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.
Ideas, guides and resources for school based physical therapy documentation and school based occupational therapy documentation.
W-Sitting Infographic What is W-Sitting, what are the associated problems and what are solutions? Live in the Chicagoland area? Speak with an expert about your child. Complete the form below and one of our amazing staff members will be in contact with you soon.
feature art Emotion Sensation Wheel: A new kind of feeling wheel. A therapist-designed resource designed to help make connections between our brains and bodies. Unlike a traditional feelings wheel (first published in 1982 by Gloria
Over 80 amazing, simple proprioceptive activities for kids. Learn benefits of proprioceptive input to calm, focus, and alert.
A set of 7 puzzles that have students practice critical thinking skills and apply concepts related to Newton's Laws of Motion: Inertia, Force = Mass x Acceleration, and Action and Reaction Pairs, and vocabulary related to motion and Newton's Laws. The puzzles are designed to align with the NGSS physical science standards. NGSS Standards Addressed: MS-PS-2-1 Apply Newton’s Third Law to design a solution to a problem involving the motion of two colliding objects MS-PS-2-2. Plan an investigation to provide evidence that the change in an object’s motion depends on the sum of the forces on the object and the mass of the object. Topics Covered: Unicorn Hidden Message Students review vocabulary related to these performance expectations. Vocabulary: Acceleration, deceleration, gravity, kinetic, mass, Newton, speed, and velocity Supports MS-PS-2-1 and PS-2-2 Turkey Hidden Message Students review vocabulary related to these performance expectations. Acceleration, friction, force, gravity, inertia, net force, newton, speed, unbalanced, and Newton’s 1st, Newton’s 2nd and Newton’s 3rd Supports MS-PS-2-1 and PS-2-2 Newton’s Law Maze Students correctly identify examples of Newton’s three Laws of Motion to move through the maze. At the end, they unscramble the letters for a bonus phrase Supports MS-PS-2-1 Newton’s Law Matching Students correctly identify examples of Newton’s three Laws of Motion to decode the message. Supports MS-PS-2-1 Cat Hidden Message Students correctly identify examples of Newton’s three Laws of Motion to decode the message. Uses different examples than Newton’s Law matching Puzzle and the monster hidden puzzle Supports MS-PS-2-1 and PS 2-2 Robot Message Students determine if statements are true or false. This reviews common misconceptions about Newton’s Laws of Motion Supports MS-PS-2-1 and PS-2-2 Monster Eating People? Students correctly identify examples of Newton’s three Laws of Motion to decode the message. Examples of Newton’s 1st, 2nd, and 3rd laws are included. Uses different examples than the Cat Hidden Message puzzle and Newton’s Laws Matching Puzzle Supports MS-PS-2-1 and PS 2-2 Usage Recommendations: These worksheets are versatile and can be utilized for independent practice, in stations, as homework assignments, or as part of emergency substitute teacher plans for unexpected schedule changes. Contains Cover,TOU or credits (3 pages) Teacher Notes (2 pages) Puzzles (9 pages) Answer Key (7 pages) Like these review pages? Check out these other product topics •NGSS MS-PS-2-2 Skill Boosters: Speed, Net Force, and Newton's 2nd Review Puzzles •CER Writing Workshop for MS-PS-2-2 •Vocabulary Dominoes: Motion and Newton’s Laws NGSS MS-PS-2-1 and 2-2 I take pride in my materials and guarantee satisfaction. If you have any questions or comments, feel free to contact me at [email protected] * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * * Consider Following My Store for Timely Updates You can be the first to know about new products and upcoming events by following me. I only send out meaningful notes to followers and only occasionally. I post new products a couple of times per month. To follow me, click on the little "Follow Me" button by the green star right below my Ratelis Science store name that you can find on any of my pages. Leave Feedback and Earn Credits I take pride in my products and appreciate quality feedback. My hope is that my products will meet your highest expectations. Leaving feedback also earns you "credits" which can be used for discounts on future purchases. To leave feedback, just go to your My Purchases page (you might need to login). Next to each listed purchase will be a Provide Feedback button. Click it and be taken to the page to leave a rating and short comment.
