OTS 10: Exploring Assistive Technology & Sensory Integration With Hopemarie Hower, OTR/L
- Jayson Davies
- Jul 23, 2018
- 33 min read
Updated: Jan 16
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Welcome to the show notes for Episode 10 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.
In this episode, Jayson chats with Hopemarie Hower, OTR/L, the winner of the OT Schoolhouse School's Out Giveaway conducted in June of 2018. Together, Jayson and Hopemarie discuss the similarities and differences between practicing OT in California and Florida. Hopemarie also shares how she collaborates with her school team to conduct assistive technology assessments and how she garners buy-in from her teachers when implementing sensory strategies.
Don't want to miss out on future giveaways, be sure to subscribe to our email list!
Have a listen if you would like to hear how Hopemarie is collaborating with the entire school to best help her students.
Links to Show References:
Contact Hopemarie Hower, OTR/L at Hopemariehower@yahoo.com
Edjoin.org - A place for OTs and other educators to find available jobs.
Assistive Technology Industry Association Conference - Held annually in Orlando, Florida in January
Abilities Expo - A traveling expo that showcases manufactured devices to assist people of all abilities.
Google Docs - Check out our blog post on Google Docs. It includes a video tutorial on how to use the speech-to-text feature.
How does your engine run? (The Alert Program) - A commonly used program to help kids understand self-regulation and their own ability to remain well regulated.
Products mentioned on the show
(Amazon/iTunes Affiliate Links that support the OT Schoolhouse):
Jelly Bean Buttons - Briefly mentioned in the episode, Jelly Bean buttons are used to help non-verbal kids communicate. You can record something like "Hello!" using your voice, then every time the student activates the button you will hear "Hello!" Simple as that.
Proloquo2Go - Also briefly mentioned in the episode, this is an iPad app that allows non-verbal students a more advanced system of communication. Think of the old bulky communication devices, but on a sleek iPad or iPad mini. It's a great app, but it's not cheap.
Velcro Dots - while designed to use together to make something like a poster easily stick to a wall. Us school-based OTs can use them in many ways. One way both Hopemarie and I use them is as a sensory tool that kids can rub their fingers on. Just stick them to the underside of the desk and no one will never even know the student is regulating themselves by rubbing his or her fingers on some velcro.
Theraband - Often used to develop strengthening in sub-acute rehab settings, Theraband also can help kids stay in their seats while getting the movement they need. Take a 2-foot stand of this stuff, tie the ends together and wrap it around the child's chair legs. Now the child can keep their feet busy while attending to classroom activities.
It's funny how so many of the tools we use have so many different names. Hopemarie introduced me to this little tricycle which is powered by trunk movements. I can only imagine how many obstacles courses I could have used this in over the years!
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.
Have any questions or comments about the podcast? Email Jayson at Jayson@otschoolhouse.com
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Episode Transcript
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Amazing Narrator
Hello and welcome to the OT schoolhouse podcast. Your source for the latest school based occupational therapy tips, interviews and research now to get the conversation started, here are your hosts, Jayson and Abby. Class is officially in session.
Jayson Davies
Hey there. Welcome to episode number 10 of the OT school house podcast today, we have on a very special guest. Her name is Hopemarie Hower, and she was actually the winner of the OT school house schools out giveaway a few weeks ago. So we are excited to have her on before we get into that. Real quick, just a few little notes, I guess before we get started. That is that the show notes from today will be available at ot schoolhouse.com, forward slash episode 10. So anything that you hear on the podcast today and you want to know more about it, we'll put over there so that you can link over to another website and or potentially find more about that. So we will do that another reminder, and also a thank you, is that we are now offering professional development for some of the episodes of the podcast. This episode will not quite be one of those episodes. We will not be offering professional development for this episode. However, there are three other episodes that we are offering professional development, and actually a few of you took us up on the last two weeks, and you completed the professional development on the bot versus the M Fund, which I believe was episode number six. So thank you for doing that. You can learn more about our professional development opportunities at ot schoolhouse.com, forward slash, PD, as in professional development, you just take a short quiz after listening to the podcast, and we'll send you a certificate of completion. So like I said earlier, we have hope. Marie Hower on today. She is a school based ot from Nassau County, Florida, that's in the northern part of Florida. As she said, She's almost in Georgia, but yep, she is in Florida, and she was trying to get me to move out there because it's super cheap. So we'll see, maybe in the future. But she was our schools out giveaway winner, and she is an OT of many skills. She has some extensive knowledge in assistive technology and providing assistive technology evaluations and different technologies in the schools, but she is truly a sensory integration person per se. She really digs si and she works with kids with sensory integration difficulties, both in the classroom as well as in her clinic, which we talk about a little bit, which is on the school premises, so it's not a full blown Outside Clinic, but she does have a few things that she can work with, and we'll get in. We'll get into that in a minute. She also talks about a little bit at the end, about providing in services. So if you're into providing in services and want some ideas, be sure to listen all the way through with that. I'm just going to say it's my pleasure to introduce to you, hope. Marie Howard. She is from, like I said, Nassau County, and I can't wait for you all to hear what she has to say in the next 45 minutes or so. All right, here she is. Hey there hope Marie. First of all, congrats on being the winner of our OT school house schools out giveaway. I am stoked to be talking to one of our very own ot school house community members.
