WINTERFEST: The Role of the School Based Therapist in Transition Planning: Fostering Meaningful Student Participation

ON DEMAND WEBINAR

Presented by Rebecca Mohler, MS, OTR/L and Tina Page, COTA/L

1.0 Contact Hours

Description:

Transition planning is a key part of every student’s path toward life after high school. For students with physical, cognitive, or multiple disabilities, this process involves a team approach and thoughtful support tailored to each individual’s strengths and needs. In Ohio, transition planning officially begins at age 14—but it’s never too early to start laying the groundwork.

This course is designed to help Occupational Therapy Practitioners (OTPs) better understand their role in the transition process for students ages 14–21. It also emphasizes the importance of building foundational skills in early childhood and elementary years. We’ll explore practical, evidence-based strategies for assessments and interventions that focus on students’ strengths and promote active participation in school, home, and community life.

Participants will learn how to collaborate effectively with transition teams, families, and other professionals. We’ll also provide an overview of relevant federal and state guidelines, highlight Ohio-specific resources, and share tools to help integrate this knowledge into everyday practice.

Objectives:

• Define transition planning and transition services.
• Identify our role as OT related service providers.
• Review the current statistics for post-secondary employment and education of students with physical/cognitive disabilities in the US.
• Demonstrate understanding of the federal and state laws and regulations that guide transition planning in Ohio School Districts.
• Identify evaluation tools that provide strength-based and pre-vocationally relevant assessment information.
• Review tools and resources that guide collaborative IEP goal writing.
• Discuss skilled therapy interventions that support transition planning across all ages.
• Identify the resources and agencies available in Ohio school districts to support transition teams and student needs.
• Examine the real life impact of meaningful transition planning, supports, and success story.

Presenter bios:

Rebecca Mohler is an experienced occupational therapist and therapy practice owner with over 25 years of leadership in school-based occupational, physical, and speech therapy services. She is the founder and President of Sendero Therapies, Inc., a multidisciplinary practice she established in 1999 that now employs over 60 therapists across more than 15 school districts in Northeast Ohio. Rebecca developed a scalable therapy service delivery model and created comprehensive onboarding, training, and mentorship programs to support team culture and retention. She holds a Master of Science in Occupational Therapy from Washington University School of Medicine and a Bachelor of Science in Biology from Capital University. Rebecca has presented at AOTA and OOTA conferences, served as a guest lecturer at Cleveland State University, and contributed to published AOTA materials on inclusion and school mental health interventions. She is a certified Youth Mental Health First Aid Instructor and an original Change Leader for the Every Moment Counts initiative.

Tina Page is an occupational therapy practitioner with over 13 years of experience, primarily in school-based settings. She currently serves as Assistant Clinical Director of OT Practice at Sendero Therapies in Cleveland, Ohio, where she is a member of the senior management team and contributes to the development of onboarding, training, and mentorship programs. Tina has partnered with district administrators to foster relationships and advocate for best practices, and has collaboratively created AOTA-approved professional development for her company. She also reviews evidence-based research, produces company podcasts, and launched a monthly mentoring series for occupational therapy practitioners. Tina earned her Associate of Applied Science in Occupational Therapy Assistant Technology and her Associate of Arts from Cuyahoga Community College.

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