Cassandra Sines

Teacher friends and Special Needs Mom friends:

I have had the pleasure of recording a session with Stephanie of Mrs. D's Corner’s and their 2025 Summer PD Series that begins May 26th for Cohort 1 and June 30 for Cohort 2. Currently, the price for the five week IEP-focused professional development is $47. The price will go up May May 27th. Act fast.

You’re the go-to for behavior plans.
The note-taker, the progress monitor, the voice in the IEP meeting no one else seems to hear.

And yet… you’re also the one who’s given the least support.

Sound familiar?

The Summer PD Series was built for the teacher who’s expected to do it all — but never given the training to match.

✅ 5 weeks of IEP-focused PD
✅ 6 bonus trainings to start with right away
✅ 10-hour PD certificate
✅ 6 months of access to fit your life

📆 Early Bird ends May 26 — save $150 while you can.

🎟️ It’s your turn to feel supported. Tap the link to join 👉 https://cassandras--theintentionaliep.thrivecart.com/summer-pd-series/*

*This is an affiliate link. I may receive a commission if you purchase from this link at no additional cost to you.

This is a great visual and explanation of the difference between community-based therapy vs. school-based therapy. Many parents believe they are the same, but they are not. So many skills may not be addressed in the school system that may help the child because they are not educationally related.

OT is OT, so why not just do it at school and make life easier, right? But here’s the scoop:

School-based OT is educationally driven.

It’s only provided if the child’s disability is impacting their ability to access or participate in their education. The OT’s job in this setting is to support function within the school environment, like:
• Holding a pencil to write
• Sensory supports
• Using scissors during class projects
• Organizing materials or managing transitions

It’s not about treating all developmental concerns—just the ones that interfere with educational access.

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Outpatient OT is medically based.

This focuses on overall development and function, not just how the child does at school. It covers:
• Sensory processing challenges at home and in the community
• Fine motor delays that may not affect schoolwork (yet)
• Feeding concerns, dressing, toileting, self-regulation, etc.

Even if a child doesn’t qualify for school OT (because their delays don’t impact school performance enough), they might still have real functional delays that need outpatient support.

⸻

So why can’t school OT be used just for convenience?

Because it’s legally tied to educational necessity. It’s not meant to replace medical services, and schools aren’t allowed to provide therapy “just in case” or “to make life easier”—even if we wish they could!

I absolutely LUV that Southwest Airlines helps Canine Companions train their service dog pups for flying! This is such a huge need for service dogs. Many individuals with disabilities fly with their service dogs and we need/want the dogs to be prepared for their person’s trip!

Thank you, Southwest Airlines!

1,000%!