Slide Deck for Occupational Therapists

Occupational therapists work at the intersection of the person, their activities, and their environment. That three-way relationship — OT's core framework — means presentation contexts are unusually varied: you might be showing a patient's family annotated photographs of their home bathroom, presenting functional capacity evaluation findings to an insurance adjuster, or teaching sensory processing strategies to a group of skeptical parents. Each requires a different kind of slide.

This guide covers the presentations occupational therapists deliver regularly, with specific content and design guidance for each audience.

Home Assessment and Recommendations Report

After conducting a home visit, OTs frequently need to communicate findings and equipment recommendations to the patient, their family, a home health agency, a case manager, or an insurer. A slide-based report is far more persuasive and easier to act on than a text narrative.

Structure of a Home Assessment Deck

Room-by-room findings. Annotated photographs are the most powerful content in a home assessment deck. Take photographs during the visit (with client consent) and annotate them directly: a red arrow pointing to a threshold between the living room and bedroom ("this 1.5-inch threshold is a significant trip hazard"), a circle around the bathroom doorway ("31-inch clear width — wheelchair does not pass without transfer"), a callout on the grab bar location ("existing grab bar is at wrong height and not correctly anchored to stud").

Walk through each room: entryway and exterior access, living room, kitchen, primary bathroom, bedroom, stairs if present.

Equipment recommendations with photographs. For each identified hazard or limitation, show the recommended solution with a product photograph, a brief description of what it is and why it is recommended, and a cost estimate. Group equipment by priority tier: immediate safety (install before discharge), within 30 days, long-term consideration.

Common equipment categories:

• Bathroom: grab bars (location and configuration specific to this patient's functional status), shower/tub transfer bench or roll-in shower chair, raised toilet seat or toilet safety frame, handheld showerhead, nonslip mat
• Bedroom: adjustable bed height, bed rail, bedside commode if bathroom access is difficult overnight, bed transfer board
• Mobility: threshold ramps, stair lift assessment, railing extension or addition, widened doorway referral
• Kitchen: reacher, dycem nonslip mat, pull-out shelves, lever-handle faucet and door hardware

Prioritized action list with estimated total cost. Insurers and case managers want a summary they can act on. A final slide with a simple table — item, priority tier, estimated cost, vendor sources — makes next steps clear.

Functional Capacity Evaluation Findings

FCE results are presented to employers, workers' compensation insurers, or attorneys. The audience is not clinically trained; they need findings translated into functional terms that directly answer the referral question: can this person return to work, in what capacity, with what restrictions?

An FCE presentation covers: referral question and evaluation scope, evaluation methods (standardized tests administered, observations made, validity indicators), findings by physical demand level (sedentary, light, medium, heavy — DOT definitions), specific functional limitations and capacities (lifting, carrying, pushing, pulling, sitting, standing, walking, reaching, handling), consistency of effort indicators, prognosis and recommendations (return to work as-is, return with restrictions, restrictions by job task, further rehabilitation indicated).

Critical note: FCE reports are frequently used in litigation. Slides should report only what the evaluation directly measured and observed. Do not extrapolate beyond the data. Note the time-limited nature of the findings.

Ergonomics Assessment for Corporate Clients

Corporate ergonomics presentations are delivered to HR managers, safety officers, or directly to employee groups. The goals are to document workstation problems, demonstrate the financial and health costs of poor ergonomics (absenteeism, workers' comp claims, reduced productivity), and present specific solutions.

Individual Workstation Report Format

Before-and-after structure works best:

The problem slide: photograph of the current workstation with annotated problems. Common findings: monitor too low (neck in forward flexion), keyboard too high (wrist extension causing carpal tunnel risk), chair seat pan too long (edge pressure behind knees), no lumbar support, mouse too far from body (shoulder abduction), bright window behind monitor causing glare.

The solution slides: annotated photographs of the corrected setup, with adjustment instructions. Pair each correction with a brief explanation of why it matters: "Monitor height adjusted so top of screen is at eye level — this eliminates the neck flexion that was contributing to your cervical strain."

