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A sensory diet is a way to provide a child’s nervous system with sensory input, in order to improve the child’s ability to participate in their day. For example, a child who is under responsive to sensory input and appears with a low energy, will benefit from sensory based activities and/or using tools to help increase their arousal level to be alert while at school. Following thorough evaluation and observation, occupational therapists can determine appropriate strategies and/or tools that can be beneficial for the child's nervous system. OT’s can teach caregivers, teachers, even the child on how to carry out the sensory diet. It’s important to remember, each child is unique, therefore a sensory diet that works great to support one child, may not work for another child.  And for our momma segment 21:30 , Genna is nesting and preparing for her due date! She is dealing with the third trimester swelling, nesting, and preparing for her second little one! We also talk about how it is so important to accept any and all help that is offered to you after your delivery.If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Check out our YouTube Channel to watch our podcast episodes:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Cz9c3EifE5F4VNf3xCChwDisclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

Occupational therapy group sessions can be a very effective way for clients to work on their goals. As occupational therapists, we can deliver services via group treatment in all settings. Planning for your group sessions using an outline can be a helpful tool to ensure your treatment plan(s) will best meet the individual and group needs. Genna frequently uses and recommends Group Dynamics in Occupational Therapy 5th edition by Marilyn B. Cole as her go-to resource. The group outline that is presented is a thorough way to address all of the aspects of group dynamics. Also, it is important to remember that your leadership style can influence the outcome of the group. So it is important to know whether to use a direct, facilitative, or advisory approach for your group or when to adjust your leadership style.  And for today’s momma segment, Genna and I talk about the importance of pretend play. Pretend play will help build your little one’s imagination, initiation, creativity! We share some of our favorite pretend play toys. And we talk about how we both love observing and joining in on little one’s pretend play.  Group Dynamics ResourceIf you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Check out our YouTube Channel to watch our podcast episodes:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Cz9c3EifE5F4VNf3xCChwDisclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

Determining the driving force behind a child’s behavior can be challenging. Occupational therapists are skilled at observational skills and in identifying if a behavior is sensory driven.It's important to know that a child’s behavior is driven by four motivating factors. They can be seeking attention; positive or negative. They can be seeking a tangible item such as a toy, iPad, game. The behavior can be to escape; a demand, a task, or a situation. Or the behavior can be sensory driven. First, it is important to target one behavior (ie: hitting, spitting, head banging). Then it is important to observe the child to see what is happening before, during, and after the behavior occurs. And if you cannot observe, ask questions; a lot of questions. Every child and situation are unique, which makes determining why a behavior is occurring is challenging. We have found the Behavior Motivation Scale a very helpful tool. And for mommas, one important factor to consider is the child’s social emotional age. Every child goes through typical social emotional stages. And in some stages, negative behavior in response to some factors may be typical for that developmental level. This is an important factor for mommas and occupational therapists to keep in mind. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Check out our YouTube Channel to watch our podcast episodes:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Cz9c3EifE5F4VNf3xCChwDisclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

Did you know we had an 8th sensory system? It's called interoception. It's our sense that tells us how our bodies are feeling inside. It helps us identify all types of emotions; homestatic or affective. Homestatic emotions are thirst, hunger, the need to use the restroom. Affective emotion can be fear, anger, anxiety. For me, my interocepitve awareness of a fast beating heart, sweaty palms, and nervous stomach is my body’s way of telling me I’m anxious. Occupational therapists evaluate and determine if a child is having underlying challenges with any of their sensory systems, including interoception. Kelly Mahler is an occupational therapist who has done so much research in this area. She has created an easy-to-follow, well designed curriculum that you can use to build interoceptive awareness with your clients. She also has a great course both Genna and I would recommend taking if you're interested in learning more about this hidden sense. Interoception challenges may be the missing link to students/clients who are struggling with self-regulation. Today’s momma segment 25:13 , we talked about bath time and offer some momma tips! One tip is to be careful of the fun, plastic toys that squirt water as they can collect mold if you're not careful. Genna shares a great mom hack that can help! Listen in! If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Check out our YouTube Channel to watch our podcast episodes:https://www.youtube.com/channel/UC5Cz9c3EifE5F4VNf3xCChwDisclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

