School based occupational therapy providers support students in learning and participating in the classroom. Here are school based OT tips.
Written by Laurie Ray, MPT, PhD, who has over 18 years of experience in school-based practice and is a state-level PT consultant for public schools. She also consults for Medicaid and Adapted Physical Education for her state and
For the child with sensory challenges, the classroom can be an overwhelming place. All of the sensory systems are touched on in the classroom. When sensory systems are challenged, learning is a struggle. School based OTs are often times consulted when students struggle with physical or sensory issues that result in educational deficits. Previously, The ... Read more
School-based OTs are often working with a LARGE caseload! Find ways to get organized to start the year to make this workload a bit easier!
Visual skill development is an important foundation for reading. These fun activities will help to develop and improve visual skills.
Learn about occupational therapy in schools. In this guide you'll learn about our approach to evaluation and treatment.
What are the most common school-based OT assessments? Here is a comprehensive list of the ones I use most regularly in my practice!
Documentation, like SOAP notes, can be one of the least favorite parts of being an occupational therapist. But they don't have to be hard!
These 42 visual perceptual activities are great for a child's developing brain. They support components of visual perception and learning.
Determing pull-out or push-in services in the school setting has many factors to consider such as current level of function, number of goals, etc.
Push in occupational therapy model, OT in schools, setting goals, observations, no child left behind, collaboration with team
Scheduling Tips for School-Based Therapists Over the last few weeks, the Your Therapy Source survey was on scheduling tips for school-based therapists. It was a simple two question survey: what is your job title and what is your best suggestion for creating therapy schedules? You can answer the current survey here. For question #1, the majority respondents (66%) were occupational therapists. Here are the 50+ responses to the question: what is your best suggestion for creating therapy schedules? Group by school, then consider eligibility/meeting days, then best time to see students that day dependent on individual goals/class fine motor or visual motor time. In the school based setting, one needs to schedule according to teachers schedules in school; some are more flexible than others. Check with teachers regarding classroom schedules including reading and math blocks, specials (PE, art, music, etc.). I usually ask them for the best and worst time to see students. Check student goals to see which can be accomplished in the classroom (and therefore helpful to teacher too) and match up students with similar goals and level of function. I am a teletherapist so I use a shared google calendar for one of my schools so that my paraprofessional can see when I am available and so that she can schedule my students during my available time. For my virtual students, I send the parents an email using the mixmax add on so that they are able to click their time preference. If I am available, it automatically schedules them on my google calendar. If I am not available, then they can choose another option from the times in my email. google calender I wish I knew Be flexible, Write in Pencil, Schedule middle and high school first, as their schedules are typically less flexible. Begin with a pencil! I have a loose schedule the first 2 weeks of school. I usually coordinate with the speech therapist first since they usually see the student multiple times per week. I have also found that if I schedule a school on meeting days I have a better chance of being the only related service that sees students on that day. If I miss a student that day due to a meeting, I can add them with another student that same day! Outlook Calendar so it syncs with those scheduling meetings and can be shared with select teachers, admin etc….. Go to the teachers first and find out when is the best time to schedule their students. I have a schedule starter sheet. It is a list with an empty day schedule on the left side to be filled out as I establish good times to see the student. On the right, it lists the student’s name, grade, teacher, IEP date and service time, lunch and special times, and I get from the teachers the best time to see the students (so I avoid instruction time). On the top of the sheet, it has the school hours, and a grid for a list of the different service providers for that school, PE teacher, school nurse. I use this sheet throughout the school year to add new students, or mark when they have moved out of district. I go around to all of my schools, get the individual calendars and the staff list with phone extensions, the specials, lunch, and recess schedules. I schedule the schools with the largest number of students first, and then fill in with the schools with fewer students. Determine need of districts sped students, With job description, allot time needed for paperwork and collaboration. Curriculum of students should communicate needs or gaps that OT can help with…if we are “academic based”. I wish I knew Consolidate holiday sessions Schedule older students and those who receive all services first I make three different options for each child then regardless of who is absent I have alternatives to who is available for any given block of time. It really is less work than it sounds. Schedule the hardest students to fit into an OT schedule. Schedule students that are in the middle school first as they change classes. then scheduled the elementary students who are in the same class throughout the day. If possible, bring the entire team (teachers and other therapists) together to work out mutually compatible schedules so it’s not a “race” to see who claims their “day” first. If that could be done at the schools where you spend the most time, then hopefully other schools, with small caseloads, will be flexible with what’s left of your time and things will work! It’s worth hoping!! Get the whole school schedule and then build in your times around recess/lunch specials. Push into language arts Communicate directly with teachers and other therapists, and be flexible! Teachers know how to pair students well. put it in pencil- you know you are going to have to change it 100 times! Flexibility! Speaking with the student’s teacher is of course, an initial contact that must be made to ensure smooth scheduling. Showing an investment in the student and communicating a respect for the teacher’s predetermined classroom time and scheduling sets off the year to a good start. I try to find natural lulls during the school day — planned movement breaks or recess plus or minus a few minutes. I try to avoid pulling students during those times in the day when I’ve observed them come most alive in the classroom. (That