Join us in this episode where Nicole Dahl shares her powerful journey as a parent navigating occupational therapy services for her son on the autism spectrum. She opens up about the challenges of understanding the "why" behind therapy activities and the frustration of disconnected communication between providers, teachers, and home.

Through Nicole's story, school-based OT practitioners gain invaluable insight into what parents truly need: clear explanations in plain language, collaborative communication between all team members, and practical strategies they can implement at home. She emphasizes that while the journey wasn't always smooth, consistent OT support—combined with strong parent education—transformed her son's trajectory from struggling in isolation to thriving as a high school senior and water polo team captain.

Ready to hear how better communication and parent partnership can make all the difference in a child's IEP journey? Listen now to gain perspective that will transform how you work with families and create lasting impact beyond the therapy session.

Learning Objectives

• Understand the critical importance of communicating the "why" behind OT interventions to parents in accessible, non-clinical language to increase understanding and home carryover
• Recognize the value of collaborative communication between school-based OT, outpatient providers, teachers, and parents to create cohesive support systems for students
• Identify practical strategies for empowering parents as active IEP team members through education, consistent feedback loops, and actionable recommendations they can implement at home

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.

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See you in the next episode!