School Occupational Therapy – Collaboration, Communication, Proactive Consultation
Occupational Therapy services for the special needs child in the school setting is considered a related service provided to enhance the student’s ability to adapt, function in the educational setting, and support educational goals. School based therapists focus on removing barriers from these students’ ability to learn, and increase their independence within their school and academic environment. Occupational Therapists are concerned with the child’s ability to participate in their “occupations” in life, or their activities of daily living such as access throughout the school environment, self help skills, play, social skills, academics, recess, lunch, fine and gross motor performance, visual processing skills, sensory processing, positioning, transitions, functional communication, adaptations, and more.
Does your child/student receive School Occupational Therapy Services? What model of treatment does the child receive? Do they get Direct Service or “Pull Out” services once or twice a week? Do they receive monitoring, consultative services, or collaboration and communication services? What do these services look like to your child/student and their Occupational Environment, and are these services enhancing or supporting the special needs and child’s educational goals? Is each delivery of service being performed to its greatest effectiveness and being applied appropriately?
The Direct Model: In this service delivery model, children are seen either individually or in a small group once or several times a week. These students are either seen directly within the classroom (probably pulled to the side) or removed from the classroom setting and seen within the occupational therapy room. This was built around a clinical model of routine and appointments. This does not necessarily promote the generalization of skill to the classroom or other setting within the school day.
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