Free Resources for OT, PT & Speech Services During the COVID-19 Pandemic

Carlo Vialu, PT, MBA, is co-creator of SeekFreaks. He loves promoting function and participation for children and youth with disabilities, from our assessment to our interventions, via the continuing education, Apply EBP. Read more about these courses after the article.

We thought that it would be easy to find free online resources to help children/families, and the OT, PT and Speech practitioners that are now supporting them online. But it was not!

Some websites are free to look, but you need to pay to get what you really need. While others have more ads than resources making it frustrating for you and the family to navigate.

So, we decided to create a listing of TRULY FREE, and MOSTLY AD-FREE web pages and resources. We divided them into 3 main categories:

• Home Activity Resources – aerobic, gross motor, fine motor, speech, academic, breathing, mindfulness, baby to toddler, etc.
• COVID-19 Guidance and Resources – CDC, US DOE
• Telehealth Resources – AOTA, APTA, ASHA, Medicaid/Medicare, etc.

Note that the resources overlap categories & sub-categories, so check out all the resources.

Remember to match the home activity resource with the child’s goals…i.e., handwriting activity to improve handwriting, endurance activity to enhance endurance, cutting activities to promote scissor skills, etc.

Please help us enrich this list by providing other web resources you know of, and if you would like, we will add you to the list of contributors below. If you find anything that needs to be updated, let us know too. For additional suggestions, please email Carlo at applyebp@gmail.com.

We are all in this together! Thank you!

Home Activity Resources

Home Aerobic and Gross Motor Activities

• Physical Therapy Enrichment Opportunities – collection of Physical Engagement, Body Awareness and Physical Activtity, from Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA)
• Go Noodle – movement videos
• Developing Fundamental Movement Skills – games and activities for locomotor, stability and manipulative skills from Sport New Zealand
• Top 23 Free Seated Exercise Videos – For Home and School – SeekFreaks list
• Mind and Body – created by the Montana Office of Public Instruction for the classroom, you can adapt the curriculum-relevant activities for individual student use
• Energizers – created by North Carolina educational organizations for the classroom, you can adapt the curriculum-relevant activities for individual student use (elementary to middle school)
• ABC for Fitness – created by Dr. David Katz and his team, this includes stretches & exercises with photos, and curriculum-relevant activities that you can adapt for individual child use
• Sworkit – exercise app with free version
• RESOURCE: 2 Tools to Promote Movement in the Classroom – for an infographic on the effect of physical activity on academic performance
• ABC Exercise Cards – from homeschoolshare.com
• PT Distance Learning – a collection of resources, from Virginia School OT & PT services
• Tools for Creating an Active Home – games and activity logs from openphysed.org
• At Home Activities – YouTube videos from Pediatric Therapy Network

Home Fine Motor Activities

• Occupational Therapy Enrichment Opportunities – collection of Feeding/Eating, Fine Motor, Self-help and Self-regulation Activities, from Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA)
• Print Like a Pro – An additional free evidence-based handwriting resource (manuscript printing)
• Create Your Own Handwriting Worksheet – easy to use, from worksheetworks.com
• 20 Free Typing Programs from thegeekpage.com
• Coloring Printables – free coloring printables from pbs.org
• Printables for Ages 2- 6 years old – literacy, math, puzzles, etc. from funbrainjr.com
• Crafts & Experiments – instructions for activities from pbs.org
• Fine Motor Skills – activities that can be done at home from PreKinders.com
• Fine Motor Activity Kit – a kit that can be put together at home, from NHS Greater Glasgow and Clyde
• 25 Fine Motor Activities Using Household Items – from mamaot.com
• Our Favorite Indoor Activities – free printable activities with your children’s favorite Nickelodeon characters from nickelodeonparents.com
• Disney Coloring Pages – free printable coloring pages with their favorite Disney characters
• Disney Kids DIYs – free instruction to Disney-themed craft projects
• 50 Easy Fine Motor Skills Activities to Do at Home – from jojoebi.com
• Printable Crafts – 3D paper projects with lots of cutting and folding from mrprintables.com
• Puzzles and Games – coloring , puzzles, and create your own from Crayola
• Home Activities to Improve Fine Motor Skill Development – from therakids.org
• Bright Futures Activities – from brightfutures.org of Georgetown University
• OT Distance Learning and Practice Ideas – a collection of resources, from Virginia School OT & PT services

Home Breathing, Yoga and Mindfulness Activities

• Deep Breathing Exercises for Kids – from copingskillsforkids.com
• 5 Fun Breathing Exercises for Kids – from cosmickids.com
• 58 Fun and Easy Yoga Poses for Kids – with really cute illustrations, from kidsyogastories.com
• Article Review: 9 Lessons to Apply from an Evidence-based Yoga Program for Children with Autism Spectrum Disorder – creating your own yoga program? Then make sure to incorporate these 9 elements
• 25 Fun Mindfulness Activities for Children and Teens – from positivepsychology.com
• Fablefy YouTube Channel – lots of great mindfulness videos for kids

