that we can really understand.    Jayson Davies     So, yeah, absolutely. Well. Danielle Ruth, thank you so much for being here and sharing your good sense ot rocket ship and all the theory behind it and how you use it in application that's really amazing. Before you leave, I want to give you both the opportunity to kind of share where people can go to learn more about the good sense rocket ship, the theory that you're putting out there, and learn more about you all.    Danielle Pluth     So if they want to go and get a download of our good sense rocket ship, they can go to advance. Ot.ca , back, slash, sensory. Hyphen. Approach.     Ruth Isaac     And we're also on Instagram.    Danielle Pluth     Yes, you can follow us on Instagram at good, underscore sense, underscore OTs as well for our little video educational clips and bloopers.    Jayson Davies     Bloopers are always fun, awesome. We will be sure to link to both of those resources and all the other resources that we mentioned today. I don't think there are too many, but we'll have those two for sure, and any others that that we, you know, can find to send your way, and we'll put those in the show notes, so it makes it super easy for you to find everybody. I have the rocket ship up right in front of me. I am not lying when I say like I would mark the heck up of out of this thing during all my evaluations. And I think that you will find it very helpful too. So be sure to go get it, and you're going to learn a lot from Danielle and Ruth over however long you follow them on Instagram and are part of their atmosphere. So Danielle Ruth, thanks so much for being here. Really appreciate having you, and can't wait to see asteroids on the rocket ship.    Danielle Pluth     And thank you so much.     Ruth Isaac     Thanks, Jayson.    Jayson Davies     Of course, I want to give Danielle and Ruth A big thank you for joining me today to share the good sense rocket ship framework with you. And of course, I also want to say thank you for listening to this episode. I hope you found value in understanding how this framework can help identify, assess and address sensory challenges that you come across with your students. Be sure to find the good sense rocket ship PDF in our show notes, and be sure to follow Danielle and Ruth on Instagram at good sense OTs to continue learning from their expertise. And as always, if today's episode left you wanting more practical strategies and support for your school based ot practice. I would love to invite you to join us inside the OT school OTs collaborative. It's where hundreds of school based ot practitioners come together for resources, professional development and direct mentorship from me. Within a group setting, you'll find frameworks like the one that we discussed today, plus tools to help you advocate for sensory, informed practices within your schools, head to OTSchoolHouse.com slash collab to learn more and join our community. Also, as a bonus, as a member of the OT schoolhouse collaborative, you can even earn a CU certificate for listening to this episode and many others within the OT school house Podcast Network until next time. Keep making a difference in your students lives through the power of occupational therapy and just have a good time. Don't forget to play. Don't forget to kind of sit down and just be in the moment with your students. Sometimes the best sensory interventions just come out of being present with the students. Take care and we'll see you next time bye, bye.    Amazing Narrator     Thank you for listening to the OT schoolhouse podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to OTSchoolHouse.com Until next time class is dismissed.  Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcast , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here to view more episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast

Click on your preferred podcast player link to listen wherever you enjoy podcasts . Welcome to the show notes for Episode 189 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Dive into groundbreaking research on the transition from caseload to workload models in school-based OT with Stanbridge University MOT students Jalen, Michelle, Jared, and Ari. Their nationwide survey revealed striking results: practitioners using a workload model reported significantly lower burnout scores compared to those using a caseload model and majority strongly agreeing that the workload approach reduces stress levels. The students' research identified key barriers to making this transition—primarily lack of administrative support and scheduling conflicts—while highlighting successful facilitators including peer support and improved collaboration with teachers. Their findings emphasize the importance of data collection for advocacy, suggesting that tracking time spent on indirect services provides compelling evidence when approaching administrators about workload changes. This episode offers practical insights for school-based OTs feeling overwhelmed, with recommendations to start small by tracking weekly time usage and increasing teacher collaboration. Listen now to discover how transitioning to a workload model can transform your practice, reducing burnout while improving service quality and student outcomes. Listen now to learn the following objectives: Listeners will compare the impact of caseload versus workload models on therapist burnout, stress levels, and job satisfaction. Listeners will identify key barriers and facilitators to transitioning from a caseload to workload approach. Listeners will identify practical strategies for initiating a workload approach. Guest(s) Bio Michelle Aquino is a Master of Occupational Therapy student at Stanbridge University in Irvine, with experience as a Behavior Interventionist in a school-based setting. Working with children with diverse needs has sparked her interest in pediatrics. She is passionate about occupational therapy because it allows her to help children build independence and develop essential skills they need to reach their fullest potential in everyday life. After completing the OT program, she plans to specialize in pediatrics in an outpatient or school-based setting.  Quotes “I’m hopeful for a future where school-based OTs are recognized for the true impact of their work.” — Michelle Aquino “Peer support and collaboration make a huge difference for school-based OTs’ satisfaction.” — Jalen Arcadio “Administrative support is the key to successfully transitioning from caseload to workload.” — Ari Aguilos “Tracking time tells a story administration might not see, and it improves student outcomes.” — Jared Sarmiento Resources 👉 Michelle’s Linkedin 👉 Jalen's Linkedin 👉 Ari’s Linkedin 👉 Jared’s Linkedin 👉 OT Schoolhouse Collaborative 👉 Garfinkel & Seruya Research Episode Transcript Expand to view episode transcript Jayson Davies     Hey there, and welcome to episode 189 of the OT school house podcast. I'm your host, Jayson Davies, and today we have a truly unique episode. Over the last year, I've had the incredible pleasure of advising four master students through their thesis research at stanbridge University. Jalen, Michelle, Jared and Ari together, these four developed their research question, conducted their lit review, formed their hypothesis, developed a survey, and completed their data collection and analysis, all about using a caseload and workload approach. In fact, you may have even helped them with a survey response when I sent that out in an email a few months ago. Now, what makes this especially exciting is watching these students transform from virtually knowing nothing about school based occupational therapy to now deeply understanding the challenges of traditional case load approaches in the schools and maybe why we need to move to a workload approach. Now that they're done with this project, they are currently headed off to their level two fieldworks and are on track to join the OT workforce early next year. Congratulations, guys. I know you're listening to this, and couldn't be more proud of you. Now their research that we are discussing today examines, as I mentioned, caseloads and workloads, and this is a topic that every school based ot practitioner is impacted by every single day. So what we're going to talk about is the transition from one to the other, from a caseload to a workload approach, and how that impacts burnout, effectiveness and even student outcomes. So if you've ever felt overwhelmed by your caseload or struggled with documentation time, or even wondered if there is a better way to structure your services. This episode is essential listening. We'll explore what the research shows about therapist burnout rates, quality of intervention, and even the key barriers and facilitators to making this important transition from a caseload to a workload model. I'm so happy that these four have decided to distribute what they've learned through the OT schoolhouse podcast, and it is truly a pleasure to have them join me for this chat. Let's go ahead and get started.    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     Jalen, Jared, Ari, Michelle, welcome to the OT school house podcast. It is a pleasure to have you here. We've all been working together for about nine months, maybe, gosh, close to a year now, but it's all come to this. We are recording a podcast together. We're going to share what your findings are and kind of the research that you went about to determine a little bit about caseloads and workloads, I don't want to get ahead of myself. I'm going to let you all talk about that, but let's get started. Jalen, how you doing today?    Jalen Arcadio     I'm doing great. Thank you for asking. I hope you guys are all doing well. We're in break, but    Michelle Aquino     living life, you know?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. And if I may, what made you decide that you wanted to get into occupational therapy?    Jalen Arcadio     I honestly joined for the sole purpose of knowing that you're helping people always, and it's a great way to expand your compassion and like being just passionate for helping others    Jayson Davies     very cool. And Jared, how you doing?    Jared Sarmiento     Doing good, doing good. Very excited to be here. Awesome.    Jayson Davies     And why don't you share a little bit about the program that you're in and the entire group is in and how you're doing?    Jared Sarmiento     Yes, so we're all masters of occupational therapy students at stanbridge University out in Irvine, what's called, we only got about a little, oh, actually, a little over, oh, under a year now, so, but I stepped into our level two field work very excited about us, kind of get, like, our real first hand experience, and, you know, just the maze, you know, it's come down to this point. A lot of schooling this last full year. Very intense, a lot of work. But, you know, kind of excited to see it come into mutation, whatnot. Kind of get that feel what it feels like to be an OT, you know,    Jayson Davies     it'll be here soon. It'll be here very soon. And Ari, welcome to the podcast. What made you decide to pursue occupational therapy?    