Schools

School based services

Benefits of a school based service

In keeping with the principles of supportive early learning, occupational therapy may assist with enabling each student to reach their full potential.  Early identification of children who are likely to have difficulties with learning later in their education career will enable us to intervene prior to learning new concepts, which will allow the students to learn at the same time as their peers.  These areas for intervention may include:

·         Fine motor skills needed for cutting, handwriting and tying shoelaces.

·         Visual perception skills for learning letters and copying from the board

·         Play skills required for independent generation of ideas and stories, as well as social competency at lunch breaks

·         Sensory processing awareness needed to sit still in class, pay attention and stay on task.

·         Emotional resilience (anger, frustration, anxiety management)

For example, identifying students who are likely to have difficulties learning letters will allow intervention to assist the student to gain the necessary skills prior to the class consolidating the alphabet. 

Benefits to the students and their families:

·         Appointments at the school reduce the amount of time the child is out of the classroom (as they do not need to travel to appointments).

·         Children are able to maintain participation in extra-curricular activities, as they do not need to attend sessions out of hours.  Sessions are available outside of school hours also, which is particularly beneficial for students attending outside school hours care. 

·         Parents are able to continue with their work commitments.  Parents are welcome to attend sessions, and regular written and verbal communication with parents will be fostered. 

·         Children are more comfortable in an environment they are familiar in, and so their performance in the therapy session will more closely mirror what is happening in the classroom.

Benefits to the school:

·         Improve the learning outcomes for children and their families.

·         Improve student skills in academic, sport and social areas, in additions to improvements in self esteem and confidence in approaching new learning tasks.

·         Reduce the learning gap between students

·         Allow the school to add another learning support service to their portfolio

·         Foster working relationship between therapist and classroom teacher, to ensure the therapy is relevant and helpful within your classroom environment.

Referral Pathways for Schools