September SpOT Light Series: Pink Oatmeal

Physical Therapist Chanda Jothen didn't initially plan on writing about her experiences in pediatrics therapy services.  But since her Do It Yourself projects didn't pan out quite as she would have liked, Pink Oatmeal evolved into the fantastic resource it is today, a place for parents, teachers and therapists to find fun and functional movement-based activities.

Pink Oatmeal isn't just a combination of her favorite color and food.  It is Chanda's outlet for combining her experiences as a mom and a physical therapist.  In 10 Baby Items You Don't Need, Chanda was candid about her point of view on "crotch danglers" and jumpers, to which I can totally relate and appreciate.  She found that ultimately her "laundry basket or diaper box were better options and far less money" in comparison to an exersaucer.  

I have to admit, I had every single one of the items she discussed.  And that's ok, because ultimately "moderation is key when it comes to baby equipment.  If there is a product that works for you just be careful not to overuse it or pass baby from product to product with little floor time or time to explore their environment. "

Now with baby number two on the way, you can expect Chanda to continue on writing about the blending of motherhood and physical therapy.  

Since it is the start of school, make sure to check out her recent post about incorporating movement stations into the daily classroom routine.  "[Movement Stations] are the perfect way to incorporate movement and brain breaks into the day.  They are one solution to making sure that student’s are getting movement in their day.  We know that research shows us that kids that move and are physically fit perform better in the classroom.  It is part of a natural flow in the classroom and it’s motivating for the students."

You download free and cost yoga cards, brain break cards and more at Chanda's Pink Oatmeal Teachers Pay Teachers store.  And of course, you can also contact her directly at pinkoatmealblog@gmail.com.  So if you happen to be hungry for marvelous movement activities, satisfy your appetite with Pink Oatmeal.

September SpOT Light Series: Dino PT

Maybe it's because we are both Beccas, or maybe because she also is a Therapy-a-saurus, but either way I could NOT not put the SpOT Light on Rebecca Talmud at Dino PT.

Dino PT is the brain child behind DPT Rebecca Talmud.  Rebecca received her Doctorate in Physical Therapy from New York University and has been practicing pediatric PT for eight years.  Combining her comprehensive background in early intervention, school based service provision, center based provision, and adaptive sports and yoga for children with special needs, Rebecca has been excavating blog content for 5 years.  Her blogging supplements her practice as it was her "interest in evidence based treatment and educating fellow Pediatric professionals as well as families and caregivers of the children we treat" that inspired her to connect with people outside of the office.

Dino PT has covered a variety of topics from W Sitting , in which Rebecca provides a variety of alternative seating strategies to improve alignment and function, to pediatric gait analysis, in which she clearly and thoroughly reviews a variety of commonly seen gait abnormalities.  

I asked The Dino PT about her favorite Back to School Tip, and what she shared with me, I couldn't agree with more.  "A big back to school topic is shoe recommendations.  Consider your individual child and their needs prior to purchasing sneakers for the school year.  The right shoe can make all the difference!"  

Rebecca's passion for PT extends to the animal kingdom as well. The Talmuds adopted Daisy Duke, an French Bulldog with special needs.  "She was paralyzed from the waist down as a result of a back surgery and her owners could not care for her and her special needs.  Thanks to the amazing organization, French Bulldog Rescue Network (FBRN) and the great company Eddie’s Wheels (who fashioned her custom made wheels)..She has filled out lives with so much love and happiness each day.  She is quite skilled at maneuvering her rear wheel cart in any terrain and inside she uses her incredible upper body strength to pull herself around.  She is a great example to us all that with positivity, willpower and perseverance we are unstoppable!" 

So become a pediatric paleontologist and explore Dino PT to unearth more information or contact Rebecca directly via email at info@dinopt.com.

"Every smile and every laugh from both the children and families I have worked with is stored in a vault that I keep with me always.  There is no greater pleasure than giving a child confidence, helping them to master a new skill and allowing them to take pride and experience joy in their journey!"

