Speech Therapy

OT Month: School Supports 101

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Most parents only hear about school supports when something feels off. Their kid may be struggling with reading, falling behind in math, or having a hard time staying organized or regulated. While we may be familiar with supports like OT, PT, and/or speech, schools have far more tools, services, and interventions than most families ever realize.

Support begins the moment your child walks through the door.  Every school uses a layered approach to helping students succeed, much like climbing a ladder. The first rungs include everyday supports that all children receive. As you move up, the next rungs offer extra help for students who need a little more. At the top are individualized plans for students who require more intensive, personalized support.

What many families don’t realize is that most of this help happens long before an IEP or 504 is ever discussed. That’s because frameworks like MTSS and RTI are designed to catch challenges early and provide support right away.

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OT Month: The 504 Plan

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

If your child doesn’t qualify for an IEP, a 504 Plan might fit. It may sound like a highway number or a health code, but it’s actually a legal support that ensures students get the access they need to participate in school.

A 504 Plan is a school-based support plan that provides students with disabilities the accommodations they need to access learning alongside their peers. Its purpose is to adjust how a student learns, not what they are taught.

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OT Month: The IEP

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

When you’re navigating support services in the school system, it can feel like an alphabet soup (OT, PT, MTSS). This post is all about the IEP.

An IEP, or Individualized Education Program, is a legal, written plan that explains exactly how a public school will support a student with a disability in order to facilitate their learning and make progress. It’s part of the federal special education law called IDEA (Individuals with Disabilities Education Act), and it guarantees students access to a free appropriate public education (FAPE).

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A Quiet Place: Voice and Volume

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Lee Abbott (signing): You cannot go down there!
Regan Abbott: Why not?
Lee Abbott: You know why.
Regan Abbott: I’m not a child! I won’t make a sound!
Lee Abbott: Just don’t. Please.

“Quiet” isn’t the first word that comes to mind when describing kids. More often, they fill every corner with sound—shrieks of joy, dramatic retellings, spontaneous dinosaur roars. Children tend to operate at full volume…unfortunately. As it turns out, there are real, developmental reasons behind all that noise.

Kids tend to be loud, not because they’re misbehaving, but because they’re still learning. Self-awareness, emotional regulation, and social cues are all works in progress. They’re figuring out how to read the room, tune into themselves, and turn the volume dial down. Add in boundless energy and curiosity, and volume becomes part of how they explore, connect, and express themselves.

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Actions are Louder Than Words: The Speech and Movement Connection

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

Talking doesn’t start at the mouth. Before we can speak or give meaning to language, we must learn to move.

Movement is necessary to explore our surroundings and travel from point A to point B (even if it is just to the couch). Motor development relies on the teamwork of the tactile (touch), proprioceptive (body awareness), and vestibular (movement) systems to establish a physical awareness of self to feel safe and move without fear.

Research has shown that achieving motor milestones may also be closely linked to unlocking cognitive abilities, like speech and language.

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