Ari Aguilos     Hi, yes, thanks for having me. I'm Ari. I think just like Occupational Therapy and Occupational Science is so valuable. And after shadowing a bunch of different health related fields, I just knew that ot was, for me, fantastic.    Jayson Davies     And Michelle, same question to you.     Michelle Aquino     Hi, I'm Michelle. I think the one thing that really helped me learn that occupational is for me was from watching the school based OTs that I was working under while I was a bi at school district. And I really just sparked a career. Capacity in me.    Jayson Davies     Awesome. And now here you are completing what ultimately is a school based occupational therapy type of project. So awesome. Kind of full circle here. So well, let's go ahead and dive into it. We're talking about cases and workloads within this episode. And I'm going to come over to you, Ari, and I want to ask you that, why do you think that this was important? Why was it important for us to look at cases and workloads, and why was this worth looking into in terms of research?    Ari Aguilos     Yes, ultimately, we had a great opportunity to study the practitioners themselves, and I feel like they're especially during our initial review, we couldn't find any or little to none of research on OTs themselves when it comes to work life balance, when it comes to burnout of the actual practitioners. So what we got to do was answer some of those gaps of knowledge, figure out even more things that could be researched and very generalizable to not just school based OTs, which is a very important role nationwide, but for all, for the all, the whole field of OT awesome.    Jayson Davies     And I kind of want to let anyone respond to this one, because Ari did bring something up, is that sometimes you find research related to other areas, but not what you're looking for. And so for any of you, because all of you had to partake in the lit review, was there something that was there a moment where you remember kind of being frustrated because of the lack of research that you were, you know, looking for, and what you were able to find? And kind of like, that's just what did it feel like? But what were just share that experience, I guess, anyone want to dive into    Jared Sarmiento     that definitely, kind of researching the difference between workload versus caseload was very hard. You know, we had a we'd maybe find like, one or two articles, and then we kind of have to, like, see, like, what they were referencing, just to kind of get like, a better gage when determining the difference. The big difference between workload versus caseload definitely saw a lot for like the realm of for like speech therapy, but it was very limited when it came to the field of occupational therapy and kind of like what the main differences are, especially for school based OTs. It was a lot. It was hard, but kind of have to work with what you get, you know, saying absolutely.    Jayson Davies     And just kind of a quick follow up to that, was it difficult to find research specific to school based as opposed to, more generally, about pediatric therapy as a whole?    Ari Aguilos     Yes, we had some leading sources for our, like, initial research, which we had to follow their sources and dig deeper into that, but it was very limited. And like, we basically had to start from like, we had to understand school based practitioners from from, like, as students, we don't know what their life is like, so we had to, essentially, like, understand that first before even developing our research. So I think we had an extra challenge when it came to even beginning to research and finding that there wasn't a lot out    Jayson Davies     there. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. And as you pointed out, right? You're you're all current occupational therapy students. It's not like you've been in the field. It's not like you've even determined exactly what field within occupational therapy you want to go into. And so I know Michelle mentioned, right? She's worked in a school based setting, not as an OT, but for the rest of you, I don't think you really even had an understanding of school basis, so you kind of had to learn that part before you could even do the literature review process itself. And I know that was a learning process as well. All right. Jared, for listeners who may not be as familiar, briefly explain the difference between a case load model and a workload model and why that matters so much.    Jared Sarmiento     Yeah, so for a caseload model, basically the practitioner, their work measure is measured based on the amount of students that they see overall. So for example, they may have 50 students on a caseload, and that kind of determines, like the schedule. They're basically responsible for seeing that at those 50 students within a certain timeframe, whether the week or the month, and then, whereas, for the workload model, it kind of measures the overall work that the practitioner is doing. In total, this can be both direct and indirect services. So both seeing the students you know, doing interventions with them, maybe even doing assessments. And it's kind of like the things outside of just meeting with the students. So for example, documentation, collab, collaborative meetings with the teachers, maybe even the students, families, IEP meetings. And for the workload model, it kind of distributes their time accordingly, rather than just by the measure of how many kids they see. And it kind of matters. It's very. Strong because, you know, a lot of schools traditionally are utilizing just seeing a practitioners work overall, by the amount of students that they oversee, but what they're not accounting for is the hours and time that practitioners have to put on or just outside of everything, kind of like those indirect services, and it kind of leads to a lot of burnout inconsistent, inconsistent types or service deliveries, and ultimately unrealistic expectations.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and I think that kind of like summarizes the lit review. You guys broke down the lit review into a few different themes. And I think that kind of is the overarching themes from the lit review. So once you kind of had a little bit of background within the realm of school based ot looking at the research, kind of what's already out there. Jaylen, I want to come to you, because once you have that information, what was the way to move forward, what was the main purpose of the study, and what were you trying to or hoping to discover about school based ot practitioners within a workload approach.    Jalen Arcadio     So yeah, like what Jared was saying, we wanted to expand on the school based OTs and how they were experiencing a workload model. But with that, we had to do a survey with Google, Google Sheets. We conducted a state like a nationwide survey to see the transition from caseload to a workload model, and we just wanted to discover and understand their experience and real world impact, like a burnout and work life balance interprofessional collaboration And just the quality that the students were receiving from the OTs, awesome.    Jayson Davies     And then there was also a second kind of theme that we wanted to discover too. And we split that survey up a little bit, but I want to give you that opportunity to kind of like to address the second part of the research. What was that second part that we really wanted to understand when it came to therapists who maybe had made the transition from a case of Joe workload approach,    Jalen Arcadio     we wanted to see, like, how effective it really was. So we wanted to see what types of experiences they were dealing with in terms of, like advocating for this specific case our workload model and how they wanted to be a front line for the students, because at the end of the day, they weren't getting the support from their peers, and it from the survey that we got. It was mostly just their ot peers who were also just supporting them.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and we'll get more into all the details, because ot peers were important, a few other players I know we'll be addressing in just a little bit. Ari, I'd love to give you a chance to kind of dive a little bit more into how we designed the research, how we how we built that Google form up to get the data that we wanted. Go ahead. Yeah.    Ari Aguilos     So for the Google Sheets survey, we knew that Google Sheets is really accessible, so we knew we automatically just wanted to do Google Sheets now we would do email snowballing, but for the actual content of the survey, we had developed aims such as, like, if they have experienced the caseload, what's their experience with a work, or if they experience a workload, and what's their experience with it? And then the second part was, were they there at their site when they transitioned from a caseload to a workload approach, and what was that experience like? So with that like, we got to do, like a qualitative like we did, Likert scale questions mostly, and then open ended questions, basically aiming to explore those themes. Yeah.    Jayson Davies     And really briefly, can you just share what the criteria was to be a participant, or the criteria to not be a participant. Was, you don't need to read a verbatim but just in general,    Ari Aguilos     yes, essentially, our inclusion criteria was you had to be a school based occupational therapist currently working, and you had to have some experience with the workload model. And opposite to that, the exclusion criteria is if you were retired, s, B, OT,    Jayson Davies     All right, awesome. So we understand we use a Google survey. We had some electric questions, we had some open responses, and then we had school based ot practitioners, non retired who had some workload experience. Now, Google Surveys are great in the sense that they give you these nice clean graphs for the questions that create nice, clean graphs, you know, the yes or no questions, the Likert scale, but when you have open ended questions, that gets a little complicated. So as you all were planning to have these open ended questions, and knowing that we were going to aim for, you know, 100 a few 100 different responses. Is, what was the plan for actually analyzing that data?    