Hey Reader,

A few weeks ago, I wrote to you about consult services and how they can be just as effective as direct services.

But as you know, it can be difficult for others to understand the benefits while in the middle of a tense IEP meeting.

That's why Ali (one of the subscribers to this newsletter) took the initiative to turn that email into a simple handout she can give to every teacher and parent when they ask what an OT consult might look like.

She even posted in a Facebook group to seek out improvements from others - that's how I found out about it.

Ultimately, she shared the handout with me so I could pass it along to you.

The handout compares direct OT services and indirect/consultation OT services in a way that is easy to share with teachers, support staff, and IEP team members.

This is the type of handout that should be posted in every room where IEPs are conducted. And if you host virtual IEPs - just make it your virtual background image!

Okay, that might be taking it a bit too far, but you get what I mean!

The best part about all of this? Ali shared the handout with me to share with you - no strings attached!

​Click here to grab the handout now!​

Want more tools like this handout? This is a big part of why I created the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative. Inside the Collaborative, we share tools you can actually use in school-based practice: Printable handouts Teacher-facing resources Fill-in-the-blank Templates Goal and service-planning tools CEU courses Mentorship and community support Many of the resources are designed so you can print them as-is, share them with teachers, bring them to IEP meetings, or adapt them for your own district. If you liked Ali’s handout and want more practical tools like it, you can learn more about the Collaborative here: ​Join the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative​

Thank you, Ali

Seriously, Ali, thank you for taking the time to create this and for being willing to share it with the OT Schoolhouse community.

This is exactly what I hope happens with the OT content I put out.

Take an idea. Make it better or more specific for your schools. And, most importantly, turn it into something useful.

Sometimes I wonder if this is happening, and I don’t even know about it. So I really appreciate you sharing this with me.

If you have created something, tried something new, or conducted research as a result of what you learned at the OT Schoolhouse, please let me know!

I would love to feature you and your work.

LAST WORD 👋​
​About the research from 1990...

One last note about the research.

Whenever we talk about consult services, someone understandably points out that some of the research we reference is old.

And they are right.

The Dunn study I mentioned that email (the same one Ali used on the handout) was published in 1990. I wish we had a strong body of newer school-based OT research directly comparing direct and consult service models, but we really don’t have anything newer that does so.

At the same time, I am not aware of research showing that consultation is ineffective.

So, for me, the takeaway is that we need to be thoughtful about matching the service model to the student's needs, the educational environment, and the participation outcome we aim to support.

Direct services matter.

Consult services matter.

And both deserve to be done intentionally.

Thanks for having a read, and thank you again to Ali for sharing this with us.

Until next time,

👋 Jayson

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