Ask OTIS - Index
The following articles originally appeared in the Ask OTIS column of the Washington Occupational Therapy Association Newsletter. Ask OTIS was created in 2005 by the OTIS co-chairs as a way to respond to member questions regarding occupational therapy services in school-based practice settings. (Click on the underlined link below to go to the response.)
Ask OTIS: Handwriting and Literacy (August, 2008) Vol. 67 No. 4 p. 6
Q: My district has asked me to serve on the literacy committee. We are looking at printing curriculum and materials and they have asked my input from an Occupational Therapy perspective. What kind of information is out there? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Workload vs. Caseload (June, 2008) Vol. 67 No 3 p. 6-7
Q: I keep hearing about a “workload approach” vs. “caseload” when determining services. What does this mean? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Selecting Assessments for OT Evaluation under IDEA (April, 2008) Vol. 67 No 2 p 6-7
Q: [temporarily unavailable]
Ask OTIS: Assistive Technology and Occupational Therapy (February 2008) Vol. 67 No. 1 p. 6-7
Q: My district is interested in providing more comprehensive assistive technology services and is asking for volunteers to participate in the planning process. Should OT be represented on the planning committee and what suggestions do you have for getting an assistive technology team started? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) v. Related Services (December, 2007)
Q: We have been writing OT goals and listing OT on the IEP as Specially Designed Instruction (SDI) for the past several years. However, I understand that we should really be Related Services (RS). What is the difference between SDI and RS, when is it appropriate to categorize our services as SDI vs. RS and what are some strategies for making changes? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Dysgraphia (October, 2007)
Q: We have recently had several students referred to the multidisiplinary team for an occupational therapy evaluation, due to the diagnosis of “dysgraphia”. What is dysgraphia and when is it appropriate for the OT to provide services? Also, what are some suggestions for accommodations or modifications that I could share with teachers? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Addressing Caseload Concerns (August, 2007)
Q: How can I collaborate with my administrator to define the amount of occupational therapy time in our district based on caseload numbers? Should I pursue a caseload cap in our contract through our union? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: (June, 2007)
Q: [temporarily unavailable]
Ask OTIS: Educating our Educational Leaders (April, 2007)
Q: Do you have any strategies on how I can educate my special education
administrator on the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework?
A: Providing special education leaders an overview of the OTPF’s origin and
purpose is an important first step in incorporating the OTPF into practice. The
following handout can be used to help educate your administrator(s). [Link to
OTIS Fact Sheet.]
Ask OTIS: Supervision of Occupational Therapy Assistants (December, 2006)
Q: I am a COTA in a school district. The OT I worked with last year has moved and we are starting this year without an OT on staff. The special education director is working on the hiring of an OT but wants me to serve students in the mean time. We also have some IEPs coming up very soon and the special education director would like me to write the goals and objectives if the IEPs are due before an OTR gets hired. How much can I legally do to provide occupational therapy services to students without an OT supervisor? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: OT Evaluation and Eligibility under IDEA (October, 2006)
Q: I recently evaluated a 7 year old student who scored 1.5 standard deviations below the mean on the new Bruininks Test (BOT-2). The school psychologist I work with says that I can’t qualify the student for OT if he scores less than 2.0 standard deviations below the mean but he is having difficulty in class and on the playground and I think he would benefit from OT services. Could you clarify how to determine whether the child is appropriate for OT services? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Implementing the 3:1 Service Delivery Model (August, 2006)
Q: Managing my caseload is getting increasingly difficult. I’ve heard that the 3:1 service delivery model can help. What is the 3:1 service delivery model and how can I implement it in my school district? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Response to Intervention (RTI) and Early Intervening Services (EIS)
(June 2006)Q: I have heard the terms RTI and EIS recently. What do these terms mean for students? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: OT Intervention Plans for School-Based Practitioners (April, 2006)
Q: When is it appropriate to have an OT intervention plan? If occupational therapy goals are included in a child’s IEP, do I still need an OT intervention plan? If so, what should the intervention plan include? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: OT Service Delivery under Special Education Law (February, 2006)
Q: We were talking about the different service delivery options as outlined in the IDEA and special education WACs. When do we provide a related service vs. support for school personnel or supplementary aids and services, etc.? Do we record related service minutes on the IEP and, if so, are we then supporting classroom G&O rather than writing our own? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Using the OT Practice Framework to Guide Evaluations (October, 2005)
Q: The OTs in my school district are trying to align our evaluations with the OT Practice Framework. How do you suggest we go about making changes to our evaluations so that they are based on the Framework and how should we adjust the way we write our reports? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Salary & Contract Negotiations (August, 2005)
Q: How are salaries calculated for occupational therapists employed by school districts? Do occupational therapists make the same as other certificated staff members? Are there any important points that should be included in an employee’s contract (e.g., specific wording, caseload number caps, etc.)? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: Documenting OT Intervention in the Schools (June, 2005)
Q: What kind of logs or documentation are occupational therapists required to keep? How are they supposed to document what they are doing and what is being done to meet the goals and objectives of the IEP? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: OT/PT as a Single Service (April, 2005)
Q: My district provides OT/PT as a single service. One therapist is assigned a school and then provides a single service that addresses both OT and PT needs regardless of which discipline evaluated the child. We write OT/PT on the IEP rather than identify the specific discipline. Is this legal? [Link to OTIS response.]
Ask OTIS: How Students Get OT as Their Only Special Education Service (February, 2005)
Q: Can I have an OT only student? What are the criteria? What if the student receives speech services but not special education? If these students are not eligible for OT services, can they receive services on a 504 plan? [Link to OTIS response.]