Hey Reader,

The evaluations presented at an initial or triennial IEP meeting can shape how a school team understands a student for years.

That means the questions we ask, the assessment tools we utilize, and the words we put in our reports really matter.

Your OT evaluation will help you guide your intervention for the next 1-3 years. And if the student transfers or transitions to a new school, you can bet your eval will be the first thing the new OT wants to look at.

Dr. Bryden Carlson-Giving explored this in his Back to School Conference session, Inclusive From Day One: Strategies for Conducting Neurodiversity-Affirming Evaluations with Neurodivergent Students

His session left such an impact on members of the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative that we are now using what we learned from him to re-envision what our school-based OT evals should look like.

Here are some of the highlights from Bryden’s session that we are working to incorporate into our eval template that will be shared with members of the Collaborative

1. Interview the student, not just their teachers and caregivers.

Adults can tell us what they see, but the student can tell us what school feels like. We want to know what they enjoy, what they wish was easier, and where they feel supported.

To do this, we want to give them a way to respond that works for them, whether that's talking, writing, pointing, or showing you around. Then, we have to make sure their perspective shows up in our report.

2. Look at participation in context.

If a student struggles with a classroom task, then we need to observe it! We may even want to observe a second time.

What happens when the materials change? When the student has more time, more choice, or a different way to participate? Those observations can lead to supports the team can use (aka Accommodations).

3. Choose tools that give you a fuller picture.

Fine motor scores are perfectly fine, if the concerns are only related to fine motor skills. But that is rarely the whole story. So, we’ve got to include assessment tools and observations that help us understand participation across relevant routines, along with the student's strengths, preferences, and support needs.

Bryden emphasized something I have been sharing with you for years: Let the referral question guide the tools that you use.

Not every student needs the BOT, VMI, and SPM. He also shared several of the neurodiversity affirming tools he uses in this presentation.

4. Check the story your report tells.

Does your report describe what helps the student participate? Does it connect your observations and assessment findings back to the activities that matter at school?

The team needs more than a list of scores and difficulties. They need a useful picture of this student and what the team can do to improve access.

Think you can start with one of these changes on your next evaluation?

For a deeper look at how to make your evals more supportive of neurodiverse students, catch the replay of Bryden's Back to School Conference session.

CONTINUING EDUCATION 🎓

This month, we're rethinking our evaluation process together and developing an OT evaluation template that supports affirming practice.

​Join the Collaborative to take part in the process of developing it and get your copy of the tool when it's ready.

Membership also includes access to the Back to School Conference and Bryden's session on neurodiversity-affirming evaluations.

​Join the Collaborative today!​​

RESEARCH 🧪

Bryden organized and edited the book: Neurodiversity-Affirming Occupational Therapy: Empowering Approaches to Foster Neurodivergent Participation.

The book brings together lived experience of neurodiverse individuals and practical approaches across the OT process, including the evaluation process. It's definitely a resource worth having on your desk to return to as you aim to improve yourself as a neurodiversity-affirming practitioner.

LAST WORD 👋

You can be neurodiversity-affirming in your heart and still forget to take actions that show it.

For a long time, that was me.

I thought caring about inclusion meant I didn't need to do anything "extra." Maybe that was because I assumed everyone else did, too.

I've since realized it is not that simple. We must act on what we know.

Students, their families, and school staff experience our actions, not our intentions.

Students experience when we ask what school feels like for them.

Families notice when we advocate for their student’s inclusion.

And school staff may not know what goes into an OT assessment, but they experience the outcomes when you provide recommendations and services through an affirming lens.

Thank you so much for allowing me to share this with you today Reader. And thank you for opening my emails. I write longer emails than most "Email pros" would advise, but I know it helps you, so I do it anyway.

If you'd like to take a closer look at your evaluation process with other school-based OTPs, come join us in the Collaborative.

I and the other school-based OT practitioners would love to support you

👋 Jayson

Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
​
​Say hi 👋 on Instagram, LinkedIn,
and inside the School-Based OT Collaborative​