Hopemarie Hower
Hello, Jayson, thanks. I'm so happy to be here today.
Jayson Davies
Awesome. I've been waiting for this we spoke about a week and a half ago or so, just to kind of figure out how we're going to do this. And I think it's going to be, end up being a great little podcast show for everyone out there listening. So let's get started. Okay, do you mind sharing a little bit about who you are and where you're from and maybe about where you work as an OT?
Hopemarie Hower
Well, I'm a school based occupational therapist in Fernandina Beach, Florida. Fernandina or Nassau County, it's about as far northeast as you can go in the state of Florida. I work in Nassau County Schools, and the population that I currently serve is third through fifth grade as well as high school level students.
Jayson Davies
Oh, what happened to middle school? That's just not your school.
Hopemarie Hower
It isn't, actually I've never served as middle school kid. OT, so, not yet anyway.
Jayson Davies
That's interesting. So one thing that I did think about recently is, are you employed by the district? Are you employed by the county?
Hopemarie Hower
So I'm a Nassau County School Board employee. So that is my that's my title. I guess I'm an OT for the Nassau County School Board.
Jayson Davies
Gotcha. And I know that's interesting, just because I feel like all over the country, no one knows how exactly to how to hire OTs in schools. I mean, some OTs are classified management. Some OTs are just classified. Some are even hired as certificated like a teacher would be. And then even when you go from there, out of outside of the district, of course, you have contracted therapists who work for a third party. And see. And then there's other OTs that kind of work and kind of the realm it sounds like you do where you're caught, you're hired by a the entire county, but then you're kind of assigned to a specific district or set of schools that is correct. Gotcha. So it's interesting how every state does a little bit different, every district even just does it a little bit differently.
Hopemarie Hower
So yeah, within our profession, I mean, even within our smaller school based profession, there's so many variances to that.
Jayson Davies
So how long have you worked in with the school that you're the district that you're at now?
Hopemarie Hower
So six years. This coming school year will be my seventh year in the district, and I'm really excited about it. We're we're growing, and we have just a great group of therapists, of occupational therapists and physical therapists and speech language therapists. We have behavioral therapists and vision impaired therapists and hearing impaired therapists, a little bit everything we do, and we have great collaboration. It's a really exciting and dynamic district.
Jayson Davies
Perfect. I'm looking forward to getting into that in a little bit. Yes, I wanted to ask you, since we're still kind of on the job thing, how's the job market in Florida? I know you know a lot of these ot school based Facebook groups, a lot of people are asking, Hey, I'm headed to Florida, or, Hey, I'm headed to California. Are there jobs down there, and that must be the dogs. No worries. It's fine everyone. Everyone's got to have dogs. No worries. How's the job market down there in Florida? Do you find that there's plenty of jobs, or is it a little tight?
Hopemarie Hower
It seems like we have a good amount of jobs available. I actually haven't looked lately. I do know our own district we are hiring, or have hired an OT and possibly a coda as well. So that's that's always nice and helpful, you know, to our growing staff to have that. But I know as far as school based, we have a larger county right next to Nassau County, which would be Duval schools, and they're a very big district, and I believe they're also hiring. So the job outlook in Florida for OT is seems to be very good, awesome, specific to the schools.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, and do you know, like, at least in California, I know a lot of OTs, if they're looking for a job, we go to, we go to Ed join.org is there a specific website out there where a lot of people go to look for jobs? Or is it just kind of, each individual district puts it up on their website? Or are you familiar with that?
Hopemarie Hower
And I believe that each district puts it up on their website. Gotcha, that makes sense? Yeah, so I know Nassau County does, and I know Duval County does. So yes.
Jayson Davies
Okay, cool. Well, that's good for anyone out there who's looking to move to Nassau County as YouTube and yourself helped me learn how to pronounce. So.
Hopemarie Hower
I didn't know that there was a YouTube pronunciation of Nassau County.
Jayson Davies
And that was awesome. Yeah, so, all right, well, I want to ask you one of my favorite questions to ask any OT, and that is, How and when did you decide to be an OT? I mean, all of our stories are different. So I wanted to ask you that.
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, and that's actually a great question. I love also asking other OTs this question, as well as my intern students, which I have two intern students that will be with me this year. One that's fantastic after Christmas. I love that. Very cool. But that's one of my favorite questions too, because I'm just I was so curious, you know, how others in our profession decided to become an OT so in my case, I volunteered as a teenager or a counselor at a camp called Camp Royale, and that was up in Traverse City, Michigan, which is the mitten state, and it's lower Northern Michigan, And that's where I was born and raised, but basically, Camp royal was started by Roy and Ellen Brigman, and it was basically a place where children with disabilities could experience the joy of outdoor activities. And it was just really neat. There was no charge to the campers, no pay to the staff and the camp, I think, was started in 1952 I was looking at that a little bit, and I was kind of wowed by that.
Jayson Davies
Is it still going?
Hopemarie Hower
It is not. But they do have a scholarship program, you know, they kind of stopped doing that. I Mr. And Mrs. Bergman have since passed, okay, but it what an incredible opportunity. Literally, every summer, every camper got to the top of the sand dunes. We have something called the Sleeping Bear Dunes, and even if we push their wheelchairs all the way up. But I would say, because of my camp experience, I decided I wanted to study OT and. And it's great, because right now, Camp Royale does have, like I mentioned, a scholarship program for students that are pursuing a careers working with special needs children. So I think it's fantastic. And that is what spurred me on to look into OT.
Jayson Davies
Very cool. So you kind of knew at a younger age then, which is kind of uncommon, I often see OTs not knowing that they want to be an OT until they've already sometimes they already have their bachelor or even down the road as a second career. But you kind of knew a little earlier than that. That's cool.
Hopemarie Hower
I did. Yeah, I also volunteered at our local hospital up in Traverse City, Michigan, and I was the only student volunteer. Everybody else, they were retirees. We'd have our volunteer meetings, and it was me and everybody else, but I had to work my way. I really wanted to work in the rehab department. I wanted to work with the OTs and the PTS, and they wouldn't let me. They first said I had to work on the floors, delivering water and reading newspaper. So after I put my time in, I kind of think they didn't know what to do with me. You know, we have this young person. What do we do? Why is she here? I think they, they felt that I was responsible enough. And it might have been the OT and PT department that said, you know, I don't, I don't think so. But finally, they did, and it was a great experience. It really solidified even more how much I loved the world of OT.
Jayson Davies
That's awesome. Were you ever on the fence about being a PT or an OT since you were working it kind of in the entire rehab area?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, really. I really loved what I saw the OTs doing with the hand therapy. I really enjoyed that, just that fine motor, a lot of the cognitive skill work that they were working on, I really found that fascinating. And I stayed summers. I worked in the emergency room as a clerk up there, and I, you know, I kind of kept in touch with everyone at the hospital. I actually did one of my first field work assignments at that hospital too. So a lot of memories there. Yeah, it was, and they offered me a job after graduated, but I didn't go that route, but I really wanted to work with kids. So anyways, it was interesting. Very cool. Yeah.
Jayson Davies
All righty, well, last week, when we spoke, one of the things that intrigued me most was how you talked about your assistive technology kind of it's not a department, I guess, but the way that you guys collaborate at your school. So can you share a little bit about the at team and how it's unique in your in your district?
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, absolutely. And I love at that. So at your assistive technology in within our school, and I guess any school, but is basically available to help students both in the gen ed setting as well as the self contained setting, which we have some of those classrooms as well. And I honestly believe the use of technology is an effective tool to enhance learning for many, many children. So and that is kind of our philosophy within our department. So basically, sometimes it can take a while to get an at referral. So we try and kind of all participate in learning about assistive technology, and from low tech such as a pencil grip, all the way to, you know, there's apps nowadays so much assistive technology you can find right on an app on your computer. And so even teachers have been trained as well as staff. So we've pulled various staff, including teachers and therapists guidance counselors, to go to an at training that has been done within our district, just to kind of learn a little bit about what assistive technology really is so with that in mind, if a teacher happens to notice a red flag for student that may be struggling learning or keeping up with classroom assignments at that point, then I guess the whole team is actually the whole school, including teachers too. Let, yeah, it's fantastic. Let myself know, or a guidance counselor know, who would then let me know and I could go into the classroom and observe. So, yeah, I think it's fantastic. I think that students really do experience a greater success when they're allowed to use their abilities, their strengths, to work around their disabilities, which would be their challenges, and I really feel those at tools combine the best of both of those practices and and we really do embrace that here in Nassau County. So I'm really happy to see I think that's really important. We didn't have that a few years ago, and you just see a lot more of acceptance with and and you don't need to be afraid of it. I think sometimes, because maybe a teacher or a therapist doesn't really understand what the assistive technology is, you know, let's not even, you know, let's just not mention it, because, and I don't see that happening in our district. It's more of, let's embrace. That I understand it. Let's find out what we can do to help this child.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, and so I find that very often that your entire school is like, hey, you know what we can do this as a team. In a lot of districts, I'm finding that there is no person designated to at or assistive technology. And when it comes to assistive technology, it's kind of like, well, who does an at assessment? Is it an occupational therapist? Is it a speech and language pathologist? Is it the school? Like, is it the OT that works at that school? Or is there a specific ot that's at the entire district that just does assistive technology? Or is it a contracted out person like, hey, we don't know what to do, so let's find an assistive technology specialist and let them come in and do it. And so it sounds like your district, your county, has kind of figured out that, hey, we can do this as long as we work together as a team.
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, and it's such I think assistive technology is such an important piece and in the educational setting to help the team, the teacher, the therapist, you know, just the school psychologist, the parent, the student themselves, because it's basically any device or piece of equipment or any system that would help bypass or work around or even compensate for a specific learning deficit, which is what we're doing in the schools.
Jayson Davies
So do you do a separate report? Then, then what would be a occupational therapy assessment for the assistive technology assessment?
Hopemarie Hower
So at that point, I can, you know, recommend and do assistive technology recommendation. We can delve deeper, and we do actually have an at assessment. And so then at that point that would come into play. And we actually have individuals that would come in and do that. But lots of times we find that, you know, we know enough. We work enough with assistive technology that peace might not even be completely necessary, that we can on our own kind of own that and help the student with that, and incorporate that into our goals as well.
Jayson Davies
Definitely, in fact, in our district, they often tell us, like, even with assistive technology, there should be a goal somehow in place for that assistive technology. So for instance, if a kid is, I mean, you shouldn't have a piece of assistive technology such as a pencil grip, unless there's some sort of goal related to a pencil grip. And same thing when it comes to more of the augmented communication, you wouldn't put in place a popular system such as Pro low quo on the iPad without having a goal for that student to be able to use however many different, uh, pro Local Buttons within the next, you know, year.
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, correct. That's right. Agree.
Jayson Davies
The puppies, oh, man, what kind of dogs you have again?
Hopemarie Hower
Sorry, I they're all doodle dogs. They're all poodle mix. And I'm sorry, they're usually really quiet. And I hit they got out. I had them in a school separate had them sequestered in a different area, and they they figured out how to open that door. Smart dogs, I do. I have a failed therapy dog who is actually a cavipoo. He's a king trials Cavalier in a poodle, and we had him to socialize him, and then we'd send him on out. But he didn't pass that So, and he's sweet, sweet, but he's just very vocal, and they said that was not acceptable, but they're basically all non shedding. We have a rescue. She's a golden doodle, a Pippin our oldest. And I love it when we head to the vet, because they're like, Lord of the Rings family, come on back, because it's Pippin Gimli and Keely. So anyway.
Jayson Davies
I love dogs. We just don't have one yet. Otherwise, you'd probably hear my dogs barking of all times, just like many of the restaurants here in California, this podcast is dog friendly. We'll just keep it at that.
Hopemarie Hower
Okay. Great. I appreciate that.
Jayson Davies
Earlier, you mentioned a conference for assistive technology. And I remember one time there was a conference, and maybe this is the same one that's in Florida, and I really wanted to go to it, but that's just across, you know, that's a $600 plane ticket, if not more. And Right, exactly. So can you tell us more? What was that conference about, and what, what all was there?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, so it's great at conferences are fantastic, and it's a great way just to meet other people, collaborate, you know, learn. And have you ever been to an Assistive Technology Conference at all? Or are they all this way? I'm not sure.
Jayson Davies
No, I don't know, though, anything that I've been closest to an Assistive Technology Conference. Oh, man, I'm drawing a blank, but it's a com. It's the abilities, I think it's abilities conference, and it's just this giant open floor where they have abilitations. Is that the name of it? I can't remember, but basically it's just a bunch of adaptive. Equipment. And so, like, they have everything from pencil grips. People who sell pencil grips are there all the way up to, like, these huge f3 50 Ford trucks that are that are modified so that someone with a wheelchair can get it up into a lifted wheel or up into a lifted truck, like it has an elevator built into the truck. And so, but I haven't been to assistive technology specific one.
