Dr. Evan Dean, PhD, OTR/L, is Assistant Research Professor at the University of Kansas and Associate Director at the Kansas University Center on Developmental Disabilities. His research focuses on promoting community participation for people with intellectual and developmental disabilities through enhancing self-determination, supported decision making and career design.

Dr. Scott Tomchek, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA is Professor of Pediatrics and Assistant Director of the Weisskopf Child Evaluation Center at the University of Louisville. He co-authored the AOTA practice guidelines on autism. Strengths-based, family-centered care is central to all programs he touches. Listen into this episode as we dive deep into:

– The question you’ve all been emailing me to ask: How do we write strengths based evaluations and goals!?

– And then the other question on the mind of U.S.-based providers: How do we get insurance to pay when writing strengths-based evaluations?

– And most importantly: Why is a strengths-based evaluation process so important, and how does impact everything that follows?

This episode is detailed and specific; we talk about everything from early intervention to early adulthood. Including those handwriting goals you may have been writing for your middle-schoolers. Warning: this episode is likely to inspire you to do something totally different in your very next evaluation. Are you ready??