VERNON PUBLIC SCHOOLS Occupational Therapy Newsletter What is Occupational Therapy (OT)? Occupational therapy is a health and science profession which helps individuals to participate in everyday activities or “occupations” in order to be successful in their home, school, workplace, community, etc. Occupational therapist (OT) and certified occupational therapist assistant (COTA) may work in many different settings such as, hospitals, schools, nursing facilities, outpatient clinics, home health, early intervention, mental health, etc. All settings have different demands and areas of focus for individuals who need treatment. Specific every day areas of focus or “occupations” of individuals may include dressing, toileting, cooking, gardening, mobility, etc. Occupational Therapy in the School School based occupational therapy focuses on the student and how they are functioning in their school environment. The overall goal of OT and the school is to allow a student to succeed in their educational environment. An OT/COTA supports students in both academic and non-academic areas. These areas may include writing, activities of daily living (dressing, feeding, and toileting), social skills, cutting, coloring, computer skills, sensory regulation, paying attention in class, etc. An OT/COTA may provide direct OT services to a student who qualifies for services through an individualized educational plan (IEP) or a 504 plan. An OT/COTA creates goals and specific objectives for a student to help them become successful in school. The student receives direct services weekly in order to achieve their overall goals. Once a student no longer needs to receive OT services, generally consultation services are provided for success in the school environment. March 2015 OT Referral Process Student receives special education/speech & language service/504 plan Student does not receive any services 1. Teacher fills out OT screen request form, and gives to OT or COTA 2. The OT/COTA or special education team receives consent from parents for screening 3. OT/COTA will complete the screening process 4.OT/COTA calls parents or a 504 meeting or PPT is held to discuss results and determine if further evaluations are appropriate 5. If further evaluations are appropriate, a consent form must be signed by parents 6. The OT has 45 school days to complete the evaluation. The parents receive a copy of the report and a PPT or 504 meeting is held within 45 school days to discuss results. 1. Teacher fills out RTI/SRBI observation form and gives to OT or COTA 2. The OT/COTA receives consent for observation from parents 3. OT/COTA will complete observation 4. OT/COTA writes a report of findings and recommendations 5. The OT/COTA shares the report with the SRBI team and classroom teacher Examples of Areas OT Supports Handwriting: An OT/COTA helps improve letter sizing, letter spacing, line placement/orientation, and letter reversals. Tools are provided help students improve their handwriting. Specific tools may include highlighted or raised line paper for line placement/orientation, a finger spacer tool for spacing. Sensory Integration: An OT/COTA works with students who have difficulty regulating their levels of arousal. A sensory diet may be provided with different activities such as utilizing a swing, trampoline, heavy work, listening to calming music, etc. Recommendations inside the classroom: Examples include if a student has difficulty with attention or sitting still, an OT may provide recommendations for improvement in these areas. The strategies may include wiggle cushion, theraband around chair, alternate seating positions (closer to teacher), fidget toys, movement breaks, etc. Molly Rasmussen, OTS Occupational Therapy Newsletter Page 2 Pencil Grasps A functional pencil grasp is important in order to participate in educational activities. Web Space: An important aspect of a functional grasp is the student having an open web space while holding a pencil. Closed Web Space Open Web Space Functional Grasps: Tripod Grasp: Three fingers on the pencil. The pencil is held between the tips of the index and thumb, and the pencil rests on the side of the middle finger. Sensory & Brain Breaks for the Classroom If a student presents with difficulty sitting still in class or needs a break from a task, the following are simple activities to do inside the classroom: *help with passing papers, books, etc. to classmates, yoga poses, animal walks (bear, crab), wall/chair push-ups, heavy work (putting books away, pushing in chairs), jumping jacks, erasing board, run “errands” to the office, carry basket. Why is it important to take sensory and brain breaks? Sensory/brain breaks help students with special needs such as attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), autism, or typical peers to help with self-regulation and to reorganize information from the brain. Movement breaks help students to focus, and/or calm the body to participate in educational activities. http://otswithapps.com Fine Motor/Visual Motor/ Visual Perceptual Activities Quadrupod Grasp: Four fingers on the pencil. The pencil is held with the tip of the thumb, index, and middle finger, and the pencil rests on the side of the ring finger. Inefficient Grasps: Thumb Wrap Grasp: The pencil is held in a mature tripod or quadrupod grasp, but the thumb is wrapped around fingers with a closed web space. Students should participate in daily fine motor, visual motor, and visual perceptual activities to help strengthen the area of weakness in the student. The following are some examples of activities to provide the student. Fine Motor Activities: *pick up small items (pom-poms, beads, marbles) with tweezers, play dough with small items to find inside, stringing beads, playing games with small pieces, spinning a top, push pop beads together and pull apart Visual Motor Activities: *drawing, pre-writing shapes, handwriting, coloring, copying sentences or shapes, cutting, lacing cards, stringing beads, playing catch, hitting objects with a paddle, throwing at a target. Visual Perceptual Activities: Inter-Digital Brace Grasp: The pencil is positioned in between the fingers with a closed web space. Fingertip Grasp: The pencil is held with all five fingers. Photo credit: http://theanonymousot.com/ March 2015 *mazes, puzzles, i-spy, hidden object games, dot-to-dots, copying pattern with pattern blocks, word searches, color by number, matching objects and shapes Backpack and Occupational Therapy Awareness Month Backpack Awareness Month is held every third Wednesday in September. This event helps to educate students, parents, and educators on the effect of heavy backpacks and how to safely wear backpacks and to prevent injury. Occupational Therapy Awareness Month is throughout the month of April to help spread the importance and role of occupational therapist. Molly Rasmussen, OTS