Home Speech, Communication & Academic Resources

• Story Place – interactive stories from storyplace.org
• Tongue Twisters – 2-3 word tongue twisters from BritishCouncil.org
• My PECS – free PECS cards from mypecs.com
• Activities to Encourage Speech and Language Development – by ASHA, from readingrockets.org
• Accessibility Supports and Tools for Enrichment Opportunities – collection of Reading, Writing and Math Supports, from Iowa’s Area Education Agencies (AEA)
• Vooks – animated story books, free for the 1st year for teachers
• Free NookBooks for kids – from barnesandnoble.com
• Printable Vocabulary Crossword Puzzles – from english-4kids.com
• Science Word Searches – from science.kids.co.nz
• Group by Group – OT, Speech and Teacher resource for children with complex disabilities
• Goal Plan, One Pager, Good Day Plan – one pager activities from imdetermined.org
• Self-Determined Learning Model of Instructions – promote self-determination with this resource from beachcenter.lsi.ku.edu
• Templates for Personalized Teaching Stories – free PowerPoint templates for social narratives from autismspeaks.org
• List of Education Companies Offering Free Subscriptions – a large, a bit overwhelming list of free or free-right-now web resources from amazingeducationalresources.com

Activities of Daily Living

• Washing Hands Video – from brainpop.com
• Participating in Chores at Home: A Facilitator of Employment in Youth with Disabilities – SeekFreaks article
• Simple recipes for kids – from pbs.org
• Parenting Annex – a collection of videos for ADLs

Baby to Toddler Activities

• Baby Games Calendar – from pathways.org
• 164 Activities from Birth to 12 Months – form zerotothree.org
• Weekly Activities for Your Baby’s First Year – from babycenter.com
• Growth & Development Resources for Parents – topics include communication, feeding, growth, play and others, from kidshealth.org by Nemours

Other Home Resources

• Remote Learning Resources – a collection of resources for EI and school-based services from Region 10 in Texas
• Supporting Individuals with Autism through Uncertain Times – from AFIRM
• 9 Indoor Activities for Hyperactive Kids – from understood.org

COVID-19 – Guidance & Resources

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Resources:

• Information on COVID-19
• Information for Healthcare Professionals
• Resources for Clinics and Healthcare Facilities
• Guidance for Schools and Child Care Programs
• Tips for Parents While School’s Out
• Checklist for Teachers and Parents
• FAQs

US Department of Education Resources:

• Providing Services to Children with Disabilities During COVID-19 Outbreak
• Student Privacy Policy Office FERPA & COVID-19 FAQs
• 2016 OSEP Guidance on Virtual Schools

Telehealth Resources

AOTA Resources:

• Information Pertaining to OT in the Era of Coronavirus
• Telehealth Resources
• FAQs for Practitioners
• FAQs for Working with Clients
• Free AOTA Online CE on COVID -19 & OT
• AOTA Telehealth Decision Guide

APTA Resources:

• COVID-19 Resources
• For School-based:
  • Update on IDEA During COVID-19
  • Helpful perspectives for school PTs  
  • School-Based Physical Therapy SIG Resources
  • Clinical Practice Guidelines
  • Fact sheets

• For Hospital and Outpatient:
  • Practice Guidelines Emerge for PT and COVID-19 in Acute Hospital Setting

• For Private Practice:
  • Critical Resources for Managing your Business During the COVID-19 Pandemic
• For Telehealth:
  • Resources on Telehealth
  • A statement addressing telehealth in light of COVID-19
  • Providing Pediatric Physical Therapy Services via Telepractice
• Free APTA E-Learning Course:
  • Implementing Telehealth in Your Practice STAT: Practical Guidance from Experienced Telehealth PTs 
  • HIPAA and Telehealth 

ASHA Resources:

• COVID-19 Updates
• Telepractice Resources During COVID-19
• Infection Control Resources for Audiologists and Speech-Language Pathologists
• Free ASHA webinar on Telepractice-related courses for ASHA members

Medicaid and Medicare Resources:

• Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) FAQs to Medicaid.gov to aid state Medicaid and Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) agencies in their response to COVID-19 outbreak
• Medicare Telemedicine Health Care Provider Fact Sheet
• Medicaid Telemedicine Information
• State by state regulations for Medicaid reimbursement for telehealth

Other Resources

• School-based Perspectives for PT During COVID-19
• The World Confederation for Physical Therapy on COVID-19
• The WCPT/ INPTRA Digital Physical Therapy Practice Task Force
• World Federation of Occupational Therapists response to COVID-19
• Early Childhood Technical Assistance Center Resources on Tele-Intervention and Distance Learning
• HPSO on Telemedicine Risk Management Issues, Strategies and Resources
• Canadian Physiotherapy Association on COVID-19
• Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists on COVID-19
• Speech-Language & Audiology Canada COVID-19 Update
• Australian Physiotherapy Association on COVID-19
• Occupational Therapy Australia FAQs and Resources on COVID-19
• Speech Pathology Australia COVID-19 Information

Contributors:

• Andy Ruff, PT – for the Iowa online resources
• Chingwen Chu, PT, MA for the CDC, Medicaid and organization resources
• Ivonne Montgomery, BSc.OT, MRSc.
• Karen Tartick, PT for the ASD resources
• Kimberly Klug, PT, DSc
• Laurie Ray, MPT, PhD
• Lois Goodin, PT, DPT, PCS
• Patricia Laverdure, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA
• Rachel Eder, PTA
• Suzy Richardson, MPT

Join contributors Carlo Vialu, Laurie Ray and Karen Tartick, plus other experts at these all evidence-based, all practical symposiums, which now includes

Join Carlo Vialu and other experts at these all evidence-based, all practical continuing education courses: