Role of Occupational Therapy in the Schools...what are your thoughts/suggestions?

Question

I work in Occupaional Therapy in the schools. I know the legal definition and what AOTA says to be my role.

What I want to know is what parents/teachers would like to see from OT in the schools.

Many times I see parents/teachers look at OT as handwriting instructors.

Also I would like some input on thoughts of inclusion OT. I have a very hard time doing inclusion OT. Teachers have very busy schedules and for me to come in and do anything seems to be more of a disruption than any actual help.

Thanks for your input.

Answer 1

You will get lots of great answers on www.schwablearning.org.

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It is a great idea to see what teachers and parents want from OT's,  but  by law the OT  *HAS* to do what is written into the childs IEP plan no matter what the teacher and / or parent wants.

As for inclusion OT,  the IEP plan has to mandate whether OT is done inclusion.

IDEA law states that children are to recieve ALL help inclusion, and this means OT.  Although most schools don't do this, despite what the public thinks.

What might help is asking teacher and parent what will work best as far as doing OT in the regular classroom. But remember, everything and anything that is done HAS to be written into the IEP plan.

Answer 2

As far as inclusion OT, I would suggest that you ask the teachers who are working with the child for specifics.  What do they see as the areas of need, and what supports do they want from you?  You are probably correct that trying to work with the student directly is a disruption of class time, but maybe the teacher could use advice on suggestions to improve the child's fine motor skills (in addition to handwriting, this could include things such as scissor use, clothing fasteners, etc.)   You may be able to provide equipment/ materials that the student could use in the classroom (slantboards, pencil grips, adapted scissors, etc.) You might also be able to help the teacher develop strategies for kids who have sensory integration issues.  I don't think that many general education teachers realize what sorts of services OTs can provide, so asking the teacher for a brief meeting (or an email exchange) to determine the specifics would be a good place to start.

As a special day class teacher, I have OT goals imbedded in the curriculum, so that the students have practice opportunities many times throughout each day.  I rely on our OT (who does direct instruction with the students once a week) for suggestions on additional ways I can infuse our OT goals into our daily work.  She also provides us with the loan of materials that we can try out to see if they meet the needs of the student (adaptive seating devices, adaptive zipper pulls, various kinds of lined paper, etc.) so we can try them out before we purchase them.   And I appreciate her perspective on how some of the behaviors and skills deficits may be addressed.

Answer 3

I done something similar for 20 years. This is one hard question. I think you are being looked at in a support role. What they want I am sure they are getting. What you want will come from a follow up study on the students you have helped.