Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast – Details, episodes & analysis

Send us a Text or Voicemail

What do early career occupational therapists really prioritize when choosing their first OT job? Spoiler alert: salary ranks 9th out of 16 factors. In this episode, we break down a fascinating Canadian study that surveyed early career occupational therapists about what actually matters in their job search—and the findings might surprise you. We reveal the top intrinsic and extrinsic factors driving OT employment decisions, why 60% of new grad occupational therapists have jobs lined up before graduation, and how OT priorities shift between your first job and your second (or third!) job. Occupational therapy students will learn what to look for in job searches, OT employers will discover how to attract top talent, and experienced therapists can reflect on whether their current position aligns with what truly matters to them.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Lui S, Boniface J, Boniface G, Drynan D. Employment Decisions of Newly Graduated Occupational Therapists. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy. 2024;92(2):76-84. doi:10.1177/00084174241274742

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; new grad OT; early career OT; employment

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Want an OT intervention that tackles motor skills AND social communication? This week we're unpacking seated play intervention for autistic children—exactly what it looks like, why it works, and how occupational therapists can use these key ingredients in practice. We explore research revealing surprising BOT-2 results, the power of structured repetition, and whether telehealth matches face-to-face therapy effectiveness. Plus, Michele shares a vulnerable "Failed It" about balancing relationship-building with skill development. This episode delivers actionable, research-backed strategies for school-based and outpatient OTs—the research article even includes incredibly detailed supplemental materials that walk you through the intervention step-by-step.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.

Su, W. C., Cleffi, C., Srinivasan, S., & Bhat, A. (2023). Telehealth Versus Face-to-Face Fine Motor and Social Communication Interventions for Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder: Efficacy, Fidelity, Acceptability, and Feasibility. The American journal of occupational therapy, 77(6), 7706205130.  https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2023.050282

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; autism; play; motor skills; social connection; telehealth

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

95% of kids with neurodevelopmental disorders struggle with sleep—but there's an OT intervention that gives families an extra hour of sleep per night! In this episode, we discuss an occupational therapy study from Argentina that used telehealth and coaching to transform bedtime battles. This isn't the typical "try melatonin" approach—it's a comprehensive 5-step program addressing everything from parent self-care to zeitgeber (yes - that’s a real term and it’s amazing). Michele breaks down this intensive OT intervention, delivering significant improvements in bedtime resistance, sleep onset, and duration. We're sharing exactly how occupational therapists can implement these strategies and highlight the freely available assessment tools and day-by-day protocols. If you've ever had a parent desperately ask for sleep help, this episode is your new secret weapon.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Leive, L., Melfi, D., Lipovetzky, J., Cukier, S., Abelenda, J., & Morrison, R. (2024). Program to Support Child Sleep from the Occupational Therapy Perspective during the COVID-19 pandemic. Programa de Acompañamiento del Sueño en la Infancia con Terapia Ocupacional durante la pandemia por COVID-19. Archivos argentinos de pediatria, 122(1), e202303029. https://doi.org/10.5546/aap.2023-03029.eng

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; sleep disorders; sleep intervention; sleep strategies; coaching; telehealth; neurodevelopmental disorders

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Many of our families know that sinking feeling when mealtime becomes a battlefield—tears, tantrums, and the stress of watching a child refuse meal after meal. But what is the best way to help? This week, we dive into a brand-new scoping review on responsive feeding for pediatric feeding disorders—an approach that's finally putting words to what many OTPs have been doing intuitively. We'll break down the two key pillars: environmental supports (consistent meal schedules, intentional positioning, and sensory-minded food preparation) and strengthening caregiver-child relationships through coaching and education. While this approach might sound familiar to OTs—focusing on child autonomy, self-regulation, and trust-building—the research is just catching up to validate what works. This episode will give you concrete occupational therapy strategies to transform mealtimes from stressful battles into opportunities for connection and growth.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Mattner, M. R., Guzman, A. L., Moore, E., Fortuna, J., & Cantwell-Jurkovic, L. (2025). Responsive feeding therapy for children with pediatric feeding disorder (PFD): A scoping review. Appetite, 214, 108211. Advance online publication. https://doi-org.kumc.idm.oclc.org/10.1016/j.appet.2025.108211 

Foster, L., Lawson, L. M., & Moreland, H. (2025). Impact of a Responsive Feeding Intervention on Children and Caregivers: A Nonrandomized, Repeated-Measures Study. The American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(5), 7905205060. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2025.051100 

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; responsive feeding; pediatric feeding disorder; feeding therapy

