Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast

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Pediatric OTs use play in nearly everything we do, but how much of it is actually play? In this episode, we review the play-work continuum, which separates free play from play as a vehicle for goals. Michele also shares 10 ways to apply it in your sessions, from writing goals for play to setting up the environment and how to facilitate safe rough-and-tumble play.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

 Brown, T., & Lynch, H. (2023). Children's play–work occupation continuum: Play-based occupational therapy, play therapy and playwork. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 90(3), 249–256. https://doi.org/10.1177/00084174221130165 

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Sensory garments are everywhere and frequently marketed to our clients and families — but almost none of the research asks what happens after a parent clicks "buy." This episode discusses a study with off-the-shelf sensory garments and their impact on participation for autistic children. The results split in a way that may change how you talk to families about these products — and expose a bigger problem with how we measure outcomes for autistic kids in the first place.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Mische Lawson, L., Foster, L., Hamner, K., & Wright, L. (2022). Exploring effects of sensory garments on participation of children on the autism spectrum: A pretest-posttest repeated measure design. Occupational Therapy International, 2022, Article 3540271. https://doi.org/10.1155/2022/3540271  

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Up to 50% of kids with developmental coordination disorder (DCD) also have ADHD — and that overlap changes how motor gains actually stick. We're back with another episode on CO-OP: goal, plan, do, check, and 8 strategies for building motor skills through problem-solving instead of repetition. If you've been using a repetition-based, motor-learning approach with a child and haven’t seen much success, this episode has an alternative worth trying. And....if you missed it, check out our other episode on CO-OP with episode 35.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

 Izadi-Najafabadi, S., Gunton, C., Dureno, Z., & Zwicker, J. G. (2022). Effectiveness of Cognitive Orientation to Occupational Performance intervention in improving motor skills of children with developmental coordination disorder: A randomized waitlist-control trial. Clinical Rehabilitation, 36(6), 776–788. https://doi.org/10.1177/02692155221086188

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“You gain what you train” — but what does that actually look like session to session? In this episode, Michele and Lacy review a case study that has all the ingredients of a solid motor learning intervention for self-feeding with a spoon. We talk through how the intervention was built, what actually improved (and what didn't), and where the study's limitations leave room to make this more practical — think play, caregiver coaching, adaptive tools. 

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Jajal, R. N., Vaghela, M. R., & Patel, B. N. (2026). Establishing independent spoon feeding through a structured motor-based shaping protocol in a child with developmental delay. International Journal for Multidisciplinary Research (IJFMR), 8(2), 1–13. https://doi.org/10.36948/ijfmr.2026.v08i02.73433 

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Daily living skill performance can be hard to learn for autistic teens, even when their cognition is average or above average. This episode covers a randomized controlled trial testing a manualized program that teaches laundry, cooking, and money management to autistic adolescents, compared head-to-head with the well-respected PEERS program. We cover the results and how an OT lens could take this already-strong intervention even further. 

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

 Duncan, A., Meinzen-Derr, J., Ruble, L., Fassler, C., & Stark, L. J. (2023). A randomized clinical trial targeting daily living skills in autistic adolescents without an intellectual disability before the transition to adulthood. Journal of Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, 44(9), e590–e596. https://doi.org/10.1097/DBP.0000000000001222

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Down syndrome is one of the most common diagnoses OTs work with, yet the research base behind it is surprisingly small. This week, Lacy and Michele discuss a new AJOT scoping review featuring some of the most unexpected interventions they've ever covered, from elephants to qigong massage to traditional dance. Behind the fun, though, is a bigger story about where this research is happening, and where it's falling short. 

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Long, K. L., Barrios Lago, M. S., & Nelson, E. L. (2026). Occupational therapy interventions in Down syndrome: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 0(0). https://doi.org/10.1177/19437676261464084

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Picture a beach in Aotearoa New Zealand — a gnarled pōhutukawa tree perfect for climbing, a rope swing hanging over the sand, and a stick sized exactly to a child's height, ready for a game passed down through generations. In this milestone 80th episode, we sit down with, Susi King, a Playmaker from New Zealand to explore how culture, land, and indigenous wellbeing frameworks shape pediatric OT practice on the other side of the world. And, hear about the new burnout-day tradition she shares with her whole team and the talking button she never travels without. 

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A 6 year-old can't hold onto multi-step directions long enough to follow them — not because he isn't listening, but because his working memory drops the information before he can act on it. This week, Michele brings a real case to the table and digs into a 2024 study comparing two cognitive strategies — enactment and visualization — to see which one actually helps kids with autism and intellectual disability with working memory. Spoiler: one of them is the clear winner, and it's not the one you'd expect if you've ever thought about autistic kids as natural visual thinkers.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

 Xie, T., Ma, H., Wang, L., & Du, Y. (2024). Can enactment and motor imagery improve working memory for instructions in children with autism spectrum disorder and children with intellectual disability? Journal of Autism and Developmental Disorders, 54(1), 131–142. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10803-022-05780-z 

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Can a therapist facilitate meaningful handwriting improvement through telehealth? A recent randomized controlled trial out of Ankara, Turkey put that question to the test with kids ages six to eight with the inattentive type of ADHD — and the results are not what Lacy and Michele expected. Listen to hear what the researchers actually did over eight weeks of telehealth sessions and why the approach "shouldn't" have worked. Plus: a Nailed It story with  an escalating four-year-old and a floor-mat find that solved a years-long clinic space war.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Kaplan Kılıç, B., Bumin, G., & Öğütlü, H. (2025). Effect of telerehabilitation on handwriting performance in children with attention deficit hyperactivity disorder: Randomized controlled trial. Child: Care, Health and Development, 51(e70055). https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.70055  

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

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📧  Email us a question or comment at [email protected]

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Michele found 74 outcome measures to consider for her autistic preschoolers! She and Lacy discuss the top measures from the recent scoping review: which tools show up most in the research, which ones earn a five-star rating for covering the most ground, and where our biggest blind spot as OTs is hiding. Plus, hear about a fun self-care app that may help you as we head into the new school year. 

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

 Ghahramani, S., Hassani Mehraban, A., Alizadeh Zarei, M., & Ghahramani, S. (2024). Occupational therapy outcome measures in preschool children with autism spectrum disorders: A scoping review. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 44(4), 568–576. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492241246547

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

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📧  Email us a question or comment at [email protected]

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play