Support Services for Children » Occupational and Physical Therapy
Occupational and Physical Therapy
Overview
Occupational and physical therapy personnel provide a continuum of services in the least restrictive environment for children, 3 to 21 years of age. Children in early intervention programs receive services that focus on their developmental delays, behavioral difficulties, sensory needs and physical and/or neurological problems. Therapists serving school-age students are mandated to provide educationally-related services. The therapist must show a relationship between the identified disability and the difficulties the student has in performing or participating in specific educational activities. - Occupational therapy addresses problems in overall sensorimotor development, visual perception, educational and work activities, graphomotor skills, and activities of daily living. The primary focus of occupational therapy is to help students participate as fully as possible in their education, homes and communities.
- Physical therapy addresses the areas of physical and neurological dysfunction and developmental delays. The physical therapist is concerned with motor and sensory performance. The school-based physical therapist looks at the student's physical functioning and its impact on learning, mobility, accessibility, and safety within the educational environment.
- Both disciplines work together to plan environmental adaptations, assistive technology and transition to the community or worksite, where needed, to accommodate the student's disabilities.
Services
The Evaluation Clinic provides comprehensive assessment when requested by a Committee on Special Education. This Service is primarily for regular education students who demonstrate specific sensorimotor and/or physical problems and who have difficulties perceiving or processing classroom information. Direct occupational and/or physical therapy is requested by Committees on Special Education or Preschool Special Education wherever the student's classroom is located. These services are delivered in individual or small group settings, depending on the student's program, needs and functioning levels. Consultation is provided to Committees on Special Education and Preschool Special Education, building teams, teaching personnel and parents. This service clarifies evaluation results and the educational implications of identified problems, assists in developing needed adaptations for students and promotes functional independence in school and community/work transitions. Occupational and/or physical therapy in the home will be provided for school age students who are deemed unable to attend school programs by the Committee on Special Education. Workshops and in-service training are provided for professional colleagues, teaching personnel and parents. Clinical education is provided for college/university students training to become occupational or physical therapy personnel.
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