I don’t know about you, but I was never much of a podcast listener until I became a school-based OT. But, faced with the task of commuting between several schools a week, it only made sense to start looking into some ways to pass the time while driving! Plus, I love that I get to valuably use this otherwise boring driving time. Some of these podcasts even give the option to earn CEU credit! While there aren’t a ton of podcasts that are solely about school-based OT practice, there are many that are relevant to our work. Here are what I think are the best podcasts for school-based OTs:
The OT School House Podcast
This is easily my favorite podcast just for school-based OTs! Jayson is a great host and has a talent for finding interesting guests who offer varied perspectives in school-based therapy. All of the episodes are great, but I especially appreciate the episodes that translate evidence-based practice into our day-to-day. Jayson continues to practice in the schools in addition to his podcast which I find helps the strategies discussed feel practical, relatable, and doable! There is also an option to earn CEU credit for listening to an episode + completing a short learning activity. And if you’d like to hear an episode with yours truly, be sure to check out Episode 68 where we talk all about travel therapy in school-based OT! You can listen to all the episodes here.
Two Sides of the Spectrum
While this podcast isn’t exclusive to school-based therapists, I believe it should be required listening for anyone working with autistic students. Meg does a great job exploring our pre-conceived notions on what occupational therapy should look like for autistic people, and challenges us to update our thinking on outdated practices we might’ve learned in grad school. Most of all, I respect her commitment to neurodiversity – most of her guests at this point are autistic themselves. As occupational therapists, it is important to listen to our clients’ voices when it comes to their care, especially when it’s a different perspective than we might’ve assumed. You can listen to all the episodes here.
The Telehealth OT Podcast
This is another one that is not just for school-based OTs, but has definitely provided a ton of valuable content over the past year! Reina is a pediatric occupational therapist who has had her own private teletherapy practice for several years now. The podcast is full of great resources for therapists like us who had to quickly pivot to teletherapy last March! If you’d like to listen to an episode on school-based teletherapy in particular, check out the episode I was interviewed on here! And here is a link to the rest of her episodes.
The Executive Function Podcast
This is one that I started listening to recently but have been really enjoying! This one is a little different because it’s hosted by a special education teacher instead of an OT. Still, Sarah offers valuable perspectives on how we can help students with these skills. I love working on executive function with students and I get a lot of questions from other OTs about what this treatment looks like. This podcast is a great place to start if you want to become a bigger resource for EF in your schools! Here is a link to Sarah’s website and the podcast episodes.
OT 4 Lyfe
This one is a more general OT podcast, but I still find several of the episodes applicable to school-based practice. Sarah interviews OTs from many different walks of life and also shares her own resources and experiences as an early intervention practice owner. If you’re a preschool OT, you’ll likely appreciate the content about IFSPs and the transition from EI services in the school system! For an episode that focuses on school-based OT specifically, start here, or go here to browse through all of the episodes.
OT Potential Podcast
This is another OT podcast that is more general, but still a great resource for school-based OTs! The focus of this podcast is evidence-based practice. The host, Sarah, does a great job reviewing research articles and translating them into easily understandable language with implications for future practice. If you’re looking for an episode that will be valuable to school-based OT specifically, I love the episode on the CO-OP Approach from 2019 or the one from February 2020 on sensory interventions. Here’s the link to the eps + info about how to obtain CEU credit!
Spill The OT
Another general OT podcast! I really value this one for its transparency. Robyn does a great job of finding guests who are wiling to answer hard questions and talk about difficult situations in OT! She interviews several school OTs throughout the course of the show on topics like autism, ADHD, feeding, teletherapy, and more. You can also check out Episode 12 to hear how I got my start in travel therapy in the schools! Here’s a link to listen to all of the episodes.
Everyday Evidence Podcast by AOTA
This one doesn’t have quite as regular of a schedule as some of the other shows, but it still has some great episodes for school-based OTs! I would check out the episode titled “The Comfortable Cafeteria Program” with Dr. Sue Bazyk, founder of Every Moment Counts. Here is a link to more info about the podcast + the episodes!
Occupied
This one is especially interesting to me because the host, Brock, is based in Australia! It’s always neat to hear how OT is handled in other countries. His podcast focuses primarily on mental health, which will be relevant to school-based OTs working heavily with students with emotional disabilities. And if you’d like to get a perspective on what school-based OT can look like in Australia, check out this episode! Or to check out the whole podcast, click here.
Alright, y’all. I really think these are the best podcasts for school-based OTs out there right now! I think one of the most exciting things about OT podcasts is that more and more of them are coming out each month. I can’t wait to see what new podcasts about occupational therapy will hit the scene this year.
Did I miss one of your faves? Do you have any other feedback? Come let me know in my Facebook group!