Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast

Everyone agrees that collaboration with teachers matters in school-based OT practice, yet many occupational therapists struggle to make it work in real life. In this episode, we go beyond polite check-ins and quick info-sharing to unpack what effective interprofessional collaboration really looks like. We unpack a qualitative study and the key ingredients that make collaboration work: protected time and space, trust and power-sharing, and turning shared ideas into real classroom action. This conversation reframes collaboration as something you build together, not just talk about.
We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too. 
Quigley, D., & Smith, M. (2022). Achieving effective interprofessional practice between speech and language therapists and teachers: An epistemological perspective. Child Language Teaching and Therapy, 38(2), 126–150. https://doi.org/10.1177/02656590211064544
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Struggling to find practical interventions for kids with ADHD that actually improve executive function and/or mental health? This episode breaks down a Canadian study comparing two 10-minute interventions—exercise and mindfulness meditation—and their immediate effects on inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. We explain what worked best, why it works (hello, default mode network and prefrontal cortex activation), and how occupational therapists can implement these strategies in therapy sessions or as home programs. These interventions are easy to use as preparatory activities before challenging tasks, during transitions, or as part of a bottom-up OT approach to executive function deficits. Plus, Lacy shares creative ways to use different types of dice to add fun and modify activities in your therapy sessions.
We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too. 
Bigelow, H., Gottlieb, M. D., Ogrodnik, M., Graham, J. D., & Fenesi, B. (2021). The differential impact of acute exercise and mindfulness meditation on executive functioning and psycho-emotional well-being in children and youth with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 660845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660845
KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; executive function; ADHD; intervention; exercise; mindful meditation
💡Want to hear more about Ideas at Work?  Send us an email to [email protected]
Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!
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📧 Email us a question or comment at [email protected]
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What happens when one of occupational therapy's most beloved programs gets put under the research microscope? Turns out Zones of Regulation—despite being wildly popular—has a shaky evidence base. BUT don’t panic and throw out all your materials, we've got some promising news. A new study shows what happens when you take Zones and actually do it the occupational therapy way: with OT scaffolding techniques, play-based activities, positive reinforcement, and environmental modifications. We explore why some previous research falls short, what this new "OT Zones of Regulation" approach achieved (hello, goal attainment!), and how occupational therapists can bridge that frustrating gap between clinic success and home carryover. Plus, Michele also spills about her biggest career regret involving salary negotiation.
👉 Click here to get the OT Zones of Regulation fidelity measure & planning resources, shared with permission by the author. Thank you Dr. Peters!
We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the articles too.
 Peters, B. C., Gabriels, R., Schmid, A. A., et al. (2024). Occupational therapy using Zones of Regulation™ concepts: A feasibility study. OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research, 44(4), 597-609. https://doi.org/10.1177/15394492241246549
Mason, B. K., Leaf, J. B., & Gerhardt, P. F. (2023). A Research Review of the Zones of Regulation Program. The Journal of Special Education, 57(4), 219-229. https://doi.org/10.1177/00224669231170202 
Want to hear more about Ideas at Work?  Send us an email to [email protected]
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Tired of Googling for interventions that actually work? We dive into the mother of all systematic reviews covering 129 studies and 52 occupational therapy interventions across nine decades of pediatric OT research. Discover which interventions landed in the green zone (do these!), which fell into the red (avoid!), and why parent collaboration and occupation-based approaches consistently outperform bottom-up methods. Michele and Lacy discuss this evidence-based, color-coded roadmap that you can apply in your therapy sessions tomorrow. Plus they answer a listener question about the differences between sensory integration, sensory processing, sensory stimulation, and sensory desensitization.  ***In episode 20, Lacy and Michele interview one of the authors of this article, Dr. Iona Novak. She shares new intervention updates and trends she has seen since this publication.  
We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.
Novak, I., & Honan, I. (2019). Effectiveness of paediatric occupational therapy for children with disabilities: A systematic review. Australian occupational therapy journal, 66(3), 258-273.
Want to hear more about Ideas at Work?  Send us an email to [email protected]
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Michele and Lacy recap the AOTA Children & Youth Conference where they presented on sleep interventions, hard conversations with families, and community-based fieldwork. They share the hottest topics in pediatric OT—parent collaboration, mental health strategies, handwriting, and more—plus the conversations and products that made this conference memorable.
Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!
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👉 Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play