Ari Aguilos     I can take that question, so when it came to the open ended questions, and knowing that we would have to sift through a lot of responses, we basically, as a group, wanted to use artificial intelligence AI to do the to use it as an organizational tool to do the initial coding phase and to basically speed up the process of doing the thematic analysis and coding. And it really allowed us to organize the themes faster, kind of, yeah, can I leave it there?    Jayson Davies     You can continue on. So what were the benefits of AI, and how did you use it as a tool to support you?    Ari Aguilos     Well, the benefits of AI is that it was it's really simple to use. I feel like past research tools that we've used in practice, like deduce it was very convoluted. Takes a lot of time versus the versus the model that we used. It was able to be replicated. It's able to be like the output was way faster for us as a group to what's the word I'm looking for, essentially, like    Jayson Davies     to sift through and then determine if it's accurate. Yes. Okay, and you mentioned using AI. What specifically did you use AI? Because some people might listen to this and say, Oh, you just went on to Gemini, or you just went on to chat GBT and and dropped your spreadsheet into there and got some responses. Was it that simple? Or did you do some research into how to use AI to do this?    Ari Aguilos     Yes, we definitely did some research on how to use AI as a tool so that it didn't replace us as researchers. We wanted to essentially figure out, how would it replace the coding phase, just the coding phase. So that way, once we get all our responses, we basically looked for we did like our own research, and looked for like what researchers are currently using AI to do in their research, and we basically replicated what they did. So then that means that they use a specific, a specific tool that can be accessed afterwards. It means that you can double, you can double check, like if the responses are true to what the AI is outputting. It's essentially like, again, not replacing the researchers, but using it as a tool for us, just speeding up the process. And, yeah, we found a few articles that, like Cambridge was playing around with, like, certain AI models, and that's we use that as a guideline, essentially in our research,    Jayson Davies     awesome, and obviously it helps save time with that theme development. This will be an open question for anyone, did the AI at all make things more difficult? Did you get ever get frustrated with the AI at all? Or was it pretty straightforward?    Michelle Aquino     I feel that overall, it was a pretty straightforward process. I feel like it it got us to really think about what to really focus on and what to eliminate.    Jayson Davies     Okay, and was it able to provide you? Obviously, it provided themes, but was it able to help you better understand the, I guess, to a degree, the voice of the therapist? Did it just provide you? Hey, these are the overarching themes, or did it help to provide you additional information to support your research project?    Ari Aguilos     I would say the original quotes from the responses are always like the best and painted the best picture of what they are experiencing. And AI, honestly, just put it into it helped us put it into other words, but it necessarily didn't capture like what they originally said. So that was a limitation. I would say that AI, we would, we would always look out for    Jayson Davies     awesome Ari. I do want to give you one more thing to kind of discuss, and that is the second half of the survey. A little bit. What was that? How did we filter people and how to what was the purpose of the second half of the survey?    Ari Aguilos     The second half of the survey was to get the experience of transitioning to a workload model, because it's an emerging model, not of not a lot of school based occupation yoga therapists have experienced it. So we wanted to see the ones that have experienced it. What facilitators led to that change. So was it administration support? Was it team collaboration? And through a series of Likert scale questions and open ended questions, we were able to get more insight into that experience, just that, like transitioning part or if they were there. Four after the transition of going from a caseload to a workload approach.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and Jared, I want to come to you really quickly, because we had this actually became something of a we got a little confused at times during writing this thesis about the number of people that we actually had partake in our project, and we were hoping to get somewhere around 300 because of this, like 1% number of school based ot practitioners that we think are represented, but we ended up having two people, 200 I believe it was kind of click over to the survey, and then significantly less actually take the survey. So I want to give you a moment to kind of address that, yeah.    Jared Sarmiento     So kind of like you said, So we initially, you know, we're aiming for 300 hoping, like that was going to be our set number. When we got 200 responses, we're like, okay, like this is pointing in a good direction. And then once we excluded those who said that they had no experience with the workload approach, it only brought it down to like, 114 and then by that time, we're just like, Oh, man. Like, so it kind of showed us like, wow. Like, there's really not a lot of school based therapists out there who really have true experience with the workload approach. And then even just when it went down to have you made that transition, it cut the number in half again. So I think it was only like, what it was only was, only between 75 to 80. So it kind of left like little room. I mean, it helped understand a good perspective. But, you know, we want, we were hoping that we would have a big, big number, so we understood, like, you know, what is working for people to make that effective transition from a case load to a workload approach. So at that point we're kind of like, man, like, it was very eye opening, I would say, very humbling, you know, that way. And it kind of gave us more of that purpose to, like, really produce a really good paper so we could help future school based OTs for the future and whatnot.    Jayson Davies     And based upon that big gap, you know, the 200 104 200 114 that can continue on, and then even the 75 or so that went on to the second half of the survey, based upon that, have, have any of you given any thought to like, if we redid it, would we do it a little bit differently? Or do you feel like we got what we're aiming for?    Jared Sarmiento     Um, personally, I feel like at the end of the day, we kind of got what we were aiming for. I mean, yeah, we would like to obviously see more get, kind of get more perspectives, but that kind of just attributes and shows like how emerging this model is and how there has to be further on research to really, kind of like, understand and helping making the making, help people make that successful transition. You know, it kind of just adds to, like, what we talk about, the literature and the background. It's just, it's very new, but, you know, hoping that it could be the start for kind of, like a big movement, for people to really make that effective change and whatnot.    Jayson Davies     Perfectly Wrapped up. All right, we're going to take a quick break, and we when we come back, we're going to discuss the key findings of the research, as well as how we can translate this research into practice. So stay tuned. All right, we are back, and we are going to start things off with Michelle right now and Michelle, what were some of the biggest takeaways or themes that started to emerge from both the qualitative and quantitative data?    Michelle Aquino     Hi, yes. So for the biggest takeaways and themes that we've noticed throughout our data was there were a lot of barriers when it came to transitioning from a caseload to a workload. A lot of the staff and administration had a lot of trouble trying to change into the workload model. They're pretty resistant with how they wanted to change. They were so used to the caseload model that they didn't really see how a workload model could improve their their overall satisfaction.    Jayson Davies     Okay, so difficulty transitioning from caseload to workload. What were some of the others?    Michelle Aquino     Another other findings was a lot of the therapists noticed that they had a better satisfaction when it came to transitioning to a workload. It they felt a lot more balanced. They felt like they could increase more quality of care. And it was also like very satisfactory towards the clients as well.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, I remember seeing the chart that you all put together when you came back for one of our one of our sessions, and it was like we had asked, I think it was a four point Likert scale, maybe five point Likert scale. And those who felt effective, basically on a caseload model, were like, at a two, two and a half. And those who felt effective on a workload model was closer to four. I mean, that's a pretty significant jump of just feeling effective like, you know, it sucks to work in a job and not feel like you're effective like, just no one likes that feeling. So that's a really cool insight, that just simply switching from a caseload to a workload model can make someone feel more effective. What about collaboration? Do we have any results related to like being able to work alongside teacher, peers and others?    Michelle Aquino     We did have some, some results on that as well for collaboration, from transitioning from a caseload to workload, the collaboration was a lot more improved. It felt like it was better for the OTs to feel like they had time to actually work with the students rather than just doing it and like it was. It didn't really matter what they did, they just like it felt a lot more like they had time to actually focus on the child itself.     Jayson Davies     Gotcha, Jared, we also wanted to look a little bit about burnout and stress. How did the workload approach impact burnout and stress compared to a traditional caseload model? Yeah.    Jared Sarmiento     So we kind of first started off by asking the and the question to the practitioner, like, what type of service delivery model are you using currently in this point in time? And then we followed up with the Likert scale question of how much burnout they feel overall. A score of one meant that they felt little to no burnout, while a max score of five reported reports feelings of high burnout. And you know, based on the 114 participants, those who are currently using a case load model reported an average score of four out of five on the burnout scale, while those who are using a workload service delivery model, or from the past reported an average score of 2.1 so you kind of see like that really big difference in how, how a workload model can lead to less burnout, less job satisfaction overall. And then we also kind of did a follow up question of comparing stress levels between using a workload versus a case load model. Score of one would mean that the practitioner is disagreeing the workload model doesn't play a factor into stress, while score of five reports that they agree highly that the workload model reduces stress, and at least 60% of the practitioners who answer that question reported a score of four or five indicating that they strongly agree that A workload model definitely plays a major factor in reducing stress levels for them.    