school aids

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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Quit Fidgeting: What’s the Deal with Fidget Toys?

| Mary Stoffel, MOT, OTR/L

What do stress balls, spinners, and Pop-Its have in common? They are fidgets and you can find them anywhere and everywhere.

Fidgets are self-regulation tools designed to help children (and adults) focus and attend to tasks by helping maintain an appropriate arousal level. Their genesis stems from our automatic need to move during times of stress or restlessness, releasing excess energy or soothing our nerves. The idea is to feed our sensory system the movement/touch/deep pressure its seeking when we aren’t able to just get up and move, like when kids are supposed to sit in their seats during class.

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