Some school-based therapists work in relative isolation. This could be for a variety of reasons including the itinerant nature of school-based therapy, geography, limited need for service necessitating only one therapist in an area, etc.

In my September blog, I shared some of my favorite books for school-based physical therapists, and I promised a second part to that in October. But, because it was National PT Month, I took a brief hiatus from discussing books in October. Now, here are some of my recommendations for favorite books for school-based occupational and physical therapists:

This month is National Physical Therapy Month. It is our chance as SLP’s, OT’s, and PT’s to celebrate physical therapy, and share about it with one another. Just the other day, as I sat in the California OT Fieldwork Conference, there was some discussion over the differences between OT and PT. We all know that many times our patients and students think OT and PT are the same. This month let’s educate on the differences between the professions and the definition of physical therapy.

I can’t believe I’ve already been back to school for almost a month already! Returning to school as an adult is always a little reminiscent of the days when I myself was a student trudging off to elementary school each fall. I remember one of the best parts of returning to school was getting new books and school supplies.

Summer is an excellent time for school-based therapists to learn new techniques, acquire new skills and review best practice. In my school district, I have shorter days during Extended School Year (summer school), giving me a little more breathing room in my schedule. This extra time allows me to read and review materials from courses I have taken in the past. It also enables me to register for a couple professional development courses that I have wanted to take.

Summer is quickly approaching. My school district’s last day of school is June 25. Some students participate in an extended school year summer program, but not all parents choose to send their child to “summer school.” Here are some ideas to get you started on crafting some summer home programs for your students.

Recently, a new speech pathologist joined our school district. When we met, she was very excited because she explained that she loves to do co-treatments with PT. She wanted to know if we had any shared students that might be appropriate candidates for co-treatments. As it turned out, none of our shared students ended up being appropriate for collaborative sessions, but her comment inspired me.

Just about this time of year, I begin to feel like I need some rejuvenation in my therapy sessions. One of the most fun ways to achieve this is through a toy shopping spree. On my spring vacation I did a scouting expedition with my mom, who is a speech-language pathologist in Northern California. We found some really fun toys to share!

In my school district, we are not supposed to pull students for therapy sessions during lunch or recess times, but sometimes this guideline gets overlooked. At a recent IEP meeting, I was recommending reducing a student’s PT service frequency because she had made so much progress in PT. I told her parents...

Recently, I was observing a preschool classroom. They were participating in a circle-time activity with a silly song that had motions for the students to follow. I found myself looking on in amazement; my students were attempting to participate and imitate the motions. I wondered why they were doing so much better in circle time than they do in my pull out therapy sessions. Could it be the music?