Jayson Davies     Absolutely, all right. And Jalen, coming to you with this question, Michelle spoke a little bit to the idea that it was hard to transition from a caseload to a workload model. But what were some of the specific barriers that we found when asking therapists about the difficulties shifting?    Jalen Arcadio     The common barriers we really face were like that we were seeing were lack of administrative support, the scheduling conflicts, team collaboration, and I feel like that that's what separated a lot of the workload model to the caseload, was the amount of support from their peers, like I said earlier today. And it's just one of those where if that district or school doesn't see the vision, then it's it's hard to kind of manage and like, go through.     Jayson Davies     Yeah, one question I was really happy that you all added to the survey was that we didn't just look at the barriers, but we also asked them about the facilitators. Like, what was it that actually made it easier to transition from a caseload to a workload approach? And Jaylen, if you want to start in, if anyone wants to add, what were some of the what were some of the comments that ot practitioners who had succeeded moving to a workload approach, what were, what were their thoughts of what helped them?    Jalen Arcadio     What helped them that I was like seeing and from reading, from the surveys, was the amount of peer support that that's what I was reading. They were saying a bunch of things like, Oh yeah, I tried pushing for it, but some of my peers was seeing like that type of idea, so that they were trying to help push that back too. It was just like the upper administrative that just doesn't see it. And that's what kind of like led them to either staying to the caseload and not transitioning.     Jayson Davies     So it really took the OT practitioners to work as a team all get on board before the administrators would get on board to a degree. Does that sound about right?     Jalen Arcadio     Yeah, and it's also like quality, like if the students aren't getting the. Same treatment anymore are the same quality because their OTs are dealing with scheduling conflicts, or they're just too busy prioritizing one student and they have to go to the next one and have that cut short. It's just poor quality at that point, and it's leading to the rest of the barriers, like burnout and all that.    Jayson Davies     Was, and I don't know the answer to this one, but was there any responses that anyone recalls where it was actually everyone thought something was broken in relationship to the impact that therapists were having on students that ultimately led to administration and the OT team deciding, hey, we need to change something because OTs not working. Maybe if we use a workload approach, services will be more impactful and more effective. Does anyone recall saying that?    Ari Aguilos     Yeah, I can answer that. So when we asked them what was successful in transitioning, about 20% 23% said that it was administrative support that essentially supported their transition. So like with that, that means that OTs were like initiated, but the administration helped support that change, and from there, they also rated that their perceived client satisfaction improved, or like their perceived like outcomes improved.    Jayson Davies     So yeah, no, I completely hear that. And that's like, what's awesome that we're able to say that there is improvement beyond or once you move to the workload approach, I guess kind of the question is, and I don't know if there was actually data, and this isn't something that we've talked about in one of our meetings before, but I don't know that we had any particular maybe we can go back and look at the data another time, but I don't know if we had, like, Just even one occupational therapist or one participant say, we took data and we found out that our OT services weren't effective, and so we knew that there needed to be a change and like because ultimately, that's what I would love to see. I would love to see an OT department at a school look internally and say, hey, you know what, only 20% or 25% of our kids are meeting their goals, something's got to change. We need to improve ourselves and make a decision based upon that, how they want to improve, because ultimately, things don't typically change unless there is a reason to change. And we've seen with the Surya and Garfinkel research in the past that ot practitioners tend to prefer the case or the workload model versus the caseload model. Our data is basically showing that the same type of things right and that a workload model can be more efficient and less burnout, less stressful than a caseload model. But I feel like administrators really to get on board. And I don't know if any of you heard how OTs got their administrators on board, but I feel like to get administrators on board, they really need something to be they need to see something broken, data to say something broken in order to make that transition. I don't know if anyone has comments based upon what I was just saying.    Ari Aguilos     Other than that, we agree that there's a lot of systemic change that needs to be made.    Jayson Davies     Was that was that addressed? Was systemic change a term used in our survey responses, or something similar?     Ari Aguilos     It was something similar. It was what we found like in our lit review, but that wasn't the focus of the survey.    Jayson Davies     Yeah. Okay, we'll move on here. All right, so we've got our key results right. We know that we need support. We know that we need to work as a team. We know that ot practitioners feel the benefits of using a workload model as opposed to a caseload model. But we also know from that gap, you know, 200 people who wanted to take the survey, versus only 114 who had the workload experience to actually take the survey. That that this large gap of people that aren't using a workload model. So Michelle for school based ot practitioners listening right now and they feel overwhelmed by their caseload, what's one small step that they can take toward transitioning to that workload approach?     Michelle Aquino     Yes, so I feel like my for my recommendation by starting small, such as, like, tracking how you're spending your week, trying to make time to collaborate with the teachers making that time into your schedule, I feel like that's a step that could could help you transition to a workload model. Just by that small step of like, trying to track your time and how you're using your time can really help a lot.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely, as we were just kind of talking about, you've got to have some sort of data to show your administrator that things aren't worth. In, and one thing to track is your time. Some ot practitioners, very few. We track individual student goals, but we don't track our ability support our to support our entire, our entire client caseload. You know, we're not looking at, you know, I have 50 kids, and 85% of them met their goals. That sounds pretty good. But maybe that's another thing that we can look at, is overall goal attainment scaling for our entire program, not just, not just an individual student by student basis. And Ari, what role we talked a little bit about administrators, but what role did administrators play in successful transitions? And how can ot practitioners advocate more effectively to their leadership, to adopt this approach.     Ari Aguilos     So it seemed that administrative support was like one of the leading reasons why there was a successful transition. I would say what that means for those that haven't experienced the workload approach. I feel like, unfortunately, it's up to the school based ot to like, have that open communication, have that if you're able to express your needs, express like, like you said, the data that the system that they're currently using isn't effective towards the students. Ultimately, you want to advocate for the student and their outcomes. So when it comes to speaking to administration, you want to have that information, have that information forward approach when it comes to advocating for yourself and the student.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. And Jared, how can workload data, like time studies, documentation of indirect services, things like that, how can they help us to make the case for better staffing and for student outcomes?    Jared Sarmiento     Yes, I can say it's definitely, you know, tracking, workload data tracking, it could definitely be like a power tool, like we said, to like, advocate for themselves and kind of like what they need in order to be successful as a practitioner. You know, by tracking their time and trying to gage of like, how long their indirect services take, it definitely tells a story that the administrative side might not be able to see. You know, if the practitioner goes to the administration and goes, I'm overwhelmed, that's going to be different than them telling them, than the practitioner telling them, oh, I spend 12 hours a week in meetings. I spend 10 hours a week in documentation. Maybe I spend three hours a week also in maybe driving back and forth between, you know, different students or whatnot. You know, overall, that tells a very different narrative, and it kind of kind of leaves room for the administration to kind of get that different perspective, like, Okay, this is what the practitioner needs in order to be successful. Maybe that could be more staff and overall, like that can lead to just better student outcomes, you know?    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, absolutely. As we start to wrap up here, I'm going to ask each of you two questions. I want to I want to hear from, from each of you. The first is looking back as researchers. What's one thing that this study taught each of you about the future of school based OT and what gives you hope for the profession moving forward? I'll go ahead and throw this over to Jared.    