Hey Reader,

I hope you enjoyed the extended weekend. It’ll be a minute before we get another one.

Alright, let’s talk about a tough but inspiring conversation.

I’ve recorded 200+ episodes of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast. Many of them are fun, light, and purely informational.

But not Episode 209.

This one was tough and uncomfortable... yet also one of the most inspiring podcast conversations ever

Why?

Because when it comes to supporting Autistic students, what many of us learned in OT school may not have been grounded in what we now understand as best practice.

In the newest episode, I sat down with Kieran Rose, also known as The Autistic Advocate, to talk through the difficult questions that you all asked about supporting Autistic students.

We talked about masking, stimming, handwriting, transitions, behaviorism, autonomy, compliance, and what it means to support Autistic students in schools that are not always designed with them in mind.

While this episode was uncomfortable at times, it also had a bright moment every OTP needs to hear.

Kieran said:

“Occupational therapy is the most important profession in terms of any professional that can engage with an autistic person.”

Holly guacamole! 😳🥑

This was coming from an autistic advocate, author, researcher, speaker, and parent who has spent years thinking about autistic identity, masking, burnout, and the systems that help or harm autistic people.

So I had to ask why he thought so highly of OT.

His answer was not sensory tools, handwriting interventions, or environmental adaptations.

He pointed to something much deeper:

Occupational therapy, at its core, is rooted in justice.

Again, I was nearly speechless. 😳

When what we do is reduced to minutes, service locations, handwriting referrals, or “what strategy can we try next,” we lose sight of that foundation.

As you know, OT is not about making students look more compliant.

We care about the occupations, environments, relationships, routines, and autonomy that matter to the students and families we support.

That distinction is critical. For Autistic students, yes. But really for all students.

I wish I could highlight every important discussion from my chat with Kieran here, but that would be a really long email.

So instead, I’ll challenge you to listen for yourself.

Parts of it will challenge you. Parts of it will have you saying, “You get me!” And other parts will remind you why you love being a school-based OT, even when the system seems to hold you back.

Listen on your preferred podcast player during your drive home today:

​Listen on the OT Schoolhouse website

​Listen on Apple Podcasts​

​Listen on Spotify​

Inside the OT Schoolhouse Collaborative: Supporting Neurodivergent Students ​ All September, we’re focusing on how we can better support the neurodivergent students we serve. That means looking beyond “strategies” and spending more time on the clinical reasoning underneath them: regulation, autonomy, participation, masking, sensory needs, communication, classroom expectations, and the systems that shape a student’s school day. Inside the Collab, we’ll be sharing resources and support to help you think through those situations with more clarity and confidence. If this episode with Kieran leaves you thinking, “I need to keep learning about this,” September in the Collab is a good place to do that. ​ ​Learn more about the OT Schoolhouse Collab​

RESEARCH 🧪

This week’s resource is Jade Farrington and Kieran Rose’s article, “Delving into the Complexity of Unmasking Safely.”​

It's not a short read, but it is an important one. The article pushes back on the oversimplified idea that masking is just “putting on a neurotypical mask,” and instead frames it within safety, stigma, identity, trauma, and the pressure autistic people experience to become more acceptable to others.

For us, this matters because students don't always show us comfort, regulation, or participation. Sometimes they are showing us what they have learned they need to do to get through the day.

LAST WORD 👋

This newsletter was obviously not a neat little “three strategies you can use tomorrow” email.

I apologize if that's what you hope for in my emails.

Supporting our students well requires more than strategies.

It requires us to know what is going on in our schools. To not assume everything is great, and to challenge things that we know aren't rooted in justice.

That is the kind of thinking school-based OT practitioners bring to the table when we are practicing from the full scope of OT.

So, have a listen to this one on your next drive, walk, or while at the gym.

It might just be the episode you need to help you support that student on your caseload who you feel isn't getting a fair shot.

​Listen to Episode 209 of the OT Schoolhouse Podcast​

Until next time,

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