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We are proud of our Physical & Occupational Therapy Program. The information in this page was developed by our Therapists and will help parents and others by answering the most frequently asked questions. Use the quick links below to scroll through the information. We must always remember:
A student with a disability is
first and foremost
A STUDENT.
The disability is only secondary. |
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What is Physical Therapy & Occupational Therapy?
Who decides if my child should have PT or OT services?
What is "related service"?
What is the difference between medical therapy and school-based therapy?
How can a Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist assist my child so that he/she may benefit from special education?
Whom may I contact for more information? |
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What is Physical Therapy and Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapy services may be indicated when a student has a significant deficit or a special need in one or more of the following areas: perceptual motor, strength and sensation, posture/positioning, activities of daily living, feeding, gross and fine motor development, neurological functioning, splinting or prosthetics of upper extremities, and/or adaptive equipment.Physical Therapy services may be indicated when a student has a disability or a significant need in one of the following areas: mobility (other than orientation and mobility training for the visually impaired), strength and sensation, posture and gait, pulmonary function, gross motor development, neurological functioning, positioning, bracing or prosthetics of lower extremities, and/or adaptive equipment. |
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Who decides if my child should have PT or OT services?
Students who receive special education services or who are being evaluated to determine if they qualify for special educational services may also be evaluated to determine their eligibility to receive Physical Therapy (PT) and/or Occupational Therapy (OT) in the school setting. In order to receive such an evaluation, someone (such as a doctor, teacher, etc.) must recommend that the student receive a PT or OT evaluation.At the completion of the PT or OT evaluation, an Admission, Review, Dismissal (ARD) committee or Individual Education Program (IEP) committee is convened to determine eligibility for the OT or PT service(s). |
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What is "related service"?
According to Federal and State laws, a "related service" means, "...such developmental, corrective and other supportive services as are required to assist a child with a disability to benefit from special education..." |
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What is the difference between medical therapy and school-based therapy?
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Medical Model |
School-Based Model |
| GOAL |
To treat the client's continuum of needs (from acute through rehabilitated status) |
To assist a student with disabilities in obtaining educational goals |
| FREQUENCY |
As needed |
Based on educational need as specified by the IEP |
| PROVIDER/ IMPLEMENTER |
Therapist |
School personnel, family, student, therapist |
| DURATION OF INTERVENTION |
Few days to several months |
One-time consult to one or more years |
| ULTIMATE DECISION MADE BY: |
Doctor, therapist, and client |
ARD or IEP Committee |
| MANNER OF INTERVENTION |
Direct with some family consult; recommendations and provision of equipment |
Direct therapy; and/or the following: consult with student/teacher, program equipment consultation, individual and classroom equipment modifications, in-service training |
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How can a Physical Therapist or Occupational Therapist assist my child so that he/she may benefit from special education?
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| Functional Area |
Relationship to Education |
Means of PT/OT Intervention |
| SELF HELP |
To permit child to manage in classroom and school with minimal assistance for personal needs |
Provide mobility and transfer skills, feeding, adaptive equipment, wheelchairs, splints, braces, artificial limbs, adaptive equipment for grooming, toileting, feeding, adaptive clothing |
| FUNCTIONAL MOBILITY |
To permit child greatest freedom of movement within the educational environment |
Assist child to develop
equilibrium and balance reactions, transfer skills, wheelchair management, pre-gait and gait training with or without ambulatory aids |
| ENVIRONMENTAL ADAPTATIONS |
To permit child the access to and mobility within the educational, home, and community environment |
Provide recommendations for modification of school's or child's adaptive/assistive devices and/or removal of architectural barriers; provide consultation on the use of technology to access computer and/or the environment |
| POSITIONING |
To maintain child in the best position for learning and functional use of the body |
Provide instruction in positioning with adaptive devices, handling methods, skin care, splints, braces |
| FINE/GROSS MOTOR |
To provide child with stable postural base for optimal attention to educational tasks; to enable child to complete written work in appropriate time frames |
Evaluate, recommend, construct and train regarding positioning devices and/or modify existing devices; provide adaptive/assistive devices and/or training to facilitate fine motor skills |
| COMMUNICATION |
To enable child to communicate ideas and answers to classroom teacher and interact with peers and family |
Evaluate and
recommend appropriate positioning of child, adaptive equipment and/or communication devices necessary for functional communication |
| LIFE SKILLS TRAINING/ VOCATIONAL SKILLS |
To prepare student for vocational placement and general life skills |
Evaluate vocational needs and recommend strategies; perform task/job analysis; develop work behaviors; determine need for adapted equipment |
| SENSORY MOTOR |
To facilitate child's ability to effectively process and respond to basic sensory and motor information as a foundation for acquiring and developing gross and fine motor skills needed for learning to occur |
Provide instruction in the integration of the multi-sensory approach in the classroom and recommend appropriate positioning, adaptive equipment and/or modifications necessary to facilitate learning. |
| PSYCHO/SOCIAL |
To enable the child to interact with peers and education in ways necessary to function in the educational setting |
Evaluate behaviors, recommend strategies and programs for appropriate integration in the educational setting |
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