Future-Focused OT: Preparing Students for Life After School

Learner Outcomes

1. Analyze the Transition Taxonomy 2.0 and its alignment with the OT Practice Framework: Domain and Process.
2. Identify opportunities to provide interventions relative to the 23 Predictors of Post-School Succes.
3. Develop at least two actional strategies to embed future-focused, occupation-based practices into their current service delivery methods and setting.

Abstract

Occupational therapy practitioners are uniquely qualified and positioned to impact postsecondary outcomes for students with disabilities, yet their involvement in transition planning remains limited. This interactive workshop will equip pediatric and school-based OTPs with the knowledge, tools, and mindset to embed transition-focused practices into their work across all ages and grade levels, and to assume a leadership role in the field and practice of transition. Drawing on the Predictors of Post-School Success and the Transition Taxonomy 2.0 from the National Technical Assistance Center on Transition: The Collaborative (NTACT:C), participants will explore evidence-based practices that directly align with the OT Practice Framework. Through case examples, hands-on activities, and resource mapping, attendees will learn how to connect daily interventions to long-term outcomes in employment, education, and independent living. Emphasis will be placed on shifting from isolated skill remediation to a coordinated, future-focused approach that begins in early childhood and continues through high school and beyond. Participants will leave with actionable strategies to integrate transition planning into IEP development, therapy goals, and collaborative team processes—bridging the gap between clinical expertise and educational mandates to ensure students are prepared for and successful in adult living.

Biography

References to support evidence-based practice