The OT Corner with Mrs. K

S4/E3: Build a Better Individualized Education Program (IEP) with April Rehrig, Educational Advocate

Today April Rehrig, creator of Rise Educational Advocacy, joins me on The OT Corner with Mrs. K to talk about building a better IEP. April is a highly experienced educational advocate who has been working in the field for over 20 years. With experience as a teacher, school psychologist and mother, she has a deep understanding of the challenges that families face when navigating the educational system and is committed to helping them overcome these challenges. April has worked with families from diverse backgrounds and has helped them to secure the appropriate services and accommodations for their children. Developing a strong IEP can be challenging for students and families. Common challenges include a lack of understanding of the process, difficulty in communicating with school personnel, and a lack of knowledge about available services and accommodations. April helps families navigate the IEP process by providing guidance on the process, reviewing educational records, and advocating for appropriate accommodations and services. Empowering parents and students in the IEP process is crucial for ensuring that their rights are protected and that their unique learning needs are being met. April's success stories demonstrate the positive impact of educational advocacy services and the importance of empowering parents and students in the IEP process. Rise Educational Advocacy: https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/ [https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/] Rise Advocacy Services: https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/individual-coaching-services [https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/individual-coaching-services] Rise IEP Workshops (for parents and educators): https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/online-iep-courses [https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/online-iep-courses] Rise Group Training (for educators only): https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/group-training [https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/group-training] Guides and Templates Do It Yourself IEP & 504 Toolkits: https://www.riseeducationaladvocacy.com/guides-shop

S4/E2: How Laws and Legislation Shape the Scope of School-Based Occupational Therapy: Part 2

Join Mrs. K on the OT Corner as she dives into the evolution of school based occupational therapy over the past  50 years with special guest Carol Conway, a retired pediatric occupational therapist. They explore the impact of legislation on OT practices in schools and discuss the changing landscape of OT roles. Tune in for a deep dive into the intersection of legislation, education, and occupational therapy in this insightful two-part episode. Carol Conway, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 40 years of experience specializing in school-based practice. In her most recent school-based position at Hudson City Schools in Ohio, she provided services for students in grades 3-8. She served on the district leadership team which was instrumental in successfully shifting OT service provision to an integrated, inclusive model, thus maximizing the impact of OT at a whole-school level. Carol is on the leadership team for Every Moment Counts contributing to the development and implementation of several model programs emphasizing integrated services. Presently, she provides consultative and collaborative support to school-based practice with an emphasis on health (mental and physical), inclusion and interdisciplinary collaboration. Carol presents at the local, state, national and international level and has published articles regarding inclusion, integrated services and the use of communities of practices as a method of knowledge translation. Every Student Succeeds Act: https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn Molina Roldán, S., et al.. “How Inclusive Interactive Learning Environments Benefit Students Without Special Needs.” Frontiers in Psychology. April 29, 2021. ⁠https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116690/⁠ [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116690/]. Accessed November 23, 2023.  ⁠10 Keys to Happier Living⁠ [https://actionforhappiness.org/10-keys?https://actionforhappiness.org/join-us-confirmation/*&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn-2tBhDVARIsAGmStVmkf9IQAe1ux4DX0OgZpA5Wg9OVp-zOWBfi8O6hOb7qE2wwCZVhctoaAkcuEALw_wcB]  Action for Happiness website (Giving, relating, exercising, awareness, trying out, direction, resilience, acceptance,  emotions and meaning)  ⁠Every Moment Counts Initiatives Tab⁠ [http://everymomentcounts.org]  Embedded Strategies, Integrating Services, Refreshing Recess, and Comfortable Cafeteria  ⁠Calm Moment Cards⁠ [https://everymomentcounts.org/calm-moments-cards/] Bazyk, S. (2022). Occupational Therapy: Promoting Participation in Occupation. ⁠www.everymomentcounts.org⁠ [https://everymomentcounts.org/about/about-occupational-therapy/] Bazyk, S., et al. (2022).⁠ Occupational Therapy's Role as SISPs Under ESSA⁠ [https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3.everymomentcounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/03202525/FINAL_OT_Role_ESSA_4-25-22_LONG.pdf]. (For OT practitioners). ESSA OT Advocacy Network. Bazyk, S., et al. (2022).⁠ Occupational Therapy's Role as SISPs Under ESSA⁠ [https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3.everymomentcounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/03202516/FINAL_OT-ESSA-Admin_4-25-22.pdf]. (For school administrators and other school personnel). ESSA OT Advocacy Network.

S4/E2: How Laws and Legislation Shape the Scope of School-Based Occupational Therapy: Part I

