Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast
Welcome to Ideas at Play, the go-to podcast for busy pediatric occupational therapy professionals! Whether you're in school-based settings, early intervention, or outpatient practice, we bring you evidence-based strategies, practical tips, and engaging discussions to support your OT practice with children, teens, and young adults.
Each episode features:
- A deep dive into recent pediatric OT research and how to apply it.
- "Nailed It or Failed It," where we share what’s working—and what isn’t—in our pediatric OT practice.
- Real-world examples and listener questions about all things pediatric occupational therapy.
- Shout outs to People, Places, and Products that fill our occupational therapy hearts
Join the hosts, Michele Alaniz, OTD, OTR/L, BCP and Lacy Wright, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, as we explore innovative OT ideas, share professional insights, and help you stay up-to-date with the latest trends in pediatric occupational therapy. Subscribe now and unlock actionable strategies to help the children you serve thrive!
Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!
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📧 Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com
👉 Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play
Keywords: occupational therapy, OT, pediatric occupational therapy, evidence based practice, peds OT
Ideas at Play: An Occupational Therapy (OT) Podcast
Ep. 47 10-Minute Executive Function Interventions for ADHD
Struggling to find practical interventions for kids with ADHD that actually improve executive function and/or mental health? This episode breaks down a Canadian study comparing two 10-minute interventions—exercise and mindfulness meditation—and their immediate effects on inhibition, working memory, and cognitive flexibility. We explain what worked best, why it works (hello, default mode network and prefrontal cortex activation), and how occupational therapists can implement these strategies in therapy sessions or as home programs. These interventions are easy to use as preparatory activities before challenging tasks, during transitions, or as part of a bottom-up OT approach to executive function deficits. Plus, Lacy shares creative ways to use different types of dice to add fun and modify activities in your therapy sessions.
We share our own thoughts in the Research Review and encourage you to read the original article too.
Bigelow, H., Gottlieb, M. D., Ogrodnik, M., Graham, J. D., & Fenesi, B. (2021). The differential impact of acute exercise and mindfulness meditation on executive functioning and psycho-emotional well-being in children and youth with ADHD. Frontiers in Psychology, 12, Article 660845. https://doi.org/10.3389/fpsyg.2021.660845
KEYWORDS: Occupational therapy; evidence-based practice; OT; OT ideas; Peds OT; pediatric occupational therapy; executive function; ADHD; intervention; exercise; mindful meditation
💡Want to hear more about Ideas at Work or get on our waitlist? Send us an email to IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com
Stay informed, stay curious, and stay playful!
✏️ Sign up for our newsletter by clicking here.
📧 Email us a question or comment at IdeasAtPlayPodcast@gmail.com
👉 Find us on Instagram @ideas.at.play
