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Different but Complementary |
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The role of occupational therapy in the public schools is unique and different from the role of OT provided in clinics, hospitals, homes and other community settings. The fact that these differences exist can be a difficult concept to grasp for all involved including parents, other team members,OTs working outside of the public schools, and even the public school OT themselves! Conflict may arise due to a lack of understanding of these role differences. For this reason it is important that school therapists are clear and confident about their role in the public schools. Public school OTs must possess the ability to clearly articulate their role to parents, other team members, community therapists and medical professionals in order to avoid misunderstandings and to facilitate collaboration among all involved in a child’s care and education.
Several agencies from the state of Wisconsin collaborated to develop a helpful and well-written brochure titled School-Based and Community-Based Therapy Services: Occupational and Physical Therapy, What’s Right for My Child? Page 1 and page 2 are posted as separate documents and can be found here:
http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/pdf/wotaback1.pdf
http://dpi.wi.gov/sped/pdf/wotafront1.pdf
The Kenosha Unifies School District No. 1’s website in Wisconsin also has a good description of the differences including a page on School-Based Occupational Therapy and a section on Community-Based Occupational Therapy.
Some of these differences are outlined below:
SCHOOL & COMMUNITY WORK UNDER DIFFERENT PARADIGMS
| Role and services are dictated by special education law |
Role and services are driven by 3rd party reimbursement or private pay |
DIFFERENT BUT COMPLIMENTARY: ELIGIBILITY & EVALUATION
| Eligibility determined by SPED law and team decision |
Eligibility determined by 3rd party payment and/or individual therapist |
| Evaluate school participation given presence of a disability |
Evaluate to diagnose and relate to participation |
DIFFERENT BUT COMPLIMENTARY: SERVICE DELIVERY & FOCUS OF INTERVENTION
| Service Delivery often provided via consultation or in-class services |
Service Delivery often direct one to one service that focuses on intervention to remediate a disability, medical condition or injury |
| Focus of Intervention addresses what will most efficiently facilitate student participation in their educational program |
Focus of Intervention to remediate a disability, medical condition or injury. |
DIFFERENT BUT COMPLIMENTARY: INTERVENTION
| Goal: Enable participation given the vulnerabilities inherent in student’s disability. [Services are provided to address participation, not necessarily remediation] |
Goal: Remediation of disability, medical condition or injury to support participation |
| Service Delivery: Operate under the LRE mandate; services are provided from least to most restrictive depending on participation needs, beginning with consultation and moving to in class/context and to pullout services only when necessary to enable participation in school. |
Service Delivery: Primarily a direct service model. |
| Primary Intervention Setting: School context – classroom, cafeteria, playground, hallways, etc. |
Primary Intervention Setting: Clinic setting |
DIFFERENT BUT COMPLIMENTARY: THE GREAT THINGS ABOUT…
| Ability to be with the student during the school day to problem solve and support participation needs caused by the challenges inherent in having a disability |
Ability to work one on one with the child doing remedial treatment to reduce the impact of the disability on the child’s participation |
| Ability to collaborate as part of the school team, particularly with the teacher and student to create safe, accessible learning environments for the student |
More frequent parent contact (typically), ability to collaborate and problem solve with parents |
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