Specialized

School Based Physical Therapy

Find out what it means to you, the professional physical therapist.

How is physical therapy provided in schools?

Contents
Role of a school based physical therapist
What range of services will I provide? What type of diagnoses will I work with? What other professionals will I work with?

Part B of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act of 2004 established physical therapy in school for students as part of their Individualized Education Plan, or IEP. Each individual school district must decide how to structure physical therapy in their schools. o For specialized schools this could include a team of therapists in each individual school. o For public schools this could include one therapist for an entire school district.

School for children with disabilities

What are some examples of physical therapy in schools? What are other services students will receive? 3

Physical therapists work in a multidisciplinary team to help students with disabilities be ready for independence, further education, and employment after school.

Physical Therapy in Schools

Role of

the schoolbased

Physical therapist
Range of services physical therapists provide. Specific roles and responsibilities of a schoolbased PT as defined by the ATPA include: Gather information and determine a students functional motor performance in a school setting. Use evidence based practice screening instruments to evaluate and track a students progress. Evaluate a students specific needs to determine their level of independence in ADLs. Participate in the IEP process. Coordinate physical therapy interventions across the professional disciplines in the classroom and residential program if applicable. Adapt the school environment to the students specific needs. Function as a consultant to peer professionals and/or parents in regards to physical therapy services. Promote inclusion by working with other school professionals to find the right combination of equipment for a student to be independent. Coordinate and adjust adaptive equipment and assistive technology. Ensure safe transportation of students. Serve as a liaison and refer students to other medical professionals and medical equipment vendors. Types of diagnoses served in schools. Any student who has an IEP and is decided to be eligible for therapy based on the schools interpretation of IDEA could receive PT services. Some common diagnoses include: Cerebral Palsy Spina bifida Hydrocephalus Stroke Developmental delay Traumatic brain injury Tight heel cords Torticollis Scoliosis Coordination and balance disorders Sensory Processing Disorders
What other professionals do physical therapists work with? The multi-disciplinary school team includes, but is not limited to the following professions:

Occupational Therapists Speech Language Pathologists Registered Nurses Teachers Teaching Assistants Principals and other Administrative staff Nutritionists and Dieticians Kitchen Staff Custodial Staff

Physical Therapy in Schools

School-based physical therapy

Helping Students succeed in independence

Schools foster a therapy environment that is truly all about the children, without the sometimes messy health care system getting in the way. Kevin, DPT

After working as a PT in schools for 20 years, I can honestly say I have loved every minute and look forward to coming to work every day. Shelly, PT

Examples of physical therapy in schools. Physical therapy in a school setting can appear in many different forms. From routine stretching and strengthening to sensorymotor integration, physical therapists can encompass many different aspects of therapy into their students plan of care. As a therapist working with students with a wide range of disabilities, you will learn to think on your toes, and find many ways to make therapy fun. Therapeutic swings, obstacle courses, balance games, and life size bolster bowling could just be a few of the many aspects you encompass in a treatment throughout the day.

What other services will the students receive? In a specialized school setting for children with disabilities, there are a variety of therapies and medical services available. Students will benefit from a combination of PT, OT, and SLP, along with around-the-clock medical care by the schools medical team. Small sized, individualized based classrooms with three to four students also create an environment to foster learning, and promote independence throughout the school day. 3

Why should I pick schoolbased physical therapy?

Where else do you get to work with patients three times a week and get to know them for an entire school year? Promoting independence, fostering socialization with peers and in the community, helping children to reach their fullest potential with mobility, and creating lasting relationships are all part of your every day as a school based physical therapist.

Choose schools to choose success for children with disabilities.

For more information, or to inquire about open positions throughout the country, please visit www.pediatricapta.org.

School-based Physical Therapy This document is a fact sheet on physical therapy for children with disabilities in specialized school settings. The intended audience is professional physical therapists, or physical therapy students about to graduate, who are deciding which domain of the field to enter. I structured the document with bold, bright colors and large font headings, to grasp the audiences attention and portray the fun environment that exists working with children in schools. By providing a summary of questions on the first page that a physical therapist may have when considering working in this field, it engages the reader for the content in the rest of the document. The language is appropriate for talking to an educated physical therapist, and only defines acronyms that the therapist may not know due to the new practice setting. Each concise section educates the reader by defining another aspect of working as a school-based PT, and does go into a decent amount of detail. Physical therapists could encounter this document on a website, such as the American Physical Therapy Associations pediatric section, or as a paper brochure at a professional conference. I also pictured the use of this document for distribution in new employee orientation at a school such as Perkins, for other professionals to understand how physical therapy fits into each students day. The document may appear text heavy, but since it is meant to be informational, and gear PTs to work in this practice setting, the information is crucial to get across. The pictures also work to break up the text. The document does lack statistics, however none were found in regards to the percentage of students in the United States that receive physical therapy in specialized school settings, or the percentage of working physical therapists that are employed in schools. Through the use of bright colors, bold headers, intriguing pictures, and descriptions of the profession, this document educates the physical therapist on working as a PT in specialized schools for children with disabilities.

References Guilderland Central Schools Physical Therapy Department. What is School Based Therapy. Available at https://sites.google.com/site/guilderlandptdepartment/contacts. Accessed February 17, 2014 NPH USA. Rehabilitation and Educational Center for Disabled Children Opens in Haiti. 2014. Available at http://www.nphusa.org/s/769/social_email. Accessed February 17, 2014 St. Mary's Home. Meeting the complex needs of children and adults with disabilities. Physical Therapy. 2012. Available at http://saintmaryshome.org/services/physical-therapy/. Accessed February 23, 2014 Aspire. Building Futures Together. Pediatric Therapy. 2014. Available at http://www.aspireofillinois.org/who-we-help/child-pediatric-therapies.html. Accessed February 17, 2014 The Mulligan Project. Improving the lives of children with disabilities in Central Vietnam. 2011. Available athttp://themulliganproject.org. Accessed February 17, 2014 Kinetic Kids. Sports and recreation for all (dis)abilities. Help kids with special needs make dreams come true. Available at http://www.kinetickidstx.org/index.php?id=1. Accessed February 17, 2014 Northwest Suburban Special Education Organization. Physical Therapy. 2012. Available at http://www.nsseo.org/services/physical-therapy. Accessed February 23, 2014 American Physical Therapy Association. Physical Therapy in School Settings. Available at http://www.apta.org/uploadedFiles/APTAorg/Advocacy/Federal/Legislative_Issues/IDEA ESEA/PhysicalTherapyintheSchoolSystem.pdf. Accessed February 17, 2014 Children's Therapy Corner. More than Therapy. Physical Therapy. 2013. Available at http://www.childrenstherapycorner.com/services/physical-therapy. Accessed February 17, 2014 Practice Committee of the Section on Pediatrics, APTA. Providing Physical Therapy in Schools Under IDEA 2004. . 2009. Available at http://www.pediatricapta.org/consumer-patient information/pdfs/09%20IDEA%20Schools.pdf. Accessed February 17, 2014 In regards to placing this document in my professional portfolio, I think it is definitely a possibility. I like that it follows my semester topic, and I am happy with the result. The brochure could be used as a resource, and I feel that I described the role of a physical therapist in a specialized school accurately. I am also very pleased with the final look of the document. I feel the pictures and bright colors portray a school setting accurately, and give a professional feel to the brochure.