Effectively Embedding Therapy Services Across a Student’s Day

AOTA CEUs: This course is offered for 0.2 AOTA CEU’s (#3509, Introductory Level, OT Service Delivery)

Research shows students learn best given repeated opportunities to practice skills in the environments where these skills are needed. Research also indicates that embedding therapy services into students’ natural occurring environments is more effective than pull-out services. This training will review the literature and provide information on how to successfully embed strategies into the classroom, collect objective data and measure students’ progress in naturally occurring environments.

Instructor Information

Cyndi Haynes, OTD, OTR/L is a Regional Director of Occupational Therapy Services for EBS Healthcare. Her area of expertise is pediatrics, having worked in a variety of practice setting as both a clinician and department director. Previously she was an adjunct professor in the OTD program at Thomas Jefferson University and the Academic Fieldwork Coordinator at Philadelphia University. She has authored peer reviewed journal articles and book chapters and presents regularly at the local and national level. She is filling her fourth term as an ACOTE reviewer and is also a presenter for the Bureau for Education and Research. She is a regional trainer for the AOTA sponsored Fieldwork Educator Certificate Program and contributed to the development of one training module.

Linda Okonsky, MS, OTR/L is a Regional Director of Occupational Therapy Services for EBS Healthcare. She provides therapist support and mentoring, supervision of OTAs and assists in the development of trainings for continued competence and best practice strategies for school-based therapists. Linda has been practicing OT for more than 20 years, working with children in the clinic and school settings. She has worked as an adjunct professor for both master’s level and entry level doctoral programs in the Philadelphia area.

Financial Disclosure: Cyndi and Linda are employees of The Stepping Stones Group and receive a salary for their positions.  They have no other relevant financial relationships to disclose.
Non-Financial Disclosure: No relevant non-financial relationship exists

Learner Objectives

As a result of this seminar, participants will be able to:

  1. Identify methods to successfully collaborate with the educational team to integrate strategies into the classroom environment
  2. Describe evidence-based interventions that can be embedded in the classroom to improve a student’s generalization of skills across school environments.
  3. Practice developing collaborative goals and data collection methods that can be addressed by members of the interdisciplinary educational team

Agenda

  • 5 min: Intro
  • 20 min: Overview of MTSS/RtI
  • 35 min: Practical ideas for embedding strategies: sensory, sensory-motor, fine-motor, & handwriting
  • 35 min: Evidence supporting strategies
  • 20 min: Developing collaborative goals and data collection for the classroom