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PEJE Diverse Learners CoP:
Integrating Occupational
Therapy Services into a Day
School Setting
Facilitator: Donna Lupatkin
Guests: Sue Schweber, Ilene Greenwald, Marcie Lipsey
Gateways: Access to Jewish Education
Boston, MA
Date: January 14, 2008
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Agenda
• Welcome and Introductions
• Today’s Goals
• Warm-up Discussion
• Role of Occupational Therapist
• Background on Sensory Integration
• Suggested Two-year Implementation Process
• Next Steps
Introductions
Three guests are from The Day School Program of Gateways:
Access to Jewish Education, which
– enables children with special educational needs to attend
and succeed in a day school environment.
– provides on-site special education services that are
beyond what the students’ day schools offer
– provides in-class and out of class assistance from our
team members including: speech-language pathologists,
occupational therapists, physical therapists, reading and
learning specialists, and inclusion aides
– assists teachers with curriculum modifications and provide
teachers with professional development, including weekly
coaching
Meet Our Guests
Sue Schweber is the Gateways Day School Program
Director. She is a certified and licensed speechlanguage pathologist. She received her B.A. from the
University of Massachusetts, her M.S. in SpeechLanguage Pathology from Boston University, and her
Certificate of Graduate Studies in Language Learning
Disabilities from Emerson College. Her 30 years of
experience have included working with preschool
through adolescent age children in a variety of settings,
consulting to teachers and parents, writing grants, and
developing programs.
Ilene Greenwald is a registered and licensed
occupational therapist who received both her B.S. in
Occupational Therapy and her certificate of
Advanced Professional Studies in Occupational
Therapy from Tufts University. She has 18 years of
experience working with preschoolers to adults in a
variety of settings including private and public
schools, rehabilitation hospitals, and pediatric clinics.
Marcie Lipsey is a registered and licensed
occupational therapist who received her M.S. in
Occupational Therapy from Tufts University, and a
B.S. and M.Ed. in Deaf Education from Boston
University. For the past 10 years, Marcie has worked
in a variety of settings including skilled nursing, early
intervention programs and schools. Marcie is a
certified early intervention specialist. She is also
certified by Sensory Integration International to
administer and interpret the Sensory Integration and
Praxis Test (SIPT).
Today’s Goals
Participants will understand:
• The OT’s Role
• Sensory Integration
• A Two-year Implementation Approach
• Plan to Continue the Conversation
Warm-up Discussion
Do you have OT services at your school? What are the benefits of having a specialized
service, such as occupational therapy, take place at the day school?
•
MJSD- None on staff- but do have outside people to come in and work with students on
site
• Beth Tfiloh - Has a private OT who comes in to meet with the students 2 times per week
Do they come into the classroom or do pull out? MJDS- contracted by family, not by school.
School provides the space. But school has arranged for someone to come in and service
faculty, esp. kindergarten.
• Hebrew Academy – Same as above
• Hebrew Foundation School in Dollard Des Ormeaux, Quebec- 2 forms of support. 1 OT
who comes in and does screenings and acts as a consultant for the teachers. Also has a
private OT who comes in and works with the students – parents pay for this.
Desert Torah Academy in Las Vegas- Is there funding or does the school pay for that? How
expensive is the therapy?
– MJDS, Beth Tfiloh & Hebrew Academy- Parent’s expense
– Hebrew Foundation School in Dollard Des Ormeaux - School pays for services but
private OT is a parent’s expense.
– Rochester, NY - Through local school district. MJDS can get funding through local
school district, but this does not cover on site service
– In NY state- OTs need to come on site due to a law suite.
Role of Occupational
Therapist
What is Occupational Therapy?
The occupational therapist (OT) helps
children successfully fulfill their role as
students by facilitating their participation in
academic and nonacademic areas including:
– Math, reading, writing
– Self help
– Social skills,
– Recess, sports
Signs That a Child
Needs OT
Difficulty learning a new motor skill
Poor organization and sequencing
Poor writing
Under or over reaction to touch or
movement
Poor eye-hand coordination
OTs and Teachers Collaborate
Goals:
– to plan modifications or accommodations
relevant to instructional activities
– to help facilitate the student’s full participation
in activities.
Benefits of Collaboration
and In-class Work
• Provide the child with increased and
authentic opportunities for practice
• Enable the teacher to see what the
therapist does
• Enable the therapist to see what strategies
will be feasible in the classroom
• Allow the teacher and therapist to work
together to pick priorities and address
problems
Sensory Integration:
Critical to Classroom
Performance
Definition of Sensory Integration
• The ability to take in, sort out, and connect information
from the world around us.
