A Few Things

My thoughts this week are with those in the San Diego area affected by the fires. I am grateful to be far from the areas affected, but I know how much being near fires can affect day to day life. Even if you're not directly  in the line of the fires, the smoke in the air is such a challenge for those with respiratory challenges. I hope all of my San Diego readers are safe this weekend.

Here are a few things I stumbled across this week that I think are worth sharing:

An awesome study on teaching mindfulness to treat ADHD.

Love this idea for teaching kids how to use the right amount of glue.

"I had moments when I had to accept that my car may or may not still be outside the house when I was done with the session." Is Occupational Therapy Really a "Top Job of 2014"? by the Anonymous OT. As much as I love my job, I found myself nodding to so much in this post. 

This DIY cutting station is so cool!

With the school year winding down, it's time to plan for transitions from middle school to high school.

Did you know that May is Pediatric Stroke Awareness Month? Little Emily is such a fighter!

Visual Attention TherAppy is on sale! You've got one more day to pick it up for just $4.99!

OT Student Corner | How to become an OT

I receive a lot of questions from students and prospective students about the field of occupational therapy. Since I'm not the best about responding to emails in a timely manner, I've decided to answer some of the frequently asked questions I've received here on my blog. This post is the first in what will hopefully be an ongoing series to answer reader questions about the profession of occupational therapy and OT school.

Today's question: "How do I become an occupational therapist?"

This is by far the question I receive the most, so I thought this would be a good one to start with. 

First you need to go to school. And then pass a national test.

Currently, to become a Registered Occupational Therapist (OTR), you must obtain a Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited school, and then pass the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam. Another option is to obtain an entry level Doctorate in Occupational Therapy prior to taking the NBCOT exam. A doctoral degree is not currently required, but may be in the future.

To become a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), you must obtain an Associate's degree in Occupational Therapy from an accredited school, and then pass the NBCOT exam.

Let's not forget about Fieldwork!

For all levels of OT education, the completion of Fieldwork is part of the curriculum. Fieldwork is the provision of occupational therapy services as a student under the supervision of an occupational therapist. This is where you get the majority of your hands-on training on how to be an occupational therapist. For Master's and Doctoral level education, Level II Fieldwork takes place in two 12-week rotations. Yes, that is six months of 40-hour clinical weeks! No, you will not get paid for this work, and no you will probably not have time to do any paid work during this time. Plan accordingly, but don't let it hold you back. Occupational therapy is consistently rated as a top job and a fast growing profession. For COTA's, I believe it is two 6-week rotations, but I don't know that for sure. For more information about Fieldwork, check out the AOTA website.

How to find an accredited occupational therapy school in your area.

To find an accredited school for a Doctoral, Master's or Associate's level degree, visit the "Find a School" page on the AOTA website.

One last step. State licensure.

Once you have your desired degree and have passed the necessary NBCOT exam, most states (possibly all states?) require state licensure. In my experience of being licensed in multiple states (okay, just two states), this usually only requires proving that you have graduated from an accredited school, passed the NBCOT exam, passing a background check, and then paying the licensing fee. Some states may also have a short test on rules and regulations related to occupational therapy in that state. This is based on my experience of licensure in California and Massachusetts. It may be completely different in other states, but I doubt it is drastically different. AOTA has a webpage dedicated to state licensure, including a page on how to get a license.

For more information on careers in occupational therapy.

Interested in a career in occupational therapy, click here for more information from AOTA.

Do you have a question about OT school? Are you currently and OT student and have a question about the profession? If so, send me an email [abbypediatricot {at} gmail {dot} com] and I'll try to answer it in an upcoming post!

Workplace Wednesday | Changing jobs

Welcome to Workplace Wednesday, a  place where I will share my thoughts on all things work-related. 

Today I'd like to talk a bit about changing jobs. This is something I've done a fair amount in my nearly 8 years as an occupational therapist. Four times, in three different states, over the course of seven years, to be exact. I would not recommend changing jobs that often, as it definitely raises some red flags with employers. The first question I now get asked at interviews is "So, why have you moved so much?" followed by "Do you plan to stay in this area for awhile?" We move frequently because of my husband's job, and I find employers are generally okay with that answer. And then I usually tip toe around the second question, because honestly, who really knows where they'll be in two years?

While changing jobs presents with many challenges (learning the culture of a workplace, new assessments, new reports, new kiddos, new everything...), there are some upsides to changing jobs. Here are a few of the things I've experienced that I wouldn't have without my unique job hopping.

The opportunity to work in a variety of settings. Hospitals, public schools, private schools, charter schools, pediatric clinics, home based early intervention. You name it, I've probably done it.

Kids are kids are kids. Kids everywhere are still just kids. Kids on the east coast are just like kids on west coast.

Cultures and people are different. I've had the opportunity to work with families from so many different walks of life, as well as co-workers so very different from myself. I'm so very grateful for what these experiences have taught me about myself and the world I live in.

Public education is not the same everywhere. Eye opening, but I'm grateful for the opportunity to see the differences with my own eyes.

New opportunities and new skills. Every job is different, which leads to new opportunities to learn and grow. A change in jobs took me from learning all about feeding therapy and infant massage to executive function skills and Social Thinking. Growth I'm so glad that I experienced.

Flexibility. This is a key trait for any occupational therapist. Changing jobs (and moving) frequently definitely made me a more flexible person and therapist.

I know what I want. I can walk into an interview nearly stress free. I know what I like and what I don't like in a workplace. I know what questions to ask and what to look for.  

