The Occupational Therapy Student Guide: Thriving in Inclusive School Practices and Beyond

Occupational therapy (OT) plays a crucial role in empowering individuals to participate fully in daily life activities. This guide is designed to provide occupational therapy students with essential information and resources for success, particularly within inclusive school settings, and also in navigating the broader professional landscape.

Occupational Therapy in Inclusive Schools: A Vital Role

A skilled occupational therapist is invaluable in an inclusive school environment. OTs are at the forefront, making critical decisions every day to help students access the curriculum and participate fully. "The Occupational Therapist's Handbook for Inclusive School Practices" is an excellent resource, defining technical terms, policies, and acronyms related to Special Education, detailing the vast role that OTs play within the educational setting, and sharing specific strategies, accommodations/modifications, and services occupational therapy practitioners can provide to support students' needs and educational progress in the Least Restrictive Environment. This handbook is a perfect resource for new practitioners and fieldwork students, as well as a practical refresher for those who are veterans. The combination of facts and creative ideas makes this a refreshing read for anyone looking to boost their effectiveness as a school-based OT practitioner. Veteran OTs will find it invaluable for ensuring that supports are delivered in the least restrictive environment.

Key Areas of Support in Schools

OTs help students develop new skills in key areas, including:

Motor Skills: Improving fine motor skills for writing, cutting, and manipulating objects, as well as gross motor skills for movement and coordination.
Mobility: Assisting students with mobility challenges to navigate the school environment safely and efficiently.
Academic Achievement: Supporting students in developing skills necessary for academic success, such as organization, attention, and task completion.
Social Skills and Friendships: Facilitating social interaction and helping students build meaningful relationships with their peers.

The OT's Handbook for Inclusive School Practices

The "Occupational Therapist's Handbook for Inclusive School Practices" has transformed the way I think about my school-based practice. As a school-based occupational therapist, I appreciated the fact that this book addresses the issue of caseload versus workload and advocates for a shift in mindset so OTs can support students and their teachers along a true continuum of services. Occupational therapy practitioners have such powerful tools and strategies to offer students, teachers, and educational staff, and we need to be integrated into the bigger picture. This is a comprehensive and informative resource for all occupational therapists who work in the school system. With a focus on inclusive practices, this book includes chapters on special education, collaboration, and the use of social, environmental and academic supports. It provides detailed strategies that foster inclusive practices and collaborative relationships.

Understanding Occupational Therapy: Core Principles

Occupational therapists focus on helping individuals participate in the activities that are meaningful to them. They ask, “What matters to you?” when building a treatment plan, rather than “What’s the matter with you?” They work with people across their lifespan to help them participate in daily activities and learn new ways of doing things. Occupational therapy services typically include an individualized evaluation to determine the person’s goals, a customized intervention on how to improve the person’s ability to reach their goals, and a goal evaluation to ensure the goal is met or to make changes to the intervention plan.

Read also: OHS Internship Requirements

Defining "Occupation"

An occupation is a meaningful life activity that changes over your lifetime. Children’s occupations may include play, or developing important skills like writing, brushing their teeth, tying their shoes, or being a student. As an adult your occupation can include many roles including parent, spouse, friend, cook, musician, athlete, artist, photographer, homemaker, or businessperson. An occupational therapist incorporates your occupation into the rehabilitation process and tailors the therapy to meet your goals designed around what you need and want to do.

OT vs. PT: Understanding the Difference

Both occupational and physical therapy help people regain skills, improve their independence, and modify their environment to improve their daily lives. However, there are many differences. In general, a physical therapist (PT) works on treating the body to improve mobility, balance, and strength. For example, a physical therapist might help you learn how to use a walker after a hip replacement and guide you through exercises to strengthen your new hip joint and legs. In contrast, an occupational therapist helps you learn how to use materials or equipment that make life easier. After that hip replacement, they might be the one teaching you how to get dressed without bending by using dressing aids. There can be some overlap between physical and occupational therapists, especially in pediatric environments, but each are unique fields.

The Breadth of OT Practice: A Lifespan Approach

Occupational therapists work with people across their lifespans, including infants, toddler, children, teens, adults, and seniors. They can help children meet developmental milestones, adults regain independence after an accident, and seniors relearn life skills as they age.

