The role of Occupational Therapy in a school setting…

 

When a school informs parents that it recommends occupational therapy for their child, parents tend to have a lot of questions. Their first question - What is occupational therapy?

 

Occupational therapy is a health profession in which therapists 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. Occupational therapists help students perform particular tasks necessary for participation or learning. Occupational therapy practitioners don’t just focus on the specific problem that a child’s disability may present; rather, they look at the whole child and tackle individual tasks, helping students find ways to do the things they need and want to do.

 

Occupational therapy practitioners also work to provide 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. Consultation with the teacher is crucial.

 

Occupational therapy may be recommended for an individual student for reasons that might be affecting his or learning or behavior, such as motor skills, cognitive processing, visual or perceptual problems, mental health concerns, difficulties staying on task, disorganization, or inappropriate sensory responses. A common manifestation of difficulties in school involves handwriting, in many cases because this is a key “occupation” that students must master to succeed in school. A teacher might notice that a student cannot write legibly or has serious problems in other motor tasks. The occupational therapy practitioner can work withthe teacher to evaluate the child to identify the underlying problems that may be contributing tohandwriting difficulty. The occupational therapy practitioner looks at the child’s skills and other problems (including behavior), in addition to his or her visual, sensory, and physical capabilities. They also take into account the school, home, and classroom environments to find ways to improve the handwriting or to identify ways the child can compensate, such as using a computer.

 

Accessing school-based occupational therapy is fairly straightforward, but it is the school team who makes the decision of whether or not a student requires occupational therapy.

 

Early intervention is further important to minimize secondary behavioral;, emotional, physical, and psychiatric problems that can result from students experiencing challenges with their daily occupations.

 

“Share information about what your child does at home, raise whatever concerns you have, find out what sorts of things you can do with your child to help him or her succeed,”

Claire Barrett
Occupational Therapist
B.O.T. (UKZN)
SENSORY INTEGRATION (SAISI)
Pr. No: 0660000236144
Tel:  031 764 1017
Cell phone: 076 014 0035
Email: cbarrett@telkomsa.net