Hey Reader,

Last week, I challenged you to ask yourself:

If I actually had space for this student on my caseload, would I make the same recommendation?

This week, I want to keep that conversation going as we consider when a consultation service model might be appropriate.

And when consultation is an appropriate recommendation, how do we give it a clear direction and check whether it’s helping?

“Consult with the teacher” tells us who we’ll work with.

But what are we working on together?

During our Back to School Conference, Dr. Colleen Cameron Whiting discussed how our understanding of Ayres Sensory Integration® can guide classroom collaboration, even when we aren’t providing individualized ASI intervention.

That connected with something I’ve implemented in my own practice.
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The Evaluation

During an initial evaluation, I observed a student having difficulty participating during circle time. Let’s call her Emma—a pseudonym, of course.

While sitting on the floor, Emma leaned over, propped herself up with one hand, and tilted her head toward the ground.

When engaged in an activity while seated in a chair, she completed tasks well. But floor time was difficult for her, particularly during less interactive activities. My evaluation suggested that postural demands might be contributing to that difficulty.

Before recommending services that would remove her from the classroom, I wanted to explore supports within the routine where she was having trouble.

I recommended consultation, and the IEP team agreed.
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Start with an intervention plan

Once the IEP was over, I got to work on my intervention plan.

And yes, I think we should all be writing intervention plans for consultation services, too. They give us something to reference when we’re trying to remember our original game plan six months after the IEP.

For Emma, my plan was to:

• Create an easy-to-use data sheet tied to her IEP goal.
• Learn what the teacher had already tried and what was available in the classroom.
• Provide one recommendation to try based on my evaluation findings.
• Return the following month to review the data and adjust the recommendation as needed.

Nothing fancy. But it gave our consultation a purpose and a starting point.
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Connect the data to the goal

I created a simple Google Sheets data sheet to track Emma’s responses to teacher cues during circle time. The paraprofessional could record those opportunities throughout the trial.

Quick note: Was this an “OT goal”? Not at all.

It was Emma’s IEP goal, and I felt that OT consultation could contribute to it, so I was included on the goal.

Learn what’s already happening

Next, I talked with the teacher briefly after school.

She shared that staff primarily used verbal cues to prompt Emma to “sit up.” Sometimes, nearby students were prompted to move to another spot if Emma’s leaning affected their space.

The teacher also reported calling on Emma to answer simple questions to increase her engagement. At times, Emma didn’t respond or didn’t appear to hear the question.

The classroom had a cube chair, a seat cushion, and appropriately sized kindergarten chairs, but they hadn’t tried those options during circle time out of fear that every kid would then want to use a chair.
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Try one recommendation

Based on my evaluation findings and what was already available, I asked the teacher how she felt about trying a classroom chair during circle time while I observed.

Emma still used her hands for support at times, but she appeared more attentive to the teacher.

That subjective observation mattered because our focus was her participation in circle time—not whether she still needed to support herself at times.

Afterward, the teacher and I agreed to continue using the chair for a few weeks while the paraprofessional collected data.
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What the data told us—and what we tried next

Four weeks later, we had eight sets of recorded data.

The goal data hadn’t shown increased interaction yet.

But the teacher did report that Emma appeared to watch her more frequently. That was useful observational information, even though it didn’t show that Emma was responding to more teacher cues.

There was another change, too.

The teacher was more comfortable providing Emma with a seating option that differed from what her classmates used. She shared that, after the first week, the other students weren’t asking to use a chair. Instead, they took turns helping Emma set hers up beside the circle-time carpet.

I felt encouraged by the teacher’s growing optimism.

In my experience, when teachers feel better about a support, they’re often more receptive to trying another idea. That willingness gives us more opportunities to work together toward progress.

At our next consultation, we adjusted where Emma sat and continued collecting data. Each month, we made one change and tracked whether it helped.

I wasn’t providing direct services or sensory integration intervention.

I was using my understanding of sensory integration, alongside my intervention plan, to guide my consultation month after month with a functional goal in mind.

In this new podcast episode, 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 video modeling, classroom visuals, and collaborative team training have reduced power struggles, improved staff follow-through, and even lowered office referrals in their buildings. Listen now ↗

LAST WORD 👋

If you have a student receiving consultation, pull up their intervention plan this week.

Can you see the connection between the evaluation, the school activity you’re supporting, and what you’re doing with the teacher?

And if you don’t have an intervention plan, consider this a friendly nudge to write one after the next IEP. It doesn’t need to be fancy. Get your reasoning and next steps on paper while the conversation is fresh.

Consultation takes clinical reasoning, follow-up, and time. Our intervention plans should make that work visible.

What helps you keep your consultations purposeful throughout the school year?

Hit reply. I’d like to hear.

👋 Jayson

Jayson Davies, MA, OTR/L
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