Have you ever thought of having your students be the handwriting teachers?
By having students apply what they learned during an OT session, they can go back into the classroom to share the letter stories and formations with everyone… including the teacher! This is a great functional way to help them solidify what they learned.

Today, Cheryl Bregman is here to discuss some common handwriting norms on which she is flipping the script. We also dive into how children have been affected with dysgraphia and pseudo dysgraphia and how a collaborative approach can help.

Tune in to learn about an awesome handwriting program Cheryl has created that can help a child learn to write in five weeks!


Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify why it is beneficial to start with learning lowercase letters
• Learners will identify the reasons children may present with pseudo dysgraphia
• Learners will identify and understand how reading and writing collide and impact one another
• Learners will identify how handwriting heroes use a multi-sensory approach and how it benefits all children, especially those with learning disabilities.
• Learners will identify specific assessments that do not correlate with handwriting outcomes.

Click here to view the full show notes, including the resources mentioned in this episode. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

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What do you think of when you hear the phrase trauma responsive? 

This concept goes beyond trauma-informed care. Tune in to hear Dr. Gibbs speak about her book, Trauma Treatment in Action, and how as OTPs, we need to be more responsive to the needs of a client regarding their mental health, just as if we were working with someone who had a stroke or other physical ailment. 

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify the five dimensions of trauma and how to use these in practice
• Learners will identify what ACTION is and how it can be used in OT
• Learners will identify how an OTP can address mental health with a student

Click here to view the full show notes, including links to resources mentioned in this episode. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Did you know that Einstein and Thomas Edison may have had dysgraphia? 

In our chat with Cheri Dotterer today, she discusses the truth about dysgraphia. A lot of us have had specific beliefs about what dysgraphia consists of, but the true definition may surprise you. She also explores the different types of dysgraphia and bilateral integration, which include interlaced, symmetrical, and asymmetrical.

Tune in to learn even more about dysgraphia, and the results of a 6-week handwriting club focused on visual perception, visual motor, and memory with limited pencil use. 

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify the different tiers and types of dysgraphia 
• Learners will identify the different types of bilateral integration
• Learners will identify two-minute interventions that address the core components of writing

Click here to view the full show notes

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Have you ever thought about what it might look like working with transition-aged students? Even if you are currently working with them now, you may still question how to best use your skills to work with these older school-aged students effectively. 

Today, we are speaking with Justin Lundstedt, OTR/L, where he will discuss many areas of TAS and executive functioning. Tune in to learn how you can help these students find motivation and success in their life outside of school.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify what transition-aged students are
• Learners will identify how OTPs can work with transition-aged students
• Learners will identify how the domains of the OTPF-4 play a role in transition-aged students

Click here to view the full show notes and resources for this episode.

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Were you flabbergasted when the CDC changed the guidelines for developmental milestones In February? 

You weren’t alone. But it is important to look deeper at why these changes were made. The CDC was tasked with updating the milestones and making them less confusing for those who rely on them most -  parents. The milestones are still (mostly) the same, and they are backed by research, as we discuss with Dr. Kate Barlow, OTD, OTR/L, IMH-E®, in the episode.

Kate is an ambassador for the CDC, and she talks to us about the milestones established for the first five years of a child's life. Kate describes why this is important for us OTPs that are in schools. Tune in to find out why!

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify what the developmental monitor program is used for
• Learners will identify why the 75th percentile is no longer included on the CDC milestones checklist
• Learners will identify how the CDC milestones app can be used by OTPs

View the full show notes, including a resource list from the episode, at otschoolhouse.com/episode112

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

As OTPs we were taught that our profession was founded on providing a safe space for those who had a mental illness, and we were there to help them engage in occupations that were meaningful to them, yet we tend to forget the importance of this. 

Today, we speak with Moni Keen to address her capstone research that addressed being an interprofessional team member and mental health in school-aged children. OTPs are often not seen as mental health providers, but we need to advocate and change that narrative. 

Tune in to learn how we can advocate for mental health and how we can address mental health individually with our students and on a systems level.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify reasons why mental health is not being addressed in schools
• Learners will identify why OTPs are not labeled as mental health providers
• Learners will identify mental health diagnoses of school-aged children and youth
• Learners will identify and reflect on the causes of mental health issues among our students
• Learners will identify how to advocate for mental health in OT
• Learners will identify how to advocate for students on a systems level 

Click here to view the full show notes including mentioned resources. 

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

School-based OT practitioners are not handwriting teachers! However, handwriting is often the most common reason for referral.

In our chat with Debra Collette, OTD, OTR/L, we are discussing a recent article where she surveyed teachers, administrators, and therapists on the missing pieces of handwriting in schools. Ten years ago, common core began to take over school standards, but the standards neglected to include handwriting. Tune in to learn how common core standards have impacted handwriting and how you can support students and teachers in implementing a handwriting curriculum. 

Tune in to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify the connects and disconnects between the common core curriculum with handwriting
• Learners will identify the impact common core has made on children’s written expression
• Learners will identify how common core and handwriting can impact OTPs
• Learners will identify what OTPs can do to support curriculum and handwriting on a systems level

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Click here to purchase the professional development opportunity that corresponds to this episode.

View the complete show note at OTSchoolhouse.com/episode110 

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Did you know that transitional services can be implemented even before a student gets to high school? 

In this episode, we talk about how community-based instruction (CBI) can be implemented in the elementary school setting and how these children benefit greatly from starting early. Debbie Schwind discusses how she developed a campus-based CBI program for the students with just a coffee cart and how the program grew with the help of supportive teachers, staff, and administrators. 

Tune in to learn the following objectives:

• Learners will identify what community-based instruction looks like in an elementary school setting
• Learners will identify a model that can help with CBI program development
• Learners will identify the benefits of a CBI program

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View the show notes

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Have you ever thought about the shifts that have happened throughout the history of Occupational Therapy in the schools? Occupational therapy has been a part of the school systems since the ‘70s when legislation was enacted at the national level.

In this episode of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast, we will discuss several shifts in this field within the past 40 years.

Our guest today is Julie Bissell, OTD, OTR/L, ATP, FAOTA, one of the occupational therapists who jumped into the schools early on to address the educational model in schools. Julie discusses transitioning from a medical model to an educational model and shares how we can facilitate participation and help the children perform in the least restrictive environment.

We will also discuss an article she co-wrote titled Frameworks, Models and Trends in School-Based. This publication discusses a few frameworks within occupational therapy and relates them specifically to school-based practices in individual states and the United States. Also, stay tuned as she enlightens us about an Israeli handwriting assessment and how she assisted in translating this fun card game into English.

Click here to earn a certificate of completion after listening to this episode.

View the show resources and learn how to earn your certificate for listening at OTSchoolhouse.com/episode108

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!

Our guest today proves how it is possible to make the best of a situation when unforeseen circumstances happen. The Covid Pandemic derailed Alvin from starting his private practice. Still, it allowed him to build up his social media and do something he enjoys, video editing. He has created videos to share with others about occupational therapy and his “P.L.A.Y on the Go Approach.” He shares content about treatment approaches, occupational balance, and self-care. He even shares his “Toy Tuesday,” in which he shares different ways to use games that have easy accessibility in therapy rooms or clinics.

Learn how you can earn continuing education for listening to this episode

Thanks for tuning in!

Thanks for tuning into the OT Schoolhouse Podcast brought to you by the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative Community for school-based OTPs. In OTS Collab, we use community-powered professional development to learn together and implement strategies together.

Don't forget to subscribe to the show and check out the show notes for every episode at OTSchoolhouse.com

See you in the next episode!