Occupational & Physical Therapy
Occupational Therapy (OT) and Physical Therapy (PT) in the school setting focuses on supporting students and their teachers in maximizing student participation in their school environment, and in accessing academic curriculum and/or instruction.
Occupational Therapy and Physical Therapy can be direct services, integrative services, or consultative services that can be provided by licensed therapists to maximize student’s performance.
View/Download our Occupational and Physical Therapy brochure for more details.
For more information, please email specialeducation@iu13.org or call 717-606-1738.
Skills that Occupational Therapists (OTs) can support in school-based therapy include:
- Fine motor skills (holding writing utensils, manipulating school materials)
- Visual motor skills (cutting, writing)
- Visual perceptual skills (puzzles, identifying differences in shapes, letter alignment and size)
- Self-care skills (managing personal hygiene, eating)
- Sensory adaptations (assisting with self- regulation strategies)
- Evaluation and access to assistive technology
- Evaluation for use of adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment
Skills that Physical Therapists (PTs) can support in school-based therapy include:
- Gross motor skills (balance, coordination, motor planning)
- Safely moving around the educational environment (with or without assistive devices)
- Evaluation and access to assistive technology
- Evaluation for use of adaptive equipment and durable medical equipment
- Successful participation in physical education
Teletherapy Services
In addition to “face-to-face” therapy, IU13 offers teletherapy to provide services to students online by a certified member of our staff. Teletherapy services offer:
- Increased flexibility in scheduling
- Access to highly qualified and trained staff, focused on individual goals
- Increased comfort for students working in a familiar environment
- Increased student engagement