Occupational therapists (OTs),
physical therapists (PTs), and speech-language pathologists (SLPs) are related
services personnel and are considered Specialized Instructional Support
Personnel (ESSA, 2015). They are important members of the school culture and
community who provide support to students and staff based on their knowledge of
human development, disability, and disease processes. They are trained in
evidence-based interventions, High Leverage Practices (McLeskey et al., 2019),
accommodations, and modifications to promote participation in the least
restrictive environment. OTs, PTs, and SLPs are a critical resource for
supporting all students when educationally relevant and necessary for a free
and appropriate public education, but what does this really mean and how do
they relate? Join us as we discuss strategies to ignite the role of these key
personnel and bring coherence to special education and related services. This
session is presented by Amy Goddard, Charity Avery, and Tabitha Riendeau.
Content is relevant for occupational therapists, physical therapists,
speech-language pathologists, teachers, school psychology specialists,
administrators, and other stakeholders. To maximize learning benefit, it’s best
to bring a team! Training requires 10 registrants, otherwise, it will be
canceled.
Objectives: Understand the purpose of related services, apply practices to align related services as part of specially designed instruction, identify components of an OT, PT and SLP evaluation in the school setting.