is calendar time for some of my kiddos!). Routine is really important to most of my students, and I try to give them this consistency as often as I can. I am still working on it!!! Our supervisor tells us what day to go to each school so within the day I have to figure out when to see the kids. First I plug in who may go home early, then when each grades lunch and specials are. Then I look at IEP to see what subject OT supports. Try to fit it all into a puzzle by hand. I do best with sticky note tabs or pencil and paper. Coordinating between school administration and other therapy services. I try to set a day and time frame for the building (ie Thursday afternoons) when asking classroom teachers for serving the students. I then ask for their schedule,and find opportunities within their own schedule, and then work towards supporting the student within their own classroom working on items that relate to therapy supported educational goals.By setting day and time since we all seem to cover many buildings,it provides an opportunity to be more consistent on a weekly basis in servicing all students within all buildings. Be flexible! Write initial schedule in pencil and be prepared to change it…many times! Flexibility! I try to schedule time in a school and then “catch” the students during their PE class, music class, recess, diaper changes, or when getting on/off the bus and use those opportunities to teach staff while I do therapy with the students. Lead and teach by example. Gathering all the specials schedules(art, music, PE) and core subjects so we have those before putting students on a schedule. Also getting classroom schedules helps with knowing when to push-in for writing, etc. Meeting with special ed teachers to work on the schedule together greatly helps. Start early! Before school starts. Most schools have master schedules completed before school starts. Set up a meeting with your school administrators. I work in a rural district and travel to multiple schools in a day. My travel path is what dictates my therapy schedule which is probably not the best but when traveling to 4-5 schools in a day, it truly is my only option. Within the time I am within each school, I try to be the least disruptive to each child’s regular schedule whenever possible. Depends on teachers and special class schedules in school. I usually work in between. Patience! Start early with the most difficult students to schedule and be prepared to correct LOTS of drafts. We try to work with the student where they are struggling the most. I email each teacher or grade (some share students) for suggestions – not perfect but they know their schedule better than I can just by looking at a master schedule. Email school principal / secretary the week before school starts to have them email you special / lunch / recess schedules/ class lists. Take an empy schedule with times and then write every student’s name for that building on the tiny sticky notes (1/4″ or so by 1 to 1 1/2″). After getting the special schedules etc. start placing stickies in the time slots of your empty schedule. I like to email the teachers with times then they can reference that time or let you know if it is not a good time, or write it on a card for them if you have several students in their class. Other than being flexible and starting asap, provide the teacher with 2, or even 3, time slots. Some teachers are so flexible but for those who are not, giving them a choice seems to help our future relationship if you know what I mean! Ask at the office for the master specials, lunch and recess schedule before talking to any teacher about a specific student. Prioritize scheduling students who mainstream from self-contained homerooms to general education settings first. Then schedule resource room students next. Then schedule general education students and last schedule full day self-contained. Be sure to schedule in travel time between schools and for students who may need to be picked up to/from their class. Share your schedule with the teachers as you complete it to receive quick feedback about scheduling conflicts or circumstances and ultimately share it with the pertinent case managers, principals, CST secretary, school secretary, counselors and special area teachers for each student. pray. LOL. First find out about ‘special’ schedules, then talk to ST to coordinate with them, and then the teachers. Build in room to be flexible if at all possible Create a survey asking teachers the 3 best times to work with students and then attempt to create a schedule from this. Start with the students with the highest minutes. Group by location. Keep calm and schedule on! Plan early and be flexible Class time Collaborate with special education teachers for push-in times; set up a meeting time with speech/PT/etc to set schedules with teachers. Schedule your kids with the most restrictive availability first. Tell them your schedule is very tight, every change has a domino effect and you wish you could be more flexible. Say it very nicely, with a smile. Scheduling has to be a balance of the client’s needs and yours as a therapist. Make schedule then present to teachers. Make as early as possible. Create an excel spreadsheet and paste names into time blocks and shuffle as needed. Good luck everyone! Scheduling is a super stressful time. But, once done it is such a relief to get started working with the students! Please take a moment to participate in the current survey here. Once all your students are scheduled, stay organized with the Therapy Planner. The new, updated planners are ready for you to get started on organizing your work life. FIND OUT MORE INFORMATION ON THE THERAPY PLANNERS AND SEE THE DESIGNS The post 50+ Scheduling Tips for School Based Therapists appeared first on Your Therapy Source.
School-based OTs are often working with a LARGE caseload! Find ways to get organized to start the year to make this workload a bit easier!
In room occupational therapy treatment interventions are a necessity when a patient is isolated or you are working with limited supplies.
Heavy pencil pressure when writing? Force modulation difficulties? Occupational therapists use graded force activities and tools to help!
Occupational Therapy activities for middle and high school online virtual teletherapy treatment sessions.
Are you new to the world of school based therapy? If so, here are 5 blog posts that will help you hit the ground running. 8 Getting To Know You Activities for School Based Therapists – pick a few of these ideas to get to know your students and for your students to get to […]
The school based-Occupational Therapist is getting ready to head back into the school year this Fall. Getting organized can be one of the hardest parts of school-based OT. These tips and tricks are some that I’ve used during my years as an Occupational Therapist working in the schools. One of the tell-tale signs of ... Read more
As a special educator, you are likely to get a new OT student some day! Here are three things to do to prepare!