Jared Sarmiento     I would say this project Well, overall, it took it taught me a lot, or kind of just taught me, like, the basis of, like, what school based ot really is, because I've heard about occupational therapists being in schools, but I never understood, like, you know, is it them doing their own one on one sessions? Are they in the classroom? So it kind of gave me a better sense of, like, what their goal is, especially in terms of making them successful for their academic career. And I think that biggest thing, like say, like, I'm hopeful for the future school based OTs, kind of like them being recognized, of the impact that they're making for these students to know, I think that's like the biggest thing that's kind of undervalued, and more, the more people I told about my topic or our topic of our thesis, and they went, wow. They're like, Yeah, you know. And there's some people I even met. They're like, you know, I worked with the their a school based ot when I was in school, and if it wasn't for them, I wouldn't have been successful. And I was like, wow. Like, kind of just to understand how big, kind of, like we said that, how big of an impact that they can truly make in terms of student success, you know, their ability, also maybe even their confidence.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah. It's, it's kind of funny you say that because, you know, not everyone goes bragging that they got school based occupational therapy services or school based speech services or anything like that, but we do have an impact on on a substantial amount of the population. Absolutely. Michelle, what about you? What's one thing that this study kind of taught you, especially since you have a little bit of experience within the school realm, what did it teach you about school based? OT, in the future of school based.    Michelle Aquino     for this research, I feel like it taught me a lot. Lot about the differences between how to approach your workload in a more balanced way. Before this, I had no idea that a caseload versus a workload was a thing. I was I was really confused. I remember when I was working with the school based OTs. I did remember them talking about how they would feel so burnt out about having to drive from one school to another. And I feel like for the future of OTs and school based, I feel like there's a more balanced approach uphold and it will be a lot easier to to work under.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, absolutely. And Jaylen, what about you? What's, what's one thing that you know you learned throughout this research about school based occupational therapy?    Jalen Arcadio     To be honest, though, I I didn't have any clue on school based ot to get this whole thing started, like I, I was a coach for a basketball team in high school, and I thought that's those are the extracurriculars, besides teachers and like coaches for sports. But I didn't really understand that there was a whole section for OTs in schools, so that was eye opening for me, and that I learned a lot because I didn't really understand the whole concept until this research.     Jayson Davies     Gotcha. Yeah, yeah, you don't know what you don't know. You don't even know who all is on campus. And a lot of us, we all go through public school about eight, no, not quite 18 years of it, 16, no, not even that. 13 years at least. And we don't even know. Wow, I cannot do math in my head right now. So, yeah, you know you don't know what you don't know. All right, what about you? What's one thing that this study really taught you about school based OT, and maybe the future of school based OT?    Ari Aguilos     I feel like what it taught me is OT. School Based OT is very much in demand in schools, but it's also undervalued a lot of kids, special needs, kids that I've worked with, I see that they would get a lot of value from OT, but even the teachers like they don't necessarily know what OT is. So it makes me hopeful to know that there is a great number of great number of people nationwide that care about school based OTs and that there's a lot of research that can be developed and further looked into, just for everyone in the school system.    Jayson Davies     I felt like that would have been a perfect way to end this podcast, but I have one more question for you all, and that is here. I love that answer, by the way, all right, but if you had unlimited resources available to you now, you just completed this research, you've got information from this research, and you had unlimited resources, time, energy, money, maybe, you know, let's just call it like you're going to go get your PhD in OT, and you're just like, driven by this study and you want to continue this on, what would you want to follow this study up with for another study? What would you want to look into that maybe we weren't able to look into? Or what? What would you want to look into now, knowing what you know about caseloads and workloads, it doesn't have to be a survey. It can be a survey. But maybe you're going into the classrooms. Maybe you're having direct interviews with people. What would you want to do?    Ari Aguilos     I feel like if we had unlimited resources, the ultimate question that we would want to give OTs was, how much is this really costing them, and how much it's really costing administration, as we talk a lot about being information driven, being data driven when it comes to transitioning to from a caseload to a workload, and that, like, ultimately, if we give them the right numbers of saying, like, this is how much it's costing this how much it could save you, I feel like that's a big question that would take a lot of time and money and effort to answer.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, definitely something that the OT practitioners, we often either ignore or don't want to ask, but it's definitely something that administrators, principals, and even at the district level, they're always thinking about money, and so giving them a sense of if it's beneficial financially, could could do wonders. Yeah, Jared, go ahead.    Jared Sarmiento     Oh, yeah. I mean, my answer was pretty much the same. I felt like that was a very common theme that we recognized within our research was, you know, like we said, the hardest, the biggest barrier, was administrative support. But on the other side, for people who had that successful transition, was the facilitator, was the administrative support. So kind of want to understand, like, from the administration side, like, what may prevent you from making that effective transition for the practitioner, you know, like, what's the constraints? Because at the end of the day, there's stuff from a ot side that we don't understand, you know, for them. So it's also, and that's why I talk about kind of like, it has to be a collab. Generation between OT and the administration to kind of find a way that they can like gage and like me in the middle, you know, all right,    Jayson Davies     Michelle, I'm going to come to you in just a second.     Michelle Aquino     I'm going to think back on Jared as well. I feel like there needs to be a lot more research on administrative support. I feel like we didn't really get to see that much while we were collecting data. No, not data itself, but more art research articles on on that topic. So I feel like that would be really important.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, and that was something that I know you all had to do. We talked a little bit about the difficulty finding literature at the beginning, but I know that something I had to tell you all very much upfront was you might have to get outside of the OT literature, and I know you all had to kind of go out into education literature, and you had to go out into like, speech therapy literature to see kind of what they're doing. So yeah, it would be fun to kind of get more insights from the administrators, as I think it was Jared alluded to, like the biggest category for success and the biggest category for failure was administrative support, one way or the other. But what, what constitutes as administrator support for one person might be different for another person. So what? What does administrative support actually look like? All right? And Jaylen, why don't you wrap us up with what, what study you would like to look into with all the information that you now have about our study?    Jalen Arcadio     I'm gonna kind of swerve off to the same section that they've been going off, but I kind of want to see the use of AI in all of this. I kind of want to see the growth of AI being actually used the right way. And this is a great start. If we had unlimited resources, it'd be a great start to try and implement AI into the transition and see how we can show them that it's useful. Because in our research tool, we used it and it was, we used it like properly, and it was a great it shortened a lot of stress and, like, time. So that that was one thing I kind of want to dig deeper on. If there is a tool for all this.    Jayson Davies     Yeah, yeah, and and OT practitioners want a tool that is specific to school based ot from Ai, we've seen that. We've heard that from school based ot practitioners as well, and it's interesting because there's a fear and there's a love for AI, there's a fear for AI, there's ethical concerns related to AI, and we all want to use AI to make our lives easier, but you know, as you mentioned, we need to figure out the right way to do it, and we also need to do it in a way that actually saves us time, not creates more kind of wasteful time spent on trying to use AI when actually it would have been just quicker to write the note on our own, like the way that we usually do it. So, yeah, studying AI and school based ot would be a really, really good one as well. Personally, I would love to kind of dive further into that, that impact on students. You know, I would love to be able to look at maybe a historical review and find 10 therapists to use the caseload model last year and see if their students met their goals, and then two years ahead, if they use a workload approach, or different 10 therapists who are using a workload workload approach and see if their students are meeting their goals. And I don't have the know how to make that possible, but it would be a lot of fun to somehow figure that out, to be able to hopefully maybe show that using a case or using a workload model is not just easier potentially for the therapist, but also more effective for the students that they serve. So yeah, all right. Well, I want to thank you all so much for being here. Jared, Ari, Jaylen, Michelle, thank you all for spending the last nine months or so with me and then this hour or so on the OT school house podcast. Really appreciate it. Congratulations again on wrapping up, and hopefully right around the time this episode is coming out, we get to find out if you'll get to present your information in Anaheim at a ot a best of luck.     Jared Sarmiento     Stay tuned. Thank you. Thank you.     Jalen Arcadio     Thank you.     Michelle Aquino     Thank you so much.    