OT in the Wild

Resources

Notice → Invite → Join

From the lab

Bring it in on Monday

• Look at the environment before assuming the child is the problem.
• Coach the caregiver to join the child’s play instead of taking over.
• Make waiting, adapting, or stepping back a decision on purpose.

References

1. Beaton, O., Cervantes, Y., Cusator, J., Garibay, A., & Ha, T. (2026). Parents’ perception of participating in an occupational therapy STEAM program with their young child (children) [Master’s capstone project, San José State University].
2. Bedard, A., & Fyffe, L. (2026). “It changed my perspective”: Embedding occupational therapy within an early childhood education centre provides inclusive developmental support and access to early intervention. Child: Care, Health and Development, 52(1), Article e70223. https://doi.org/10.1111/cch.70223
3. Dauch, C., Imwalle, M., Ocasio, B., & Metz, A. E. (2018). The influence of the number of toys in the environment on toddlers’ play. Infant Behavior and Development, 50, 78–87. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.infbeh.2017.11.005
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5. Fioroni Ribeiro da Silva, C., Greco, A. L. R., Vieira, A. M. C., Machado, L. R., Sgandurra, G., & Tudella, E. (2025). Contextual risk factors for atypical motor development in infants exposed to poverty: A longitudinal study. Acta Psychologica, 262, Article 106054. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.actpsy.2025.106054
6. Godin, J. (2026). Sensory-rich, community-based occupational therapy play with toddlers and caregivers. OT Practice, 31(7), 31–35.
7. Imms, C., Granlund, M., Wilson, P. H., Steenbergen, B., Rosenbaum, P. L., & Gordon, A. M. (2017). Participation, both a means and an end: A conceptual analysis of processes and outcomes in childhood disability. Developmental Medicine & Child Neurology, 59(1), 16–25. https://doi.org/10.1111/dmcn.13237
8. Jeong, J., Franchett, E. E., Ramos de Oliveira, C. V., Rehmani, K., & Yousafzai, A. K. (2021). Parenting interventions to promote early child development in the first three years of life: A global systematic review and meta-analysis. PLOS Medicine, 18(5), Article e1003602. https://doi.org/10.1371/journal.pmed.1003602
9. Landry, S. H., Smith, K. E., & Swank, P. R. (2006). Responsive parenting: Establishing early foundations for social, communication, and independent problem-solving skills. Developmental Psychology, 42(4), 627–642. https://doi.org/10.1037/0012-1649.42.4.627
10. Landry, S. H., Smith, K. E., Swank, P. R., & Guttentag, C. (2008). A responsive parenting intervention: The optimal timing across early childhood for impacting maternal behaviors and child outcomes. Developmental Psychology, 44(5), 1335–1353. https://doi.org/10.1037/a0013030
11. Law, M., Cooper, B., Strong, S., Stewart, D., Rigby, P., & Letts, L. (1996). The person-environment-occupation model: A transactive approach to occupational performance. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63(1), 9–23. https://doi.org/10.1177/000841749606300103
12. Leonard, J. A., Lee, Y., & Schulz, L. E. (2017). Infants make more attempts to achieve a goal when they see adults persist. Science, 357(6357), 1290–1294. https://doi.org/10.1126/science.aan2317
13. Leonard, J. A., Martinez, D. N., Dashineau, S. C., Park, A. T., & Mackey, A. P. (2021). Children persist less when adults take over. Child Development, 92(4), 1325–1336. https://doi.org/10.1111/cdev.13492
14. Little, L. M., Pope, E., Wallisch, A., & Dunn, W. (2018). Occupation-based coaching by means of telehealth for families of young children with autism spectrum disorder. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72(2), Article 7202205020. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2018.024786
15. Plummer, J. D., & Cho, K. (2024). The role of narrative in informal programming designed to engage preschool-age children in science explanations. International Journal of Science Education, Part B, 14(1), 1–17. https://doi.org/10.1080/21548455.2023.2180781
16. Rosanbalm, K. D., & Murray, D. W. (2017). Caregiver co-regulation across development: A practice brief (OPRE Brief No. 2017-80). Office of Planning, Research, and Evaluation, Administration for Children and Families, U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
17. Rossin-Slater, M., Sabety, A., & Wu, A. (2026). The impact of preschool entry age on children’s behavioral and developmental health in Medicaid (NBER Working Paper No. 34677). National Bureau of Economic Research.
18. Seruya, F. M., Feit, E., Tirado, A., Ottomanelli, D., & Celio, M. (2022). Caregiver coaching in early intervention: A scoping review. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 76(4), Article 7604205070. https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2022.049143
19. Sone, B. J., Lee, J., & Roberts, M. Y. (2021). Comparing instructional approaches in caregiver-implemented intervention: An interdisciplinary systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Early Intervention, 43(4), 339–360. https://doi.org/10.1177/1053815121989807
20. Stingone, J. A., McVeigh, K. H., & Lednyak, L. (2026). Early intervention developmental programming and childhood academic outcomes. JAMA Network Open, 9(2), Article e2555890. https://doi.org/10.1001/jamanetworkopen.2025.55890
21. Suarez-Rivera, C., Smith, L. B., & Yu, C. (2019). Multimodal parent behaviors within joint attention support sustained attention in infants. Developmental Psychology, 55(1), 96–109. https://doi.org/10.1037/dev0000628
22. Wang, P.-J., Morgan, G. A., Hwang, A.-W., & Liao, H.-F. (2013). Individualized behavioral assessments and maternal ratings of mastery motivation in mental age-matched toddlers with and without motor delay. Physical Therapy, 93(1), 79–87. https://doi.org/10.2522/ptj.20120068
23. Ward, R., Reynolds, J. E., Pieterse, B., Elliott, C., Boyd, R., & Miller, L. (2020). Utilisation of coaching practices in early interventions in children at risk of developmental disability/delay: A systematic review. Disability and Rehabilitation, 42(20), 2846–2867. https://doi.org/10.1080/09638288.2019.1581846
24. Yu, C., & Smith, L. B. (2016). The social origins of sustained attention in one-year-old human infants. Current Biology, 26(9), 1235–1240. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cub.2016.03.026

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