The OT Schoolhouse Podcast for School-Based OT Practitioners

Latest Episodes:

Handwriting With At-Risk Kindergarteners (Journal Club) Sep 13, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever wondered if that handwriting intervention you provide is helpful? Or how about what that intervention in the research article actually looked like?

In this episode of the OT School House Podcast, we are going beyond the article with the authors of the 2016 AJOT article titled Effectiveness of a Handwriting Intervention With At-Risk Kindergarteners.

Join me, along with Sheryl Zylstra, DOT, MS, OTR/L & Beth Pfeiffer, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, as we dive deeper into this journal article that shows how a handwriting intervention can impact at-risk kindergarteners.
View the transcript and full show notes at otschoolhouse.com/episode82

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 Workloads With Alexa Corley, OTD Aug 30, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the OT School House Podcast, we are talking to recent graduate, Alexa Corley, about her OTD capstone where she surveyed and interviewed therapists, teachers, and administrators about the idea and use of a workload model.
Listen in to hear her findings and a discussion about the positive effects of using a workload model.
View the full show notes and transcript at otschoolhouse.com/episode81

Ergonomics In and Out of School with Kirsten Beshay, OTD, MA, OTR/L Aug 16, 2021

Show notes

We are kicking off the 2021-22 school year with the perfect topic - Ergonomics. For the better part of 18 months, many of us have been working from home and students have been learning from their couches, beds, & Kitchen table. If you are lucky, you have had a desk in your home to work from. Now, Most of us are heading back into the school buildings and that is going to be a big change on our bodies. So today I am bringing on School-Based OT and Ergonomic Specialist, Kirsten Beshay, to talk a little bit about how ergonomics has and will continue to impact us, the teachers in our schools and the kids we serve. In this episode we dive into both her experiences as an ergonomic specialist in the private sector as well as her experiences in the schools.
View the full show notes at otschoolhouse.com/episode80

Budgeting & Tackling Student Loans With Amirra Condelee, OTD, OTR/L Jul 26, 2021

Show notes

Welcome to the show notes for Episode 79 of the OT School House Podcast.

Money makes the world go round.

It's that simple...

Okay, well, maybe it's not that simple. But even if you don't believe that money makes the world go around, as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant who has graduated in the past 10 years, you know that money does pay your student loans. That is one thing for sure.

So on this episode of the OT School House podcast, we have Amirra Condelee, OTR/L, who you may know as @marvelousmiracles.OT on Instagram, to share her experiences as a new grad occupational therapist trying to pay off student loans.

We're going to talk about some different ways to go about paying off your student loans and a little bit about the idea of refinancing your loans. Amirra is also going to share with us where her and her significant other are at in relation ship to their student loan process,

If you have ever felt overwhelmed by your student loans or even just finances in general, you're not going to want to miss this episode.
View a transcript of this episode and links discussed at otschoolhouse.com/episode79

Writing Easier With the Legiliner & Polly Benson, OTR/L Jul 12, 2021

Show notes

Today we are talking with school-based OT and creator of the popular LegiLiner tool, Polly Benson, OTR/L.

After years of drawing lines on paper for kids and trying to convince teachers to do the same for kids in classrooms, Polly took action in her own hands to create the LegiLiner tool back in 2019.

With more than a dozen varied rolling stamps that instantly create lines for kids to write on, Polly is changing how teachers and therapists adapt writing assignments one classroom at a time.

Check out the full show notes at otschoolhouse.com/episode78

Friendly Adapted Shoes with Joseph DiFrancisco, MS, OT/L, Chief Friendly Officer Jun 07, 2021

Show notes

Today we are talking with a former school-based OT who is well aware of the struggles OTs come across while working in the schools. In fact, it is that school-based experience in conjunction with other OT experiences that led Joseph DiFrancisco, MS, OT/L, (AKA - Joe Friendly) to create a new line of adapted shoes for people of all ages!
If you have ever had a parent ask about a shoe tying goal, be sure to listen to this episode. You may have a new favorite recommendation for those parents.
After you listen, be sure to check out Friendlyshoes.com to see all the styles Joe and his team have come up with to support those who may benefit from an easy to put on shoe.

Diving into the Schoodles: School Fine Motor Assessment with Authors Marie Frank, OTR/L & Monica Fortunato, OTR/L May 24, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever heard of the Schoodles School Fine Motor Assessment tool? I recently became aware of it and have now added it to my repertoire of evaluations tools that I can use.
In Episode 76 of the OT School House I am welcoming to the podcast the Authors of the Schoodles Assessment to further understand for myself why this tool is so valuable and how we as OTs can use it to support our practice as School-Based OTs.
Please help me to welcome co-authors of the 4th edition of the Schoodles Assessment, Marie Frank, OTR/L & Monica Fortunato, OTR/L
Check out the full show notes at OTschoolhouse.com/episode76

Journal Club: Free vs. Paid Typing Programs May 17, 2021

Show notes

In this episode of the OT School House Podcast, Jayson gets real while breaking down a 2018 article outlining a specific typing program and it's effectiveness versus a free typing program. In this discussion, we will look at various typing methods, the lack of available norms for typing speed, Motor Learning Theory and Keyboarding, and how a premium paid program compares to a free program. Listen in to hear why the research is still not great when it comes to typing.
Article Citation:

Denise K. Donica, Peter Giroux & Amber Faust (2018) Keyboarding instruction: Comparison of techniques for improved keyboarding skills in elementary students, Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 11:4, 396-410, DOI: 10.1080/19411243.2018.1512067

View the show notes and transcript at otschoolhouse.com/episode75

Which is it: ADHD or SPD? Featuring Debbie Lund, MS, OTR/L May 09, 2021

Show notes

"What is the difference between ADHD and Sensory Processing disorder?" Has a parent or a teacher ever asked you that question? This has always been a touch question for me to answer. I could always explain sensory processing well, but I hadn't learned much about the neurological processes behind ADHD.
To help you and I better understand the differences between ADHD and SPD, I am welcoming to the podcast, Debbie Lund, MS, OTR/L. Debbie is here to share with us her experiences of working with children who have SPD and/or ADHD and how our treatments may need to vary based on the child's needs.
For the full show notes and transcript of the episode, head over to OTschoolhouse.com/episode74

10 Things You Can Do Now, To Make Next Year Easier May 03, 2021

Show notes

Today, we are going to talk about 10 things that you can do right now, at the end of this school year, to make NEXT school year a little bit easier. Some of these are going to be pretty straightforward and you may already be doing some of them. But some of these are going to be a little bit more reflective in nature. I'm going to ask you to go a step deeper with me and think about how you can make your next school year better by wrapping up this year in an organized manner. It's just you and I today, so let's jump in to it!

Our TOPPODCAST Picks

Follow Us

Stay Connected

The OT Schoolhouse Podcast for School-Based OT Practitioners

Related Podcasts

Links

Stay Connected