Welcome to the OT is IN Podcast!
The OT is IN podcast merges the worlds of education and occupational therapy to empower families like yours. I’m your host, Sarah Collins, an occupational therapist and homeschooling parent of 3 ranging in age from elementary to high school.
Though there is not one right way to educate your child, there is a lot to consider when individualizing an education. The goal of our podcast is to explain some of the “why” behind what an occupational therapist is thinking so you can artfully apply it to your own family, especially with executive functioning, handwriting, and sensory processing.
Each episode will be packed with practical tips, expert interviews, and real-life stories aimed at helping you create a supportive learning environment for your child.
AI in Homeschooling: Supporting Individualized Learning Without Replacing Critical Thinking
Using AI in homeschooling can raise concerns about screen time, keeping kids challenged, and ensuring true learning instead of shortcuts. In this episode, Sarah Collins and Jennifer Burns discuss what adaptive AI tutoring really looks like, how it can give personalized support without replacing connection, and how homeschool parents can use technology to better meet each child’s strengths, needs, and pace of learning.
Homeschool Social Skills: What does Socialization Really Look Like?
What does socialization really look like for homeschoolers? Explore how children develop social skills through everyday experiences, meaningful relationships, and interactions with people of different ages and cultures. Discover practical, OT-informed strategies for building communication skills, confidence, and social participation.
Understanding and Supporting Time Blindness in Your Homeschool: Practical Strategies for Managing Time
Time blindness in kids can look like losing track of time, struggling with transitions, underestimating how long tasks will take, or needing constant reminders. Cognitive psychologist Dr. Amy Moore explains how ADHD, working memory, processing speed, and executive functioning can affect a child’s sense of time, why timers and reminders may not be enough on their own, and practical ways homeschool parents can support time management skills.
ADHD Task Initiation: Why Your Child Knows What to Do but Can’t Get Started
ADHD task initiation can leave parents wondering why a capable child who knows exactly what to do still can’t get started. Learn how the NICE framework uses novelty, interest, challenge, and urgency to help children move from knowing to doing.
Why Handwriting Still Matters: What the Research Says About Cursive, Print, and Learning
Does cursive still matter in a world of keyboards and voice-to-text? Explore what research tells us about cursive vs. print, why handwriting supports learning and memory, and how homeschool families can build handwriting skills without adding more busywork.
Handwriting Struggles in Children: Why Progress Sometimes Stalls
Handwriting frustrations aren’t just about messy letters—they’re clues to deeper challenges in motor, sensory, or cognitive development. In this episode of The OT Is In Podcast, occupational therapists Sarah Collins and Tiffany Parsons break down why handwriting stalls, what underlying skills to watch for, and how movement supports kids’ confidence across learning and daily life—both at home and beyond.