Empowering Advocacy: Occupational Therapy’s Role and Influence on FBA’s and PBSP to Combat Ableism in Special Education (2026)
Lizzi Duffy, Nikki Huelsman, Santanna Ficken, Kathryn O’Brien, and I presented onon how OTs can influence the Functional Behavior Assessment (FBA) and Positive Behavior Support Plan (PBSP) process to minimize their harm at the 2026 AOTA Conference. This download has a variety of resources, including the presentation itself but also 30+ pages of additional resources to help you infilitrate the FBA process, make it more affirming, and ultimately reduce Neurodivergent burnout. Examples of the additional resources are a list of free neurodiversity-affirming assessment tools, a trauma-informed behavior tracking alternative, and a case study. Click the button below to download the presentation slides and the resource packet (it may take a little bit of time to download due to the hefty file size)!
Citation: Duffy, E., Huelsman, N., Ficken, S., O’Brien, K., & Carlson-Giving, B. (2026). Empowering advocacy: Occupational therapy’s role and influence on FBA’s and PBSP’s to combat ableism in special education. Neurodivergent Nexus. https://neurodivergentnexus.com/otsroleinfbasandpbsps
*If you found this resource helpful, please consider donating to Minnesota Neurodivergent Education, Advocacy, and Therapy Services (MnNEAT), a local non-profit that advances disability justice through neurodiversity-affirming, anti-oppressive practices. They are SUCH fabulous humans!