Hopemarie Hower
Okay, yeah, so those are great. And I think also what that helps do is have us bring back to our district. Just, you know that educational piece for teachers and fellow staff mates who might not understand it, and might not be because they don't understand it, as willing to reach out and say, Hey, this, this child I have is struggling a little bit in math, you know, is there something we can do? I can learn, you can help me learn the classroom about, you know, assistive technology, just because it can increase a child's self reliance and sense of independence. And I think that's the way we need to look at it. So at these conferences, and I've said this is what I basically kind of will say, you know, kids who struggle in school are often, they're oftentimes, like, overly dependent on one their parents, two siblings, friends and teachers, just for any kind of help, even with assignments, and really, by utilizing at kids can experience success looking independently. And I and that, that's the biggest thing I think I take away from these conferences. And you can, like you said, it can be anything from just a pencil grasp or a button to help kids participate. You know, we can pre record, you know, a voice and have them push the button, and they get all excited about that.
Jayson Davies
They do the Jelly Bean buttons. They love them.
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, I love them too. They're fantastic. I love recording and play with them. But the kids have so much fun and and it just, it kind of takes me back to those camp Royale days where, you know, we weren't using assistive technology. You know, at camp, we were out in cabins and stuff. But it brings kids together, for example, kids that do use those buttons, and it's just the sense of kind of fun and camaraderie, and it's a piece and a way for them to participate, and, you know, allows them to express what they want, you know, yes, this, know that. So I love that. I really do like assistive technology. I'm really excited about it.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, all right. Well, that assistive technology, I mean, we could have a whole yes, we could talk about that for days. I agree. But one of the things that we talked about a little bit on our pre recording call was sensory sensory integration, sensory strategies and stuff like that. So to what extent do you provide sensory strategies or sensory integration techniques with the with the students you serve?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, and I kind of love sensory integration. I think, if I may just speak a little bit about, you know, sort of world, just everything seems ramped up. Everything's so much faster, you know, we can access so much via the Internet and so kids are, you know, expected to do more and more faster, faster. That's just and adults as well. So I just feel like, you know, sensor integration is just simply our body's ability, you know, to take in information from our senses, process that information and then respond. And I think sometimes with the way that our world is moving so fast, you know, as we go from talking about at assistive technology, which is technology, now, to sensory there's a way that we can kind of combine the two, and yes, keep that assistive technology and all the new modern technology, but also keep in mind how our bodies are responding to all this technology as well. So I think that just basically sensory being, the organization of our senses for our use, or sensations for our use. And in school, I just see a lot of basically. So sensory processing disorder is a sensory integration dysfunction, and this is how I would explain it to a teacher. So I'll go in and speak to a class or a teacher, and after observing, and you know, you can all of this can cause social difficulties, emotional difficulties, through increased anxiety, motor impairments, which can then result in functional deficits. So if I look around the classroom and I tell the teacher, you know, think about our seven senses, which is, you know, vision, tactile, the olfactory, auditory, gustatory, vestibular, proprioception. All of them ask, well, what is proprioception? You know? And I'm just basically, it's just our body's position in space. Vestibular is our balance. And I tell them, simple is better. So they have great, you know, start of the school year, all the. Great decorations on the walls and themes, and it's fantastic. Sometimes simple is better, you know, take take some things down. Sometimes that's over stimulating for students. In fact, many times it is, Oh, yeah. And so in my own ot room, I try and keep it as plain as possible. I think it's kind of that same thing where you go into a store and when there's too much to select from, you're just overwhelmed, when one or two choices would be better, definitely. So I always kind of preach as far as sensory integration or SI techniques, just simple is better. Just follow that rule. Remember the senses and then, you know, seating is important. Some kiddos need preferential seating just because they might be a little bit more distracted. I put the Thera band on the chair legs that they need, or a little Velcro under the table top, yeah, things like that. Sometimes we'll pull in a mini trampoline and have it off to the side and make the kids know, you know, they can just do that once in a while, some kiddos will come down to my room and just, they'll bring a little note. They don't even need to say anything. They'll do a little bit of jumping on the trampoline or swing, and they'll head back to class. Oh, that's so yeah, and it works really well. So just kind of taking a break, grounding that sensory system a little bit, and then progressing from there.
Jayson Davies
All right, so, you just mentioned you have your own room, and you're probably making a lot of OTs that work in schools, kind of jealous out there right now, especially me. So I just want to know what is, what does your room look like? Does it look like a sensory clinic type of thing, or is it more of like a classroom? Or what does your room look like?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, it doesn't look like a classroom. So I have a I have sensory swings, and I, my favorite is the bolster swing. I love the bolster swing. And I have kids hang upside down like a sloth, I call it, and I love all that input that's happening, you know, through the arms and the legs and they're hanging I'll time them. They think that's great fun, but it's also grounding their system a little bit. And then I have a beam table in there where we do our fine motor work. We have walls, or we do, you know, open spaces where they can do wall push ups. I have a bike in there, and we have cones, and we can go out. There's an area where they can ride the bike and go through the cones, set up their own OTs tool, course, yeah, here in Florida, it's really nice, because it must be in California, we have outdoor corridors so the kids can ride. We have lots of we have extra saucers, I call them, and I don't know if you have those, they're kind of just a three wheeled they're kind of run by just the movement of their trunk going back and forth. I don't have that. What's it called an exerciser? I'm gonna have to look that up. Yeah, they're fantastic. So and yeah. So we just kind of do a lot of that. So it is quite a large room. We have a computer set up in there too. And then I also have, we have, the kiddos have, well, we have a NEO in our room, which is just a word processor, yes, that they can use too. And the kids all, they have Chromebooks for use in the classroom. So lots of times we'll use a Chromebook.