This Blog and Infographic will review tonic reflexes, their significance if the reflex persists beyond the typical age range, and the possible impact on a child’s functioning and role performance. Last but not least, this blog will suggest therapeutic interventions that are known to help inhibit the activation of tonic reflexes and advance postural control as a foundation for optimal functioning.
Teachers, you must send this letter home to parents on the first day of school. It will set the tone with parents for the rest of the year!
Looking for visuals to help your kids make sense of math? Grab this free set of printable math manipulatives for all the hands on resources your kids need.
Reading comprehension - ESL worksheets
How underwater earthquakes cause the formation of tsunamis; copyright GeoscienceAustralia CCbyAttribution The Physics of Tsunamis (Y,M,O,T) An educational website from the University of Washington on tsunamis. The site provides information on how to survive a tsunami, the different ways they are formed, and what they look like. Also provides a small database of articles and videos Continue reading »
Nachdem die ursprüngliche und neue Version des 5 Minute Teacher schon über 1250 Mal gekauft wurde und in so vielen Klassenzimmern eingesetzt wird gibt es n
I think all special education teachers struggle with meeting the sensory needs of some of our students. I am not always lucky enough to have a separate sensory room at my school. However, you can easily and cheaply create a sensory wall for your students! Below is a list of items you can add to […]
Hi Teachers! If you’ve been following my blog, you may have seen recent posts about this new resource line, Interactive VocAppulary™! This resource is essentially an interactive vocabulary activity where students design apps for each vocabulary word for their themed Smartphone! What is unique about Interactive VocAPPulary™ is that it combines the use of
I don't know about you, but sometimes something that seems like it would be so easy to teach seems a little daunting. How can I make sc...
Curious what a Level II OT fieldwork looks like? Sharign what to expect when diving into occupational therapy fieldwork!
A post about providing classroom guidance services to Early Childhood students.
First Day Of School Handprint Craft | Back To School Printable | Memory Keepsake | Handprint Preschool Craft | Teacher Resource **Please note that this listing is for digital files only. No physical product will be shipped.** ♥ HOW IT WORKS: 1. Buy, Download & Save. 2. Print file at home or local print shop. 3. Customize it with child's handprint or footprint 4. Paint or write date & name in empty fields as desired. ♥ WHAT DOES MY PURCHASE INCLUDE: ➤ 11" x 8.5" high resolution PDF file ➤10" x 8" high resolution PDF file ➤ Please contact me if you need any other size! ♥ INSTANT DOWNLOAD: ➤The files will be delivered electronically within minutes of your order and payment. ➤An email will be sent to the address you have associated with your Etsy account with a link for your download. ♥ HOW TO PRINT: ➤ Print at home using good quality card or art paper. For the best results, a heavyweight matte paper or card stock is recommended. ➤ Print at your local copy shop. ➤ Upload to an online print shop such as staples. ♥ IMPORTANT: ➤This is a digital item, you will not receive anything in the mail. ➤ Digital items cannot be returns so can't be refunded - sorry. ➤The colours may vary from monitor to monitor. ♥ NEED MORE HELP? - Please get in touch, I'm happy to try to resolve any question or issues for you. This purchase is for Personal Use Only. Please not resell, reproduce, distribute by electronic means or profit in any way.
This post may contain affiliate links.Dressing skills are the bread and butter of the Occupational Therapy profession, but not every setting or session is an appropriate time or place to have your client get dressed or undressed. I used to joke around with a Physical Therapist that we hoped our clients weren’t going to incorporate...
When trying to differentiate instruction for our students, it's easy to feel overwhelmed. Here are 6 Easy Ways to Differentiate Instruction
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
Practice Spanish with our visual and creative learning resources. Learn about Day of the Dead, practice listening and understand grammar....
