OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

FOR CHILDREN WITH PSYCHOSOCIAL DEFICITS

Under IDEA, occupational therapy (OT) is a required service for infants, pre-schoolers, and school-aged children who meet the eligibility requirements established in their state. OT services benefit children and adolescents with physical or cognitive deficits as well as those with psychological deficits. As children and adolescents engage in their occupations of play, learning, and self-help, environmental demands affect their social skills.

Under IDEA, occupational therapy practitioners provide specific services for children with psychosocial deficits, their families, and educational staff. These activities may include:

• Screening for social skills and abilities
• Comprehensive evaluation of adaptive functioning and psychosocial skills
• Providing interventions with children (individually or group) to promote social skills with peers and adults
• Adapting the environment to assist the development of appropriate play and social behaviors
• Consulting with parents or educational staff to promote social skills within home, school or community environments
• Coordinating interagency efforts for the child and/or family
• Providing support for families and educational staff to encourage positive interactions with the child

Occupational therapist (OT) and certified occupational therapy assistants (COTA) provide services for children as determined by the multidisciplinary team and based on the family outcomes in the individualized family service plan (IFSP) or the child's goals in the individualized education program (IEP). These needs may relate to:

• Family concerns
• Specific child behaviors
• Environmental adaptations
• Instruction-related issues
• Curriculum-related needs

Working in the home, education, or other setting, occupational therapy practitioners provide services to children with mental health diagnoses, which may include:

• Affective disorders
• Anxiety disorders
• Attention disorders
• Autism
• Post-traumatic stress disorders
• Psychotic disorders
• Sensory regulatory disorders
• Substance-related disorders

Typical areas that might be identified as dysfunctional and may require intervention by occupational therapy practitioners may include:

• Peer and adult relationships
• Attention to task behaviors
• Ability to delay gratification
• Expressing feelings to others in appropriate manner
• Selecting and engaging in leisure activities appropriately with peers
• Compliance with school rules
• Self-regulation (appropriate for age)

Occupational therapy education includes the study of human growth and development with special emphasis on the social, emotional and psychological implications of illness and injury.

Occupational therapists hold a bachelor's, master's or doctorate degree. Certified occupational therapy assistants earn an associate degree. All occupational therapy practitioners must complete supervised clinical fieldwork in a variety of health and educational settings and must pass a national certification examination. In addition, most states have regulatory laws that cover occupational therapy practice.

Developed by the AOTA School System Special Interest Section, 1997

Copyright 2000 American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. All Rights Reserved. This page may be reproduced and distributed without prior written consent.

Last Update: 3/24/00