The proprioceptive system is our sense of body awareness and movement. Think about closing your eyes, holding your arm out to the side, then bringing your finger up to touch the tip of your nose. The proprioceptive system gives you information from your muscles, joints, and tendons to help you sense where your finger is, where your nose is, how these feel, and to coordinate the precise movement of touching the tip of your nose with the right amount of force, all without using your eyes! Difficulty with the proprioceptive system can be observed in one, or more than one of the sensory processing patterns: sensory modulation, sensory discrimination, and sensory motor patterns. A comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation will determine all areas of sensory processing challenges and the impact in relation to all the sensory patterns. This helps occupational therapists to develop an appropriate, comprehensive treatment plan using carefully designed activities and strategies to address all the areas of challenge. In today’s momma segment, we talk about preparing for a second delivery via cesarian. Genna had a C-section with her son, so she knows what to expect this time around. But every pregnancy and delivery is different, and with any delivery, Genna’s focus is a safe delivery with a healthy baby boy!! We talk about the things that we learned from our first c-section experiences that can help with her preparing for her second c-section. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

The vestibular system is a complex sensory system that gives us our sense of movement and balance. Development of this system begins in the womb. Neurotypical children develop and mature their vestibular system through all types of movement; including swinging, hanging upside down, and spinning. However, some children have challenges with this sensory system. A comprehensive OT evaluation will determine the pattern(s) of dysfunction within this system (as well as others) and will drive the therapist's treatment plan. An effective treatment plan is geared toward developing the system and facilitating adaptive responses. Sometimes a well intended recommendation may be, if a child is spinning, allow them to spin to obtain the movement they are seeking. However, listen in to today’s episode to understand why that is not always appropriate. And for our momma segment, we discuss gestational diabetes. This can be a stressful diagnosis during pregnancy. Genna shares her experience, some tips, and reassurance that with proper nutrition, exercise, and monitoring, you and your baby can remain healthy. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

Today, Genna and I discuss our approach to treating our clients with autism and sensory processing challenges via Telehealth. We found several key components to the success of our Telehealth treatment sessions. First, we recommend building a rapport with your client and establishing a trusting relationship with their caregiver. Next, preparing for your sessions. For us, that included spending preparation time creating individualized client packets (affordable items we wanted to utilize during sessions) as well as visual schedules with additional icons. Another important component is being creative with how to facilitate meaningful, sensory based activities via Telehealth. Depending on the student’s level of engagement, we have found our role as an OT as a facilitator. This has been a great opportunity to discuss our OT goals with the caregiver, as well as instruct them on how to set up the environment and how to best provide support and cues during our sessions. Overall, there is so much potential to facilitate adaptive responses and see growth in a child with autism via Telehealth OT sessions. However, we do both acknowledge that for some children and caregivers, this may not be the optimal mode of service delivery. For our momma segment, Genna is in the midst of potty training and she shares what she is trying now. I share some tips of what has worked well when potty training my girls.Thanks for listening, we hope you enjoyed today's episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez.

Happy New Year, 2021! We are both happy to ring in the new year with new personal and professional goals. Today, we discuss one professional goal we have set for ourselves. I want to continue to learn about the impact nutrition has on child development as well as how to use nutrition to support a child’s attention, behavior and for promoting development. Genna wants to continue to learn more about how to support mommas, especially postpartum. There is limited support for moms during this stage of life and occupational therapists have many great skills and knowledge to offer mommas. These are our own personal interests and goals. Do you set goals for yourself in the new year? Connect with us on social media or by leaving us a comment.Thanks for listening…and for all your support in 2020!If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

Merry Christmas! Today we thought it would be fun to talk about Christmas traditions. Some of these traditions come from our childhood, while others are new traditions we have started for our families. Also, if you have little ones who still believe in Santa, make sure they are not near while you listen to this episode. Happy Holidays to you and your family. As always, thank you for listening. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

