AOTA

Instructor

Jean E. Polichino, OTR, MS, FAOTA

Related Services Consultant

Credit: .15 AOTA CEUs (1.5 contact  hours, 1.88 NBCOT PDUs)

Course Description

Occupational therapy services within public schools are provided within a system that differs a great deal from a medical systems approach with which OT practitioners may be more familiar.  At the heart of these differences is the understanding of practice under the rules and regulations of federal and state/local policies and procedures as well as the need for strong relationships with children, families and school staff while advocating for the roles of occupational therapy.  In addition, providing evidence-based interventions, collecting data, focusing interventions on school outcomes, and understanding the language of school systems drive an approach to OT intervention that is not present in other traditional settings.

This 3-course series covers the Why, How and What to lay the groundwork for school-based practice.

This first module covers the history of the creation and use of federal and state/local policies to provide insight and greater ease of application of these rules within occupational therapy services.

Learning Objectives 

Upon completion of this module, the learner will be able to:

• identify three (3) major federal policies influencing occupational therapy in schools,
• determine two (2) conditions considered a disability under Section 504 of the ADAA,
• name the federal policy responsible for OTPs contributing to general education as specialized instructional support personnel (SISP), and
• identify the federal policy protecting student privacy at school.

Target Audience:  Occupational Therapy Practitioners

Learning level:  Intermediate

Key words:  School Based Practice, State and Federal Regulations