Occupational Therapy Practice in School Systems:

Abstract

The passage of PL 94-142 created a need to focus on the roles of occupational therapists in school system practice. This survey was designed to identify the current state of practice of school system occupational therapists in the Northwest region of the United States. Questionnaires were mailed to 355 occupational therapists with 80.8% of the therapists responding. Survey questions focused on demographic information, job descriptions, frames of reference used in practice and problems encountered. Approximately 60 percent of the therapists did not feel adequately prepared for school system practice, although this percentage was decreased to 39 percent among those therapists who had taken a Fieldwork II placement in a school setting. Eighty-four percent described their jobs as itinerant. The mean number of hours therapists worked per week was 29.1 hours. The largest amount of time was spent in direct service, followed by monitoring and consultation. Major problems identified included large case loads, little time for treatment planning and documentation, and inadequate facilities. Strategies for preparing occupational therapy students for school system practice and for dealing with service delivery problems are discussed.