The focus of Occupational Therapy (OT) services in a school setting is to promote functional independence or participation within the educational environment. At CSDB, OT addresses the unique sensory needs of our students with sensory loss in addition to contributing factors that may interfere with the ability to function independently in the classroom, the dorms, and around campus. Services are provided Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays and may occur in the classroom, treatment room, sensory room, daily living skills room, cafeteria, dorm, on campus or in the community at a job site or school-related activity. OT collaborates with teachers, residential staff, and parents so that students demonstrate the same level of independence across all settings while using purposeful activities to enhance functional skills, such as the following:
- Home management (meal/snack prep, making beds, doing laundry)
- Daily living skills / self-care skills (dressing, feeding, grooming)
- Adaptive equipment
- Assistive technology
- Bilateral or one-handed upper extremity skills
- Fine motor skills
- Handwriting and keyboarding
- Visual perceptual / visual-motor skills
- Motor planning
- Leisure skills/self-occupation
- Sensory/tactile assessment, profiles, accommodations
- Organizational skills / task planning
- Environmental access/accommodations
- Positioning
- Work related tasks/skills development, activity analysis, strategies
Physical therapists work collaboratively with a student’s IEP team to improve student access and participation in school and community settings. Physical therapists provide professional expertise in the areas of self-help skills, foundational gross motor skills, mobility skills (transfers, walking, and equipment use), posture and positioning, and recreational skills for age-appropriate play. Physical therapy interventions promote skill acquisition and environmental adaptation and are commonly embedded within the context of student activities and routines.” You may find some useful links by visiting the Colorado Department of Education site that talks about physical therapy services.