Jayson Davies     And that wraps up episode 189 of the OT school house podcast. I want to extend my sincere thanks to Jalen, Michelle, Jared and Ari for sharing their incredible research on caseload versus workload models, as I mentioned earlier, watching these students grow from having little knowledge of school based ot to conducting meaningful research has been truly rewarding. Their insights into how this transition can help us to reduce burnout, improve service quality and enhance collaboration are truly valuable for our field, and I want to thank them for taking this kind of passion project of mine on Be sure to check out the show notes at OTSchoolHouse.com . Slash episode. 189 where you can view their research poster and dive deeper into their findings. Also, if you're feeling inspired to explore a workload approach in your practice, remember that small steps like tracking your time can make a big difference, and you don't have to make this journey alone. For continued support resources and professional development on topics just like this one, I invite you to join us in the OT squash collaborative. There you'll find a community of school based ot practitioners, as well as our comprehensive caseload to workload workshop designed specifically to support ot practitioners like you make this transition. Additional resources on workload models are also inside of the collaborative, and we would love to have you join, and we would love to support you in your transition from a caseload to a workload model. Head over to OTs schoolhouse.com/collab to learn more about that community and more about the caseload. Course, one more time. Thank you so much for listening, and I'll catch you in the next episode of the OT schoolhouse podcast.    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 OTs schoolhouse.com . Until next time class is dismissed. Click on the file below to download the transcript to your device. Thanks for listening to the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. A podcast for school-based OT practitioners, by school-based OT practitioners! Be sure to subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse email list & get access to our free downloads of Gray-Space paper and the Occupational Profile for school-based OTs. Subscribe now! Thanks for visiting the podcast show notes! If you enjoyed this episode, be sure to subscribe on Apple Podcasts , Google Podcast , Spotify , or wherever you listen to podcasts. Click here to view more episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast

Be sure to scroll down for your free Evaluation Checklist Handout! Ready for a quick game of school-based OT Bingo? Let's see if you get three in a row! Are you frequently: Getting referrals for students who really just needed adapted paper  or a pencil grip. Being invited to IEPs to review OT evaluations   for students you've never even heard of . Realizing the day before a triennial IEP  that you forgot to observe a student in their classroom. BINGO? Trust me, you're not alone. With countless treatment hours, a half dozen open evaluations, and 3-6 IEPs a week, it can feel like we're running on autopilot, juggling too many tasks and reacting to problems instead of preventing them. These moments don't mean you're disorganized. Rather, they show that the system you're working within needs refining. The good news is that by implementing just a few intentional systems can completely change how you manage your workload and collaborate with your school team. By setting up three simple processes ( teacher consultations, referral management, and evaluation procedures ), you can create more time, consistency, and confidence in your daily practice. Let's look at each of these systems and how we can design them to work for us , not against us. System 1: A Teacher Consultation Process (Pre-Referral) Why It Matters Teachers are often the first to notice when students struggle with handwriting, attention, or self-regulation. But without a clear way to reach out and get simple support from you, they may jump straight to an OT referral, even when classroom-based strategies could make a difference. A structured consultation process (MTSS Tier 1)  gives teachers an avenue to access your expertise early on, before a specific student is even named.  These conversations should be about general classroom challenges , not individual students - even when the teacher has 1 or 2 specific children in mind. By keeping the focus on participation, routines, and environmental supports, you're helping teachers apply occupational therapy principles directly into their classrooms. This approach protects student privacy, aligns with FERPA and IDEA, and supports a workload model where OT services reach all students through collaboration, not just those on your caseload. How to Build It Here's what a practical, ethical consultation system can look like: Create a general consultation request form:  A simple Google Form can allow teachers to describe their concern (e.g., "Many students rush through written work") and what they've already tried. Embed consultation into existing meetings:  Join grade-level, PBIS, or Student Support meetings to share quick strategies related to broad classroom challenges. Provide universal resources:  Share quick-reference strategy sheets for common topics such as pencil grasp, posture, attention, or transitions. (Collaborative members can access printable handouts in the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Resource Library ). Offer brief classroom visits:  Observe general routines (like how the class manages materials or transitions) and recommend task or environmental tweaks that can benefit everyone. Document and follow up:  Keep short notes about what topics were discussed and the supports shared. This documentation helps highlight your workload contributions beyond direct service. Bonus : Record short and simple videos about your most frequently asked question from teachers. Upload them to youtube as “unlisted” so they are not searchable, and then send teachers the direct links. That way you don’t have to repeat yourself every week. The Payoff When consultations focus on classroom concerns instead of individual students, teachers feel supported without needing to file a referral. They are also able to incorporate their newfound knowledge for years to come. Plus, you become a proactive partner rather than a reactive evaluator, and your impact expands across the entire school. For examples of how this proactive approach works, check out our articles on “ Reducing OT Referrals: Using MTSS and RTI-2 to Better Assist You! ” and “ Getting Ahead of Your OT Evals Using Tier 1 Interventions ” Both explore real-world strategies for collaborative support. System 2: A Referral Management Process Why It Matters Even with a strong consultation process, some students will still need a formal evaluation. Unfortunately, referrals often arrive missing crucial information, such as classroom data, previous interventions, or a clear description of how the concern affects participation. A consistent referral management process  ensures that every referral you receive is complete, appropriate, and aligned with educational needs. How to Build It Design a comprehensive referral form:  Include sections for student strengths, targeted concerns, classroom strategies tried, and data on functional impact. Use a combination of checklists and open ended questions for the teacher/IEP team to complete. Require pre-referral documentation:  Encourage teachers to document which strategies they implemented (ideally based on your consultation suggestions). Define clear referral criteria:  Educate staff on what constitutes an appropriate OT referral versus what may be addressed through consultation or Tier 1/2 supports. If possible, attend the IEP meeting when a referral is discussed:  Even if you can’t attend the whole meeting, a short discussion helps clarify concerns before moving to the evaluation stage. Communicate timelines:  Let staff know what happens next and when they can expect feedback. The Payoff This system means you'll spend less time tracking down missing information and more time completing meaningful evaluations. It also helps teachers make informed decisions, reducing unnecessary testing and keeping your workload manageable. 💡 Collaborative members  can access our school-based OT handbook template, which outlines a referral system that schools can use to ensure referrals are relevant, tracked, and acted on. Learn all about the Collaborative here! System 3: An Evaluation Process and Checklist Why It Matters Without a clear structure, evaluations can feel scattered. It's easy to miss a classroom observation or forget to include an activity-level assessment. A well-defined evaluation process  keeps your work consistent, efficient, and student-centered. How to Build It Use a top-down approach:  Start with participation and performance in context before testing isolated skills. Follow a consistent sequence:  Review records → interview teachers and parents → observe in natural settings → assess → analyze → report. Create an evaluation checklist:  Include each step (from prep and interviews to writing and follow-up) to ensure nothing gets missed. Know your tools:  Know the assessment tools you have access to and understand what tools to use for which concerns. Build evaluation time into your schedule:  Build time into your schedule to focus on evaluations. Completing evaluations on the fly has never led to great findings, at least for me. Track your progress:  Use your checklist to monitor completion and stay organized. The Payoff With a structured system, you'll produce thorough, defensible evaluations while saving time. Reports become stronger, recommendations clearer, and you'll feel more confident presenting results at IEPs. Need a checklist to help ensure you complete every evaluation in an organized and top-down manner? Enter your email below and we’ll send it over in just a second. Bringing It All Together - School-based OT Systems Building these three school-based OT systems ( consultation, referral management, and evaluation ) isn't about adding more work. It's about creating clarity and efficiency so your day feels smoother and your impact greater. Sure, they take a little bit of time to set up, but once they are running, you will save countless hours every month! Start with just one system, refine it, then layer in the others. Before long, you'll have a sustainable, organized practice that supports you and  your school community. Systems don't restrict you. They free you to focus on what matters most: helping students participate and thrive. 📬 Want more support like this? Subscribe to the OT Schoolhouse Newsletter  for weekly tips, research updates, and evidence-based strategies for school-based OT practitioners.

