I finally got my chance to rock the OT schoolhouse! I was interviewed yesterday on the OT Schoolhouse Podcast https://www.otschoolhouse.com/episode51 I’ve often listened to but have never been a podcast before and really enjoyed it. I described my FAB Strategies approach to helping students with complex behavioral challenges and why it is an important component of school OT. As a member of the AOTA School Mental Health Working Group I co-authored a paper describing the role of school occupational therapists in improving behavior School OT Beyond Writing
I introduced the FAB Strategies form and how it could be used by school OTs to individualize Environmental adaptation, Sensory modulation, Positive behavior support, and Physical self-regulation strategies. It is a great telehealth tool that enables parents to embed transdisciplinary behavioral interventions into their home routine. I urge OTs to initially limit home suggestions to one or two strategies they think based on their experience will best improve behavior in the home setting. If these strategies are effective, parents will ask for more. A summary of practical tools for applying FAB Strategies in school is described here OT Practice Article
The podcast also enabled me to express my gratitude to all the wonderful school OT’s and teachers who are creatively treating in new ways during the Covid-19 crisis through telehealth. As Vice President of the Connecticut OT Association I’ve been impressed by the hard work of the CT OT Association School Community of Practice. Because of my CT experience seeing the dedication and creativity of these therapists, it was an honor to talk to school OTs.
