September SpOT Light Series:Tools to Grow

Even though Patti Pooler and Shelly Galvin have been blogging for one year, they have enough content to share with their well-over-30-years of combined service to the field for years to come.

Tools to Grow is a membership-based website "unique to the field of Occupational Therapy."  Members have access to a variety of treatment and documentation resources and products.  But it is their blog, categorized by performance areas, that allows Patti and Shelley to share their passion for pediatric Occupational therapy with therapist, caregivers and students in an easy to access manner.  

"Most of our blogs focus on clinical issues that many pediatric Occupational Therapists encounter on a daily basis. We wanted to pair background clinical knowledge with a sampling of strategies, resources, and activities to address the difficulties so many of the children endure. We will continue to cover important topics related to direct treatment, assessment, consultation, and clinic management in the field of Occupational Therapy."

As part of their mission, Tools to Grow provides tools and strategies to therapists, teachers and caregivers to help children succeed.  They have addressed issues such as tummy time for infant and toddler development to improving executive functioning in maturing children.  But they also address the reality of service provision and how to organize and manage a caseload, which is useful for both new and established therapists.

"As Occupational Therapists, a system for tracking schedules, attendance, due dates, meetings, consults, screenings, progress reports, evaluations, and other caseload information is a necessity.  When an organizational system is in place, it improves accountability, increases productivity, and decreases time spent managing paperwork. Last, but not least, the therapist should experience much less stress! This allows time and energy for the most important aspect of our career, working with our clients/students!"

Thank you Shelly and Patti for sharing insight with parents and therapists to help children grow!  If you would like to connect and learn more about Tools to Grow Inc. you can shoot them an email at info@toolstogrowot.com.  

"We are so thankful to be a part of the Occupational Therapy profession. A career that allows us to impact the lives of many, and to be creative and client-centered on a daily basis. Occupational Therapy is a profession that is gratifying, challenging, and filled with countless opportunities to make a difference in the lives of our clients and families."  

Both Patricia Pooler and Shelley Galvin are New York State licensed Occupational Therapists. Patti received her Master's degree in Occupational Therapy from D'Youville College in Buffalo, New York, after first obtaining her Bachelor of Science Degree in Health Science from Brock University in St. Catharines, Ontario, Canada. She currently works part-time in a public school with students in grades K-8 and has specialized training in the areas of Handwriting without Tears K–5, Executive Functioning Skills, and Vision Processing.  Shelley Galvin OTR/L, C/NDT has 34 years of experience as a New York State licensed Occupational Therapist with a specialty in pediatrics, sensory processing and certification in pediatric Neurodevelopmental Treatment.  She has provided her clinical expertise in home based early intervention, public and private school based services as well as early childhood management.