Deciding if a Child Needs OT

Most parents start their OT journey with a frantic Google search: “Does my child need OT?” Unfortunately, the answers they find are often buried in vague recommendations about “missing milestones.”

In this one-hour course, former AOTA President and pediatric practice owner Alyson Stover, MOT, JD, OTR/L, BCP explores how we can move beyond ambiguity. We’ll dive into actionable strategies for improving clarity and access, ensuring that therapists can empower parents and providers to connect children with the right services at the most critical times.

1. You will be able to identify at least three common barriers families face when trying to access and maintain pediatric OT services.

2. You will be able to recognize strategies for improving clarity around developmental milestones and around who benefits from an OT treatment plan following an evaluation.

• Intro

• Discussion

  1. Tell me about your private practice — and what you most enjoy about it.

  2. I’ve seen this lack of clarity around “Does my child need OT” as a big problem for our profession. Do you agree- and have you seen it too? What does it cost families when there’s no clear answer?

  3. Part of the access gap seems to be happening before anyone even picks up the phone to call a clinic. What would it look like for OT to have a stronger presence in primary care — and how do we get there practically?

  4. Is better-defined developmental milestone language part of the answer? How do we make that usable for parents and pediatricians without it becoming a checklist that misses the full picture?

  5. Should we be using PROM as screening tools both in primary care offices, and for parents to do independently?

  6. Many parents navigate this on their own- what would it look like for OT to have a closer primary care relationship?

  7. What can players like OT Potential and the AOTA do to help provide clarity around this question?

  8. What is one thing individuals can do to help increase access to care in their own setting?

• Live Q&A

• Closing

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• Referral networks for pediatric patients with genetic conditions: The perspective of occupational therapists

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.

OT Potential pays guest speakers an honorarium for their participation, either directly or to an institution of the speaker's choosing at their request. We invite guests whose expertise often comes from practices, programs, or building products in their field. Where a speaker has a financial interest in the subject of a course, we disclose it below so you can weigh it for yourself.

OT Potential's interest in this topic: We have no financial stake in this topic.

Speaker interests: Alyson Stover owns Capable Kids, a private outpatient pediatric occupational therapy practice, and is a founding partner at Thrivyn Consulting, which advises organizations on health technology. As a pediatric practice owner she has a financial interest in referral volume to outpatient pediatric occupational therapy.