OT Strategies MTSS Tier-1 Strategies for the Classroom

This comprehensive manual (30 total pages) is designed for teachers to implement strategies before referring students to occupational therapy in a school system. It can be used in two ways:

1. Independent Use: Provide the manual to a teacher with a brief in-service training. Identify the student’s top 2 issues impacting their function, find corresponding strategies in the manual, and apply them consistently for 4 weeks. Revisit the strategies if needed or refer for an OT screening.

2. Collaborative Review: Review the manual together, select appropriate strategies, and apply them consistently for 4 weeks. If successful, continue using them; if not, select new strategies or refer for an OT screening.

The manual includes Tier 1 interventions for improving posture, writing legibility, scissor skills, typing, sensory processing, and more, aiming to enhance student engagement and performance by integrating occupational therapy principles into classroom activities. See pic of “table of contents” for more information.

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.