Occupational Therapy Research Paper

I. Introduction

School-based occupational therapy practitioners seek to improve the function of students in the educational environment by facilitating educational goals and social participation through the promotion of increased independence in all the routines of students. Occupational therapy practitioners have an underutilized skill set within the school-based setting due to the limited understanding of the profession and limitations of Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) as a related service. In many cases, occupational therapy (OT) practitioners are utilized to remediate handwriting and regulate the sensory system of students with an Individualized Educational Plan (IEP) when health promotion, ergonomics, grading motor

learning, and play promotion are also within the scope of practice for occupational therapy practitioners.
This study generally seeks to identify how occupational therapy practitioners are utilized in the school-based setting.

There are also some questions that might be answered by this study including what are the areas wherein utilization of skills of the OT practitioners lacks and how satisfied the practitioners are once in school-based setting.

Background of the Topic

In 1975, thousands of occupational therapy practitioners were hired by local schools due to the Educational for all Handicapped Children Act (94-11), to allow disabled children to participate in the school environment. Since then, other legislation, including Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA), have further defined the role of occupational therapy as a non-qualifying, related service.

Public schools play an important role in the profession of occupational therapy. Public schools are the second largest employers of occupational therapy

practitioners.
Occupational therapy practitioners play of great role in school-based setting that’s why every school environment must not underutilize or underestimate the ability of these practitioners to provide great help. With the help of these professionals, the occupational performance of those students having special needs will definitely be maximized. In fact, there are numbers of pieces of evidence that would support the effectiveness of occupational therapy in the school environment. Students having numbers of special needs would benefit from the intervention of these OT practitioners in terms of assisting them with school performances.
There should also be collaborative consultation between the OT practitioners and the teacher which is considered to be important to the effectiveness of the intervention. It is also important to consider early interventions as for the reason of minimizing the secondary behavioral, physical, psychiatric and emotional problems, which could result from students that are experiencing challenges in terms of their daily occupations. Therefore, occupational therapy interventions in the school environment would assists with regards to reducing the future costs into the healthcare system.
It was also discovered that occupational therapists would play of great role in terms of reframing the views of the parents as well as the teachers concerning with the discrepancies between the performance of the student as well as the expectations held for them. [Niehues et al. (1991) ]
For Dunn (1990), there will be greater interaction between the therapist and the teacher leading to enhanced effectiveness of the occupational therapy. And there are numbers of things that should be considered and so the fact that these OT practitioners are of great factors in a successful education team.

Problem Statement
Though there continue to be studies and papers written on the effectiveness of occupational therapy, the profession is still widely misunderstood among the general public. Differentiating and promoting occupational therapy is a weakness of the profession as there are many uses of the term occupation. This capstone project will seek to analyze and examine the role of occupational therapy in the school-based setting. This study seeks to answer the following questions:
• How are occupational therapy practitioners used in the school-based setting?
• What are the limitations to the utilization of occupational therapy practitioners in the school-based setting?
• How do occupational therapy practitioners desire to be utilized in the school-based setting?
• Are occupational therapy practitioners satisfied in their role?
Professional Significance of the Work
As an occupational therapy assistant student, I desire to work within the school-based setting to help maintain work-life balance. As a student, the many limitations of the occupational therapy practitioners in school-based setting are discussed in the classroom, including: low funding, large caseload, and regulations. As a student, I chose to investigate further this topic so that I may make an informed decision about my future career as an occupational therapy assistant.
Overview of Methodology
A qualitative study will be used to gather the information for the study. Data will be collected through interviews of occupational therapy practitioners in the school-based setting in multiple districts across the United States. A one-on-one interview will be conducted with questions pertaining to job satisfaction, challenges and roles in the school-based setting. A survey will also be completed by school-based therapists through survey monkey with closed and open-ended question to gain further qualitative information.
Delimitations
This study does not seek to interview students, families, or other staff members due to time constraints. A quantitative study was also not attempted due to the time it would take to get the necessary number for feedback. The surveys used in the study are not to be a representative sample of the population, but as further data and information for recommendations.
Definition of Terms
OT practitioner: Occupational therapist (OT) or occupational therapy assistant (OTA)
IEP: Individualized Educational Plan for students qualifying as having a disability that impedes their educational participation.

IDEA: Individuals with Disabilities Educational Act, law protecting students with disabilities, ensuring that they receive a free, appropriate public education

Summary

Occupational therapy practitioners play an important role in the school life of a student with a recognized disability. OT practitioners are responsible for remediating and accommodating skills that will lead to greater function in the classroom. This study will evaluate the role of the occupational therapy practitioner, the common disabilities, satisfaction of the OT practitioner and challenges in the school-based setting.

With almost number of things that occupational therapy and its practitioners to offer it is indeed important that these professionals should not be underutilized in a certain school environment. With things or benefits that they could offer to the children of a certain school-based setting the importance of these professionals is beyond their profession. This study would show readers the benefits of OT practitioners therefore realizing their importance in the school

setting.