Do school based therapists work over the summer? Many times school based therapists are asked if they work over the summer. For the past few months, the Your Therapy Source survey asked this question. One of the reasons was to determine a general idea of whether school based occupational or physical therapists work over the […]
Here are 3 evidence based reasons why teachers should incorporate movement into classroom instruction: increases student interest, motivation (Vazou et al., 2012), and learning (Braniff, 2011). improves content knowledge, skills, and test scores in core subjects such as mathematics and reading fluency (Adams-Blair & Oliver, 2011; Erwin, Fedewa, & Ahn, 2013; Browning et al., 2014). […]
The working conditions survey results for school based therapists have been summarized. As you can see from the results, there were 431 responses to the questions about working conditions. Frankly, I was shocked that close to 79% of the school based therapists felt that a national organization should be formed to establish working condition standards ( […]
Mindfulness can be defined as paying attention in a particular way: on purpose, in the present moment, and nonjudgmentally. Research has indicated that mindfulness in school children may help to improve: 1. emotional well being. 2. learning and associated cognitive processes, such as attention, focus and executive function skills. 3. mental health. 4. physical health (reduction in […]
Do you suggest or use alternative seating to keep children alert and focused in the classroom? Here are 20 FREE flexible seating ideas picture word cards for alternative seating in your classroom. Scroll down to download your 20 alternative seating picture word cards for free. These visuals are an excellent compliment to: Wiggle Worms: A […]
Here is a free rubric on the proper positioning for keyboarding from the Keyboard Rubrics digital download. School based occupational and physical therapists are frequently involved in evaluating positioning needs in the schools including computer stations. With more and more children spending countless hours in front of a computer screen, proper positioning is essential to […]
Whether you work in the schools or in the home, here are 5 reasons to provide push in therapy within a child’s natural environment: 1. You have the chance to see first hand during each session what functional tasks or skills need improvement. 2. The child’s normal daily routine is not interrupted. If it is […]
The Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools and Early Intervention published research examining the results of a online survey completed by 47 teachers and how they perceive the role of the occupational therapist. The results revealed the following: most of the teachers viewed occupational therapists as valuable team members. the teachers reported limitations to the system […]
Parents are an integral part of the special education team. They know the most about their children’s strengths, weaknesses and personal preferences. Therapists and other school staff need to include parents in all decision making for children. Here are some tips on improving your communication with parents: 1. Always start off a conversation stressing a […]
Are you familiar with electronic medical records abbreviated as EMR? For most school based occupational and physical therapists, electronic medical records are not being used in school districts. Some school districts do run software programs to generate and monitor progress for students’ IEPs. I recently had the chance to view a demonstration of an EMR […]