New to School-Based Occupational Therapy?
Build the practical knowledge and confidence you need to begin working in schools.
School-based occupational therapy is a unique area of practice. It is not simply pediatric occupational therapy delivered inside a school building. The school setting requires a different lens – one of access, participation, and educational relevance. School-based OT has a distinct purpose that impacts the assessments we perform, the decisions we make, and the interventions that we deliver.
As such, Apply EBP offers evidence-informed live online and in-person workshops, on-demand webinars, and symposiums that are designed for new occupational therapists and occupational therapist assistants, and clinicians transitioning from outpatient, hospital, home, or other clinical settings.
School-Based OT Training for New OTs and OTAs
Starting a school-based position can feel overwhelming. You may understand pediatric occupational therapy, but educational practice comes with different expectations, systems, terminology, and decision-making responsibilities.
School-based OTs and OTAs must connect services to a student’s access, participation, and progress in the educational environment. That means understanding more than diagnosis or impairment. It also means learning how to make educationally relevant decisions, contribute to the IEP process, collaborate with teachers and families, and select services that support meaningful school participation.
Apply EBP courses help turn those responsibilities into practical steps you can use in your everyday work.
Start Here: School-based OT Essentials
School-based OT Essentials: On-Demand Symposium for New Practitioners
School-Based OT Essentials:
On-Demand Symposium for New Practitioners
This foundational school-based occupational therapy course is designed for OTs and OTAs preparing for their first school-based position or building confidence with the essentials of educational practice. Learn directly from leading experts in school-based and pediatric physical therapy as they explain the knowledge, systems, and practical skills needed to work effectively in schools.
Topics address key areas of school-based practice, including:
- The role of occupational therapy in educational settings
- Differences between medical and school-based practice
- Laws and regulations
- The IEP process, eligibility, and collaborative decision-making
- Evidence-informed assessment and interventions
- Documentation, goal setting, and progress monitoring
- Sensory processing and handwriting
- Collaboration with teachers, families, other team members
Best for: New graduates, early-career, and clinicians transitioning into school setting.
Take Advantage of Our Free Articles and Resources
Inspired by commonly asked questions at our live workshops, Ask Apply EBP is a free resource for new and experienced school-based OT, PT and Speech practitioners. Here are some of our recommended articles for new school-based PTs and PTAs.
Continue Building Your Knowledge and Skills
School-based OT Next Steps: On-Demand Symposium for Growing Practitioners
School-Based OT Next Steps:
On-Demand Symposium for Growing Practitioners
Now you have the essential foundations, expand your knowledge with practical training in assessment, targeted intervention approaches, and common childhood health conditions encountered in schools. This symposium is designed for OTs and OTAs who are ready to broaden their skills and grow more confident in practice.
Topics expands your skills in various school-based practice areas, including:
- Assessing school participation
- Collaborative goal writing
- MTSS and various service delivery models from direct to indirect
- Motor learning for school practitioners
- Coaching
- Handwriting and Dysgraphia
- Childhood health conditions: ADHD, autism, cerebral palsy, developmental coordination disorder
Best for: OTs and OTAs who understand the school-based basics and are ready for the next stage of professional growth.
Explore Other Courses for School-based OT and OTA
Featured School-based OT and OTA Courses
Live Workshops for OTs and OTAs
Live Workshops for OTs and OTAs
Assessing and Addressing Handwriting Challenges: Fall 2026
- November 20, 2026, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm Eastern Time
- Online via Zoom
- OTs, OTAs, & Educators
- $199-279
Supporting Success of Students with ADHD
- December 8, 2026, 8:30 am–3:30 pm Eastern Time
- Online via Zoom
Positioning Strategies to Promote Participation and Prevent Asymmetry
- November 18, 2026, 8:30 am - 3:30 pm Eastern Time
- Online via Zoom
- OTs, OTAs, PTs, PTAs & Educators
- $199-249
On-demand Webinars for OTs and OTAs
On-demand Webinars for OTs and OTAs
Tools and Strategies for Transitions to Adulthood Bundle
PEO Approach to FM, VM & VP
Spinal Muscular Atrophy
Earn OT and OTA CE Hours Live or at Your Own Pace
Apply EBP is an approved provider of continuing education for OTs and OTAs by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). NBCOT accepts our courses as an AOTA approved provider – please click here for info on calculating PDUs.