Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast
Welcome to Ideas at Play, the go-to podcast for busy pediatric occupational therapy professionals! Whether you're in school-based settings, early intervention, or outpatient practice, we bring you evidence-based strategies, practical tips, and engaging discussions to support your OT practice with children, teens, and young adults.
Each episode features:
- A deep dive into recent pediatric OT research and how to apply it.
- "Nailed It or Failed It," where we share what’s working—and what isn’t—in our pediatric OT practice.
- Real-world examples and listener questions about all things pediatric occupational therapy.
- Shout outs to People, Places, and Products that fill our occupational therapy hearts
Join the hosts, Michele Alaniz, OTD, OTR/L, BCP and Lacy Wright, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, as we explore innovative OT ideas, share professional insights, and help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in pediatric occupational therapy. Subscribe now and unlock actionable strategies to help the children you serve thrive!
Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!
✏️ Sign up for our newsletter https://forms.gle/2aceiDDHBq6LR5TV6.
📧 Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com
👉 Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play
Keywords: occupational therapy, OT, pediatric occupational therapy, evidence based practice, peds OT
Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast
Ep. 29 A Sleep Intervention with Dreamy Outcomes
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
