How OTs Take Real-Time Data Without Losing Engagement

Raise your hand if you’ve ever scribbled tally marks on your palm, typed vague notes into your phone, or swore you’d “log the data later.” It’s not just you. Real-time data collection sounds ideal — but between sensory breaks, co-treats, and student behaviors, school-based OTs need a system that fits how therapy actually works.

Collecting data as an OT isn’t just about compliance. It’s how you track progress, advocate for services, and adjust your support — especially when you’re in multiple environments across a busy school week.

What Real-Time Data Usually Looks Like

You probably know the drill:

• • A clipboard balanced on your knee

  • Tally marks you can’t interpret later

  • Mental notes you plan to write down after dismissal (but forget)

  • Data you backfill at 7 p.m. on a Friday

This works until…

• • You forget what supports you used

  • A student’s performance shifts mid-session

  • You’re prepping for an IEP and realize you’re missing baseline info

Kit Makes Real-Time Data Work for OTs

With Kit, you can document progress on IEP goals during your sessions — without breaking flow or missing cues. You can:

• • Use thumbs icons to quickly log accurate/inaccurate responses

  • Track which prompts or supports worked (or didn’t) with ➕/➖

  • Add custom notes to specific goals (e.g., “used hand-over-hand for zipping”)

  • Record audio reflections to revisit later

  • Enter general comments or reminders — no sticky notes required

“Kit has completely changed how I take data. I can focus on my student and still log what matters.” — Rachel, OT

What It Looks Like in Practice

Let’s say you’re working on cutting skills. While the student cuts, you:

• • Tap 👍 for accurate scissor use

  • Mark ➕ when a visual model helps, and ➖ when it doesn’t

  • Add a note: “Needed min verbal cues for finger placement”

  • Record a 15-second voice memo for later reflection

No juggling a clipboard. No waiting until later. No guessing what happened.

Why This Matters

Real-time data helps you:

• • Make service decisions with confidence

  • Show clear progress in team meetings

  • Reduce weekend paperwork marathons

  • Stay focused on your student — not your forms

Want to Try It?

Kit for Teams helps OTs log the right data at the right time. Start your free 14-day trial — no credit card required — and see how easy real-time data can be.

👉 Start my free trial

See How AOTA Supports Goal-Based Documentation

For more on data collection’s role in effective OT services, visit AOTA’s school-based practice page, which includes links to evidence-informed intervention ideas and documentation resources.

More from This Series
This blog is part of our Kit Feature Deep Dive series for school-based OTs. Explore other posts in the series:

• • How OTs Plan Goal-Aligned Sessions in a Snap

  • Smart Scheduling for OTs (Even on a Rotating Calendar)

  • A Better Way for OTs to Visualize Student Progress

  • How OTs Can Prep for IEP Meetings Without the Last-Minute Guess, Panic, Scramble

  • OT Attendance and Medicaid: Clear Logs Without the Redundancy