Occupational therapists embedded in schools can help advance outcomes for children, and improve collaboration of health and education professionals.

Project lead: Dr Kirsty Young, Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences

Duration: 2017 - 2020

Whilst allied health professionals often visit schools to assess and work 1:1 with a student in context, the relationship between therapist and educator rarely moves beyond a consultative model. This approach to service delivery limits both the amount and type of therapy a child with a disability receives during their school years and a teacher’s ability to enact therapy recommendations in their classroom. 

This project examined the impact on teachers, support staff, families and students, across three specialised school settings, when an occupational therapist (OT) was embedded in each school. The OTs were employed at school-level (rather than student-level), with a focus on the professional development of teachers.  The objective of this approach was for teachers to learn how to prevent their students becoming dysregulated and learn how to co- or self-regulate where possible.

What impact will we create?  

The findings from the study demonstrated how a transdisciplinary model between educators and therapists can be achieved through immersion of the OT in the school setting. Educators began to view student behaviour through an OT lens and implementation of the OT strategies lead to preventative rather than reactive approaches to behaviour. The whole-school approach saw substantial positive impact for students. The occupational therapists also benefited through increased understanding of the complexities of school environment, particularly those schools educating students with significant social-emotional challenges or complex disabilities.   

The outcomes of this project will be used to influence policy decisions around the employment of allied health professionals in schools. The findings will also be applied to professional learning programs for teachers and allied health professionals. 

Who did we work with?

  • NSW Department of Education Schools 

  • Occupational Therapists 

Funding Support

  • Toyota Foundation, SchoolsPlus Grant 

Network Research Themes

  • Inclusion and Participation