Cincinnati State Occupational Therapy Students Partner with Step Up

Date posted: March 11, 2024

Five second-year Cincinnati State Technical & Community College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant students partnered with Stepping Stones’ Step Up Alternative Education program to make improvements to our work center.

The semester-long project challenged students to select a local organization without an existing Occupational Therapist on staff to lend support. They evaluated and developed an enhanced program space that helps individuals better develop functional living skills.

In January 2024, the students selected Stepping Stones and met with Educational Services Director Madeleine Weinkham to learn about our unique Step Up program and areas where we could greatly use their help.

The students were drawn to the Work Center — a space designed for students with autism and other behavioral challenges to practice skills that will benefit them in future work opportunities. Our Work Center includes a mock grocery store, a mock retail space and various stations for learning money and other skills.

Cincinnati State Occupational Therapy Improvements to Work Center

The Cincinnati State OT students evaluated the existing Work Center space at our Given Campus and identified strategies to implement fundamentals of their studies that would provide value to our students. Occupational Therapy is a client-centered practice that promotes inclusion while supporting each individual’s abilities and goals.

Changes the students made to the Work Centee include the addition of a clock-in and clock-out station where they practice documenting their time at work. After clocking in, students select four tasks that they’ll progress through during their visit. Tasks range from stocking items in the mock grocery store or sorting clothes in the mock retail store. 

The Cincinnati State students added phases that help our students progress through more complex tasks over time. They also implemented a reward system where our students earn points with each completed task and our Educational Aides gather data towards their IEP goals. Visual aides were also added to each station – better outlining tasks and providing support when learning skills such as money management.

On Feb. 29, the Cincinnati State students provided a presentation for their fellow Occupational Therapy classmates on Stepping Stones and the positive changes they made to better support students with autism and behavioral challenges. We are very appreciative of their support and look forward to seeing our participants better gain independence while developing valuable vocational skills.

ABOUT STEP UP
The Step Up Autism Alternative Education program was founded in 2004 as the first of its kind in the region.

Stepping Stones partners with Greater Cincinnati public school districts to provide an alternative placement for students who have been unable to succeed in a typical classroom setting. Students instead step outside of their home district and continue their studies at our 23-acre Indian Hill location on Given Road.