Intro to School OT

Earn 1 hour of continuing education by joining OT Potential after taking this course.

School-based OT is one of occupational therapy’s most distinct practice areas. The style of practice and the systems you work within, all take a mindset shift. 

Whether you just landed your first school OT job or are a seasoned professional looking to refine how you manage your days, this course will walk you through essential day to day considerations. 

You’ll leave more confident about organizing your time, and delivering high-quality care to your students. Joining us in this live webinar and course, is returning guest, Bryden Carlson-Giving. Bryden successfully survived  the shift from outpatient OT to school based practice several years ago, and we have so much to learn from him. He is also the editor of the forthcoming book Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy.

Resources

• See our guide to Occupational Therapy in Schools
• Members of the OT Potential Club can log-in to access our Google Drive Folder with School-based OT Tracking:

Learning Objectives

• You will identify occupation-based assessments for practitioners new to school-based OT
• You will be able to identify common occupation-based treatments new practitioners can implement in the school setting

Agenda

Intro (5 minutes)

Discussion (45 minutes)

• What’s the fundamental mindset shift you have to make to go from outpatient to school based OT. 
• How would you recommend someone spend the weeks leading up to a new school job (if they have never worked school OT.) 
• What essential information would you want to gather about a school before you start? 
• What is your advice for your first day on the job? 
• How can you set yourself up for success in IEP meetings? 
• What assessments are your go-tos? 
• Do you have treatment interventions you often return to? 
• Do you have a way you like to start and end each session? 
• What are hot topics that have been on your mind related to school-based OT? 
• Do you have any rituals/habits before or after school that help you in your work?

Live Q&A (10 minutes)

Supporting Research and Journal Articles

• Evidence for Implementing Tiered Approaches in School-Based Occupational Therapy in Elementary Schools: A Scoping Review
• Interventions Within the Scope of Occupational Therapy to Improve Children’s Academic Participation: A Systematic Review
• Health Promotion and Wellness for All Students: School-Based Occupational Therapy as a Preventive Approach

Target Audience/Educational Level

Our target audience is occupational therapy practitioners who are looking to learn about Intro to School OT.  The educational level is introductory.

Financial and Non-financial Disclosures

It is the policy of OT Potential to disclose any financial and non-financial interest the provider or instructor may have in a product or service mentioned during an activity. This is to ensure that the audience is made aware of any bias of the speaker.

We here at OT Potential have no financial stake in this topic. 

Speakers

Bryden Carlson-Giving, OTD, OTR/L

Bryden Carlson-Giving is a neurodivergent and disabled occupational therapy practitioner with experience in pediatric outpatient, inpatient, and school-based settings. He is passionate about community-defined evidence practice, mental health promotion, trauma-informed care, and incorporating strengths-based approaches to promote a positive self-identity for his students.

Bryden’s work includes encouraging a shift away from an impairment-based perspective and returning to strengths-based, occupation-centered practices, with his doctoral research including partnering with neurodivergent practitioners around the globe to create the first neurodiversity-affirming occupational therapy model. He seeks to promote neurodiversity-affirming practices, amplify the voices of the Disability community, and challenge ableism within healthcare and research. Bryden is the creator of Neurodivergent Nexus, an online resource hub to support practitioners in utilizing neurodiversity-affirming strategies. From helping individuals discover and embrace their sensory processing differences to collaborating with their family and education team to improve their ability to be neurodiversity-affirming, Bryden aims to maximize his client’s quality of life and well-being to support authentic, neurodivergent development.

Sarah Lyon, OTR/L

Sarah’s passion is helping fellow OT practitioners translate evidence into daily practice. Sarah earned her BA in religion from St. Olaf College, then earned her master’s degree in occupational therapy from New York University in 2011.

Since then, she’s worked in numerous facilities, including a critical access hospital, an acute trauma hospital, and a state inpatient psychiatric hospital. Sarah is the founder/owner of OT Potential. Read more about OT Potential here.

This course was designed to meet your continuing education requirements

We designed the courses in the Club to meet the requirements for “online” and “independent/self-study” courses. To verify the requirements from your specific state (within the US), check out our post, OT Continuing Education Requirements. If you are outside of the United States and have questions, please contact us.

We are proud to be an AOTA Approved Provider and to meet the requirements for your NBCOT renewal.

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