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Drowning in long therapy wait lists? Researchers found that group DIR Floortime (4 kids, 2 therapists) produced the same outcomes as individual occupational therapy sessions for autistic toddlers—AND slashed wait times from 108 to 52 days! We break down what worked, the challenges (parent participation was tricky), and what the therapists thought about it. Plus Michele's epic "Failed It" moment with bleeding lips and Lacy's activity up & down-grading breakthrough. If you're looking to serve more kids faster without sacrificing quality, this episode delivers a solution that you could try tomorrow.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Hirschmann, S., Magnezi, R., Bassan, H., & Tal, O. (2023). Group versus individual occupational therapy for toddlers with autism as a means to improve access to public health-care services. Randomised controlled pilot study. Australian occupational therapy journal, 70(4), 434–445. https://doi.org/10.1111/1440-1630.12865

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; group therapy; autism; DIRFloortime; early intervention

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Ever feel like you are in over your head? You're not alone—new research shows 84% of occupational therapy practitioners and students secretly battle impostor syndrome. From OT students to seasoned therapists, despite being well qualified, we're all wondering if we actually know what we're doing! In this episode, we break down the study that puts numbers to what we feel and reveal who may be hit hardest by these "Am I good enough?" thoughts. Then, Michele & Lacy share their strategies to move past impostor syndrome. Whether you're an OTA doubting your skills, an occupational therapy student feeling overwhelmed, or a veteran OT questioning yourself, we've got real cognitive and behavioral tools you can use starting today. 

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Prisco, D., & Walsh, S. (2025). A Survey-Based Quantification of Imposter Phenomenon In Occupational Therapy. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy, 13(2), 1-15. https://doi.org/10.15453/2168-6408.2344

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; impostor syndrome; impostor phenomenon; professional growth

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Michele presents research that offers a completely different perspective on OT handwriting intervention. While previous episodes emphasized task-specific training (doing writing to improve writing), this study suggests that students receiving specialized resistance exercises—putty, rubber bands, clips—significantly outperformed control groups on handwriting legibility. We discuss the mechanisms behind these results and share practical strengthening activities OTPs can use in their sessions or use as home (or car) programs. We explore this alternative viewpoint, discuss the conflicting evidence, and let you decide how this fits into your OT practice. Plus, hear about Lacy's McDonald's shoe-tying success story and the Yuka nutrition app that's perfect for OT feeding interventions.

We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the article too.

Kumar, M. A., & Nagalakshmi, P. (2023). Effectiveness of specialized resisted strengthening activities to improve handwriting legibility in autism spectrum disorder: a quasi-experimental study. The Indian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 55(2), 57-60.

KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; handwriting; writing; strengthening; fine motor; autism; ASD; school-based; intervention

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Ep 24 - In our final Summer of Play episode, we're uncovering the rich history and complex science that makes play genuinely unique in pediatric OT practice. Journey from Piaget and Vygotsky's foundational theories to Mary Reilly's revolutionary work for occupational therapy. We'll break down the National Institute of Play's eight distinct categories - from attunement and rough-and-tumble play to imaginative storytelling - revealing why recognizing these differences can shape your pediatric occupational therapy sessions. Plus, discover your own play personality through their quiz and learn whether you're an explorer, collector, competitor, or one of five other types to understand play in your life (and hear Michele and Lacy’s quiz results).

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Ep 23 - Ready to turn your occupational therapy sessions into playgrounds of learning? In this episode of our Summer of Play Series, we explore using play as both the vehicle AND the destination in pediatric OT. We'll discuss 5 manualized occupational therapy interventions that facilitate play for kids (and OTPs!) and 6 other evidence-based strategies for many diagnoses and practice settings. Discover how LEGO bricks build friendships, why getting down on the floor is a powerful OT clinical tool, and learn the key ingredients that transform ordinary activities into genuine play experiences. Whether you're an occupational therapy practitioner justifying play goals to insurance or wanting more authentic play in your sessions, this episode arms you with evidence-based strategies to help kids develop through what they do best – PLAY! 

We share our own ideas and several compiled in the Royal College’s OT & Play Practice Guideline (2023)  

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play  

Send us a Text or Voicemail

Ep 22 -  Think you know how to assess play? We break down the surprising gap between how important play is for EVERY PART of child development and how this occupation is often overlooked in OT/OTA education programs and practice. You'll discover the  4-part definition of play, the top 3 play assessments every pediatric occupational therapy practitioner should know, and learn simple ways to incorporate play observation into your OT evaluations. 

Find the assessments discussed in this episode and more in the textbook Play in Occupational Therapy for Children, 2nd Ed. by Parham & Fazio. 

Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!

✏️  Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.

📧  Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com

👉  Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play