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. < Back The School-Based OT Pocket Guide to Getting Started Presented by: Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L Attend live on November 19th at 4:00 PST or watch on demand the next day Join OTS Collab & Earn CEUs Learn more about OTS Collab Course Description 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. Learning Objectives 1. Learners will determine how to structure onboarding, ongoing, and exit checklists to organize and manage a school-based OT caseload effectively. 2. Learners will identify indicators warranting an OT referral and apply discontinuation criteria aligned with IDEA to determine service needs. 3. Learners will identify the use of tools for scheduling, documentation, and team collaboration to enhance service efficiency and occupational outcomes. Contact Hours This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) OTSchoolhouse.com is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development, #0252. National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy As an AOTA-Approved provider of professional development, OTSchoolhouse.com courses are accepted by NBCOT® at a rate of 1.25 NBCOT PDUs per each hour of course content. NBCOT® is a registered trademark of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Register for this course and future courses inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative for as little as $120 Register Now Learn More about OTS Collab Agenda 0-5 minutes Introduction 5-15 minutes Roles and Responsibilities of a School-Based OT 15-25 minutes The Initial Checklist: Setting Up for Success 25-40 minutes Ongoing Responsibilities and Caseload Management 40-50 minutes Referral Indicators and Discontinuation Criteria 50-55 minutes Year-End Wrap-Up and Planning Ahead 55-60 minutes Questions and Answers Your Instructor Krupa Kuruvilla, MA, OTR/L Krupa Kuruvilla earned her Bachelor's degree in Occupational Therapy India in 2008, followed by a Master’s degree from the University of Southern California (USC) in 2009. Her career spans diverse settings, serving both adult and pediatric populations, with a growing focus on leadership and management. Over time, she discovered her true passion in school-based pediatrics. In 2021, she founded TotalReport, a company dedicated to supporting pediatric OT practitioners with high-quality documentation tools across schools, clinics, and early intervention programs. Her work is featured on prominent platforms nationwide, and she has been invited to speak at conferences across the U.S. and Canada. Krupa currently leads strategy and operations for Ascend, a pediatric staffing and therapy company. Outside of work, she enjoys reading, dancing, cooking, watching movies, and spending time with her husband and two children. Registration To access this course and others, become a member of the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative . OTS Collab is an online community dedicated to providing school-based OT practitioners with highly valuable professional development and interactive support to implement learned strategies. In OTS Collab, we learn together, support and encourage one another, and celebrate our achievements as a collective whole. Click here to learn more about the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative and register in our dedicated community of school-based OT practitioners. Instructional Methods A combination of speaker presentation with a slide deck and both synchronous & asynchronous Q+A with the presenter. Target Audience & Educational Level This is an introductory level course intended for occupational therapy practitioners working in school systems or with a goal to better understand occupational therapy in school systems. Course Completion Requirements To receive a certificate for this course, you must watch the recorded course in its entirety. Then, you will need to take a learning assessment test and earn a score 75% or higher. If you pass, a certificate will be automatically generated and sent to your email. Special Needs Requests This course will include closed captioning and a transcript may be available upon request. You may also rewatch the course or sections of the course as needed. Additional accommodations may be requested by reaching out to us via email. Financial & Non-financial Disclosures Speaker Disclosure This course focuses on a few TotalReport products and services. TotalReport is a private business that provides digital tools and solutions to Pediatric OT Practitioners for documentation and treatment purposes. Krupa Kuruvilla receives direct income from the sales of her products from the TotalReport website. Some products are also available on YourTherapySource and The OT Toolbox, for which she receives commissions on sales. Sponsor Disclosure The OTS Collaborative Community is a product of the OT Schoolhouse. Content Disclosure This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service. Schoolhouse Education, LLC is proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider of Professional Development AOTA-Approval for this Professional Development Opportunity is in progress. Stay Tuned! Join OTS Collaborative Terms and Conditions Schoolhouse Education, LLC will keep a record of your completed CE courses. When applicable, transcript services may include reporting to professional associations and/or state licensure boards. While Schoolhouse Education, LLC will make all reasonable efforts to offer CE credit for its courses, it is not responsible for state or national, or regulatory current policies or changes in CE requirements that may make courses ineligible for CE credits. Participant Agreement By registering for or attending any event or activity associated with the Schoolhouse Education, LLC and OT Schoolhouse, I agree to the following: Professional Development/Information Disclaimer The material presented in this course is not intended to represent the only or the best methods appropriate for the occupational therapy and/or medical condition or professional development issues being discussed but rather is intended to present the opinions of the presenters, which may be helpful to other health care professionals at arriving at their own conclusions and consequent application. Attendees participating in this professional development education program do so with full knowledge that they waive any claim they may have against the A-Z School-Based OT Course, Schoolhouse Education, LLC, and OT School House and its staff or representatives for reliance on any information presented during these educational activities. Waiver of Liability Agreement I release Schoolhouse Education, LLC, OT Schoolhouse, and its staff, presenters, and any other individuals or entities associated with this course from any and all liability connected with my participation, as well as from any liability related to changes to the schedule, events or activities. I acknowledge and agree that I am participating on my own choice and assume all risk in connection thereof and that in the event that a need for emergency medical service arises, I authorize and consent to such services being provided at my own expense. Cancelation & Refund Policy In the event that Schoolhouse Education, LLC must cancel the event for any reason, participants will be offered a credit toward the rescheduled event. OT Schoolhouse Collaborative subscribers may cancel their subscription at any time.

