What Parents Need to Know About School Based OT

First, what is OT?

American Occupational Therapy Association describes it as a health profession in which therapists and therapy assistants help individuals to do and engage in the specific activities that make up daily life. For children and youth in schools, occupational therapy works to ensure that a student can participate in the full breadth of school activities—from paying attention in class; concentrating on the task at hand; holding a pencil, musical instrument, or book in the easiest way; or just behaving appropriately in class.

How does it apply to school?

We work with kids of all abilities. Some diagnoses include ADHD, Autism Spectrum Disorder, Sensory Processing Disorder, and in general; children having a hard time participating in the classroom. We can work with children inside the classroom (push-in) or outside the classroom (pull-out). Most kids that I provide OT to will already have had an Individualized Education Plan (IEP) that has been receiving services from a young age, and has a system in place that will support them to succeed in schools. Others may receive OT because they are having a specific problem in school. We also work in a team based profession to collaborate with interdisciplinary members, providing consultation to teachers about how classroom design affects attention, why particular children behave inappropriately at certain times, and where best to seat a child based on his or her learning style or other needs. A child might also be referred for OT for other reasons like motor skills, cognitive processing, visual or perceptual problems, mental health concerns, difficulties staying on task, disorganization, or inappropriate sensory responses.

Occupational Therapists tend to be the handwriting experts in school based settings because we specialize in fine motor and visual perceptual skills. OT looks at the child’s skills and other problems (including behavior), in addition to his or her visual, sensory, and physical capabilities. We also take into account the school, home, and classroom environments to find ways to improve the handwriting. 

Students with disabilities have been able to benefit from occupational therapy at school since the 1975 passage of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), and even more recently In 2004, the reauthorization of IDEA extended the availability of occupational therapy services to all students, not just those with disabilities, in order to fully participate in school (AOTA).