OTS 175: What Teachers and Admin Really Think About School-based OT

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Welcome to the show notes for Episode 175 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast.

In this episode, Jayson discusses the often misunderstood role of school-based occupational therapy practitioners. He emphasizes the need for OT practitioners to advocate for their diverse skills beyond handwriting instruction, highlighting the importance of collaboration with teachers and administrators.

The conversation explores teacher and administrator perspectives on OT services, the value of collaboration, and the challenges faced by OT practitioners in schools. Jayson encourages listeners to find ways to support teachers and improve the perception of OT in educational settings.

Takeaways

• School-based OT practitioners are often seen only as handwriting instructors.
  

• Teachers value collaboration with OT practitioners to support students.
  

• Many teachers want to see more OT involvement in classrooms.
  

• Administrators may not fully understand the workload model of OT services.
  

• OT practitioners need to advocate for their diverse roles in schools.
  

• Collaboration can lead to better outcomes for students.
  

• Teachers appreciate OT support in their classrooms.
  

• OT practitioners should provide practical strategies to teachers.
  

• Understanding teacher perspectives can improve OT services.
  

• Advocacy is essential for changing perceptions of OT in education.

Quotes

“Seventy three percent of teachers said that they really want to see collaboration happen and that they actually think that collaboration with OT practitioners help their students.”

-Jayson Davies,M.A, OTR/L

"I know it sometimes gets tiring feeling like we have to advocate all the time, but everyone has to advocate all the time until people understand what they do.”

-Jayson Davies,M.A, OTR/L

"OT practitioners, you know, we we aren't always understood. However, we can change that. We can do a lot to change the way that OT is perceived, and the teachers actually want that.”

-Jayson Davies,M.A, OTR/L

Resources

👉OT in school-based practice: Educator satisfaction with understanding of services before and after targeted training

👉Teachers’ perceptions of the role of occupational therapists in schools.

👉 Elementary teachers’ perceptions of the value of collaboration with school-based occupational therapists

👉 Workload model in school-based occupational therapy practice: Administrators’ perspectives.

👉 Perspectives of school-based occupational therapists

👉 The perspectives of educators on school-based occupational therapy

Episode Transcript

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OTS 175_ What Teachers and Admin Really Think About School-based OT.pdf

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