• Is developed and/or enhanced by sensory experiences
(including the hidden senses).
Sensory Integration: Affects
Classroom Performance
Sensory Integration:
Visual Perception
OT Strategies in the Classroom
Successful strategies for the classroom
must:
– Be sustainable over time by the teacher
– Be feasible in the classroom
– Have a positive influence on all learners
– Fit within the framework of the teacher’s
beliefs about effective practices.
The Sensory Diet
• Sensory strategies benefit the entire
classroom
- All children need movement breaks.
- Many children benefit from hand or mouth
fidgets.
- Some children need a more individualized
sensory diet tailored to their needs.
Questions for Guests
Skipped due to time restraint.
Discussion
• Have you implemented a sensory diet at your school?
• Are there activities that you would not allow? (Example: gum chewing)
• Should you change the rules?
MJDS- allow children to chew gum. Some suck on hard candy. One child wears
a bracelet that he can pull on because he has a need to pull on clothing.
Created a “menu” of things the children can do during their sensory break
can choose 2 activities, such as lifting weights, doing push ups- tailored the
ideas to other students but other can choose. If it is noticed that a child
needs a break, the teacher will had the student the chart and they know
what it means and have some time to go out and do the activities. Some
faculty had issues with these ideas (gum chewing, etc.). But, they took the
suggestion from the OT professionals. Give 2 weeks to see improvement.
(or novelty wears off if student does not really need it) Some teachers are
trying the therapy balls. Some are working with the whole heartedly, while
others are having difficulty adapting to this. Some don’t do this as it can
affect some teaching styles, but others are able to use this. Clear guidelines
for how to use the balls.
SSDS of Illinois- Cushions to sit on for movement while at desk. Wheelbarrow
walking. Therabands under desks so students can push against the tension
(can use bungee cords)
Suggested Two-year
Implementation Process
Starting Points
• Ensure support from administration
• Identify an interested teacher or small
group of teachers
• Focus on students receiving therapy
• Carve out meeting time
• Plan for teacher coaching or training
Year One
(May involve bridging to outside source)
•
Hold meetings to build collaboration
– Schedule additional meeting and communication
system
– Limit choice of strategies (1-2)
– Model/demonstrate strategies
– Follow-up
•
Evaluate the success at the end of the year
– Determine model for next year
– Teacher/student focus
Year Two
• If possible, bring therapist to your school
to deliver service
• Expand to other teachers and students
• Add in-class program or services delivered
in the classroom
Implementation
Questions for Guests
Has anyone hired a therapist as a consultant to
come to the schools?
– Gateways started so they could come in to treat and
work with teachers.
– Comes to give in service work for teachers- also does
screening. Parent is an OT and does this as
volunteering.
– SSDS- Does have someone who comes in. Also has
a partnership with public school system.
* Remember to continue relationship with OT and
teacher. Need 2-3 weeks for the strategy to be in
place.
Benefits
• Individual student success
• Improved performance for entire class
• Support for differentiation
• Strategies incorporated into teacher’s best
practices
Potential Challenges
• Scheduling
– Student services
– Meetings
• Maintaining strategies in a classroom once
the “focus” child has moved to the next
grade
Discussion
What other challenges might you envision?
• SSDS- Who does the scheduling?
Some may have an OT on site. Or, it may be an
administrator or special needs coordinator
• From Rochester- Do you see things improve as
they move onto the next teacher? How to
continue throughout schooling.
Certain strategies will benefit the child. Strategies that
are needed year to year. As they grow and develop
they take the strategies away. As a child develops and
becomes more self aware, they may develop own
ideas. Encourage the independence of this.
Next Steps
Using the
Accompanying Resources
• Recommended uses
• Your ideas about how to share with others
Skipped due to time restraint.
Contact our Guests
• Sue Schweber
[email protected]
• Ilene Greenwald
[email protected]
• Marcie Lipsey
[email protected]
Discuss Online
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Future Conference Calls
• February 11, 2008- Positive Behavioral Supports- Dr.
Rona Novick from Hidden Sparks
• March 17, 2008- Second Language DevelopmentTeaching Hebrew to the Diverse Learner-Measures and
Evaluation-Dr. Scott Goldberg from Yeshiva University
• May 5, 2008-TBA
• June –date and topic TBA
Note: All of the calls will be on a Monday at 4:00 EST
We thank Hidden Sparks
for their generous support of our CoP
Stay tuned for information about the
PEJE Assembly, Boston, April 6-8, 2008
(Hope to see you there!)