|
Unique Contribution of Occupational Therapy in the Evaluation Process |
 |
 |
|
It
is important to understand that, under special education law, the purpose of
the occupational therapy evaluation is not to determine whether a child
needs OT service*. Rather, the purpose of the initial team evaluation under
IDEA is to:
1. Determine the
presence of a disability & SpEd eligibility
2. Determine the
educational needs of the student: to provide information that will help
the team to better understand the student, their strengths and areas of
need, learning style, and other useful information about the student.
|
|
|
The Occupational Therapy Evaluation |
|
|
|
An initial evaluation must be
completed in order to determine eligibility for special education. When a
student is referred for a special education evaluation, the team works through
a formal evaluation process to determine whether or not the referred student is
eligible for special education services.
The
role of the occupational therapist in the public schools is to enable student participation. The purpose of the school-based occupational therapy evaluation is to assist
the team in determining eligibility for special education services and, once
eligibility is determined, to provide information to assist the team in
formulating an appropriate educational plan.
|
|
The Evaluation Report |
|
|
|
Each
evaluator generates written evaluation summary that addresses the reason for
referral and includes the procedures used, the results, and the diagnostic
impression, as well as a detailed description of the student’s needs, with
explicit means of meeting them.
The
occupational therapy evaluation report includes an analysis of the assessment
results and occupational profile information that contribute to the
understanding of the student’s strengths and weaknesses as they relate to the
reason for referral. This information is presented concisely in the written
occupational therapy evaluation report and presented/summarized at the team
meeting.
|
|
|
Do's & Don'ts for Written Reports |
|
|
|
Common
Problems with Written Evaluation Reports
-Written
only to show need for OT rather than to help team to better understand and work
with the student
-Difficult
for parents and other non-OTs to understand
-Lots
of information on test scores and ‘performance components’ and not enough
information on how these impact school participation
|
|
Verbal Evaluation Reporting |
|
|
|
Common
Problems when Verbally Reporting Evaluation Results
· Reading
straight from the evaluation report rather than summarizing
· Reporting
too lengthy, losing the listeners attention and monopolizing limited meeting
time
· Reporting
with jargon rather than lay terms making it difficult for others to understand
|
|
|
|
|
|
Special Education Process 
