In this episode of AOTA's Everyday Evidence Podcast, we explore what happens when occupational therapy is included in comprehensive health assessments for children entering foster care and why that moment may be one of the most important opportunities for developmental support.

Joining us are Kristine Fortin, MD, MPH, Anne-Ashley Field, OTR/L, BCP, and Judith Dawson, RN, BSN, from the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia's Fostering Health Program. Their study, "Occupational Therapists Enhance Comprehensive Health Assessments for Children in Foster Care", examines how adding occupational therapy to multidisciplinary evaluations impacts developmental detection, referrals, and caregiver education.

Children in foster care face high rates of developmental delay, placement instability, and barriers to accessing services. This research explores how occupational therapy functions to identify needs early and provide real-time strategies during a critical transition period.

Additional Resources:

Interoception & Trauma: The Latest Science on Healing

Trauma, Occupation and Participation, Considerations in Occupational Therapy by Amy Lynch and Rachel Ashcraft 

Sensory Healing After Developmental Trauma by Marti Smith 

Complete the following survey for a contact hour certificate:

In this episode of Everyday Evidence, we explore what happens to occupation when someone is fighting for their life in the intensive care unit.

Joining us are Dr. Stephanie Tsai, OTD, OTR/L and Dr. Elyse Peterson, OTD, OTR/L, authors of "Occupational Therapy Interventions and Early Engagement for Patients in Intensive Care: A Systematic Review," recently published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy.

ICU rehabilitation literature has long focused on early mobilization, but occupational therapy brings something more. This review introduces the term early engagement to describe OT-specific interventions that support participation in activities of daily living, physical rehabilitation, and functional cognition during critical illness.

Whether you work in acute care, outpatient rehab, community health, or education, this episode challenges us to ask:

How early can occupation begin in the healthcare continuum?

Read the full article in AJOT: https://research.aota.org/ajot/article/79/1/7901205020/26024/Occupational-Therapy-Interventions-and-Early

Complete the following survey for a contact hour certificate:

https://forms.aota.org/forms/everyday_evidence_copy?PODCAST=Early Engagement in the ICU: Reclaiming Occupation in Critical Care

In this episode, we are joined by Dr. Britt St. John (PhD, MPH, OTR/L), occupational therapist, Fulbright Scholar, and researcher at the University of Washington whose work bridges family health, autism research, and food science.

Britt shares the remarkable story behind her "From Focus Group to Chicken Nugget" project, a participatory research collaboration that began with focus-group conversations among autistic adults about sensory preferences and safe foods and evolved into the development of a hybrid-protein, sensory-modified chicken nugget.

We discuss how inclusive and community-driven research can transform clinical understanding of selective eating, challenge assumptions about "picky eaters," and demonstrate that joy and preference are integral to both participation and biological health. Dr. St. John's pilot studies revealed that participants who enjoyed the nugget showed greater positive microbiome changes! A finding that connects sensory processing, nutrition, and gut health in profound new ways.

Contact Hour Survey Link

Want to learn more or support this work? You can reach out to Dr. St. John directly at bstjohn@uw.edu with questions, collaborations, or inquiries about future research opportunities.