Jayson Davies
Do you use a lot of do you use Google Docs a lot then, yes, yes, we do. How about the speech to text?
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, I use that quite a bit. Actually, I was going to talk about that too. Yeah, that's fantastic. And that's another example of assistive technology. So, yeah, I love that. That's a fantastic piece for kids, especially if you know they're having trouble with handwriting. They can get on that speech to text. And for some kids, it doesn't work. They speak too rapidly. I tend to speak too rapidly, so we kind of laugh, and we talk about how they need to slow down a little bit, but once they get the hang of it, it works quite well, and it really allows them to have that independence.
Jayson Davies
Yeah. So I've also found that Google, the speech to text feature in Google Docs does pretty well at learning a person's voice. Yeah, I actually was, I was presenting in a classroom using, you know, like the teacher computer. I was teaching the kids how to use it. And so I was, you know, of course, showing them. And then I actually had another kid come up, who, of course, is much younger, has a much higher pitch voice, and the computer wouldn't listen to them no matter how loud they were, and dictated they were right in front of the microphone. It wouldn't pick up their voice. But then, you know, I was standing back because the student was right in front of the computer, and I would speak softly, and it would pick up my voice like it kind of it really does a good job at understanding voices, and so I can imagine, in a classroom that's good, once the computer learns that student's voice, it's going to kind of tune out to the other 28 kids in the classroom.
Hopemarie Hower
It does, and each kid, ot kind of has a Chromebook they're assigned to. So I'll have them bring their Chromebook. But I mean, that's. Perfect example. We've worked on that too, maybe pushing your chair back a little bit, or let's lean in a little bit, you know. And so that's part of working out those details. But yeah, that that's a really great and that's another great example of assistive technology, like a student who has difficulty writing can compose a whole school report by dictating that speech to text. Yeah, on Google com.
Jayson Davies
Some of these kids can really talk, but cannot get a single word on paper. So.
Hopemarie Hower
Yes. And that's where I tell teachers, this is a fantastic tool to use, and it, you know, it helps a child have success, and you know, it's great for you. And, yeah, fantastic.
Jayson Davies
And let's be honest, they're all using Siri on their mom's iPhone. Anyways. So.
Hopemarie Hower
It's so true, yeah, so true.
Jayson Davies
Some things, while it is still assistive technology, some things are a little less assistive technology than they were. You know, 510, years ago, things are just becoming more modern and.
Hopemarie Hower
Oh, easier.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, everyone's using it, yeah, yeah. So, yeah, so, why not use it? Yeah. All right, so you mentioned a little bit of your room, and I want to give a shout out to one of our listeners. Her name is actually Stephanie, and she's from Michigan, where you're originally from, state, yeah. So she wanted to know how you create buy in from teachers when it comes to sensory strategies. So you mentioned, you know, sometimes giving the student, you know, some the band around the chair, or the the velcro under the desk. So how is, how are you getting your teachers to help you out with these things?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, so I mean, part of it is, I've done in services too, to explain, again, what the sensory system is, how it affects all of us, how it affects life in that academic world, you know, within our own school setting, and then within the classroom. And so I will go in and talk about maybe keeping the walls, you know, like I'd mentioned, just less is better. Simpler is better, really. And then again, that understanding of what, what is the sensory system and what it does, how it's an organization of sensation for use, basically. And so then we'll talk about issues that they might see in their classroom that might be causing a little disruption in the classroom, or a child is fidgety or not paying attention, or falling out of their chair. And so I just, we talk about those things and how they might help, you know. And I've provided their band, and sometimes teachers say, well, it's distracting, you know, now their kids, it becomes a toy, that's right? And so, and then we, I'll go in and talk to the whole class about how, you know, this is what it's for. It's just part of this chair here. It's not to be a toy, you know. And and then once the kids kind of understand what it is, they think it's pretty neat. And so I think just making my presence known by going to the classroom and reaching out to the teachers, saying, hey, you know, is there anything I can help with if you have wiggly students or kiddos that might have difficulty staying on task. Let me come in. Let me talk to you. Let's see what we can do. And that's and that's basically what I do. So I guess just building those relationships is really important. And I know every school year, you know, there's, it's almost like starting a new job every school year.
