How do I find an occupational therapy 
                                                                                7practitioner?
             Who are school-based occupational                                   To recruit an occupational therapy practitioner, contact                           What is the Role of the
       1therapy practitioners?                                                   your local college/university occupational therapy 
                                                                                 programs, state occupational therapy associations (https://
       School-based occupational therapy practitioners are                       www.aota.org/Advocacy-Policy/State-Policy/State-OT-                                     School-Based 
       occupational therapists (OTs) and occupational ther-                      Associations.aspx), or state licensure board. Consider 
       apy assistants (OTAs) who use meaningful activities                       posting the position on AOTA’s OTJobLink at http://www.                      Occupational Therapy 
       (occupations) to help children and youth participate in                   otjoblink.org/.
       what they need and/or want to do in order to promote                                                                                                              Practitioner?
       physical and mental health and well-being. Occupational                         What are effective retention strategies 
       therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial                  8for occupational therapy practitioners?
       and sensory components of performance. In schools, 
       occupational therapy practitioners focus on academics,                    Some recruitment and retention strategies include offering 
       play and leisure, social participation, self-care skills                  professional development, mentoring opportunities, regular 
       (ADLs or Activities of Daily Living), and transition/                     feedback on job performance, streamlined paperwork 
       work skills. Occupational therapy’s expertise includes                    and time during the day for its completion, management 
       activity and environmental analysis and modification                      support for practitioners and service delivery, electronic 
       with a goal of reducing the barriers to participation.                    support for documentation and communication, teaming, 
                                                                                 and leadership opportunities. Refer to resources of the 
                                                                                 National Coalition on Personnel Shortages in Special 
                                                                                 Education & Related Services at www.specialedshortages.
                                                                                 org. You may start a dialogue about workload issues with 
                                                                                 your staff by linking to the AOTA document “Transforming 
                                                                                 Caseload to Workload” at http://www.aota.org/Practice/
                                                                                 Children-Youth/Caseload-Workload.aspx
                                                                                      Where do I go to learn more? 
                                                                                9
                                                                                      To learn more about occupational therapy please visit 
                                                                                 our Web site at www.aota.org. The American Occupational 
                                                                                 Therapy Association (AOTA) is the professional society of 
                                                                                 occupational therapy, representing the interests of more 
                                                                                 than 140,000 occupational therapists, occupational therapy 
                                                                                 assistants, and students working in practice, science,  
                                                                                 education, and research. 
                                                                                                                                                                   Questions & Answers for
                                                                                                      www.aota.org                                             School Administrators
                                                                                           Developed by the AOTA Workgroup of Leaders  
                                                                                              in State Departments of Education 2017
                                                                                      © The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.
                                                                                                                                                                       How are occupational therapy  
                                                                                                                                                                3services funded?
                                                                                                                                                                 Depending upon the purpose of the service, federal, state, 
                                                                                                                                                                 and local funds are all sources for funding occupational 
                                                                                                                                                                 therapy in public schools. In states that have pursued 
                                                                                                                                                                 agreements with federal Medicaid programs, billing for the 
                                                                                                                                                                 portion of occupational therapy services that is provided 
                 What services do occupational                                      they occur at the location and time that the student is                      directly to the child on their IEP yields an additional source 
          2therapy practitioners provide in                                         experiencing challenges. Services are designed to support                    of funds.  
                     schools?                                                       progress on the student’s IEP.
                                                                                  
           Occupational therapy practitioners provide a continuum                   Students who are not eligible for special education may                             What is the difference between  
           of service and support to students and personnel under                   receive occupational therapy services under a Section                       4an occupational therapist and  
           the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA),                  504 plan. Services are designed to ensure students have                            occupational therapy assistant?
           the reauthorization of ESEA, most recently enacted as                    equal access to all aspects of the school day and support 
           The Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA), and Section 504                   student participation and success in general education.                      n   Occupational  therapists are autonomous practitioners, 
           of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973, including:                                                                                                            and are responsible for all aspects of occupational ther-
                                                                                 n  Training and resources for school personnel and                                 apy service delivery including the safety and effective-
           n   Services for struggling learners in general                          families:                                                                       ness of the service. 
              education:                                                            Practitioners can provide training in typical and atypical                   n  O  ccupational therapy assistants must receive supervi-
              Practitioners can contribute in an early intervening,                 child development and the impact of physical and mental                         sion from an occupational therapist to deliver occupa-
              multi-tiered approach (i.e., Response to Intervention)                health on learning and participation at school. Training of                     tional therapy services. Occupational therapy assistants 
              within general education. Occupational therapists                     school personnel in lifts and transfers can ensure student                      deliver services under the supervision of, and in partner-
              can assist with periodic screenings/probes (including                 safety and prevent staff back injuries. Occupational ther-                      ship with, occupational therapists. 
              both data collection and analysis), provide teacher                   apy practitioners can contribute to universal design for 
              training, model activities to whole classrooms or                     learning (UDL), support the use of assistive technology, 
              small groups, and assist with team problem solving.                   and provide information on positive behavior interven-                               How will I determine what is appropriate 
                                                                                    tions and supports (PBIS) including bullying prevention.                    5compensation for occupational therapy 
           n  Services for individual students in special                        n  Participating on collaborative teams:                                             practitioners’ services?
              education:                                                            As members of IEP teams, technical assistance teams, 
              Evaluation services assist the Individualized                         problem-solving teams, and curriculum committees,                            Some resources for review include other school districts, 
              Education Program (IEP) team with identifying                         practitioners bring their unique skills to aid students in                   local health care facilities, the AOTA Workforce and  
              the presence of a disability and whether there is an                  accessing learning opportunities. They support student                       Compensation Report, and Bureau of Labor statistics. 
              educational need for occupational therapy services.                   participation in school routines while promoting inde-
              Occupational therapy intervention is provided                         pendence. 
              directly “to the child, or on behalf of the child, and                                                                                                   How can I verify that the occupational 
              [as]...program modifications or supports for school                n  Partnering with districts:                                                  6therapist and occupational therapy 
              personnel” (IDEA, 20 USC, Section 1414 (d)(1)(A)                      Occupational therapy practitioners focus on helping                               assistant are appropriately licensed/ 
              IV). This may include adapting the environment,                       students achieve their academic and behavior outcomes                             credentialed? 
              modifying curriculum, supporting  accommodations,                     which in turn improve school districts’ ability to meet 
              ensuring access and participation in school activities                                                                                             Practitioners complete an accredited occupational therapy 
              and educational programs, and assisting in prepa-                     state and national achievement standards (i.e., Common                       program, supervised fieldwork, and a national certification 
              ration for transition post-graduation. Services take                  Core State Standards). Practitioners can help students                       examination. These form the basis for state credentialing 
              place in natural school settings during the routines                  prepare for future employment and life skills needed for                     (usually licensure) of practitioners. You can request a copy 
              of the school day, and are most beneficial when                       community integration.                                                       of their current license and/or certification credentials. 
                                                                                                                                                                                                                     continued