PRESENTED BY THE BACK TO SCHOOL CONFERENCE If you already use your AOTA membership to stay grounded in best practice, the Back to School Conference is the perfect next step. The Back to School Conference helps you translate school-based OT ideas into practical strategies you can use with students, teachers, and teams. Save 10% now with code SUMMER Join us at the Back to School Conference Hey Reader, There is this idea in school-based OT that we have to know it all. And if we don’t, then we...
1 day ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, If you’ve been eying the B2S Conference but you’re still deciding between the conference-only and Conference + Collab options, here’s a helpful way to think about it. In school-based OT, the hardest part isn’t learning new ideas. It’s the years-long knowledge-to-translation gap Evidence-based strategies are everywhere, even on Instagram, but turning them into something that works inside your real caseload, your real campus, and your real OT team takes ongoing support. If you want...
4 days ago • 1 min read
Hi Reader, I hate to admit this, but early in my school-based OT career, I flat out missed IEP-required consultation minutes. While I’d often blamed this on my high caseloads, I was lying to myself. The truth was, I didn’t feel effective when providing consults. I knew collaboration with teachers mattered.I knew the minutes were on the IEP and required.And I knew asking, "How's Mike doing?" wasn't enough. But I didn't know where to take the conversation beyond that, how to make it useful for...
6 days ago • 1 min read
PRESENTED BY The School-based OT Collaborative Inside the Collaborative, we share printable tools (just like the one below), templates, handouts, CEUs, and mentorship designed specifically for school-based OT practitioners. Join Today! 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...
8 days ago • 3 min read
PRESENTED BY School-based OT Research No conference info here this week. Instead, take some time this summer to participate in a survey that will benefit school-based OT practitioners for years to come. If you're: An occupational therapy practitioner (OT or OTA) in your first ten years of school practice. And are a full-time school employee and not a contracted OTP. Take the survey here Additional details about the study can be found here. Hey Reader, For most school-based OT practitioners,...
15 days ago • 5 min read
PRESENTED BY The 2026 Back to School Conference! Register today for the best kickoff to the 2026-27 school year! While it may be 3 months away still, now is the best time to save. Join me + 600 school-based OT practitioners as we learn to support students with varying needs. Together, we'll learn to: Connect IEP goals to the school curriculum Assess students in a neurodiversity-affirming way Support students before they need an IEP and more! Save 10% today with promo code SUMMER Hey Reader,...
22 days ago • 4 min read
Hey Reader, In case you missed the announcement, all 6 sessions for the 2026 Back to School Conference are now released. And I am excited about this lineup because it is not just a list of interesting OT topics. It is a lineup built around the very questions that I receive in my email inbox every day from school-based OTPs just like you. Questions like: How do I support students through MTSS with my caseload of 72 kids? What does sensory integration look like in schools? How do I know when to...
25 days ago • 1 min read
Coming soon to the School-based OT Collaborative Strategies for Successful Collaborative Consult Services Consult services can be hard to define, document, and explain to teams. Build more intentional consult services that support student participation in real school routines with our new course coming to The Collab on June 18th! Explore the course ↗️ Hey Reader, I want to admit up front that I am absolutely guilty of what I am about to discuss… Using consult services as a “discharge” wait...
27 days ago • 6 min read
Hey Reader, I have some exciting news - especially if you work in middle and high schools or if you recognize how supportive technology can be for your students. We just locked in the final two presentations for the 2026 Back to School Conference, and they’re both packed with practical takeaways you can use immediately in school-based practice. And the sessions are…🥁 Practical AI & AT Tools for Your School-Based OT Toolbox Speaker: Elisa Wern, M.Ed., OTR/L, ATP AI and assistive technology are...
about 1 month ago • 1 min read
