Occupational & Physical Therapy

OT/PT is driven by the student's needs and desired educational outcomes and not by their medical diagnosis. Depending on the level of service determined by the IEP, therapy may include any or all of the following forms of therapeutic intervention.

Many factors are taken into account when considering a change in the level of therapeutic intervention or discontinuation of a student from OT/PT services:

• Modifications/adaptations for the student to access the school environment and/or educational tasks were made and are effective.
• Student can perform school tasks without therapeutic intervention.
• Strategies can be implemented successfully by educational staff.
• Student has learned appropriate strategies to compensate for deficits.
• Therapy is no longer affecting change in the student's level of function or rate of skill acquisition.

If you feel that your child is having difficulty accessing the curriculum and that OT and /or PT might address that difficulty, contact your teacher who will initiate a referral to the school's intervention assistance team (IAT).

After the initial IAT meeting, the occupational therapist/physical therapist may be contacted to suggest intervention strategies. If these strategies are not successful, additional strategies may be suggested or an evaluation may be indicated.

If your child is already receiving special education, the need for an OT and/or PT screening/evaluation is determined by the IEP team. Contacting your teacher, school psychologist, or assistant principal is the first step.

The following are some ideas, worksheets, and suggestions for the summer break. You can use this as a guide to have a variety of fine motor, visual perception, and even sensory activities to do with your child during the summer months. Below is a list of websites that are full of ideas, and worth checking out.