OT Toolbox

04/21/2026

Research shows that students return from recess with better attention, improved self-regulation, and stronger engagement in the classroom (Howie et al., 2023).
But here’s what I see every day as a school-based therapist 👇
Recess is where behavior plans either work… or fall apart.
Because this is where students have to:
• Navigate social situations
• Wait and take turns
• Handle frustration
• Follow less-structured expectations
And we expect them to “just figure it out.”
That’s not a behavior problem.
That’s a skill gap.
If we want better behavior in the classroom, we have to start supporting students where it’s actually hardest—on the playground.
This is exactly what I teach inside my Behavior Toolkit and Calm to Crisis course—real strategies that work in real-life situations.
Because behavior doesn’t start at the desk…
It starts at recess.
📚 Reference:
Howie, E. K., McCurdy, L. E., & Pate, R. R. (2023). Educational outcomes of recess in elementary school children. Pediatric Reports, 15(4), 673–684.

04/21/2026

Have you ever taken the DOPE Personality Test?

We recently did this with our team—and I’ll be honest, it started out as something fun… but it turned into one of the most practical team-building activities we’ve done in a while.

It’s a FREE and simple way to discover your “bird personality”:
🦅 Eagle – direct, results-focused
🦚 Peacock – social, big-picture
🦉 Owl – detailed, analytical
🕊️ Dove – supportive, relationship-focused

Once we started talking through our results, it clicked pretty quickly—a lot of our day-to-day miscommunication wasn’t about people being difficult… it was just different communication styles.

So we tried this activity as a team 👇

Activity: Same Message, Different Bird

We used this scenario:
👉 You need to email a coworker about a student who is not making progress and needs a change in plan.

Then we challenged ourselves to write the SAME email—but for different birds (below are some examples)

🦅 Eagle:
“Hi — The current plan isn’t working. I recommend we switch to X strategy starting Monday. Can you confirm?”

🦚 Peacock:
“Hi! I wanted to connect because I know we both want this student to succeed. I have an idea that could really help—can we talk about trying X strategy?”

🦉 Owl:
“Hi — Based on the last 4 weeks of data, the student has not met goals in X area. I’ve attached documentation and recommend adjusting to X strategy. Thoughts?”

🕊️ Dove:
“Hi — I wanted to check in about this student. I know we both want to support them, and I was thinking we could try X strategy together. What do you think?”

It was actually funny to see how differently we all naturally write… but more importantly, it was really productive.
We walked away with:
✔ Better awareness of our own communication style
✔ More patience with each other
✔ Simple ways to adjust how we communicate depending on who we’re talking to

If you lead a team or collaborate with others daily, this is such an easy win.
👉 Take the free test
👉 Have your team take it
👉 Try this activity together
It’s one of those things that’s fun in the moment… but actually changes how your team works together the next day. 🐦

Attached is the email, I have no affiliation with them, just a fun, free resource I have used in the past.

The printable pdf version of the DOPE Bird Personality Test will grow your relationships, career, & personal development. Find your bird type & learn more.

04/15/2026

Yesterday I started working on eloping—running away from adults when things feel overwhelming, exciting, or unclear, with a 4-year-old.

And we’re not fixing it overnight… we’re starting with the foundation.

I introduced a simple visual called our Animal Zones 🐾 to begin teaching how close to stay to an adult in different situations.
🐨 Koala Zone (Right Beside Me)
🦒 Giraffe Zone (Arm’s Length)
🐶 Puppy Zone (I Can See You)

Right now, the focus isn’t perfection—it’s consistency.
We’re:
✔️ Using the same language every time
✔️ Practicing before it matters (not in the middle of a hard moment)
✔️ Pairing it with simple safety messages about why staying close is important

And today, we practiced in real, everyday moments:
📖 Reading a book together → Koala Zone (right beside me)
🚶 Walking on a safe neighborhood sidewalk → Giraffe Zone (arm’s length)
🏡 Playing in a fenced backyard → Puppy Zone (I can see you)

Because at this age, kids don’t just “know” what stay with me means.

We have to teach it, show it, and practice it.

Today looked like modeling, repetition, and small moments of understanding—not big behavior change (yet)… and that’s exactly where we should be.

Also—real life moment—I used ChatGPT to help me create the visual for this, but the social story? That still had to be made the old-school way… by hand in Word. 😅

This is the part people don’t always see.
The beginning. The practice. The consistency.
That’s what leads to real change. ✨

04/13/2026

I turned 50 this week... (although I frequently act like I am 27 but then feel like I am 87...)

Got to celebrate with my family,
spend time with my best friends,
and confirm I can still beat my 19-year-old in karaoke 😄🎤

But it also made me reflect on how much I’ve learned over the years working in school-based therapy

And how many therapists and teachers are still trying to figure things out on their own—especially when it comes to documentation, goals, and behavior.

So I wanted to do something simple to celebrate:
👉 50% off this week
Code: Taras50

You can use it on my Teachers Pay Teachers Store or on select courses in my stan store!

I'll post the Stan Store links in comments.

Can anybody guess my karaoke song???? If you have heard me sing, you cannot guess!



https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/store/ot-toolbox-by-tara

04/06/2026

When school-based therapy isn’t working the way we hoped…
it’s usually not because of the student.

It’s often because the system around them isn’t fully connected.
Therapy happens in one space.

The classroom happens in another.

And without alignment, students are expected to carry skills over on their own—which is really hard for many of the learners we support.

The good news? This is something we can start improving right away.
Here are a few simple shifts you can try this week:
✔️ 1. Ask one simple question
Instead of guessing what’s happening in the classroom, ask:
👉 “Where is this hardest for the student during the day?”
This helps you target what actually matters.
✔️ 2. Pick ONE routine to focus on
Don’t try to fix everything at once.
Choose one part of the day (transitions, writing time, group work) and start there.
That’s where consistency builds.
✔️ 3. Share 1–2 strategies (not 10)
Teachers don’t need more information—they need clarity.
Keep it simple so strategies actually get used.
✔️ 4. Do a quick weekly check-in
Even 5 minutes can make a difference:
What worked this week?
What didn’t?
What should we adjust?
✔️ 5. Connect the goal to the classroom
If the goal doesn’t show up in the student’s real day,
it’s much harder to see progress.

These aren’t huge changes—but they’re powerful ones.
Because when the adults are aligned,
students don’t have to work as hard to succeed.

I put together a free guide that walks through what actually makes school-based therapy work and how to start making these shifts in a way that fits real school schedules and real caseloads.

Grab it here:
https://stan.store/twarwick/p/the-power-of-collaboration-in-special-education

04/06/2026

Most school-based therapy isn’t a strategy problem…�it’s a system problem.
When therapy happens in isolation, skills don’t carry over into the classroom.
👉 I made a quick guide that breaks this down�Comment SCHOOL and I’ll send it to you

04/02/2026

I am a big supporter of strength-based documentation, and it has truly been a game changer for me.

Early on, my reports felt heavy…
very deficit-focused…
and honestly didn’t reflect the students I worked with every day.
Once I shifted how I wrote, everything changed—

✔️ My documentation felt more accurate
✔️ Teams understood my recommendations better
✔️ Conversations with families became more collaborative

One of the biggest shifts you can make is this:

Start with what the student can do
Here’s what that looks like:
❌ “Student has poor attention and difficulty completing tasks.”
✅ “The student is able to participate in structured tasks with support and benefits from prompts to complete multi-step activities.”

❌ “Student cannot complete writing tasks.”
✅ “The student is able to write short responses with support and is building endurance for longer written assignments.”

See the difference?
Strength-based documentation doesn’t ignore challenges—
it just gives a clearer, more respectful, and more useful picture of the student.

✨ Try this today:
Before writing your next report, ask yourself—

“What can this student do right now?”

Start there.

For more information, the University of Kansas has a lot of helpful resources, here's their website: https://socwel.ku.edu/applications-strengths-perspective

Applications of the Strengths Perspective The KU School of Social Welfare’s educational, research, and professional training innovations have applied the Strengths Perspective to micro and macro practice and policy in many ways, explicitly and implicitly, from the 1980s until now. Examples of rela...

03/28/2026

Most strategies don’t fail because they’re wrong…
👉 They fail because they don’t match what the child needs in that moment.

Behavior isn’t random.
It’s communication.
It’s regulation.
It’s a response to the environment.

And when we understand that, everything shifts.

That’s exactly why I created this training.

🍽️ Behavior Made Simple: What to Do Tomorrow (At Home, Therapy, or at School)

📅 Friday, April 3
⏰ 12:00–1:00 PM (CST)

This 1-hour Lunch & Learn is designed for:
✔️ School-based therapists
✔️ Teachers & paraprofessionals
✔️ Parents

Inside, we’ll focus on supporting the child—not controlling behavior:

🎯 The 4 things that support most students:
✔️ Connection before correction
✔️ Predictability supports regulation
✔️ Clear expectations (shown, not just told)
✔️ Adjusting the task to support success

🧠 You’ll also learn:
👉 What behavior might be communicating
👉 How to respond during escalation in a supportive way
👉 How to teach skills like asking for help, breaks, and regulation

🛠️ You’ll walk away with:
✔️ A prevention checklist
✔️ A response guide based on regulation
✔️ Simple communication supports

👉 Tools you can use the very next day

Because the goal isn’t to “fix” behavior…

👉 It’s to understand it—and support the child more effectively.

🎥 Can’t attend live?
No problem—you’ll get the full recording when you sign up.

If you’ve ever thought:
“I want to support this student better, but I’m not sure how…”
This training is for you.

👉 Grab your spot here: https://stan.store/twarwick/p/behavior-made-simple-what-to-do-tomorrow

03/26/2026

I’m excited to present later today to a local pediatric team on one of my favorite topics—collaboration 💛

This is something I see teams struggle with all the time… not because they don’t care, but because systems naturally push us into working in silos.
Today we’re focusing on:
✔️ Writing goals together instead of separately
✔️ Planning across the whole day
✔️ Creating natural opportunities for practice
✔️ Clarifying roles so everyone knows how they contribute

When teams align, support becomes more consistent—and students make meaningful progress.

If your team has ever felt disconnected or unsure of roles, you’re not alone.

👉 Send me a message if you’d like to bring a customized training like this to your team. I’d love to support you.

03/23/2026

THIS is the resource you’ll want to bring to your next IEP meeting 👇

School-based therapists…
You are constantly being asked to explain:
➡️ “Why can’t you work on that?”
➡️ “But they get that in outpatient…”
➡️ “Can you just add this goal?”

And instead of having to explain it over and over…

👉 What if you had something you could just hand them?

✨ I created a FREE guide you can use to:
✔️ Clearly explain the difference between school-based and outpatient therapy
✔️ Help parents and teachers understand your role
✔️ Set realistic expectations (without awkward conversations)
✔️ Support better collaboration across settings

💡 This isn’t just for you...

It’s something you can share with your team, administrators, and families so everyone is finally on the same page.

Because when everyone understands the “why”…
👉 Meetings go smoother
👉 Goals make more sense
👉 And students get better support
👉 Download it here and start using it with your team: https://stan.store/twarwick/p/free-download-outpatient-vs-schoolbased-therapy

🚨 And if you’re ready for MORE support like this…
Inside my School-Based Therapy Community, I help therapists:
✔️ Navigate tough conversations with confidence
✔️ Create clear, appropriate goals
✔️ Balance workload without burnout
✔️ Use practical tools you can implement immediately

💬 It’s ongoing support, real strategies, and a place where you don’t have to figure this out alone.

👉Click here for more information - https://stan.store/twarwick/p/schoolbased-therapist-network--jp4oq238

Save this for your next IEP meeting ✔️
Share with another therapist who needs this ✔️

03/22/2026

Let’s be honest…
Some days, a good joke is the best classroom strategy 😅
Here are 5 school-approved jokes you can use tomorrow morning, during transitions, or when you just need a reset.
✔ Builds connection
✔ Lightens the mood
✔ Gets kids engaged
Drop your favorite one below ⬇️ or tell me a joke your students LOVE!

03/20/2026

✨ STOP scrolling—this is your next easy win activity ✨
This simple art activity is doing WAY more than you think…
🎨 Fine motor skills
🖐️ Finger isolation
🧠 Sensory exploration
💛 Regulation + calming
👀 Visual attention
And the best part?
It’s LOW prep and HIGH engagement 🙌
We used:
✔️ Black paper + bunny cutout
✔️ Paint dabbed with fingers (or Q-tips!)
✔️ Bright spring colors for extra visual interest
This is PERFECT for:
🐰 Easter crafts
🏫 Classroom centers
🏡 At-home sensory play
🧩 Kids who need a low-demand entry into activities
💡 OT Tip:
If a child is hesitant, start with just ONE color or model on your own paper first—co-regulation matters more than perfection.
👉 Want more simple activities that actually support regulation + skills?
Check out my resources in my bio!