September SpOT Light Series: The Inspired Treehouse

Today, let's climb up the pediatric therapy 'Giving Tree' as I shine the SpOTLight on: The Inspired Treehouse.

When Claire Heffron, Lauren Drobnjak and Pam Braley began The Inspired Treehouse, it was for out of a love of sharing.  

"The Inspired Treehouse as a way to share information about child development and activities to help promote healthy development in kids.  We all had files full of activity ideas that we used in therapy, but unless they were being used at school, they were just gathering dust in our basements!  We knew that blogging would be a great way for us to organize and archive our ideas while also sharing them with a larger audience.  For me, blogging is my dream job.  It is the perfect way for me to use my expertise as a therapist and my experience as a writer to help others learn more about child development and how they can encourage healthy development for kids at home, in the classroom, and beyond!"

With 10 years of experience in pediatric occupational therapy, and a Bachelor's degree in Magazine Journalism, Claire and her team of co-horts have a lot to share.  Informational posts range from the importance of core strengthening  to an index of over 300 activities for the kids.  Two of her favorites include Inclusion and Providing OT Services in the Classroom.  and Couch Cushion Games for Kids.  Who doesn't like a good game of Wreck it Ralph and Fix-It Felix? :) Claire also advocates for free play and movement to help children develop their skills.

"All of my favorite therapy memories have been when I've set aside my data sheets, paperwork, and therapy "agenda" and simply let the kids take the lead.  It's incredible how much more information you can get this way - about what kids really need and what their strengths are.  These are the times I've felt a true connection with my students and have been able to appreciate their personalities and who they really are.

I think the most important thing we can do as parents, teachers, caregivers, and therapists is to give kids constant opportunities for free play and movement.  Being able to run, jump, climb, balance, and even being allowed to fall once in awhile, are all essential for kids to develop strong gross motor, fine motor, and sensory processing skills.  We can be advocates for integrating movement into the classroom, for ensuring that our kids get enough time for recess and [physical education], and for creating an active lifestyle at home that includes lots of unstructured play time."

Since Claire and Lauren are both active moms, balancing kids, work and the business is a challenge.  But they make it work.  "Our business runs on about 1,000 text messages and voicemails a day, along with the odd rushed phone call with kids yelling and screaming in the background."  

Of course I think that is why I appreciate them as a Therablogger.  Most of us have been there. We are all trying to manage the work-life balance. None of us are Linda Carter's Wonder Woman, though we all wear the crown just as well, if not better!

So head on over to The Inspired Treehouse.  I am sure you will find something to spark your interest. Their treehouse reaches further than just the site too.  You can also check out other branches on Facebook @inspired.treehouse, Twitter @inspiredtree and Instagram @insptreehouse. 

September SpOT Light Series: Discover the Therablogger

Blogging is a way to share experiences, like an open diary, and to connect with those with similar interests.  I began blogging first as a way to vent about being home with two young children during my summers off.  I loved sharing about places to go and things to do and would tell people about my experiences.  I figured after so many people didn't know about some of the cool things we did, I'd put it into writing.

After a while, my writing evolved to sharing my experiences with products and technology that helped me help my students.  As a therapist with over 13 years of in the field, nearly 9 being in the public school systems, I came across something new on a daily basis.  I also found writing as a creative avenue to share some of the odd ways I look beyond the quadrilateral parallelogram, for example my analysis of the OT's Role in a Zombie Apocalypse.  However, I realized quickly that I am not the only Therablogger out there.

I am so happy to have the opportunity this month to put the SpOT Light on some amazing and innovative therapy bloggers.  Every other day, the SpOT Light will shine on one of 14 Therabloggers that provide edu-taining content to inspire the masses.   Apparently the timing of this month's posts could not have been more appropriate.  A recent OTPractice article had discussed the development and use of blogs in current trends.  It even included a few of the authors you will get to know in this SpOT Light series.

