The OT School House Podcast

In episode 19 of the OT School House Podcast, we are excited to host Jaime Spencer, OTR/L, of MissJaimeOT.com to talk about how we can advocate for ourselves as OTs at every level from the school site to nationally. Have you heard about California's Credentialling efforts? How about New York's? Join us for a conversation on why OTs should be valued like teachers and how to help with the process!  View the complete Show Notes at OTSchoolHouse.com/episode19

Today we talk to Lauren Drobnjak, physical therapist and co-creator of The Inspired Treehouse Blog. Lauren and Claire, (the OT behind The Inspired Treehouse) recently co-authored a book titled the Playful Learning Lab for Kids. This new book features 52 gradable activities for kids of all abilities. You can get it on Amazon now! Be sure to listen to the episode to hear how to get 20% off at theinspiredtreehouse.com See the episode show notes at OTSchoolHouse.com/episode18

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework notes that "Clients may require access to and the ability to use technology such as cell or smartphones, computers or tablets, and videogame consoles to carry out their daily routines and occupations." (2004). With this in mind, it is not only important to understand how meaningful it is for our clients and students to access technology and online media, but we also need to understand how we use online media to our personal and professional advantage. 

Join us as Abby has a conversation with fellow pediatric blogger, The Anonymous OT (whose name will be revealed) from TheAnonymousOT.com. An experienced pediatric OT, The Anonymous OT has practiced in school-based settings as well as in a clinic and in home health settings. Together, Abby and our guest discuss the similarities and differences between school-based and clinic occupational therapy evaluations and services. A new place to review and search for continuing education courses is also reviewed.

In this episode, Abby interviews Robert Constantine about how to assess and address concerns related to visual perception and visual motor capabilities in our children. In this podcast, you will learn to identify some of the behaviors associated with vision problems and several helpful hints about how to tease out the reason for those behaviors. Robert provides simple steps that you can use tomorrow when you see your students. It is our pleasure to have on such a great and knowledgeable guest.

In this episode, Jayson interviews Jason Gonzales of DoubleTimeDocs.com (Affiliate link for your convenience) about some of the Laws, regulations and state guidelines that help OTs understand what should be in (or omitted from) our reports. Also discussed is when you should use standardized assessments, how to choose what assessment to use, and how to decrease the amount of time it takes to complete an OT evaluation report. 

In this episode of the Occupational therapy School House Podcast, we will discuss everything from which programs work in what setting, to who can benefit from handwriting instruction and more. Specifically, we will be looking at 4 articles that support the instruction of handwriting in the classroom through a collaborative approach. Be sure to check out the articles in addition to listening to the article; they are cited in the show notes! 

In this episode, Jayson interviews fellow occupational therapist, Akemi McNeil (formerly Davies). Akemi is currently the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at Stanbridge University's Master's of Science in Occupational Therapy program where she works with hospitals, clinics, schools and other employers in order to place upwards of 120 students in an appropriate fieldwork setting.  Jayson and Akemi talk what it means to be a fieldwork educator in a school-based setting.

In this episode, Jayson Interviews Dr. Amy Sadek about how every school-based occupational therapist should be using evidence-based practices and how to find the research that guides what they are doing. Dr. Sadek's background in nutrition and occupational therapy led her to earn a PhD in Rehabilitation Sciences. While completing her research she quickly learned how difficult it can be to be an evidence-based practitioner, as well as, how difficult it can be to conduct research in public schools

In this episode, Jayson chats with Hopemarie Hower, OTR/L, the winner of the OT School House 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. 

In this episode, guest Leah Hiller, OTR/L, and Jayson dive into Response to Intervention (RTI) a bit and discuss several ways occupational therapists can have an impact on students without ever completing an evaluation. RTI is a growing model in schools and as OTs, it opens the door for us helping more students in less time. It also provides opportunities for OTs to provide in-services for teachers and recommend curriculums that will benefit the social and motor aspects of student roles.

In this episode, Jayson and Abby look at the many ways to earn professional development per NBCOT guidelines and share 9 specific places where you can earn your needed Professional Development Units (PDUs) or Competency Assessment Units (CAUs) as NBCOT calls them.  There is also a special announcement at the end of this episode, so stay tuned. 

In this episode, Jayson interviews occupational therapist and Doctor of Health Sciences, Dr. Rachelle Murphy. Dr. Murphy is currently an instructor at the American Career College in Anaheim, California and she is currently in the process of researching the effects of using a mindfulness program in small charter school. 

In this episode, we look at two commonly used school-based Occupational therapy assessment tools. Both the BOT-2 and the M-FUN are standardized testing tools that occupational therapist use to assess fine motor and visual motor skills in children. While they are similar in what they assess, they are very different in how they get their results.

In this episode, host Abby Parana has a discussion with Board Certified Behavioral Analyst (BCBA), Steven Troyer. Steven and Abby have previously worked together and collaborated to help many of the same students meet their IEP goals. Listen in to hear Abby and Steven discuss behavior from both OT and BCBA perspectives.