What Is School-based Occupational Therapy?
An occupational therapist is a trained
health care professional that uses purposeful, goal directed
activities and task analysis to enable children with a
disability to benefit from their individualized education
programs (IEP’s). Federal
law mandates that occupational therapy (OT) in the school
system be educationally relevant. In the school setting,
Occupational therapy is a “related service” to
special education under Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities
Act. This means that services must enhance or support educational
goals as stated on the student’s Individualized Education
Program (IEP). Occupational Therapists in the school setting
look at certain skills issues which may interfere with a
child’s educational performance such as hand function,
oral motor function, visual motor and perceptual skills,
sensory awareness/processing, self-care and pre-vocational
tasks. These areas can be addressed through a variety of
intervention strategies, which may include direct therapy
with the child, consultation with the teacher, modification
of the environment, provision of adaptive equipment, and
staff training
Qualifications
Occupational therapists are health care
professionals with college degrees ranging from a Bachelor
level to the PhD/Doctoral level. To practice as an occupational
therapist, one must pass the national examination of the
National Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners and hold
an Occupational Therapy License in the state in which one
is employed.
Referral
For Service
Referrals
for occupational therapy in the school system are made via
the Student Study Team. This team may include but is not
limited to: parents, teacher and others, appropriate to the
student’s educational program. This
team delineates concerns and makes a recommendation for a
screening that is relevant to occupational therapy. The team
and the occupational therapist discuss previously implemented
strategies and/or decide new strategies to implement to address
concerns. Based upon the feedback from the occupational therapist
the team will determine if further information/evaluation
is warranted.
Frequently Requested Supports
Handwriting:
Handwriting support is a major area of concern for occupational
therapists in the school setting. The attached link offers
suggestions to enhance writing performance.
 Visit the Handwriting
Web page
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