The community-based learning community for school-based OTPs looking to make an impact! Unlimited CEUs Live-online Mentorship Every Last One of Our Resources Join the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, where we provide all of the necessary tools to help you implement evidence-based practices in your schools. GET INSTANT ACCESS Kelsey K. School-based OT Jhenny R. School-Based OT Talia G. School-Based OT In the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative, we are putting an end to the "learn but never implement " cycle that OTPs often experience after attending PD courses. Our goal in the Collaborative is not to learn more best practices. Our goal is to help you implement best practic es . With our practitioner-powered professional development community , you will benefit from things like: 12+ hours of LIVE-online AOTA- approved sessions every year 30+ on-demand AOTA- approved CEU courses Over 75 templates, handouts, resources, and tools to share and make your own (Plus new tools every month!) Group Mentorship Calls, where you can ask your most pressing school-based OT questions And the ability to receive ongoing support from the OT Schoolhouse team and your colleagues . Here are some of o ur recent and upcoming AOTA-approved courses: Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: November 19, 2025 Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: September 18, 2025 Duration This course is 1 hour in length. (0.1 AOTA CEUs) Learn More Price Only available to members of OTS Collab Live (recorded) on: July 16, 2025 Duration This course is 1.5 hours in length. (0.15 AOTA CEUs) Learn More VIEW ALL COURSES OT Schoolhouse is proud to be an OTS Collab gives you the education, resources, and support you need to make changes in your school-based OT programs. 01 Highly specific course material Attend highly specific, action-oriented courses directly related to school-based OT. You may attend live or watch the replay to learn from our speakers who have your best interest in mind. 02 Mentorship Group Calls Engage in group mentorship meetings where we review current research and create plans to improve outcomes for our students. Hosted by Jayson, these live and recorded calls are designed to meet your needs. 03 Ongoing community support Utilize our resources and research library to make changes to your practice and ask for feedback along the way. Share what worked, what didn't, and how others can do what you did. By combining professional development courses from leaders in the field with a community of professionals dedicated to school-based OT, you will be ready to take what you learn and implement best practices to better support your students. Each month in OTS Collaborative, we host: One highly specific live professional development course. And one "Ask Anything" Collaboration hour, where no question is off limits. Ask Jayson and the community anything you'd like in a live Zoom call. Plus, all courses, team meetings, and collaboration hours are recorded, so you can catch anything you missed at your convenience. What members are saying? The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative may be new, but we already have therapists thrilled to be a part of this community-powered professional development community! Here is what they are saying: "Having other OTs to collaborate within a safe place is exactly what I have been looking for." "In the OTS Collab, I know I have a group of people in the same boat as me that I could lean on for help, vent to, and share my wins with." "THANK YOU for organizing this!" The support continues long after the courses are over inside OTS Collab. In addition to the live events, you will also receive tons of support and the just-right amount of accountability in our private community. Studies show you are 42% more likely to reach a goal that you declare publicly. But when we attend a professional development course, we often head right back to work without any time dedicated to reflecting on what we learned, developing a goal, and creating a plan. In OTS Collab, we help you to develop goals you can take action on in your practice. The days of attending a course to implement only 1% of what you learned are over. It's time to incorporate best practices, not just learn them. The OT Schoolhouse team and OTS Collab Members are here to support you in our dedicated community portal. Learn More Earn Professional Development. Collaborate with your people. Implement best practices. $39 9 per year SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE $120 or per quarter Member Pricing SECURE YOUR SPOT HERE Save 16% (2 months free) when you sign up with the annual plan Interested in a group rate? Contact us here OTPs Supporting OTPs A safe place to ask questions, seek research and therapy interventions, commit to growth challenges, and generally learn and grow without fear of judgment or rejection. Relationship-building opportunities with like-minded school-based OT practitioners that can yield solutions to problems, lead to job opportunities, and establish friendships. First access and discounts to new content and other offerings from the OT Schoolhouse. A community that welcomes members from diverse backgrounds, including race, ethnicity, gender, orientation, neurodiversity, and physical ableness. A focused environment to accelerate professional growth and networking due to the absence of fluff content, noisy discussion channels, advertisers, and recruiters. A privacy-first attitude toward all current and future aspects of OTS Collab. The OTS Collab is a place for occupational therapy practitioners who are serious about using strengths-based and best practices to support all students accessing their educational curriculum. We promote and encourage knowledge translation, collaboration, thorough evaluations, tiered interventions, and the creation of evidence through documentation to support students. Feel like it's a match? Outstanding! We can't wait to support you inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative! Join Today Community Fun & Emotional Support While fun and professional development are not always mentioned in the same sentence, we know as mental health providers that all work and no play does not make for a great day. That is why we like to have some fun within OTS Collab. The school year is long. So to break up the grind and let out some steam, we like to have an occasional OTS Collab celebration to acknowledge all the hard work we put in as OT practitioners. Your Community Managers Supporting you to achieve your school-based OT goals, whether you are an experieinced therapist or just getting started in the schools. Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L Jayson is the host of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast and has been emersed in school-based OT for over a decade. He is a husband, father, and dog dad who loves to spend time with his family. Jayson loves school-based OT because he believes that all students deserve to have access to education no matter their abilities. Jayson aspires to be a school district administrator and have a larger impact on staff development and student success. Favorite OT Model: P-E-O Location: Southern California Pets: TJ, a black lab/staffie Favorite aspect of SBOT Jayson loves seeing teachers have success with students. He believes that it is important for both the student and the teacher, that they succeed together. This builds vital rapport among both individuals. Love of Community As a new therapist, Jayson was fortunate to work in a district where the OTs met monthly. But that didn't happen in his second job. Jayson appreciates the ideas and growth that come as a result of OTs gathering. Interesting fact about Jayson Jayson lacks pain sensation on the left side of his face as a suspected result of trauma to the Trigeminal nerve when he was younger. He attributes this to one of the reasons he wanted to become an OT. Favorite OT Model: Kawa Model Location: Ch icago, Illi nois Favorite Activities: Dancing, outdoor activities, traveling, and reading Chandler Sárközi Chandler is a student, sister, daughter, and friend. She is currently an occupational therapy student completing Level II fieldwork. She loves children and has worked with them most of her adult life. One of her favorite jobs prior to graduate school was working at a non-profit school for Autism that utilized the DIR/Floortime Model. Chandler aspires to one day develop schools and curriculums in underdeveloped and underserved areas of the United States and other countries. She would incorporate her occupational therapy background, mental health, and additional interprofessional studies to enhance effectively collaborate with all staff and families, which will help improve the outcomes of the students. Interesting facts about Chandler Chandler has been a vegetarian since she was five years old and became vegan a couple of years ago. She has played the violin since she was seven and was a part of her school orchestra for eight years. She has also traveled to over 20 countries and over 20 states. OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW Important FAQs That's a lot of information. Still, you may have questions. Here are some important ones to know about as you consider joining. Is there a cost to joining OTS Collaborative? Yes. The OTS Collab is a paid membership. The annual membership, at $399 per year, offers the best rate. You can also subscribe at a $120 quarterly rate. Members can cancel their subscriptions at any time inside the community or by clicking here . Do I have to participate in all the live events? How much time does this community require? You can spend as much (or as little) time as you'd like in the community. All events are optional and recorded in case you'd like to watch them at a later time. We host three 1-hour live events each month on Wednesday and Thursday evenings. One of the three events is a live AOTA-approved professional development course. Some members attend each of the three live events and post or comment in the community a few times a week. Other members attend some of the events and occasionally post in the community. You get to choose what works best for you. What platform is used for OTS Collab? We did a ton of research on various membership platforms before making our choice. Ultimately, we chose Circle. Think of Circle as a cross between Facebook Groups and LinkedIn, but without the need to have a profile out in the open. Courses and other events are held on Zoom. Does OT Schoolhouse Collaborative include access to the Back to School Conference? It does not. While the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative includes a great amount of support, it does not include admission to the annual Back to School Conference. However, as an OT Schoolhouse Collaborative member, you will be able to save and get the best available price for the Back to School Conference. Once a member, check out the "Start Here" space for more details. Will professional development be AOTA-approved? All live and recorded professional development courses are AOTA-approved. Podcast Courses are the exception. They will not be approved for AOTA credit, but you can still earn a certificate of completion. As a reminder, NBCOT and most states do not require courses to be approved by AOTA. Be sure to check your state guidelines. Can I earn professional development from the podcast without being an OTS Collab member? Yes, you can. However, we feel that the community aspect within OTS Collab helps therapists to incorporate the knowledge they learn into practical use and student outcomes. Can I register via purchase order? Absolutely. We accept purchase orders for annual membership plans. Click here to learn how. What is the refund policy? We do not offer refunds for OTS Collab. However, you may cancel your subscription at any time. Do you have Community Guidelines? Absolutely, we do. You can read them here. Still have questions? Contact us here. or $39 9 per year Better price per quarter $120 More flexibility Prices will raise in 2025 for new members,s so lock in your rate now. SECURE YOUR SPOT OTS Collaborative Community + Professional Development + Mentorship JOIN NOW

Find courses specific to school-based OT practitioners Courses Included with an OTS Collaborative Membership The OT Schoolhouse Collaborative is our premium membership community where school-based OT practitioners learn and grow together. Members of OTS Collab receive complimentary access to the following live and recorded courses and other monthly programming events designed to help you support your students more effectively. Learn more about OTS Collaborative Price Free for members of OTS Collaborative Duration This course is 1 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. 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!