OT Advocacy

UNITED STATES SCHOOL-BASED OTs and PTs LOOKING FOR CHANGE

In most states in the US, Occupational & Physical Therapy practitioners are often not included under the umbrella of “teachers”, along with speech therapists, social workers, guidance counselors, and psychologists.

This is due to VERY OLD state legislation that was put in place WAY before OTs started participating in Common Core, RTI, etc. Way before 20% of OT practitioners were employed in schools.

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Go to our Action Page and learn about easy steps you can take to promote school-based Occupational Therapy Practitioners & Physical Therapy Practitioners in NY or Your State!

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This limits in many ways.

In some states, it prevents us from being permitted to advance our careers to administrative positions.

There is a shortage of qualified leaders in the Special Education field, yet there is a whole category of educated professionals who are not able to step up into administrative roles.

Occupational & physical therapy practitioners, not being under the umbrella of teachers, are often not observed and supervised like teachers are. We are not held to the same standards as teachers. Often, we are not included in team meetings, faculty meetings, and professional development sessions.

Social workers address the social-emotional and behavioral needs of students that impact a child’s ability to access the curriculum.

School psychologists address social-emotional needs, coping strategies, and other areas that impact a child’s ability to succeed in the classroom.

Speech-language therapists address expressive and receptive language deficits that impact a child’s ability to learn.

Occupational Therapy practitioners address impaired physical functioning which hampers the ability to perform daily life tasks, psychosocial problems which impede the ability to function in daily life, special needs which require modification of the physical environment and/or use of specialized equipment and technologies. Activities emphasize independence in daily living skills and school participation in various settings including classroom, bathroom, cafeteria, and playground.

Physical therapists address deficits in body structure and function, suggesting adaptations to physical tasks, recommending assistive devices, and adapting the environment. Activities emphasize independence in mobility and school participation in various settings including classroom, bathroom, cafeteria, and playground.

We all have similar job functions within the school setting.

We all address educational goals on student’s Individualized Education Programs to help them access their curriculum.

We should have equal supervision, professional development, retirement, benefits, and the ability to advance to leadership or administrative roles.

BUT WE DON’T.

The umbrella of Pupil Personnel should include Occupational Therapists in state education departments. But it doesn’t. This archaic legislation limits us greatly.

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Would you like to learn more? Check out this podcast on OT SCHOOLHOUSE – it explains everything!

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Interested in a webinar?

$39.99

On-demand Changing the Face of School OT in NY Webinar, including 0.45 NYSOTA CEUs.

The on-demand webinar includes a downloadable file containing a link to the video replay, and a link to the learning assessment (must score 80% or higher for CEUs).

Your download expires in 14 days, and you may download it to personal or work devices 3 times only.

What will I learn?

Summarize how the structure of most State Education Departments impacts equity for School-based Occupational Therapy Practitioners (SBOTPs)
List 3 unique opportunities for SBOTPs to showcase leadership
Apply concepts of advocacy for SBOT leadership at the local and state level.

When & how will I take the course?

The replay will be available for one year.
You’ll download a file once you purchase this product. It will contain links to the video replay and the course assessment.
You must complete the course post-test within a year of purchase.

Who is the speaker?

Jaime Spencer

Jaime Spencer is the creator and author of MissJaimeOT.com. She has a Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy from Utica College and a Master’s Degree in Special Education from Adelphi University. She is certified in Assistive Technology at California State University Northridge. She has been a school-based Occupational Therapy practitioner for twenty-two years and currently works in a public school setting with students from Kindergarten to 5th grade. Jaime is a passionate school-based occupational therapy advocate. She’s an adjunct research mentor for Touro College School of Health Sciences and is currently working on research regarding the perceptions of school administrators about occupational therapy practitioners as leaders in New York.