Many people don’t know this about me, but I really struggled when I first started as a school-based Pediatric Occupational Therapist…

My biggest goal was to be the most impactful therapist I could be for the students and schools I served…

Let me tell you a quick story about the time I was working with one of my 15-year-old non-speaking students Darien who struggled with attention, social participation, and movement...

He rarely joined in group activities, often froze during gym, and had difficulty organizing his body in space...

Then one day, during a school field trip to an amusement park, I noticed something that completely changed the way I understood movement…

While all the other students eagerly climbed into go-karts, he stood completely still...

He wasn’t being resistant — he simply couldn’t bend his knees or lower himself into the seat…

His entire life had been lived between two static positions: standing or sitting…

That day, my heart broke. And at the same time, I knew I had to find a better way…

Up until then, my focus had been on meeting state-mandated IEP goals — measurable on paper, but rarely meaningful in real life…

The truth was, most of my students’ goals didn’t reflect the actual emotional, social, cognitive, and physical integration needed for true progress…

Almost all of my caseload wasn’t participating in gym or group movement…

And I wasn’t alone — when our middle school director asked the OT department to develop a movement program for students not participating, many of my colleagues admitted they didn’t know where to begin…

Movement, rhythm, and body organization simply weren’t taught as core therapeutic interventions in OT school…

I was exhausted, frustrated, and feeling like I was failing the very children I wanted to help…

When the middle school director asked the OT department to create a movement program for children who were struggling to participate, I felt something shift inside me...

I knew these students weren’t defiant—they were disconnected…

So I built a program grounded in Space, Time, and Energy, and as I watched movement evolve into a language of connection, I witnessed incredible change: improved motor control, greater focus, and children who finally felt seen, capable, and part of something bigger…

I began exploring how diminished movement skills, sensory processing differences, and poor motor control affected each child’s ability to learn and connect...

I discovered that by integrating rhythm, synchronization, and positive responses to music, we could awaken participation in even the most withdrawn or dysregulated children…

Through movement-based sessions that combined rhythm, imitation, body awareness, and spatial orientation, I started to see profound changes…

Children who once avoided gym began smiling, clapping, and moving to the beat!

They began navigating their environments more confidently — organizing their space, using objects safely, and engaging with peers in ways I had never seen before…

I realized that movement could be a bridge — a way to integrate emotional, social, and cognitive systems through the body...

It was the missing link between physical skill and meaningful participation...

Now, with this evidence-based movement intervention system, I teach pediatric and school-based OTs how to:

● Use Space, Time, and Energy to design structured movement sessions that build motor control, attention, and engagement.

● Integrate rhythm, synchronization, and music to support self-regulation and social interaction.

● Address sensory processing, body awareness, spatial navigation, and imitation as foundational tools for learning.

● Organize the environment and technology setup to create safe, productive, and engaging movement interventions in the classroom or therapy space.

Because of this approach, my students started to move — and live — differently…

That same young man who once refused to bend his knees?

After months of rhythmic low-space activities, he began bending, crawling, and dancing with joy…

For the first time, he wasn’t just moving — he was connecting…

Now I’m living my dream of guiding school-based occupational therapists to help their students integrate body and brain through meaningful movement — so they never have to feel stuck, isolated, or unsure of how to truly reach their most challenging cases again…

If you implement each step I show you in this course, you’ll know exactly how to approach behaviors through movement, address the real underlying challenges, use rhythm and space to unlock attention and engagement, and finally see your students move — freely, confidently, and joyfully — once and for all.

Lock in today's price before it increases in the future. As I add more and more content, the price will go up - but enroll today, and you'll get all the future updates and modules completely free.

Your friend,

Ellen Kogan, M.A. Dance, M.A. OTR/L

Speaker and Author of KoganSteps

^{Presenter Disclosure: Financial: Ellen Kogan is the author of this PD Activity and receives royalty payments for delivering this course and is an employee at KoganSteps.} 

^{Non-financial: Ellen Kogan has no relevant non-financial relationships to disclose.
Content Disclosure: This learning event does not focus exclusively on any specific product or service.}