Interoception is having a moment.  The popularity of the 8th sense is likely due to the fact that it gives words to sensations that we all experience, like: hunger, fatigue, heart rate, and pain. But, even though these sensations seem universal the reality is that there are vast differences in how and to what degree we experience the components of interoception. We are beginning to be able to correlate brain-level differences with different experiences of interoception.  And, what’s really interesting is how these differences impact emotional regulation.  And, what’s really, rea ..read more

If you have not been paying attention to recent statistics on drowning, you need to be.  After decades of decline, deaths by drowning are on the rise.  Groups already at higher risk have seen the greatest increases in drowning deaths. This includes adults ages 65 years and older of all races and ethnicities, as well as Black people of all ages.  But today, we’ll focus on an especially high-risk group: children (and particularly, children with autism). Drowning is the leading cause of death for children ages 1 to 4, and children with autism spectrum disorder are 160 times more li ..read more

Functional neurological disorder (FND) has been called a “silent epidemic,” a “crisis” in neurology, and psychiatry’s “blind spot.” And, I have to admit it has been a huge personal blind spot for me.  Luckily, others in the OT community have been hard at work standardizing care for these patients. Multidisciplinary treatment, including referral to OT is a best practice for these patients. And, today we will look at expert recommendations for OT assessment and treatment.  After we review the OT recommendations for FND, we will welcome Naoya Ogura, OTD, OTR/L, he is the West Los Angele ..read more

The world desperately needs OT leaders. It needs leaders that can think holistically. It needs leaders that understand both individual level change and systems level change. It needs storytellers, collaborators, and compassionate thinkers.  And, these are the qualities of an occupational therapy professional.  Today, we’ll explore a paper on best practices in OT leadership curriculum development. This will help us understand the practical steps involved in leadership development. Both as an individual, and for preparing our profession to be one of leaders.  After we review the a ..read more

In a massive 53 page treatment guideline on Complex Regional Pain Syndrome (CRPS), the authors state: “Occupational therapists are the ideal therapeutic leaders in the functional restoration process…” And, go on to devote 2 pages to what this OT care can entail.  In this one hour course, we’ll pull out important implications for OT practice from the entire guideline. As you’ll see, when it comes to treating chronic pain, like CRPS there are a lot of best practices to draw on—but also a lot of unknowns that necessitates close attention to the individual in front of you.  To help us fl ..read more

In a rapidly changing world,  we as OT professionals need collective mobilization like never before.  But, it feels like our systems of advocacy are all underfunded and difficult to navigate.  Against this backdrop, which can feel discouraging, I think it is critical to shine the light on what I consider one of the greatest OT triumphs of the past decade:  The breakthrough of OTs into pelvic health. This is a story of grassroots organization, individual thought-leadership, Facebook groups, podcasts, phone calls, and ultimately collaboration on the individual, state and nati ..read more

There is a growing public consciousness around the power (and difficulty) of habit change, especially as the impact of chronic conditions soars.   And, as we’ll see in the featured scoping review on OT and habit change/health promotion, we’ve been addressing habits since 1912, it is a core part of our 2020 practice framework, and is increasingly embedded in OT research.  On this OT Potential Podcast episode, we’ll welcome Dr. Zipporah Brown, and her and I will discuss ways you can embed best practices around habit change in your practice. You can find more details on this course her ..read more

The number of OT entry-level doctoral (OTD) programs has been expanding rapidly. In 2017 there were 7 programs. As of 2023, there are 95, with an additional 76 in development.  The article we'll cover in this course presents early stage research on the doctoral capstone experience and employment opportunities. It backs up what I have now personally observed through mentoring a student: that doctoral students are uniquely prepared for more diverse job opportunities, and sometimes jobs are even created due to the clear value of the capstone experience.  There seems to be a benefit for ..read more

I’ve been surprised as my own kids enter elementary school to anecdotally find that constipation is a common reason to miss activities.  But, this aligns perfectly with the research we look at today, and the growing concern that constipation has become a public health concern.  As many as 32% of kids (0-18) experience constipation. And, a growing number of occupational therapy professionals are seeing these kids on their caseload. Today we’ll look at an article that examines what an interdisciplinary approach to pediatric constipation can look like.  Then, we are excited to welc ..read more

It takes an average of 17 years for evidence to make its way into practice.  The fields of knowledge translation and implementation science are seeking to change this. And, today we are looking at a scoping review of knowledge translation research in rehab.  To be frank, I think the article is pretty convoluted. (Which is funny since it comes from researchers interested in knowledge translation.?)  But, it certainly gives us a good jumping off point to talk about the challenges around knowledge translation, and the need for innovation in this field.  Next week, we’ll welcom ..read more