Welcome to Holland Bloorview’s Occupational Therapy Autism Hub created in partnership with the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (OSOT). We are excited to support your journey towards becoming a confident, knowledgeable and neurodiversity-affirming (NDA) occupational therapy practitioner!
A message from Moira Peña, Occupational Therapist and Team Lead, Autism Programs & Projects, at Holland Bloorview Kids Rehabilitation Hospital
I am thrilled to share Holland Bloorview’s OT Autism Hub! We are committed to supporting your professional development and enhance your clinical skills through the following 4 projects:
The HB Autism Summit is a bank of over 50 interviews with expert clinicians, researchers, parent and autistic advocates that will change the way you think about autism while equipping you with skills that support best autism practices. Read about the 2020 HB Autism Summit here and the 2022 HB Autism Summit here. Register and watch the interviews at your leisure!
The OT Autism Toolkit is a curated collection of resources that reflect best autism practices in occupational therapy (and totally relevant to other professional groups). Delve in and explore 150+ resources and feel free to suggest your own!
The OT Guiding Principles is a document that is being developed within a research capacity to capture key guiding principles that occupational therapy practitioners are expected to adopt to best support autistic children and youth. Stay tuned!
The Autism Occupational Therapy Coaching (AOTC) Program is a group coaching program that equips clinicians with best autism practices through case-based learning and the explicit adoption of reflective practices. We will be supporting 150 Ontario occupational therapists and 30 graduating OT students through this initiative.
A HEARTFELT THANK YOU goes out to our partner, the Ontario Society of Occupational Therapists (OSOT) the Leadership Team, Autism Research Centre and Evidence To Care teams and other wonderful colleagues at Holland Bloorview, our incredible summit speakers as well as Ontario’s occupational therapists and stellar occupational therapy students who have supported our vision and this project’s deliverables every step of the way.
I am also very grateful to the Ontario Autism Program’ Workforce Capacity Fund and Holland Bloorview’s No Boundaries Fund whose funding support has allowed us to complete this valuable work.
Holland Bloorview’s Autism Summit – OT edition was an unforgettable experience that promoted listening, sharing and learning about autism and the autistic lived experience. The summit garnered 3200+ participants and featured 36 international and national speakers including expert clinicians, parents of children and youth on the spectrum, autistic advocates and other neurodivergent speakers. Many transformative conversations took place. This highlight reel showcases some of these moments.