This pediatric occupational therapy activity box is a fun way to store and sort occupational therapy supplies for kids in schools, in home occupational therapy services, or for the school-based OT who travels from building to building. Pediatric occupational therapy activities and tools can be be used as an occupational therapy activity tool too! Read ... Read more
Advocacy in Action T-Shirt | DEI shirt | Inclusion tshirt | school counselor shirt | OT, PT, SLP shirt | safe space shirt Spread the message of advocacy and inclusion with this soft jersey cotton tee. DETAILS • Bella + Canvas Unisex Premium crew neck shirt (3001 Style) • Soft & lightweight • 100% combed and ring-spun cotton • Design is printed using DTG technology which uses high-quality water-based inks that are printed directly into the fabric for a long-lasting image. My shirts and sweatshirts are professionally printed to provide you with the highest quality, so I do not see your order before it is shipped. If you have any problems with your items, please let me know so we can work together to make it right. SIZING • Runs true-to-size for a unisex shirt • A size chart is provided in the listing. Please check the sizing & color chart. I do not accept exchanges or returns for apparel ordered in the wrong size or color. Want to add your school name or clinic logo? Looking to place a large order for your group? Send me a message to customize your order. All US orders over $35 ship for free! By purchasing this listing, you confirm you have read this listing in its entirety.
Resources, Forms, and Tools for planning and documenting Pediatric Occupational Therapeutic Interventions and Data Collection/Progress. Includes Assessment Checklists and Documentation Forms for Ongoing Intervention.
From a therapy standpoint, inclusion means “pushing into” classrooms to deliver services rather than pulling kids out for therapy sessions.
Does your child seem more active than their same-aged peers or pursue movement? Does your child have a hard time sitting in their chair at school or during ...
Interventions and therapy activities for school-based occupational therapists.
Ideas, guides and resources for school based physical therapy documentation and school based occupational therapy documentation.
If you were building your dream sensory room, what would you include? Here is my school based OT perspective on great sensory room equipment!
Is this even possible? Yes! Discover the activities that Occupational Therapist use while working on cutting skills in the schools!
Learn how OTPs should be using both a biomechanical frame of reference & occupation based techniques, to help our patients achieve their optimal outcomes.
Simplifed and effecient use of your time for OT progress notes with check boxes for skills: Adaptive equipment ADL Assistive technology Fine/motor Work habits Sensory Visual perceptual and comments. Then, use a key for Min, Mod or Max assistance the child needs that you simply circle to acknowledge the level of assist needed. Simply copy or print more pages as needed. The second page allows more space for writing as needed. I use this for school based OT sessions but could be used in video visits, home or private practice, too. Sorry this is a hard copy and not editable at this time.
Regulation Before Expectations shirt | school speech therapist | occupational therapist | school therapist | OT, SLP shirt | behavior shirt DETAILS • Bella + Canvas Unisex Premium crew neck shirt (3001 Style) • Soft & lightweight • 100% combed and ring-spun cotton • Design is printed using DTG technology which uses high-quality water-based inks that are printed directly into the fabric for a long-lasting image. My shirts and sweatshirts are professionally printed to provide you with the highest quality, so I do not see your order before it is shipped. If you have any problems with your items, please let me know so we can work together to make it right. SIZING • Runs true-to-size for a unisex shirt • A size chart is provided in the listing. Please check the sizing & color chart. I do not accept exchanges or returns for apparel ordered in the wrong size or color. Want to add your school name or clinic logo? Looking to place a large order for your group? Send me a message to customize your order. HOLIDAY SHIPPING As my physical items are printed and shipped TO ORDER, all holiday orders must be placed by December 12th. Orders placed after that date are NOT guaranteed to arrive by Christmas. All US orders over $35 ship for free! By purchasing this listing, you confirm you have read this listing in its entirety.
These occupational therapy themes are great weekly themes for occupational therapy planning. Create a weekly lesson plan and go!
In this blog post, I will be sharing a few of my favorite must-have OT school supplies for educators and students to have this fall!
This resource on middle school occupational therapy covers insight on how OT professionals support middle school students.
These hacks for productivity for occupational therapy support OTs working with kids in schools so they can be productive.
Occupation-based treatments are crucial for OTs, but we can't always do the real thing. Check out these simulated OT treatments to help!
Ideas for OT Consult/Intervention for Students with Significant Intellectual Disabilities* Depending on the educational and related s...
Looking for free cognitive assessments for your adult patient population? Check out these five free assessments with instructions.
Occupation based treatment ideas feel like they should come easy, but sometimes we find barriers to getting creative and finding the occupations that are
When it comes to pediatric occupational therapy, having the right tools and toys can make all the difference in creating engaging and effective therapy sessions. In this blog post, we’ll take a peek inside my occupational therapy rolling bag which I have had for 3+ years and explore my favorite developmental and therapeutic toys that … Inside My Occupational Therapy Rolling Bag: Must-Have Toys for Pediatric Therapists Read More »
