Supporting High-Needs Students in School OT

Supporting High-Needs Students in School OT

School-based occupational therapists are increasingly asked to support students with complex physical, behavioral, and developmental needs in settings that are not always designed to meet them. Limited placement options, staffing shortages, and growing inclusion demands often leave teams overwhelmed and unsure where to begin.

This 2-hour course provides a practical, participation-focused framework to help occupational therapists support high-needs students within real-world school constraints. Rather than offering one-size-fits-all strategies, the course emphasizes clinical reasoning, prioritization, and collaboration as key interventions. Participants explore three common high-needs support profiles and learn how to guide teams toward realistic, ethical, and meaningful supports that improve student participation while reducing staff burnout. This course is ideal for school-based occupational therapists seeking tools to navigate complex cases, collaborate effectively with educational teams, and maintain professional clarity when systems are stretched.

Learning Outcomes

1. Identify three participation barriers and contextual factors influencing student functioning in complex school-based cases.
2. Differentiate between common high-needs support profiles and list three strategies for each profile.
3. Apply two clinical reasoning strategies to prioritize realistic participation supports within the constraints of school environments.
4. Develop three collaborative approaches to guide educational teams in addressing high-needs situations while maintaining ethical occupational therapy practice boundaries.

Course Information

• Target Audience: intermediate- to advanced-level school-based occupational therapy practitioners and other pediatric professionals
• Course Instructor:  Kim Wiggins, OTR/L
• View Agenda
• CE Broker course code: 20-1368271

Continuing Education Units (CEUs)

Sensational Brain LLC is an AOTA Approved Provider of professional development. PD activity ID# 15880. This distance-learning, independent format is offered at 0.2 CEUs, Intermediate level, OT Service Delivery. The assignment of AOTA CEUs does not imply endorsement of specific content, products, or clinical procedures by AOTA.

Kim Wiggins, OTR/L, is an experienced occupational therapist specializing in the treatment of children since 2001. She is a full-time therapist at a City School District in upstate New York, owner of www.OTKimWiggins.com, and has been a nationally known speaker since 2011. Kim is certified in Mobile Devices for Children with Disabilities, Puzzle Art Therapy, Handwriting Without Tears, Zaner Bloser, The Size Matters Handwriting Program, The Listening Program, and as an Irlen Screener. To view Kim’s courses, check out her product page.

Disclosures

• Financial: Kim Wiggins receives a speaking fee from Sensational Brain LLC and is the owner of OTKimWiggins LLC. Kim is an affiliate for these companies and receives a percentage of profits from her referrals for these webinars:
  • Double Time Docs (https://www.doubletimedocs.com): A Collaboration Sensation and Get It Done! OT documentation
  • Move Thrive Play (https://www.moveplaythrive.com): Primitive Reflexes
  • SpedNotes (a free program until August 2020, https://www.spednote.com/): Get It Done! OT documentation and Writing IEP Goals
• Nonfinancial: No relevant nonfinancial relationship exists.

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