Occupational Therapy Services for Transition-Age Youth with Moderate to Severe Disabilities: A Scoping Review

Abstract

Purpose: This scoping review seeks to identify specific services, assessments, and interventions utilized by school-based occupational therapy (OT) practitioners working with transition-age youth with moderate to severe developmental disabilities. Methods: A search was conducted in CINAHL, Medline, APA PsychINFO, Education Research Complete, and Academic Search Complete databases. Articles were screened for inclusion and relevant data extracted. Included articles were peer reviewed, referred to any inclusion of occupational therapy services in school-based practice, English-language, and focused on individuals 12-30 years old with moderate to severe disabilities. Results: Twenty articles met criteria for inclusion in the review. All articles included occupational therapy services whether providing direct or indirect services. The top two intervention types used were occupation-based interventions and advocacy-based interventions. The top two assessment types used were task-based and transition-based assessments. Occupational therapists most frequently provided direct services for transition-age youth (78.2%). Conclusions: This review provides a guide for occupational therapy practitioners to advocate for occupational therapy’s role in transition services and overcome the barriers identified: lack of understanding of occupational therapy’s role, lack of resources, lack of measurable assessments, and lack of individualized interventions. This review provides an extensive variety of assessments, interventions, and service delivery approaches available and relevant for occupational therapists working with adolescents and young adults with moderate to severe disabilities.