A Scoping Review of Interventions Delivered by Occupational Therapists in School Settings

This article reviewed 50 studies exploring the different types of Occupational Therapy interventions being delivered within school settings and how these interventions impact children’s participation and success at school. The review found that school-based Occupational Therapy commonly supports areas such as handwriting, fine motor development, sensory processing, emotional regulation, classroom participation and independence during everyday school routines. The article strongly suggests that children benefit when therapy occurs within natural learning environments because interventions can be directly linked to real classroom tasks, transitions and social situations rather than isolated clinic activities.

Researchers highlighted that children were often better able to generalise and maintain skills when strategies were embedded into their daily school routines and supported consistently by teachers and staff. Families also appeared to benefit from school-based OT because therapy became more practical, collaborative and relevant to the child’s everyday life, helping reduce the disconnect that can sometimes occur between clinic recommendations and school expectations. Schools benefited through increased collaboration with therapists, practical classroom strategies, improved student participation and greater support for inclusive education practices. The review also discussed how Occupational Therapists can work across whole-school supports, small group interventions and individual therapy, showing that OT can contribute to both preventative and targeted student support systems. Importantly, the article suggests that children are more likely to thrive academically, socially and emotionally when Occupational Therapy focuses on participation, inclusion and real-world function within the environments where children spend most of their time.

Overall, the review supports the growing movement toward collaborative and integrated school-based Occupational Therapy models that prioritise meaningful participation and long-term functional outcomes for children.

You can read the article here:

https://doi.org/10.1080/19411243.2023.2232806