New Products in the TPT Store

I have a new featured product in my TPT Store.  I've created a Teletherapy OT starter pack.  This resource has all the links to create an inexpensive starter pack of items related to OT and lots of resources for parents on the topics of:
Fidgets
Executive Functioning Skills
Emotional Regulation
Handwriting
Praising Students

This resource gives you the tools to make about 24 bags with items left over at a cost of about $5.00 per bag.  

Click on the picture to be redirected to the TPT Store

Sensory Processing Disorder - the diagnosis that doesn't exist

Sensory Processing Disorder - the diagnosis that doesn't exist

It is so difficult to explain sensory processing.  I've been trying and sometimes succeeding for almost 20 years.  Most of the time I talk about the 8 sensory systems and that they need to have a "balance" to work properly.  The children I see are "out of balance" with some sensory systems over responsive and others under responsive.  OT treatment seeks to regain this balance and improve functional outcomes.  My frustrations were supported by this recent blog post form the Anonymous OT (one of my favorite blogs).

https://theanonymousot.com/2018/10/09/sensory-processing-disorder-why-is-it-so-hard-to-explain/

As lots of professions are jumping on the sensory bandwagon I find there is more and more misinformation out there.  I've gotten prescriptions from physicians with a diagnosis of SPD recommending OT.  I've had other professionals - counselors and psychologists usually - talk about sensory regulation as though that is the same as sensory integration treatment.  When I first starting working in pediatrics in 2001 if you mentioned "sensory" everyone looked at you as though you were crazy.  Now it is part of the diagnostic criteria of Autism in the DSM-V.

SPD is not an officially recognized diagnosis.  The SPD foundation attempted to get it added to the DSM-V, but they were unsuccessful.  At the same time awareness and prevalence of sensory issues have exploded.  Parents and professionals are left in a diagnosis limbo.

It's no wonder the public is confused.  I like to point my parents or colleagues to these fact sheets from the Spiral Foundation. Its a good place to start the conversation.

Parent Factsheet

Educator Factsheet

Physician Factsheet

In Texas, Medicaid came out with a statement that they will not reimburse for auditory integration treatment or sensory integration treatment because these are not evidence based.  I could argue the opposite point, but it doesn't really matter.  As an OT, I focus on function.  My goals ALWAYS address functional outcomes.  "Sensory processing" isn't a goal.  Going to a public restroom without increased anxiety is a goal.  How I get my clients to reach that goal is up to me.  Results speak volumes.

There is SOOOO much to know about sensory processing.  It is a complex and not fully understood process.  Don't get discouraged, but keep seeking out good information from reputable sources.

Workload vs. Caseload

It's 2018, and we need to move away from thinking about productivity as a function of caseload - especially us school based therapists.  SOOOOOO much of what we do is not accounted for in just the IEP minutes.  AOTA has been relatively silent on this issue that has plagued the therapy world for all the 20 years I've been practicing. 

I took it upon myself to put together a calculator to help me see how "productive" I am throughout the week.  Once I sat down and wrote out all I did in a week - I was exhausted.  =)  This will give you some much needed numbers with which to go to your administrator to show them that you need more help. 

Click picture for access to the calculator

Interoceiption - Listening TO your body

Interoception!

I have a social skills group I lead once per week.  It consists of Kindergarten and 1st graders.  We have worked through all the Wee Thinkers from Social Thinking, so now as the school year is winding down, I'm adding in some other sessions.  Today we talked about INTEROCEPTION.

You've never heard of this "sense?"  Well, it's all the rage now in the therapy world.  It is the ability to notice physical sensations coming from inside your body.

In the past we have done a lesson on Whole Body Listing (see previous post), and one of my smarty smartersons in the group raised his hand and said we already learned how to listen WITH our bodies.  He was right, of course.  But I explained to him that today we were going to learn how to listen TO our bodies.

I have broken up this topic into four lessons.  Lesson 1 - watch a video and introduce the idea of listening TO your body.  Lesson 2 - Discussing what different body sensations are and where we might feel them in our bodies when having different emotions.  Lesson 3 - Discuss different body sensations and how everyone feels those sensations differently when they experience an emotion.  Lesson 4 - Using the concepts of the zones of regulation and coping skills, we are now going to put together what and where we feel body sensations with emotions and the use of coping skills. (see previous post). You can't decide what coping skill to use until you can feel it in your body. 

Interoception is a pre-cursor to self-regulation.  If you don't "feel" the emotions in your body, then how can you control your emotions?  Answer - you can't.  You will be a slave to your emotions and ride the ups and downs without any control or ability to predict how your body will react to an emotion.  Empowering kids (and adults) to recognize and take control over their own emotions is a very important life skill.

Click on the picture below for the lesson plan and worksheets:

For more information about interoception check out this book:  

click for link to Amazon

The magic of RUBRICS!

PAPERWORK!  It's the bane of my existence.  I LOVE working with kids, talking with teachers, and finding solutions to difficult problems.  But taking the time to then write what I just said, or find a way to quickly take data in order to prove my students are making progress has always been hard for me.

Enter RUBRICS!

This is the best solution I've found so far to show progress and keep me on track when treating students.  Especially in the school system where time is at a premium.  Check out these files I've created as examples of how to use rubrics to document treatment.

This method is very flexible and easy to see progress on goals easily when it comes time to write progress reports.

Click on the link to get access to my examples of how I use rubrics in my daily OT practice.  Directions on how to download and change to your needs are included.

RUBRICS

This is a lot of set up in the beginning, but I'm telling you it will be worth it!  Let me know how it works for you in the comments below.

Spelling Test lined paper

I created this file so that teachers could adapt writing paper for spelling tests.  The file includes instructions on how to change the length of the word.

Click on picture for file access