Last year, I was invited onto a Therapy Blogger's Facebook page which is where I met some of these wonderful pracitioners.  I have enjoyed their content, pulling their tips and tricks of the trade into my practice.  We've connected beyond the borders of states, countries and oceans.  From Arizona to Australia.   So please check back on the odd days of September to enjoy learning about what makes these unique therapists tick.  Maybe it will inspire you to share as well.

For a quick peek of upcoming posts, here is the schedule:

September 3, 2015: Alex Trichio from The Speel

September 5, 2015: Claire Heffron from The Inspired Treehouse

September 7, 2015: Rachel Coley from Can Do Kiddo

September 9, 2015: Cheryl Morris from OT Notes

September 11, 2015: Cara Kosinski from Pocket OT

September 13, 2015: Jaime Spencer from Miss Jaime OT

September 15, 2015: Katherine Collmer from Handwriting with Katherine

September 17, 2015: Sarah Lyon from OT Potential

September 19, 2015: Patti Pooler and Shelley Galvin from Tools To Grow OT

September 21, 2015: Rebecca Talmud from Dino PT

September 23, 2015: Chanda Jothen from Pink Oatmeal

September 25, 2015: Stacy Menz from Starfish Therapies

September 27, 2015: Anna Meadows from Kids Playspace

September 29, 2015: Margaret Rice from Your Therapy Source

Back to School: Dreaded D. O. C. U. M. E. N. T. A. T. I. O. N.

Alright!
It is that time of year again.... Back to school. Back to work. Back to the Grind.  Whatever you call it, it means getting in the routine.

Going into my (???) year in the school system, I always find it amazing how I still try to establish new documentation styles that fit my needs, my district's demands, and my students' goals.  Don't get me wrong, I have my scheduling system down. I have my billing entry efficient.   I create an excel spreadsheet as the guide. I print out weekly, because inevitable I lose and received students sometimes on a daily basis. Mark students present or absent.  Highlight them when I have entered the data into the billing system.   But I love discovering new ways to document the progress my students are making.

I know, I know.  You are probably thinking, "What a sicko!"  But I am not (at least in that sense).  I just strive for efficiency.  I can't stand redundancy.  And face it: We live in a world that demands written justification for everything.  If it isn't documented, it didn't happen.  Not only that, Occupational Therapy is a profession that continues to have to prove itself to be distinct, equal, and necessary amongst every other profession out there.  The American Occupational Therapy Association is holding its first Specialty Conference on Effective Documentation in Illinois in October.

When I went to college, I learned how to do SOAP and DAP notes.  I took the Subjective, Objective, Assessment and Plan to heart.  I incorporated it into the hospital and rehab practice with every client and modfied paper work to help things run more efficeintly.  But in the school system, with the caseload being SO different,  I don' t have time to pee let alone provide a meaningful subjective statement each session.

So this year, as I do every year and throughout the year, I search and scour the internet for things that might work for me.  Teachers Pay Teachers is an EXCELLENT site for teachers and therapist to find free and cheap products that can be downloaded and usually easily modified for your specific needs.  It is easy to join.  And in order to download you just have to upload something you have created.  Then share and search away.  Many therabloggers out there, too, are chiming in.

• Your Therapy Source provides insight for therapists incorporating the use of Rubrics, you know those things that teachers have been using for a millennia to grade papers?  You can download free Rubrics for Dressing, Meal Time and Mobility.  Your Therapy Source also has great information about writing S.M.A.R.T. goals to improve specificity and relevance when writing your IEP goals.
• Pink Oatmeal and Eleanor Crawley both discuss how to incorporate cloud based services like One Note for effective and organized documentation.  Don't forget to research security when choosing an online application when writing your comments in the cloud.
• Therapy Fun Zone has a wazoozle load of cost and free downloadable checklists and documentation guides to help you organized your caseload this year.  

So this year, I will start it as I usually do...with a coffee in hand.  But also with tons of resources to try, adapt and hopefully have a successful documentation experience.