Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast

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Conversational AI in pediatric OT is moving faster than the research. Lacy and Michele discuss a 2026 narrative review that sorts the evidence into four pathways based on who the AI is talking to: therapists, caregivers, children, and students. Most of the ideas and research are just beginning to emerge, and a lot is borrowed from other fields, but one pathway is rising to the top as the best place to start.

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

Pergantis, P., Bardis, N., Skianis, C., & Drigas, A. (2026). Conversational artificial intelligence in pediatric occupational therapy: A comprehensive narrative review of emerging applications, transferable evidence, and future directions. International Medical Education, 5(3), Article 93. https://doi.org/10.3390/ime5030093 

Cason, J., Gafni-Lachter, L., Richmond, T., & Jacobs, K. (2026). Worldwide survey on artificial intelligence in occupational therapy. Work. Advance online publication. https://doi.org/10.1177/10519815261469529

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Cerebral palsy interventions work best when matched to a child's GMFCS level, and one umbrella review sorts the evidence into green, yellow, and red. Michelle reviews what it found across postural control, postural management, and tone management, including one green-light intervention you may not expect, a few popular approaches the evidence doesn't support, and why the same intervention can be right for a child at level II and wrong for a child at level V. We break down what to trial this week based on the child in front of you.

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

Toohey, M., Blatch-Williams, R., Budini, K., Ferreira, A., Griffin, A., Hines, A., Jackman, M., Lind, K., Massey, J., Mc Namara, M., Mitchell, J., Morgan, C., Norfolk, E., Paton, M. C. B., Polyblank, D., Reedman, S., & Novak, I. (2024). Effectiveness of postural interventions in cerebral palsy: Umbrella systematic review. Paediatrics and Child Health, 34(8), 257–278. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.paed.2024.06.003 

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Weighted blankets show up in therapy rooms, bedrooms, and shopping carts. Lacy and Michele discuss three recent reviews on weighted blankets for sleep, pain, mood, and daily function. Learn who they seem to help most (and who they don't) and where the research still has gaps. 

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

Dawson, S., Charlton, K., Ng, L., Cleland, J., Bulto, L., Page, M., & Attrill, S. (2024). Weighted blankets as a sleep intervention: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 78(5), Article 7805205160. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2024.050676  

Yu, J., Yang, Z., Sun, S., Sun, K., Chen, W., Zhang, L., Xu, J., Xu, Q., Liu, Z., Ke, J., Zhang, L., & Zhu, Y. (2024). The effect of weighted blankets on sleep and related disorders: A brief review. Frontiers in Psychiatry, 15, Article 1333015. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyt.2024.1333015 

Jaślikowska, A., Niderla, N., Rzeszutek, J., Rachwał, N., Grzyb, W., Kurnik, M., Grzybowska, D., Idzik, K., & Kubicki, A. (2026). Weighted blankets as a non-pharmacological intervention for sleep, mental and neurodevelopmental disorders: A narrative review. Journal of Education, Health and Sport, 95, Article 73069. https://doi.org/10.12775/JEHS.2026.95.73069 

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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. 

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

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