The OT Schoolhouse Podcast for School-Based OT Practitioners

Proactive sensory breaks can make all the difference for students — but only when they're built into the school day before dysregulation starts, not after. In this episode, Denise Campbell, MS, OTR/L, and Terri Dinkelaker, PT, DPT, co-creators of Skillz 2 Thrive, join Jayson to talk about how school-based OT and PT teams can design simple, proactive sensory-motor routines that teachers, aides, and students can realistically use every day.
Denise and Terri walk through their stoplight break system — a visual, structured approach using red (movement), yellow (heavy work), and green (calming) activities — and explain how it can be individualized for students across ability levels without requiring separate plans for everyone. They also share how QR-code video modeling, classroom visuals, and collaborative team training have helped reduce power struggles, improve staff follow-through, and even lower office referrals in their buildings.
Whether you're working within an MTSS framework, stretched thin on time and materials, or just trying to get your staff on the same page, this episode is packed with low-prep, practical strategies you can start using right away. Hit play to learn how to move from reactive to proactive with your sensory-motor supports.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:
— Learners will identify how to use visual supports and video modeling — including QR codes, visual choice boards, and step-by-step staff-facing visuals — to support consistent, independent implementation of sensory-motor breaks by aides, teachers, and substitutes without requiring therapist presence.
— Learners will identify why building sensory-motor breaks into predictable daily schedules (before dysregulation occurs) is more effective than responding only after a student reaches dysregulation, using the "cup overflowing" analogy and the concept of practicing breaks as an already-taught skill.
— Learners will classify sensory-motor break supports within an MTSS framework by identifying which strategies belong at the whole-class (Tier 1), small-group (Tier 2), and individualized/IEP levels of support, and explaining how OT and PT roles differ and overlap at each tier.

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!

Many school-based occupational therapists are working with students who have cortical visual impairment (CVI) but don't recognize it. Unlike ocular visual impairments, CVI is a brain-based processing issue that affects functional vision in ways that fluctuate with environment, fatigue, and sensory complexity. In this episode, Lauren Andelin, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, assistant professor at Virginia Commonwealth University and assistive technology clinician at Children's Hospital, explains what CVI looks like in school settings and why it matters for OT practice.
This episode is for school-based OT practitioners who may be working with students with CVI without fully recognizing the signs, or who want practical strategies to support functional vision in the classroom. Lauren explains the difference between ocular and cortical visual impairments, shares the key behavioral signs to watch for, and offers immediately useful strategies like using preferred colors, managing visual complexity, and understanding visual fatigue.
Whether you suspect a student on your caseload might have CVI or you want to better support students with known diagnoses, this episode will give you actionable strategies you can use starting tomorrow.
Listen now to learn the following objectives:
— Learners will describe why CVI is a brain-based visual processing difference and how environmental factors like clutter, lighting, fatigue, and sensory load can affect functional vision.
— Learners will identify common behavioral signs and red flags that may indicate CVI in school settings.
— Learners will recognize why CVI is often under-identified and misunderstood in schools.

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!

What if the way we've been supporting autistic students is missing the mark? In this groundbreaking episode, Jayson sits down with Kieran Rose—autistic advocate, researcher, and author—to tackle the tough questions school-based OT practitioners submitted about autism, masking, stimming, and neurodiversity-affirming practice.
This isn't your typical autism training. Kieran challenges core assumptions about behavioral interventions, handwriting goals, conformity in classrooms, and what "support" really means for autistic students. You'll hear why masking isn't just "acting neurotypical for a bit," how monotropic attention changes everything about learning, and why occupational therapy is uniquely positioned as the most important profession for autistic people—if we return to our justice roots.
Jayson and Kieran also discuss the moral injury many school-based OTs feel when trapped between what they know students need and what the system allows, the problem with ABA's grip on schools, and practical ways to create "islands of safety" even within flawed systems.
This episode tackles the hard questions. Kieran doesn't offer quick fixes — but does offer frameworks, permission to rethink your goals, and the reminder that holding space for one hour a week might save a life.
Listen if: You've ever felt trapped between what a student needs and what the system demands.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:
Learners will understand the difference between impression management (context switching) and masking (chronic identity management driven by stigma and lack of safety), and describe its impact on autistic students' long-term mental and physical health outcomes.

Learners will understand how masking can impact autistic students' long-term mental and physical health outcomes.

Learners will understand the concept of monotropism and how deep, focused attention can make frequent school transitions difficult for autistic students.

Learners will identify common school-based demands that may unintentionally prioritize conformity over meaningful participation, such as forced eye contact, suppressing stimming, sitting still, or handwriting expectations.

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!

What if occupational therapy wasn't confined to pullout sessions and IEP goals? Nicole Pfirman, M.Ed., OTR/L, shares how she brought an OT lens to every role—designing multi sensory environments for behavioral regulation, creating prevention and wellness teams that operated outside of special education, and reframing the "mental health crisis" as an intensity crisis that demands systems-level change. 
You'll learn why sensory regulation and mental health can't be separated, how to advocate for OT involvement at tier one and tier two, and what it takes to shift from waiting for an IEP to meeting student needs proactively. 
This conversation will challenge you to reclaim participation as the core of your practice and see new pathways for OT leadership in schools.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:
— Learners will recognize the distinction between a "mental health crisis" and an "intensity crisis," and explain how this reframing reflects the current reality school-based OT practitioners are seeing in students' behavioral presentations.
— Learners will identify that sensory system regulation and mental health outcomes are directly connected, and that trauma responses impact the sensory system — meaning trauma-informed care cannot be effectively delivered without also addressing sensory dysregulation.
— Learners will identify how OTP's core focus on participation and meaningful occupation applies across all MTSS tiers — from tier one environmental and policy conversations to tier two consultation — not only at the point of IEP eligibility.

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!

What's really happening in school-based OT practice across the country? In this episode, Jayson sits down with Hannah Smiles, OTD, OTR/L, to unpack findings from a national survey of 331 school-based occupational therapists across 41 states, published in the open-access Open Journal of Occupational Therapy.
Hannah and her research team examined the entire OT process — from referral through intervention — using the OTPF as a guiding framework, revealing that narrow referral patterns persist (handwriting, sensory, and fine motor still dominate), over two-thirds of OTPs aren't using formal environmental assessments, and most practitioners are operating in a "blended" workload/caseload model. Three major interconnected themes emerged from the data: role confusion, inconsistent leadership opportunities, and an incomplete transition to the workload approach.
Whether you're looking for validation, language to advocate for your role, or a clearer picture of where the profession stands today — this episode is for you.
Press play to discover where school-based OT stands today and what needs to change to move the profession forward.

Listen now to learn the following objectives:
— Learners will identify the most common referral patterns in school-based OT and recognize gaps in scope.
— Learners will recognize the three major themes affecting school-based OT practice.
— Learners will identify the unique value of school-based OT using research evidence.
—Learners will identify practical ways to expand their role, advocate for involvement in MTSS/RTI activities, and move toward more leadership within their schools.

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!