This is a Slope Race Partner Activity . This activity will give your students practice with finding slope and it requires them to use their expressive and receptive language skills to share information with a partner. There are 4 problems for students to complete. Step One : Break your class up into pairs. (I like to partner students who have more mastery over slope with students who are struggling.) Hand out blank race packets to the students and explain to them that they will need to work as a team to win the race. Step Two : Once the first team finishes, check their answers but encourage the other teams to keep going for 2nd and 3rd place. You could also vary this activity by setting a timer and having students race against the clock. The first team that finishes with correct answers before the time ends are the winners. This makes a great review activity at the end of the math unit. An answer key is included. I hope you enjoy! Take A Look at My Best Sellers: Yearbook Staff Handbook Manual Pride and Prejudice Student Handbook Great Scientists Poster Pack Compare and Contrast Archimedes & Euclid Learning Packet How a Bill Becomes a Law Hexagon Project Sense and Sensibility Color by Code Worksheet You can find more resources at my storefront here: https://teachsimple.com/contributor/the-comprehensive-teacher Slope Race Partner Activity
These Google Slides provide a quick resource for FREE to get you started with a daily brain break in Spanish class! Check them out!
This FRENCH workbook covers the Grade 1 The Local Community unit in the NEW 2023 Ontario Social Studies curriculum (People and Environments).Ce cahier d'exercices couvre l'unité La communauté de la 1re année du programme d'études sociales de l'Ontario 2023 (Communauté et environnement).The workbook ...
In-hand manipulation skills resource addressing its importance and how occupational therapy can help. Includes 25 easy to implement exercises
Do you struggle to plan P.E. games for your students? Here are a few resources that elementary teachers might find useful when planning P.E.
The American Council on Exercise offers a free physical education curriculum for elementary and middle school students (grades 3-8th). The curriculum covers fitness and nutrition th…
To fly, airplanes require lift, drag, gravity, and thrust. With this journaling activity, students will think, predict, observe, and interpret a diagram to learn more.
This Blog and Infographic will review tonic reflexes, their significance if the reflex persists beyond the typical age range, and the possible impact on a child’s functioning and role performance. Last but not least, this blog will suggest therapeutic interventions that are known to help inhibit the activation of tonic reflexes and advance postural control as a foundation for optimal functioning.
This personal Student Dictionary is a must-have spelling dictionary tool for writer's workshop! Replace or compliment your Word Wall and give students access to over 300 sight words high frequency words at their fingertips! Students gain spelling independence! After years of "How do I spell that?" I decided it was time students have their own dictionary, stored for easy access in their WRITER'S WORKSHOP FOLDER. Each page A-Z includes the 220 Dolch Sight Words, as well as the Fry's first 100 words, and word lists including days, colors, numbers and more! There are bonus word list pages too...SEE THE PREVIEW! This Student Dictionary is ideal for grades 1-3, but can be used in other grades for students needing extra support with spelling, or for kiddos with special needs. There are TWO different dictionary options: half-page (my favorite) and full-page. The half-page dictionary has FOUR different lined options as well as two formats for printing this dictionary. One format makes a complete dictionary using only 10 pages of paper (this is my favorite option). The other is a single-page format for a thicker dictionary. Both are included in this file, so you choose whichever one meets your needs! The full-page dictionary comes with TWO different lined options.This dictionary is formatted to fit perfectly in a two pocket folder with prongs (see pic in preview). Both dictionary formats also have four different cover options to choose from! Included in this file: A "How to use" page Photo directions showing how to copy/assemble each format Four different Student Dictionary cover pages to choose from Four different lined versions of A-Z pages to choose from (including over 320 extra words) Blank "favorite words" pages Blank "extra words" pages BONUS! A full-page DIGITAL Student Dictionary option is included to use with Google Slides™. You will need to know how to use Google Slides with your classroom for this option. ***Just a friendly reminder that this product is for A SINGLE USER ONLY. That means that copying or sharing any part of this product with another teacher, grade level, school, department, district, etc…is strictly prohibited. You have the option to purchase multiple licenses (at a discount) for each additional person/classroom with whom you wish to share this product. Thank you for respecting my hard work! © All rights reserved. Erin Lane. www.Inspired Elementary.com GET THE LATEST FROM INSPIRED ELEMENTARY! FOLLOW ON TPT! FOLLOW ON THE BLOG FOLLOW ON FACEBOOK FOLLOW ON INSTAGRAM FOLLOW ON PINTEREST
Teaching the scientific method with these ten tips will help cement the scientific principles your students need to succeed in science this year - Getting Nerdy
Visual Motor activities that work well in online virtual teletherapy occupational therapy sessions!
These all about me, back to school art activities for kids are engaging icebreakers. Encourage creativity and build community during the first week back
