That's great! Our OT is incredible and we didn't see instant progress. We saw that she built a good relationship with him and communicated well with us. The progress for a number of months was more baby steps, but before we got OT he wouldn't even work on some of this stuff. I would say several times a year we have huge bursts in progress where every session sets off leaps, but I don't think that she is better during those phases than she is during other phases. I think it's how his brain works and how/when new connections are formed.

The signs of a good OT are obvious. If your child makes huge progress and fast, it is an excellent OT. That's how I know my OT is good: my child after just 3 months of OT became a completely different kid. It's night and day really. He had severe issues when he started and now it is just minor stuff. OT completely changed him for the better. It saved him really. The only thing that matters is whether or not your child makes good progress. You can put up with the other stuff.

does not recommend treatments or give diagnoses with no evidence/research base: e.g., vision training, sensory integration disorder,

wow, sounds just like our OT (I have a son with ASD)

Doesn't self-refer.

My nephew's school (a Catholic school in another state) contracted with an OT who went into the classroom and handpicked her clients. He was selected. They got an outside OT eval which stated he was within normal limits. Since my bro is a lawyer, he urged the head of school to seek legal counselor about this practice. Not sure how this varies state to state. After other parents came forward they changed policy. We considered a Catholic school near us, but once we heard they had the same practice we chose a different school.

I think OTs need to be clear what they are capable of. OT can't be for anything and everything that bothers a child or holds him back. I respect an OT that says "That's not something I can help with" or "That's something you need a PT for." OTs should have clear training, experience, and specialization. They shouldn't be dealing with handwriting, feeding, hypotonia, walking, talking and everything else under the sun. (I guess this can be part of goals and measurements too).

In light of another post I thought I'd start this thread. Here's what I consider signs of a good OT

-Performs an assessment or uses an assessment you already have to determine goals

-Is willing to reasses as needed and can tell you where your child is developmentally with each skill

-Good rapport with child and parent.

-Your child enjoys the sessions and you see improvements over time.

-Ethical billing. Allows a trial session which you pay for, but you don't have to commit to weekly sessions until you have a session or 2 to see if it's a good fit, though you must give notice if you will not continue. Has you pay at each session, but does not make you pay in advance for multiple sessions unless you are signing up for a limited capacity group with a set start and end date. Some will bill you at the end of each month which is fine too.

-Communicates well. Unless your child has a public school OT, you should expect verbal feedback each session and you should be able to ask questions. Public school OTs often have huge caseloads so it is not uncommon to use a journal for communication.

-Communicates professionally. Your OT should not be keeping you up to date on her dating life or how hard she partied last night.

-Respects your right to confidentiality. Some private practices have you sign an agreement to allow the OT to give you feedback in the waiting room which is fine because they got your consent.

-Doesn't tell tall tales. Had an OT tell me she had a huge waitlist and then she called me over and over to schedule me 2 days later when she had a "sudden" opening. Found out she does this with everyone and that she had trouble keepoing clients.

-Focuses on intervention and solutions rather than telling you every session what your child can't do. It's OK to say...this is a weakness and here is what intervention we are doing in session to address this weakness. Just simply saying "he didn't pay attention" or "he got dysregulated" is not helpful. The child is at OT to address these issues. They need to be able to say what strategies they used to help the child in session.


Does anyone else have something to add?