Whether your a new momma or a pediatric occupational therapist working with children, this episode is for you. Occupational therapists have the knowledge and skill to address mealtime challenges with our clients. And now as mommas, Genna and I have our own experiences of what has worked well from our families while incorporating our OT skills.  We share some great tips on how to approach mealtime as an enjoyable experience. This episode could definitely have a part 2, so share your questions, comments and experiences with mealtime.  And for our momma segment, I share my experience going through a high risk pregnancy. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

Today’s episode is in response to questions from our listeners. We discuss the difference in daily roles of an OTR and an Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant (COTA), the educational requirements for each, as well as what we see as the most important component to a successful working relationship. The OTR and COTA work closely together and having a strong relationship is key, this will include good communication and trust. In our momma segment, we share some exciting news!! We also discuss a bit about first trimester experiences.Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

In today’s episode, we share more tips for occupational therapy students. We discuss two components of occupational therapy treatment; task analysis and collaboration. We recommend tips for developing and strengthening your task analysis skills. Occupational therapists use task analysis to break down a task/activity/goal in a way that helps us develop an effective treatment plan. This may include working on a specific task (toothbrushing) or the performance areas required for the task (standing balance, bilateral coordination, sequencing etc). We also discuss the importance of collaboration. Collaboration with the client, caregiver, teacher, parent is key for carryover of techniques and recommendations following your treatment sessions; which is so important for improved outcomes. For our momma segment today, we share what we do in our home to prepare our little one’s for flu season.Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

Documentation is a learning process. It takes time to develop the skill to document thoroughly, concisely, and in a timely manner. SOAP notes are a great way to begin documenting as it will help you summarize your treatment session while addressing all key components that should be in your daily note. In today’s episode, we review SOAP notes and offer some of the tips we share as clinical educators who work with occupational therapy students. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

In the school setting, occupational therapists prepare for and participate in several different types of IEP meetings. There are Initial, Annual, Addendum, 30-day and Transition IEPs. Today we discuss the purpose and differences between all of these. Plus, we offer OT tips for new therapists in the school based setting preparing for these meetings. And for our momma segment, we talk about how just when you think you have a good nighttime routine...there is a sleep regression, or in my home, night terrors. Sleep regressions are typical and most little ones will go one or several short periods of sleep regression.  Night terrors are not as common and can be a very scary experience for parents. My daughter had night terrors and I share what I found helpful in dealing with this and even what worked in preventing these from reoccurring. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

OT.Mommas.Life was created by Genna from Heart of Occupation and Shannon from BrightSide Momma. In today's part 2 episode, we talk about BrightSide Momma.  BrightSide momma started as a mini blog on instagram as a way to share tips and resources to other momma’s who were interested in learning more about healthy living. My goal is to inform other moms of potential areas that can negatively impact the health of their family. For me, this information was initially overwhelming and a bit scary, so I felt it was important to share the BrightSide by sharing the positive changes that have worked for my family. This includes using safer ingredients in the personal care products we use everyday, reducing potential areas of toxin exposures in our home, and reading food labels and knowing what ingredients to avoid for improved health. This has also been such a fun outlet to share my day to day experiences as an occupational therapist and momma of two. Learn more today about my journey as BrightSide momma and visit my website at brightsidemomma.com.Hope you enjoyed today’s episode. If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

OT.Mommas.Life was created by Genna from Heart of Occupation and Shannon from BrightSide Momma. In today's episode, we talk about Heart of Occupation. Initially established as an instagram page in 2017, as a way to inspire fellow occupational therapists, it has evolved into an online community of people who enjoy all things OT. Genna has been an occupational therapist for 8 years and recently completing her OTD, Heart of Occupation has been a way for her to share her vast knowledge on pediatrics and sensory processing, she share experience/resources from OT evaluation to treatment, and she shares motivation, support, and laugh from the memes she creates. Learn today a bit more about Genna's how and why behind creating Heart of Occupation. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  If you find our podcast helpful, please leave us a rating/review and don't forget to follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