I can always find a job. Finding a new job has never been a problem, despite my resume looking a bit wonky. So grateful to work in a profession that allows me to pick up and move easily.

The world is big and I am small. This might be the lesson I am most grateful for. It is so easy to get wrapped up in the daily grind of a workplace. Ultimately, I am just one person, doing the best I can, in the environment I am in. I can't do it all or know it all, but I can bring my unique experiences to the table and make a difference, however big or small it may be.

AOTA's OT Practice recently had a feature on finding the best job and knowing when to leave a bad one. While I wouldn't necessarily say I LOVED all of my jobs, every job I've left was because of relocation. I did find that the article had interesting advice on leaving and changing jobs, whatever your reason for doing so. AOTA members can check out the article here.

Have you changed jobs frequently? Or have you stayed in one place for many years? What lessons have you learned from changing (or not changing) jobs? 

App of the Week | ModMath

ModMath is an app that was developed for students with dysgraphia and dyslexia. ModMath allows the user to type out math problems on the touch screen, decreasing the need to use paper and pencil to complete math problems. As one of the reviewers on iTunes stated, this is a visual organizer, not a calculator.

What ModMath does:

• Provides a virtual piece of graph paper, allowing students to legibly line up numbers and equations
• The size of the graph paper can be customized, as can the color of the worksheet (either dark print on light paper or light on dark)
• Rows and columns can be shaded to assist with alignment
• Allows students to do basic math problems (addition, subtraction, multiplication, division) using a touch screen, rather than writing
• Pages can be printed or emailed directly to a teacher

Here are some screenshots of me doing a division problem:

Use the onscreen number pad to type out the problem.

Adjust the size of the graph paper as you like or highlight a column to assist with alignment.

 Show your work without picking up a pencil!

App Information:

Name of App: ModMath

Publisher: Hirsch/Denberg LLC

Compatible with: iPad; requires iOS 5.1 or later

Price: free!

*Information was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change, so please confirm prior to downloading. This post contains affiliate links.

Have you used this app? How do you accommodate or modify math assignments for your students with dysgraphia? For ideas on how to modify paper for completing math assignments, check out my post on adapted paper for math.

A Few Things

Despite experiencing several frustrating internet and computer glitches this week, I did still manage find a few things that I think are worth sharing. Check it out:

I've always felt that I remembered things better when I take handwritten notes. Here's some research to support that.

A thoughtful article on the problem with the way occupational therapists address mental health issues. I think this is spot on. What do you think?

Kids with special needs often believe in Santa or the Easter bunny or the tooth fairy for longer than is age appropriate, but how is a parent supposed to handle that? I love this idea of having the child become a holiday helper.

Noun-based or verb-based praise for children? Depends on the situation.

I love these tips for learning about new foods (without actually eating them!).

App of the Week | Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame

Have you heard of Sesame Street's initiative, Little Children, Big Challenges? It is a bilingual, multimedia outreach initiative for military, veteran, and general public families with young children, to help increase self-awareness, boost self-esteem, and help children persevere through challenges. Topics include deployment, incarceration, and divorce.

The reason I'm bringing all of this up is because of the awesome app that has come out of this initiative. Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame is an app that helps young children problem solve and develop coping strategies when challenging situations arise. As an occupational therapist, this is exactly what I'm often helping families teach their children, and for the right kid, this app might be a great supplement!

Here's how it works:

The app has five scenarios with monster: getting upset because he can't get his shoes on, saying goodbye to mom at school, sad because his tower of blocks fell down, waiting in line for the slide, and anxious about going to sleep in the dark. Each of the scenarios using great feeling words to describe how he is feeling.

 

After the scene is set, the user is encouraged to tap the monster's belly to help him take slow deep breaths, which helps him calm down (Breathe). After that, the child pops bubbles (good for finger isolation too!) to help the monster come up with a plan (Think). Three alternate plans are then given to solve the problem and the child can choose a plan (Do).

After a plan is chosen, another scene is played showing how the plan works out for the monster. The Breathe-Think-Do routine is then repeated and the child is encouraged to use this strategy in his own life. There is lots of repetition in this app, which I think is great for young children.

In addition to the scenes with monster in this app, there is also a parents section that contains tips and strategies, on a variety of challenging situations. These tips are great because they provide parents with language that they can use to help their child understand his or her feelings, as well as strategies to cope with the situation.

This is a cute and interactive app that looks like it could be really helpful for any child learning to cope with challenging situations (which is something all children have to do). I also think this app could be a good supplement to other emotional regulation programs, like The Incredible 5 Point Scale or The Zones of Regulation.

App Information:

Name of App: Breathe, Think, Do with Sesame
Publisher: Sesame Street
Compatible with: iPhone, iPad, iPod Touch; requires iOS 6.0 or later
Price: free!

*Information was correct at the time of publication, but is subject to change, so please confirm prior to downloading. This post contains affiliate links.


What are your go-to strategies to help teach kids emotional regulation? Would you consider adding this app to your bag of tricks?
 

 

A Few Things

A few things I've come across recently that I think are worth sharing:

 

Did you know that Sunday is Parents of Premies Day? Here's a beautiful post by a mom about her preemies: 7 things I didn't know about preemies...until I had two.

How one San Francisco school is trying to promote inclusion.

A TED Talk on autism - what we know and what we don't yet know.

It's a little scary how much our education system is failing boys. And the men they become.

Thoughts from a pediatric PT on toe walking.

Tips for increasing eye gaze in children with autism.

The Abilipad app is on sale for a limited time. This is a great keyboard app that was developed by an OT!