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Welcome to your comprehensive library for cognitive rehabilitation, intervention planning, and evidence-based OT practice.

Use this page to explore learning pathways, download printable tools, and deepen your understanding of cognition, executive functioning, and dual-tasking in occupational therapy.

Memory Learning Pathway

This video course guides occupational therapy practitioners through foundational and advanced cognitive concepts, including memory systems, attention types, executive functioning, and cognitive remediation strategies

🎦 Watch Memory Videos

Dual Tasking Assessments and Activities

You will definitely want to browse this resource on Dual Tasking! Learn about all of the essentials that will change your OT sessions forever!

đź‘€ đź“– Browse Dual Tasking Resource

Helpful Resources

Go straight to printables that will help you out of a dry spell of ideas! All of these are supported in literature to enhance cognitive processes. Let's go! 

đź”— Download Resources

Memory and Attention Learning Pathway 

5 hour Self-Paced Course

This video course guides occupational therapy practitioners through foundational and advanced cognitive concepts, including memory systems, attention types, executive functioning, and cognitive remediation strategies.

Why Understanding Cognition Matters in Occupational Therapy

 

Cognition is not a single skill—it is a complex network of mental processes that support everything a person does: thinking, planning, remembering, paying attention, organizing, problem-solving, navigating the environment, regulating emotions, and responding to daily challenges.

Yet most clinicians only learn a small handful of cognitive terms in school (e.g., memory, attention, executive function), leaving them without the full picture needed to accurately understand why a client is struggling in daily life.

Functional cognition is how thinking skills show up in real-life tasks.

Many practitioners learn screening tools, but functional cognitive rehab goes beyond checklists—it includes restoration, remediation, and task-based intervention. If cognition is limiting participation, it belongs in an OT plan of care.

The OT Guide to Cognitive Components

Cognitive breakdowns are easy to miss — especially when clients “pass” basic screens.
This resource helps OT practitioners see what’s really happening beneath functional challenges by mapping out the cognitive processes that drive everyday participation.

Perfect for:

  • Functional cognition assessments

  • Dual-tasking and executive function training

  • Goal writing & medical necessity documentation

  • Activity analysis

  • Patient/caregiver education

đź“© Download this Guide đź“©

Occupational Therapy and Executive Function

Executive function is the brain’s management system—the core of planning, attention, inhibition, flexibility, emotional regulation, and goal-directed behavior.

Click the images (below) to download the resource!

Causes of Cognitive Decline

  1. Traumatic Brain Injury

  2. Acquired Brain Injury

  3. Cerebrovascular accident

  4. Aneurysm rupture

  5. Arteriovenous malformation (AVM) Bleed

  6. Parkinsons

  7. Multiple Sclerosis

  8. Dementia (ADRD)

  9. Huntington’s disease

  10. Brain Tumors

  11. Autisms 

  12. Specific genetic and chromosomal abnormalities 

  13. Developmental impairments

  14. Temporary conditions  [delirium]

    • Debility 

      • UTI

      • Anesthesia 

      • Dehydration

      • Medication Management 

      • insomnia/sleep issues

      • Cancer/chemotherapy

      • NEW Environment [hospital delirium]

Download Handout

Occupational Therapy Approach to Executive Dysfunction: 

  • Executive function is the brain's management system
    It helps individuals start tasks, stay focused, manage emotions, shift thinking, organize information, and access memory efficiently.

  • Memory issues are often rooted in executive dysfunction
    What looks like poor memory may actually be impaired attention, planning, or inhibition preventing encoding or retrieval.

  • Key components include:

    • Initiation & Inhibition

    • Cognitive Flexibility

    • Working Memory & Attention

    • Emotional Regulation

    • Organization, Planning, and Self-Monitoring

  • Occupational therapy addresses executive function through real-life tasks
    Lifestyle interventions like cooking, dual tasking, sequencing routines, and reframing thoughts activate and strengthen executive networks.

  • Intervention must be meaningful and task-oriented
    Executive skills improve best when practiced in personally relevant, cognitively demanding, and structured everyday activities.

  • Executive dysfunction often goes unseen—observe behavior, not just test scores
    Many individuals with executive challenges can “pass” cognitive screens but still struggle with real-world function. Clinical interviews, performance-based tasks, and environmental context are essential for accurate assessment. 

We have a great handout entitled, "What is Executive Function" to help you explain these concepts to your patients.

Download Executive Function Resource

Understanding Functional Cognition

Definition

Functional cognition is how thinking skills show up in real-life tasks.

Many practitioners learn screening tools, but functional cognitive rehab goes beyond checklists—it includes restoration, remediation, and task-based intervention. If cognition is limiting participation, it belongs in an OT plan of care.

Dual Tasking 

Dual Task Training in Neurorehabilitation

If your patients struggle to do more than one thing at once, this course shows you exactly what to look for and how to treat it.

$79.00 USD

OT Scope & Structure Framework Intensive

If you’ve ever wondered, “am I actually doing OT the right way?”—this is where that gets cleared up. Learn how to use the OTPF in real treatment, documentation, and clinical reasoning so you can stop second-guessing and start practicing with confidence.

$79.00 USD

What is Dual Tasking?

  • Dual tasking = movement + cognition

  • Movement requires executive function (attention, memory, planning)

  • Brain + body = one system—healing happens through integrated engagement

 

đź’ˇWhy It Matters After Trauma or Neurological Injury

  • Many clients don’t notice dual tasking challenges until they’re impaired

  • Cognitive demands increase when combined with mobility or self-care tasks

  • OT’s role is not just adaptation—it's also restoration and remediation

 

🧰 The OT Practitioner’s Role

  • Use movement-based cognitive tasks to rebuild function

  • Include dual-task training in your plan of care for 9–12+ weeks

  • Treat executive dysfunction as a key barrier to daily participation

  • Apply evidence-based, non-drug interventions even in progressive diseases

  • Focus on maintaining cognitive reserve and slowing decline

 

⚠️ How Dual Tasking Deficits Show Up

  • Putting an item down and forgetting where

  • Entering a room and forgetting why

  • Leaving a store without the item they went for

  • Struggling to cook while holding a conversation

  • Missing what someone says while walking or cleaning

  • Getting disoriented while driving and following directions

  • Tripping or missing obstacles while walking and thinking

 

🔑 Bottom Line:
You’re not just adapting. You’re restoring.
Dual tasking training is essential for cognitive recovery and long-term independence.

Would you like this formatted as a printable handout for clinicians?

Printable Cognitive Resources

➡️ Paid Member? Request Access the BOT Portal Google Drive

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