Join Mrs. K on the OT Corner as she dives into the evolution of school based occupational therapy over the past  50 years with special guest Carol Conway, a retired pediatric occupational therapist. They explore the impact of legislation on OT practices in schools and discuss the changing landscape of OT roles. Tune in for a deep dive into the intersection of legislation, education, and occupational therapy in this insightful two-part episode. Carol Conway, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with over 40 years of experience specializing in school-based practice. In her most recent school-based position at Hudson City Schools in Ohio, she provided services for students in grades 3-8. She served on the district leadership team which was instrumental in successfully shifting OT service provision to an integrated, inclusive model, thus maximizing the impact of OT at a whole-school level. Carol is on the leadership team for Every Moment Counts contributing to the development and implementation of several model programs emphasizing integrated services. Presently, she provides consultative and collaborative support to school-based practice with an emphasis on health (mental and physical), inclusion and interdisciplinary collaboration. Carol presents at the local, state, national and international level and has published articles regarding inclusion, integrated services and the use of communities of practices as a method of knowledge translation. Every Student Succeeds Act: https://www.ed.gov/essa?src=rn Molina Roldán, S., et al.. “How Inclusive Interactive Learning Environments Benefit Students Without Special Needs.” Frontiers in Psychology. April 29, 2021. https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116690/ [https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC8116690/]. Accessed November 23, 2023.  10 Keys to Happier Living [https://actionforhappiness.org/10-keys?https://actionforhappiness.org/join-us-confirmation/*&gclid=Cj0KCQiAn-2tBhDVARIsAGmStVmkf9IQAe1ux4DX0OgZpA5Wg9OVp-zOWBfi8O6hOb7qE2wwCZVhctoaAkcuEALw_wcB]  Action for Happiness website (Giving, relating, exercising, awareness, trying out, direction, resilience, acceptance,  emotions and meaning)  Every Moment Counts Initiatives Tab [http://everymomentcounts.org]  Embedded Strategies, Integrating Services, Refreshing Recess, and Comfortable Cafeteria  Calm Moment Cards [https://everymomentcounts.org/calm-moments-cards/] Bazyk, S. (2022). Occupational Therapy: Promoting Participation in Occupation. www.everymomentcounts.org [https://everymomentcounts.org/about/about-occupational-therapy/] Bazyk, S., et al. (2022). Occupational Therapy's Role as SISPs Under ESSA [https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3.everymomentcounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/03202525/FINAL_OT_Role_ESSA_4-25-22_LONG.pdf]. (For OT practitioners). ESSA OT Advocacy Network. Bazyk, S., et al. (2022). Occupational Therapy's Role as SISPs Under ESSA [https://s3.us-east-2.amazonaws.com/s3.everymomentcounts.com/wp-content/uploads/2022/05/03202516/FINAL_OT-ESSA-Admin_4-25-22.pdf]. (For school administrators and other school personnel). ESSA OT Advocacy Network.

S4:E1: The Benefits of Interdisciplinary Collaboration in the Classroom

The OT Corner with Mrs. K podcast is celebrating its one year anniversary! It has been quite a year, and I am amazed at the reach of this podcast, spanning across five countries! This endeavor has made me a better therapist for sure. It is amazing the professionals who reached out to me over the past year, and I appreciate their guest appearances on this show. I would also like to thank everyone out here listening to my content for your support.  Today, my very first guest on The OT Corner with Mrs. K, Robert Serianni, joins me on this one year anniversary to discuss the benefits of an interdisciplinary collaborative classroom in the school setting. Bob is the Department Chair and Program Director of the Speech Language Pathology Program at Salus University in Philadelphia, PA. I always enjoy discussing ideas with Bob, and he brings some excellent points to this very relevant conversation. I have included links to Salus University and Bob’s faculty page. I also mentioned in this episode several articles to read and those links are included below. Thank you for listening, and don’t forget to subscribe to the show.  Links:  Salus University Speech Language Pathology Program:  https://www.salus.edu/Colleges/Health-Sciences-Education-Rehabilitation/Department-of-Speech-Language-Pathology.aspx Robert Serianni, MS, CCC-SLP, FNAP:  https://www.salus.edu/About/Faculty-Directory/Faculty-Pages/Serianni,-Robert-(1).aspx [https://www.salus.edu/About/Faculty-Directory/Faculty-Pages/Serianni,-Robert-(1).aspx] A Model for Collaborative Service Delivery for Students With Language-Learning Disorders in the Public Schools: https://www.asha.org/policy/rp1991-00123/ Partnering for Change: collaborating to transform occupational therapy services that support inclusive education: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1275920/full#:~:text=Collaborations%20between%20occupational%20therapists%20and,circumstances%20place%20them%20at%2Drisk [https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpubh.2023.1275920/full#:~:text=Collaborations%20between%20occupational%20therapists%20and,circumstances%20place%20them%20at%2Drisk]. AOTA/APTA/ASHA Joint statement on Interprofessional Collaborative Goals in School Based Practice: https://www.aota.org/-/media/corporate/files/practice/schools/joint-statement-on-interprofessional-collaborative-goals-in-school-based-practice.pdf [https://www.aota.org/-/media/corporate/files/practice/schools/joint-statement-on-interprofessional-collaborative-goals-in-school-based-practice.pdf] Online course available at AOTA: Interprofessional Collaborative Practices in Multi-tiered Systems of Support in Schools: https://myaota.aota.org/shop_aota/product/OL8343?_ga=2.128129292.1271650800.1704585394-264234602.1704585394 [https://myaota.aota.org/shop_aota/product/OL8343?_ga=2.128129292.1271650800.1704585394-264234602.1704585394]

S3/E3: ENCORE EPISODE: Grasp Development (Original Broadcast 2/24/2023)

This week, I came down with a horrible cold, and did not have the voice for my new episode this week. So I decided to give an Encore performance of Grasp Development. Here are the details: Over the past few weeks, I have started using TikTok to share "typical" development progressions for prewriting and grasp. I had so many people ask me questions, that I decided to create a short episode that expands on some of these images. I always want to preface that these ages are averages, and that all children of all different abilities develop at different rates. As always, if you are concerned about the development of your child, please start with their pediatrician. But you can find some great images online that give you a visual on some of the progression of grasp in children starting in infancy.  Mrs. K has been an occupational therapist for over 20 years, and moved into working with kiddos in the schools seven years ago. She loves what she does, and is passionate about helping kids access their educational environments. If you would have any questions, please feel free to contact her at jennifer@theotcorner.com. You can also join The OT Corner with Mrs. K on Instagram and Facebook. Oh and now TikTok.  https://www.theotcorner.com/ Thanks for listening.