On today’s episode, we provide an overview of an Individualized Family Service Plan (IFSP) and an Individualized Educational Program (IEP). An IFSP is a comprehensive plan that supports children who are experiencing developmental delays, from infancy through 2 years old, and provides support/intervention for the child in their natural environment. An IEP is a comprehensive plan that supports children/students, ages 3-21 years old, with the focus on meeting educational needs while providing the least restrictive environment in school. We discuss the process of assessment, determining the child’s strength, areas of concern, present levels, and then creating goals based on the unique needs of the child. And for our momma segment, Genna dives into a concern she currently has for her son. She talks about the benefit of having her OT momma hat as she was able to informally make observations of her son and implement some strategies to support him at home. I talk about how my daughter experienced a gross motor delay that included her working with a physical therapist before her first birthday. It can be stressful and overwhelming, if you are having concerns regarding your child’s development. Just know that there are supports available for children of any age and a good starting point is to share your concerns with their pediatrician. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  Please don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe.  Follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

Genna and I both are mommas who work as full time occupational therapists in the school setting. And now after a month of adapting to distance learning this school year, we can both admit we have been stressed to the max.  Today’s episode, we are just checking in with each other and talking about self care. We have been non-stop with learning technology, managing our caseloads, navigating telehealth sessions from home, with children. Then there is the reality of 2020; a year filled with change, sickness, sadness, loss as well as learning/growing, friendship/family. Self care can sometimes be the last thing on our to do list, but if we are learning anything this year, it is the importance of self care!Hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  Please don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe.  Follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

The start of this school year is nothing like we have ever seen before. In California, we started this year with full distance learning and it has been (and continues to be) an ongoing learning experience for all of us. The core of an occupational therapy session is typically joy! The therapist creates an environment that is engaging and sessions are client centered while addressing goals. And achieving this through telehealth sessions can be done! For us, it has taken organization, creativity, learning, and a constant reminder to smile and have fun. This episode, we share some of the items we sent home in our personalized OT packets for students. We offer some fun treatment ideas that have been successful for us thus far. For our momma segment (32:13), we talk about some tips that parents can do to help their child be successful with distance learning. Our top recommendations to parents are trying to achieve proper computer/chair setup, calm space/break space at home, the importance of schedules and incorporating movement throughout the day. Hope you enjoyed today’s episode.  Please don’t forget to rate, review, and subscribe.  Follow us at:  https://www.otmommaslife.com/Disclaimer: The information provided in this podcast is for informational purposes only. This is not a substitute for occupational therapy services. Please contact a licensed and registered occupational therapist for individualized consultation and/or treatment. If you or your child already receive support from an occupational therapist, it is recommended you consult with your therapist prior to participating in our recommendations.This podcast episode presents the views of only these two occupational therapists: Genna Espinoza and Shannon Perez. 

On today's episode, Genna and I discuss how we prepared for the start of this school year when students will be engaging in distance learning. As of now in California, most of the larger school districts are not yet cleared to provide in person instruction. So for occupational therapists, this means we will be offering telehealth services to our students. We both started with organization! Organizing our workspace (which for us is our home office) and our supplies, student files, and resources has been key. Then, we started learning more about the different learning options technology has to offer, including boom cards, google classrooms, google slides. We talk about the potential benefit were hoping to have with an external camera; Genna has the Osmo and I have ordered a document camera. And our goal to not to forgot to have a little fun, to find the joy in what we are doing, as stressful as this all may be. And for our momma segment, we talk about being on the other side of all this. Genna has a toddler and need juggle schedules to accommodate working from home. I have a daughter who will be starting virtual kindergarten and can see from the other side that accessing learning from home has it's challenges. Most of all, no matter what side you are on (educator/therapist/parent) know that this is a learning and growing experience for all of us. If you have any questions for us, please let us know. We are here to share with you what we have tried, what works, what doesn't. We hope you enjoy this episode.