Category: OT

OT

School-Based Occupational Therapy Resources

beckybot

I have been compiling a list of resources that I have found helpful during my first few months as a school based OT! This is not a comprehensive list and I do not take credit for any of these resources-I just wanted to share them in case they could help someone else!

Websites with resources in many skill areas

Facebook Groups

Executive Functioning & Emotional Regulation

Visual Motor Skills

Handwriting

Typing

  • Typing Test
    • this is my favorite way to quickly calculate typing speed!
  • The Quiet Game
    • I haven’t tried this yet but it sounds so fun! You can only communicate during your virtual session by typing in the chat box!
  • A lot of the activities in the handwriting section above can be adapted for typing!

Gross Motor & Strengthening

  • Special Olympics School of Strength
    • I haven’t personally used this but it looks like it could be another good resource, especially for older students!
  • Wheel of Names
    • I have seen people make a wheel with animal walks or yoga poses which would be a fun movement activity!

Life Skills/Older Students

  • Cooking
    • Accessible Chef
      • while I haven’t done any cooking with my students, they love writing out “shopping lists” with the ingredients for their favorite foods

Autism

  • Learn Play Thrive
    • Check out the free resources on her website-there are a lot of blog posts that are interesting!

Worksheets

  • Worksheet Works
    • they have every kind of worksheet you could ever imagine and a lot of handwriting paper!
  • All Kids Network
    • Tons of worksheets, crafts, and more! My favorites are under the “activities” tab!

Sensory

Spanish

OT

Wins in my first year as an OT

beckybot

My first year as an OT was much different than I expected.

I went in thinking I’d be just in a clinic and have tons of mentorship.

I was actually split between a school, homes, daycares, and clinics. And the mentorship was much less than I had expected.

I’d be lying to say that I thrived. It was a tough year. There were a lot of tears. A lot of stressed out calls home. And a lot of googling.

But, at the end of my first year, I can say that, without a doubt, I’ve made a difference. I touched the lives of my kids and it breaks my heart knowing I won’t get to see my sweet kids every week anymore. But I also know that I need to move on to a job opportunity that is a better fit for my personal and professional needs.

But here are some of the highlights from my first year as an OT:

Every single time a parent said “look, it’s Miss Becky!”

When I realized (after a solid 3 months) that my teen’s MORO reflex was retained and her mother thanked me profusely for finding this.

Every single hug I got from one of my kids.

When a mom told me she could take her son to the playground because I helped him.

When one of my kids drew a vertical line for the first time after 6 months of practice.

Every time I was able to get one of my babies to stop crying.

Every single moment I got to tell a parent what their kid accomplished for the first time.

All the laughs I shared with my kids.

Every single time I walked in the waiting room and my kid ran to greet me.

When my kid’s mom brought cake.

And when another mom gave me masks during COVID-19.

My first year wasn’t what I expected. It was far from ideal. But despite all of that, there were so many incredible moments that made me fall in love with OT even more.

I am so grateful that I got to be a part of these kids’ lives, even if just for a short time.