Movement and microbreak recommendations. Even a perfect ergonomic setup does not eliminate risk from sustained static posture. Recommend a microbreak schedule (every 20–30 minutes, two to three minutes of movement), specific stretches for the most common workstation-related complaints (neck rotations, thoracic extension, wrist tendon glides, hip flexor stretch), and the 20-20-20 rule for eye strain.

Implementation checklist. A one-page summary: what was adjusted today, what equipment was recommended for purchase, what behaviors to change.

Group Ergonomics Training

For a lunch-and-learn or all-hands ergonomics session, the deck covers the same material but uses more general examples (not individual workstation photos) and includes more interactive elements: ask employees to check their own monitor height during the session, have them locate the adjustment lever on their chair, have them identify one problem in their own setup.

Sensory Processing Education for Parents

OTs working with children with autism, ADHD, sensory processing disorder, or other developmental conditions frequently deliver sensory education to parents. This is a lay audience — they may have heard the term "sensory processing" without understanding it — and the stakes are high because your recommendations will change daily routines at home.

Sensory Systems Overview

Most people know the five senses. Slides should introduce the less familiar sensory systems that are central to occupational performance: proprioception (input from muscles and joints that tells the brain about body position and movement — why some kids crash into furniture or squeeze too hard), vestibular (inner ear input about movement and balance — why some kids spin constantly or panic on swings), and interoception (internal body sense — hunger, thirst, heartbeat, bladder — why some children cannot identify when they are full, scared, or need to use the bathroom).

What Sensory Processing Differences Look Like

Use a simple continuum diagram: sensory seekers at one end (crave input, can appear hyperactive, aggressive, impulsive), sensory avoiders at the other (overwhelmed by input that others barely notice, meltdowns in busy environments, refuses certain textures of clothing or food). Most children fall somewhere in the middle and may seek some types of input while avoiding others.

Behavioral translation slides are critical: instead of leading with clinical language, show what each sensory profile looks like at home. "Constantly touching everything in the store," "gags on foods that are soft or mushy," "can't stay in the chair at dinner," "overwhelmed by birthday parties" — parents recognize their child immediately in these descriptions.

Sensory Diet

The sensory diet concept — a personalized schedule of sensory activities throughout the day to help a child maintain an optimal arousal level — is the key takeaway for most parents. Slides should explain the concept, give examples of proprioceptive activities (heavy work: carrying groceries, pushing a loaded laundry basket, wall push-ups, wearing a weighted vest), vestibular activities (swinging, rocking, trampolining), and tactile activities (playdough, water play, sensory bins). Emphasize that the goal is to be proactive — providing organizing input before challenging situations — not reactive.

School-Based OT IEP Presentation

School OT IEP presentations parallel the SLP IEP format: evaluation methods and results, functional performance description in the educational environment, eligibility determination, annual goal, short-term objectives, and service model recommendation. Occupational therapy in the school setting must demonstrate educational relevance — skills that affect the student's ability to access and participate in their educational program. A goal targeting handwriting speed is educationally relevant; a goal targeting grip strength in isolation is harder to justify.

Design Principles for OT Presentations

For home assessment and ergonomics reports: annotated photographs are the dominant content. Keep surrounding text minimal — the photo does the work. Use a clean, professional color palette; callout boxes and arrows should be high-contrast and legible when the slide is printed in black and white (many families will print the report).

For family education (sensory, home exercise programs): approachable and warm. Use illustrations or icons rather than clinical photographs. Large fonts. Clear headers that let a parent scan for the relevant section.

For insurance and legal audiences: conservative, data-forward. A findings table is more credible than a narrative paragraph. Results should trace directly to the referral question on every slide.

For corporate ergonomics: before-and-after photographs side by side are the most persuasive format. Executives want to see the ROI — consider including a slide on cost of musculoskeletal injuries (OSHA data on workers' comp and lost workdays) to justify the ergonomics investment.

Occupational therapy's value lies in translating clinical assessment into functional change. Your presentations should do the same — translating your findings into clear, actionable guidance for whoever needs to act on them. Slide-deck.io templates built for clinical and professional audiences give you the structure to do that efficiently.