Jayson Davies
Of course, because there's always a lot of staff turnover, and you got to meet the new teachers. You got to, if there's a new administrator, you got to get to know them, because what we do has a lot of it takes rapport. You know, teachers not going to listen to you or not even be open to your ideas unless they really see you as being valuable. And some of the one of the ways that I try to build rapport fairly quickly, is trying to give them those simple things that you can see a big difference in, and such as, like the therapy band. That's one thing that a lot of teachers kind of see really quickly. Another one that I like to to go to right away, to help teachers with something very simple, is for those kids that can't touch the ground, and when they're sitting in their chair, and I just say, Hey, see that Amazon box you have over there from whatever you ordered over the summer, try just putting that under their feet and see if it helps them stay in their seat. And so it's something that's simple. It's not like we're going out and purchasing a $200 item or anything like that. It's just they already have it in their classroom. All we're doing is just simply modifying the current environment.
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, that's exactly right, yeah, I guess just, you know, like building that rapport, just letting them know I'm here, and these are things that I could help with if you need it. And then I check back into, you know, some teachers will reach out, they'll send me a little email, and I know others, I'll just kind of pop in and just, you know, see how it's going, and if there's anything I can do, but I know that's hard to do, too, if you're going to many, many different schools and you have a huge case load. So in fact, feasible.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, Stephanie mentioned that she has several, like eight schools, if I remember right. And that's just hard, because, like, how do you get to know everyone? Like. Every time you go, you're trying to re, re, introduce yourself to the Secretary and the other teachers. I mean, that's just, it's a lot of people.
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, so, so true. And that's that's hard too. So sometimes even just communication through, you know, an email, if I send out kind of a blast to all, I'll just say my teachers, you know, the teachers that I service, and their students, and then they'll reach out, you know, they'll reach back to me. Hey, you mentioned something. I have this student, you know, those types of things. So.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, perfect. I'd want to ask you one more question, as far as sensory Do you try to when you pull a kid out, or when a kid comes to your office and you have some sensory tools? How do you mix sensory strategies, or sensory integration strategies, with educational strategies?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, so I always say, you know, in the schools, we're just because it's the educational setting, it has to be educationally relevant. So I always try and incorporate that into for example, if I really want Johnny to spend at least 10 minutes doing a really nice piece of fine motor writing work for me, we really want to focus on that he may need to have some sensory in order to kind of around the sensory system a little bit and get him ready to be to write. You know, I never have kids come into the OT room or my room, just boom, come in and, you know, sit down. I never have them just sit down. We always start with some sensory motor, gross motor. Work always. And I kind of asked them to, you know, it's that whole, how is your engine running? We kind of feed off of that a little bit. But basically, you know, you can sense when a child comes into your room, how they're doing. Sometimes they're, you know, you could just tell they're just they're tired, maybe they don't feel good, they haven't slept well, or they're really excited about something. So I kind of take all those in just kind of assess that child real quick, and based on that, do that sensory motor piece, whatever they might need, wherever their energy level is in order for them to do that academic goal task that you really want them to perform to the best of their ability. So again, before I have them sit down at my bean table, or, you know, not just there, maybe it's on the mat, you know, side, sitting, working on a puzzle or something, before I have them quietly do anything, I have them first do a sensory motor or gross motor piece.
Jayson Davies
Good. That's a good way to, like you said, get their body right. Yeah, that's awesome. So yes, all right. Jumping back real quick, you mentioned in services. How do you do an in service every year to answer in services? Or how do you come up with your in services?
Hopemarie Hower
So this or this past school year, I started out the year we had our kind of opening, you know, start to the school year, ot PT meeting, and I did an in service on therapeutic yoga so and it was great. And I did that first to our my fellow OTs and PTs, and then I took that back to my school and did an in service there, which is really great. And that's there is a sensory integrative piece that actually works really well in the academic setting. And it works really great right before testing, like when we have our big district wide testing, you know, I'll go in, and it's really great for the teachers and the students, because we can do a little bit of this therapeutic kind of sensory integrative work through yoga. And the kids find it very relaxing, and they kind of get to expect it, and they know, you know, it's very calming. So anyways, back to the in service piece. It's basically, we bring back anything that we've done in any kind of continuing education, and then bring it back to everybody else and share it perfect, which is really nice.
Jayson Davies
That's cool. So, so then you did, you recently go to a therapeutic yoga training of some sort?
Hopemarie Hower
Last summer. I participated once. So it was last school year we start, oh, I don't even we start in two weeks and two days. I know, right. It's coming up soon. It just means Summer is almost over. But so it was last summer that I did that, and that was fantastic. Really enjoyed it.
