Laurel Baxla, OTR/L, a pediatric occupational therapist, has been in private practice for 24 years in Ocala. She intially started working with OASN/OPA in a volunteer capacity and now is working with OASN on Fridays providing classroom interventions and seeing students on a private pay basis for additional interventions (you may have met Laurel at one of our open houses).
Classroom interventions use a blend of physical midline movements, sensory strategies, and focus-fidget activities, and they’re implemented either as a group activity or individually. Working directly with teachers and staff, develop strategies and exercises to be used in the classroom as needed that target underlying fine-motor, focusing/attention, and visual skill challenges. These skills are so important to be successful in the classroom; difficulty in any of these areas cause students to have to work harder than they need to.
These interventions are specifically designed to help students in their natural school setting vs using the pull-out service model, so that whenever possible students’ learning and family time aren’t disrupted with going to therapy appointments at a clinic. For challenges that are beyond the scope of this format, direct individual sessions can be set up through the parents as self-pay services.
Please complete this form which states that you are aware that Laurel Baxla, OTR/L is in our classrooms on Fridays (and possibly other days if her schedule changes) and you give your permission to have your child participate in classroom interventions and strategies. Additionally, you can utlize this form to request direct individual sessions as a self pay service.