Predicting Length of Service Provision in School-Based Occupational Therapy

Abstract

Parents and school administrators commonly ask how long a child is likely to need school-based occupational therapy services. In an effort to provide a statistically supported answer, a record review of 464 cases of students discharged from school-based occupational therapy services in the past 7 years was performed. This review demonstrated that some general statements about service patterns could be determined for this particular caseload. Of note was the significant variability in length of services for students with multiple disabilities as compared to the more discrete length of service provision for students with speech impairments, learning disabilities and those students without a specific classification. The applicability to other practice settings is limited, but this study serves as a beginning point for discussion on the topic.

P4 Medicine and Pediatric Occupational Therapy

“…First, as skilled analysts of research, practitioners are able to conduct evidence-based research reviews to identify and predict the interventions most likely to be effective for a specific pediatric population (Case-Smith & Arbesman, 2008). Second, practitioners contribute to interdisciplinary decision-making teams in medical and educational settings by sharing predictive expertise related to prognosis and treatment (Kolehmainen, MacLennan, Francis, & Duncan, 2010;Long, 2003). For example, an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant may help identify which classroom-based selfregulation strategies are most likely to benefit a cohort of elementary-age children with learning disabilities.…”