Summary:

Today we’re gonna have a little fun and share a few of our favorite stories that we have experienced as occupational therapists working in early intervention. To be honest, sometimes our job can be really tough, but it is the progress and positive things that happen that can really make our day, our week and even our year. Listen in to hear these stories and the impact they still have on us today.

Episode Notes: 

Amirra, Danielle, and Sarah discuss: 

• Danielle’s favorite story
• Amirra’s favorite story
• Sarah’s favorite story

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Show Sponsor: 

This episode is sponsored by Mindfulness in mOTion

Amirra, Danielle, and Sarah discuss: 

• Do you love or hate addressing feeding in early intervention?
• Feeding is more than just the act of food to mouth
• Danielle’s story with feeding as a neurodivergent child and now adult
• Navigating mealtime routines
• Taking our own sensory systems into account
• Child & family led
• The feeding intervention process

Mentioned Resources

• SOS Approach to Feeding
• The Developmental Feeding Checklist
• IFSP episode
• Feeding In Early Intervention: The Basics

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Show Sponsor: 

This episode is sponsored by Marvelous Mirracles OT

Danielle discusses:

• What is Interdependence?
• Understanding the Interdependent nature and connectedness of Doing, Being, Becoming, and Belonging
• How society views interdependence
• Voice clip from Jacklyn Googins on Interdependence
• We as OTs can help shift that narrative and evolve supports to be guided with an interdependence model as the framework
• Voice clip from Greg Boheler on Interdependence
• Rethinking self-regulation goals and shifting towards co-regulation outcomes
• How we can support and integrate interdependence as Early Intervention Professionals and its importance

Special Guests & Mentioned Resources:

Jacklyn Googins and Greg Boheler are the Co-Founders of

• B3 Coffee
  • A non-profit that provides community integrated social and vocational opportunities for people of all abilities. Using the way coffee brings people together, we aim to influence change toward a more inclusive and equitable world. 
  • www.b3coffee.org
  • Insta & FB: @ b3coffee 
     
• OTs for Neurodiversity
  • A social media movement and advocacy platform dedicated to advancing a neurodiversity paradigm within the profession of occupational therapy.
  • Insta: @neurodiversity_ot
  • FB: OTs for Neurodiversity
  • Contact Us
    [email protected]
    [email protected]
     
• Articles mentioned in podcast
  • Hitch, D., Pépin, G., & Stagnitti, K. (2014). In the footsteps of Wilcock, part two: The interdependent nature of doing, being, becoming, and belonging. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 28(3), 247-263.
  • Collins, B. (2017). Independence: proposing an initial framework for occupational therapy. Scandinavian journal of occupational therapy, 24(6), 398-409.

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

OT 4 Lyfe

Mornings With an OT Mom

Marvelous Mirracles OT

Mindfulness In Motion

Amirra discusses: 

• The source behind her passion for the NICU 
• Her NICU related capstone project and research areas during OT school 
• How she gained clinical experiences in the NICU as a student  
• The long term implications and impact of a NICU hospitalization 
• Why she ultimately decided to pursue the EI setting instead of the NICU
• How having background experience in the NICU has impacted her practice in EI 

Mentioned Resources

• 2021 March of Dimes Report Card
  • Note: Amirra mentioned that the preterm birth rate among black women is 49%, please see above for newly released report indicating this number has now increased to 51% as of November 2021  
• NICU levels
• Exploring Elements of the NICU Environment
• Racial Disparities in the Neonatal ICU

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com

Amirra, Danielle, and Sarah discuss: 

• Why is early intervention important?
• Importance versus urgency 
• Meeting the family where they are at 
• Strengths- based approach
• Communication about why it’s important to work on certain skills
• Showing the parent what early intervention is through play 
• Stigma in early intervention and other considerations that parents might be on the fence

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Show Sponsor: 

• This episode is sponsored by: Mornings With an OT Mom.

Amirra, Danielle, and Sarah discuss: 

• How it all started
• The EI community 
• EI-curious 
• Messages we’ve received 
• Podcast stats
• What’s next for the real OTs

Mentioned Resources

• Mindfulness and Movement in the Early Years
• Early Intervention Diagnoses
• Why We Love Early Intervention

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Amirra, Danielle, and Sarah discuss: 

• The importance of thinking outside the box
• Mindset versus treatment planning
• Shifting the mindset to what is early intervention and why are we here
• Coming up with ideas to be used in therapy
• Learning to grade up and grade down
• It is not about the objects
• Considering the family routines
• Expansion of play

Mentioned Resources

• All We Do is Play and Other EI Myths
• Transitioning to EI episode

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Show Sponsor: 

• This episode is sponsored by OT 4 Lyfe

Sarah discusses: 

• Pregnancy
• Knowledge on development
• Genetic testing
• Resiliency of babies
• Emergency surgery while pregnant
• Labor and Delivery
• Important of support
• Honoring birth stories
• Postpartum
• Healing journey
• Turning off our therapy brain
• The biggest thing I’ve learned

Mentioned Resources

• Pregnancy, Perspective, and an Emergency Procedure
• All We Do is Play and Other EI Myths
• 3 Things to Say to Caregivers

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah:https://ot4lyfe.com

Overview of Mindfulness and Movement

• Danielle’s Dissemination of her capstone project “Mindfulness and Movement in the Early Years”
• The Purpose
• Foundational skills that support academic success and emotional regularity
  • Pyramid of Learning Chart https://www.smartpediatrics.com/post/understandingsensoryprocessing
• A child’s main occupation is to play.  A student’s main occupation is to learn

How can EI Therapists support this mindset shift from the very beginning

• Teaching Parents Mindfulness techniques during Early Intervention 
  • Empowering parents to get comfortable with holding/handling their baby
  • Helping families understand the benefits of movement 
• Teaching Parents Mindfulness techniques during Early Intervention 
  • Supporting Infant Mental Health and Parental Mental Health
  • Promoting Co-regulation
  • Supports self-regulation
  • Nourishes the parent child dyad

Episode 7: All we do is play and other myths

https://the-real-ots-of-early-intervention.simplecast.com/episodes/all-we-do-is-play-and-other-ei-myths

Mentioned Resources

• Pathways Tummy Time 
• Getting Down with Tummy Time
• Why We Love Early Intervention 
• Teletherapy 101: EI Edition 

Contact: 

• Website: https://therealots.com
• Email: [email protected]
• Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/the.real.ots.of.ei/
• Amirra: https://www.marvelousmirracles.com
• Danielle: https://danielledelorenzo.com
• Sarah: https://ot4lyfe.com

Show Sponsor: 

• This episode is sponsored by Alvin from OT Outside the Box. You can follow him on Instagram and Facebook @OT.Outside.The.Box and on his website: https://www.otoutsidethebox.com/.