Jayson Davies
Awesome. So after you do your in services, then how do you again, going back to that, how do you get buy in? What do you do after you've done that in service, to get a teacher to carry that over, to get that yoga in the classroom? Or do you kind of just let it go and let teachers come to you if they want more help?
Hopemarie Hower
So I also do a PowerPoint presentation, which I can then distribute, and then they can, you know, they look at it, they love it. Or they'll come back and I have a question on this, so usually, then I'll meet and I'll talk as a group. You know, any questions, let's go through it. And that's usually how, how that will work. And I try not to make it work. I try and make it fun, yeah? So not, not super long, and just, you know, hitting those, those main points that I think would be most relevant in the classroom, yeah? And that's what I do. So that seems to work the best, so they don't think, Okay, I've got one more thing.
Jayson Davies
She must completely agree. Yeah, my wife, sorry. My wife's a fourth grade teacher, and so I often ask her, if like, do you think a teacher would be open to this before I do anything? Because they just have so much work on their place.
Hopemarie Hower
And they do, and that's the thing. I mean, they, you know they they do. They're everything from nurse to counselor, all within their their classroom environment, it's like home for the student that day, and that's where everything happens. So.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, no joke. Alright. Well, we should probably get ready to wrap it up. But I do have one last question, yes, recently, we've had a lot of people reaching out to me, emailing us on the website@otschoolhouse.com and it seems like there's been an influx of new graduates. Of course, this is kind of summer, some of the new grads are graduating, as well as other therapists who just happen to be transitioning, maybe from the hospital or a senior nursing facility. And so what's one piece of advice that you would give to all those OTs, either new or just transitioning, looking to get into schools? What's one piece of advice you would give to them?
Hopemarie Hower
Yeah, that's a good one, I think. Actually talk with school based OTs and actually listen to great programs such as the OT school house. I mean that. I mean that's fantastic, because it is such great information. All of your podcasts are, you know, are fantastic, and thank you. There's so you're welcome. I mean that, and and so many other great programs out there, I think if they just do a little research and seek out those opportunities that would really help solidify in their own mind if this is really what they want to do and and how to get started doing that. So, yeah.
Jayson Davies
Well, thank you so much. I appreciate having you on. It's been great talking to you. Talking to you
Hopemarie Hower
Me too, Jayson, thank you.
Jayson Davies
And I wish you the best. Coming up, I know it sounds like you got you said 10, two weeks, two days. I think I might have, yeah, I think I'm pretty similar. I think I go go back august 6, so however many days away that is, it's coming up here soon. Yeah, we go back the second. And I'm sure everyone else out there listening is getting ready to go back as well. So thank you again for coming on and thank you for participating in our giveaway. Yes, I'm so excited that you're able to come on a thank you. Had so much to say, from in services to sensory to the assistive technology piece that was fantastic. So I look forward to keeping in touch with you and seeing where, where all this leads for you, and keeping you up to date on what we're doing?
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, thank you. Thank you so much. Jayson, I've enjoyed it. Thank you.
Jayson Davies
Thank you. Alright, would you like to leave maybe an email or something, if anyone has any specific questions for you?
Hopemarie Hower
Yes, and we're actually switching over our whole as our our county is growing, we're kind of switching that over so I can actually leave, I'll just leave my personal email on here, and it's basically just hope. Marie hower@yahoo.com if anybody has questions, yeah, I always love, love to hear from fellow OTs so or anybody teachers that might have questions.
Jayson Davies
Yeah, definitely, absolutely, Alrighty, well, thank you so much again for coming on and yeah, we'll keep in touch.
Hopemarie Hower
Great. Thank you so much. Jayson, I've enjoyed it. Thank you.
Jayson Davies
All right. Well, that was Hopemarie from Florida. She was the winner of our schools out giveaway, and we are so happy she was able to come on. I want to again, say thank you to her for taking the time out of her day and coming on to help us learn a little bit about sensory integration and assistive technology. That was fantastic. So one quick correction, after we hung up the phone, we realized that we had accidentally called the Xer saucer. The xerser is actually known as the Xer bug Scooter, and if you would like to learn any more about that little scooter that is, uh, looks pretty fun to me. I've never used it, but it looks fun. Or, if you'd like to hear anything else or see anything else that we talked about in this podcast, be sure to visit otschoolhouse.com. Forward slash Episode 10. That's episode and then just the numbers one and zero, and you will be able to see all the show notes from today's episode and learn more about myself as well as Hopemarie, so we'll see you over there. If not, we'll see you next time on the podcast. Take care. Bye. Bye.
Amazing Narrator
Thank you for listening to the OT school house podcast for more ways to help you and your students succeed right now, head on over to. Otschoolhouse.com Until next time class is dismiss
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