Settings Where OTs Work

Occupational therapists work in a variety of settings, including:

Hospitals
Schools
Rehabilitation centers
Nursing homes
Home health agencies
Private practices
Community centers
Mental health facilities

Common OT Interventions and Tools

What you do during occupational therapy will depend on your individual goals. For example, if you want to dress independently you might spend time learning how to use dressing aids and work on improving your hand dexterity. Or if you want to bathe independently, an occupational therapist might help you find adaptive equipment like a shower chair, grab bars, or long handled bath sponges and help teach you how to transfer from a wheelchair to the shower chair and how to use each tool. If you want to return to cooking, an occupational therapist might help you with hand strengthening exercises, energy conservation techniques like sitting on a stool instead of standing, and tools like one handed can openers, kitchen workstations, and more! The best way to find out what your occupational therapy would involve is to set up an appointment with an occupational therapist for an evaluation. Occupational therapists use a variety of tools during therapy. You might use some of these same tools at home to continue living independently. Bathing aids help keep you safe during your bath or shower. An occupational therapist can help teach you the proper way to transfer to a bath bench or shower chair safely so you can sit and use less strength while bathing.

Navigating Licensure and Professional Development

As students approach graduation, it is important to understand ahead of time the licensure process and how to avoid delays in order to focus studying for the NBCOT® exam after graduation. For individuals curious about obtaining another license in another state for situations such as travel therapy, this article provides resources and tips on what to be cognizant about in your OT journey.

Understanding the Licensure Process

Know your state’s licensure application process. Learn about the steps involved in becoming licensed in your state. AOTA compiled a contact list of all the State OT Regulatory Authority for those who need assistance with licensure and other state-specific requirements.
Utilize AOTA Resources: While many states have various protocols and requirements to obtain licensure, AOTA offers resources for students and new grads to learn the licensure steps to OT as well as how to maintain your OT license. Print out an Occupational Therapy Initial Licensure Application Checklist to keep track of core requirements to obtain your license.
Take time to organize your OT license application/renewal plan. While this article provides resources to begin and refresh the licensure process, it is not customized to every state or every individual. Identify the files required to complete your state licensure. Make a note of when the file(s) were submitted to monitor the processing time. Research and verify with your state licensure board if your continuing education (CE) hours are prorated for the first renewal cycle. Depending on when you obtain your license, it may not be considered a full-year cycle. In some states, licensees renewing for the first time don’t require you to complete any CEs. What is your action plan and timeline for preparing to take the NBCOT exam? How will you track and organize your ongoing licensure requirements? What types of continuing education do you think you will pursue, and how will you select courses?

Staying Connected and Informed

Stay involved in your state association. It’s important to stay informed of your state’s regulations so as to increase occupational therapy’s influence on state policy and to network with fellow practitioners to broaden your occupational lens.
Maintain your AOTA membership. Benefits of keeping an AOTA membership post-grad is maintaining access to practice resources, supporting national legislation, and networking on a national scale. Maintaining a state and national membership elevates our voice with professional issues such as our role in mental health, the potential for OTPs to be permanent Medicare telehealth providers, and the enactment of the OT Compact.
Stay up to date with the OT compact. The OT compact is a joint initiative of AOTA and NBCOT. If your state is a member of the OT Compact, you will be able to practice in other participating states via “compact privilege” without needing additional licenses. One of the many benefits is that if you have multiple state licenses, you only have to complete the CEUs for your home state. The live OT Compact Map shows which states have active legislation to pass this pact and which states are already compact members. Learn more about the OT Compact.

Important Reminders

Be aware of licensure scams. In the past few years, there have been scamming reports of individuals pretending to be licensure review board staff or members of law enforcement demanding money from practitioners to drop an alleged investigation. This article discusses red flags to identify to avoid being scammed.
Research the appropriate abbreviations for credentials in your state (e.g. OTR, OTR/L, COTA, COTA/L). The OTR and COTA credentials are trademarks of NBCOT, available only to those who maintain their certification, while the “L” indicates licensure.

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