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Occupational Therapy

The goal of the CMSD occupational therapy department is to provide service within the occupational therapy scope of practice to children with a disability from ages three to twenty-two in accordance with the Code of Federal Regulations 34 (34 CFR)  Part 300, the regulations for the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act.

 

Occupational therapists are concerned with “the evaluation of learning and performance skills and the analysis, selection and adaptation of activities for an individual whose ability to perform tasks normally is impaired by developmental deficiencies, the aging process, environmental deprivation, or physical, psychological, or social injury, or illness.”  The word OCCUPATION refers to a person’s focus of time, interest, and energy toward life goals.  For a child, life goals include self-care, school, and play.  Thus, O.T.’s in schools work towards the development of skills needed for the occupation of being a student and help prepare him/her to participate in work, play, recreation and independent living activities. 

 

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Services

 

·        Occupational therapists typically evaluate student’s function as it relates to achievement of educational goals and evaluate student’s participation in the educational environment.

 

·        Occupational therapy services in schools address the functional areas of self-help, sensory motor processing, manipulation/hand use, visual perceptual skills, motor planning and coordination, functional positioning, use of environmental adaptations for access/mobility, fine and gross motor performance, life skills training/vocational skills, and psychosocial adaptation/socialization.

Services include:

 

·        Providing an occupational therapy evaluation as part of the multi-factored evaluation

 

·        Referring a student for community-based services (medical-based therapy) when either:

A)    The needed service is not provided within the school, or

B)    When the problem does not interfere with the students educational performance

 

·        Assisting in the development of the individual education program (IEP).

 

·        Providing occupational therapy services through a variety of modes to:

-         Improve, develop, or restore functions impaired or lost through illness, injury, or deprivation

-         Improve ability to perform tasks for independent functioning when functions are lost or impaired

-         Prevent, through early intervention, initial or further impairment or loss of function

 

·        Instructing/consulting with parents and teachers in the use of techniques and equipment

 

·        Assisting in the development of specialized and adaptive activities in the classroom, pre-vocational and vocational programs

 

For whom?

 

Pupils with a functional deficit, in regular education and those eligible for special education, having difficulty participating in activities in their school environment, may qualify for services.  Therapy is designed to assist the student in the development of underlying performance components that are prerequisite for academic learning and vocational training within the child’s current educational setting.  Although a student may exhibit deficits in a variety of areas associated with occupational therapy, it is the decision of the IEP team which services will be necessary for the student to benefit from his/her educational program. The occupational therapist provides critical information to the team, but ultimately it is a team decision.

 

Occupational therapists in school settings treat children with mental retardation, serious emotional disturbance, orthopedic impairment, specific learning disabilities, hearing impairments including deafness, visual impairments including blindness, speech or language impairments, autism, multiple handicaps, traumatic brain injury, and other health impairments.

 

Possible indicators for need of occupational therapy services:

 

·        If a student’s functional deficits impact their performance in the educational setting.

 

·        If a student’s functional motor development is impaired to the extent that it interferes with performance in daily living skills, school/work activities, or vocational skills.

 

·        If the IEP goals cannot be achieved without occupational therapy services (a variety of assessment methods may be employed in order to determine the need for occupational therapy intervention).

 

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Qualifications for providers of occupational therapy services

 

·        Occupational Therapist/registered/licensed (OTR/L) means a person who is currently licensed by the state of Ohio, to practice occupational therapy, and is a graduate of an accredited occupational therapy program (either a bachelor or master’s degree).  Those employed by boards of education shall hold an Ohio Department of Education Certificate for Occupational Therapy.

 

Accessing services

 

Occupational therapy referrals and parental consent forms may be obtained from the Office of Related Service. Students who have sensory/motor skill deficits and are being considered for Special Education Services and/or are being discussed by the building intervention-based assessment team can be referred. Parental consent is necessary prior to the evaluation. The evaluation will be completed, with the focus on functional difficulties related to the child’s ability to access the specially designed educational program. It is not intended to replace medically indicated rehabilitation services.  Students who may qualify for Section 504 services may also be eligible to be evaluated by an occupational therapist to help determine needed accommodations.

 

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For further information, contact:

 

Office of Related Services

Kathy Bucalo, Manager

1440 Lakeside,  Room 210

Cleveland, Ohio 44114

 

Fax: 216-592-7239

Phone: 216-592-7236

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