OT Toolbox

05/08/2026

Sometimes teams get stuck because they confuse supports with specialized services.
A student may still need accommodations, classroom strategies, visual supports, preferential seating, sensory tools, check-ins, or staff reminders… but that does not automatically mean they still require direct related services.
The question isn’t:�‘Does the student still need support?’�Most students will always need some type of support.
The real question is:�‘Do they still require specially designed instruction or specialized related services in order to access their education?’
If strategies can now be successfully implemented by the classroom team within the natural environment, that may indicate the student has developed the skills needed to reduce or dismiss direct services.
Dismissal does not mean abandoning the student.�It means we’ve built enough independence, environmental supports, staff capacity, and routines that the student can continue to be successful without intensive specialized intervention.
That’s why dismissal decisions should always come back to:�educational relevance,�student independence,�generalization of skills,�and data — not simply whether supports still exist.
Supports can remain even when specialized services are no longer needed. That distinction matters.

05/07/2026

Dismissal conversations can feel uncomfortable, especially when relationships have been built over years. But related services were never intended to create long-term dependence. Our role is to support access, participation, skill development, and independence within the educational environment.
We are not permanent tutors. We are here to build the capacity of the student, the team, and the environment so supports can continue even when direct services are reduced or dismissed.
Sometimes the greatest success is when a student no longer needs us in the same way they once did. That does not mean the student no longer has challenges. It means the team has helped build the skills, supports, and systems needed for greater independence.
Dismissal should never be based on one test score or one data point. It should be a thoughtful team decision grounded in educational relevance, functional performance, progress over time, carryover, and the least restrictive environment.

05/06/2026

Some days, the best thing you can do is step outside, breathe a little deeper, and remember… you don’t have to carry all of this alone.
School-based therapy can feel isolating sometimes.
High caseloads. Constant questions. Behaviors. Documentation. Meetings. Trying to support everyone while figuring it out as you go.
That’s exactly why I created the School-Based Therapy Community.
A space where school-based therapists can:
• Ask real questions
• Get practical tools and resources
• Learn strategies that actually work in schools
• Connect with other providers who understand the reality of this work
• Feel supported instead of overwhelmed
You don’t have to figure it all out by yourself.
If you’ve been looking for your people in school-based therapy… this is your sign.

05/05/2026

Some students are staying in therapy way too long.
Not because they need it…�but because it’s uncomfortable to end it.
“Still benefiting” isn’t the same as needing services.
As school-based therapists, our goal isn’t to create dependence—�it’s to build independence.
If a student is functioning in their environment and the team can carry over supports…�it might be time to ask the hard question.
👉 I created a simple dismissal rubric to help you make this decision with confidence (and data, not emotion).�Comment RUBRIC and I’ll send it to you.

05/05/2026

Let’s talk about something most therapists avoid… DISMISSAL.

If you’ve ever sat in an IEP meeting thinking:
👉 “I think they’re ready… but how do I prove it?”
👉 “What if the team doesn’t agree?”
👉 “Do I have enough data to support this?”

You’re not alone.

That’s exactly why I created this FREE Related Services Dismissal Rubric

This tool helps your team take the guesswork (and emotion) out of dismissal decisions and replace it with clear, data-based guidance.
✔️ Breaks down educational relevance
✔️ Helps you determine if goals are met AND maintained
✔️ Looks at generalization across settings
✔️ Considers independence and prompts
✔️ Guides decisions on need for continued

✨ PLUS → A simple scoring system that helps your team decide: Dismiss? Trial reduction? Continue?

Because dismissal shouldn’t feel like a debate…

It should feel like a confident, data-supported decision.

👇 Grab your free rubric here:
https://stan.store/twarwick/p/free-download-related-services-dismissal-rubric

And if you’ve ever thought, “I wish someone actually taught me how to do this…” you should check it out!

05/04/2026

This is what inclusion actually looks like 💙🎈
Not just being invited.
Not just being present.
But being celebrated, seen, and fully part of the moment.
Every smile. Every dance. Every balloon in the air—
this is belonging.
And this? This is why we do what we do.

04/29/2026

But some students stay in related services longer than they actually need to.
And it’s not because teams don’t care.
It’s because dismissal feels uncomfortable.
What if we shifted the question from:
“Are they still struggling?”
to
“Do they still need me to access their education?”
Our goal isn’t to keep services going.
It’s to build independence so they don’t need us anymore.

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. ✨