Special Education & Disability Services
Yeled v’Yalda occupational therapists help children to fulfill their role as students by supporting their academic achievement and promoting positive behaviors necessary for learning and daily activities. Yeled v’Yalda providers are particularly skilled in facilitating student access to curricular and extracurricular activities as they focus on the students’ strengths and inclusion. Yeled v’Yalda Occupational Therapists play a critical role in educating parents, educators, administrators and other staff members to enhance and support student’s global development. By collaborating within the education team occupational therapists contribute to students’ success within both general and special education. Yeled v’Yalda Occupational therapists are key contributors within the educational team. They help to address both mental and physical health. Yeled v’Yalda Occupational therapy addresses student’s Individualized Education Program (IEP) with cultural sensitivity and consideration for students’ diverse learning abilities.
Yeled v’Yalda Occupational Therapists address medical and developmental delays and support academic and non-academic outcomes, including social skills, math, reading and writing (i.e., literacy), behavior management, recess, participation in sports, self-help skills. Occupational therapy services goals aim to increase participation in school routines. Yeled v’Yalda therapists conduct an ongoing activity and environmental analysis and make recommendations to improve the fit for greater access and progress. The goals address the reduction of barriers that limit participation and help plan relevant age appropriate instructional activities for ongoing implementation in the academic and social settings.
When therapy is started early and the OTs work closely with teachers to address:
Fine motor skills are important for success with daily tasks such as printing, drawing, cutting with scissors and doing up buttons and zippers. When children have difficulties with these daily activities because of a motor problem, it is hard to fully participate in the things they need to do, want to do, or are expected to do at home, at school and in the community. Occupational therapists help teachers and parents better understand and help these children succeed with everyday activities.
Attention-deficit/hyperactivity disorder (ADHD) is an example of a behavior disorder that may be helped by occupational therapy. Autism is an example of a developmental disability that can be helped by occupational therapy.
Occupational therapy services for students with special needs are determined through the NYC IEP process. School-based occupational therapy is available for students who are eligible for special education.
Evaluation for students ages 3-5 are available to be conducted by Yeled v’Yalda expert multi-disciplinary evaluation team. The NYC DOE district conducts evaluations and assessments for students over the age of 5 years old. The evaluation team identifies student’s annual goals and determine the services, supports, modifications, and accommodations that are required for the student to achieve them, including addressing transition needs.
School-based occupational therapy (OT) is provided only if a medical diagnosis or fine motor delay is determined by the IEP team to have an adverse effect on the student’s performance at school.
Students who are currently receiving occupational therapy from a medical outpatient facility may continue with their medical-based occupational therapy. School-based occupational therapy is not a replacement for medical-based occupational therapy.
IEP Occupational therapy is a related service provided to any special education student who demonstrates deficits in fine motor functioning that may affect their academic performance. Occupational therapists focus on students’ fine motor skills and needs. Primary attention is given to ensuring that each student has the fine motor ability to effectively access his or her educational environment.
The IEP Team meets and determines if fine motor skills are affecting the student’s academic performance. Based on the evaluation completed by the Occupational Therapist in the areas of fine motor skills that includes identifying deficits in handwriting skills, strength, coordination, sensory regulation within the school setting, goals are created. Additional goals are created to address challenges within the school environment. The overall goal of the IEP based Occupation therapy goals is facilitating independence with learning and school-related activities.
Occupational therapists identify the etiology or underlying deficits of a problem and address those directly through frequent rehabilitative activities. Clinic based model is more of a “bottom up” approach; therapists identify the building blocks and attempt to fix or repair the deficits for improved function. A clinical therapist may see a child one-on-one several times a week to strengthen and rehabilitate deficits.
School-based therapists focus on removing barriers from students’ ability to learn, helping students develop skills which increase their independence in the school environment, and educating school personnel about the different considerations required for students with disabilities. Everything Occupational therapists do with students in school must be educationally relevant. These services are more of a “top down” approach. In the schools, therapists assess the student’s functional skills and identify areas of difficulty. The primary concern for the school therapist is enabling the student to learn and access his or her learning environment (classroom, playground and cafeteria). Besides rehabilitating a deficit, the school therapists adapt or modify the environment or offer the teacher strategies to implement on a daily basis to afford success. Occupational therapist’s knowledge and expertise assists in curriculum development for handwriting and social skills, modifications or design of classroom environments or assignments that help all students access and participate in age appropriate academic and social life.
Developmental delay means that a child is behind in developing skills that are common during a particular age or during a particular time period. A developmental delay, however, is more than being a little behind other children in a skill; it is being behind in a combination of skills or not meeting development milestones. These are examples of developmental delays:
Fine motor skills are small movements made with fingers, toes, wrists, lips, and tongue, like holding a small object or picking up a spoon. If your child is struggling with fine motor skills, they may have difficulty with one of these actions:
Gross motor skills help us move and coordinate our arms, legs, and other body parts. They involve larger muscles that help us control our body. A child who is behind in movement, strength, and/or balance may appear clumsy or uncoordinated. They may also have difficulty with these things:
Their muscle tone, or muscle tension and resistance, could be higher or lower than the appropriate developmental milestone.
Visual processing is the process we use to make sense of what we see. It is a process in our brain that interprets visual information. If your child has difficulty with one of these things, they may have difficult with visual processing:
Your child may lose his or her place when reading or copying from the board or may have poor eye contact.
Oral motor or oral sensory skills are control of muscle movements in the face and oral area, such as the lips, jaw, tongue, and soft palate. Delayed oral motor and sensory skills can show in one or more of these ways:
Sensory processing is making sense of information that we receive through our senses, like sound and smell. Your child may be oversensitive to things around them and show the following symptoms:
Social interaction skills are skills that help us have relationships and understand those around us. They help us bond with other people in our life. Your child may have delayed social skills if they show some of the following things:
Learning challenges, sometimes called learning disabilities, are another type of developmental delay. If your child is challenged by one of the following, you may want to consult an occupational therapist:
Play skills are skills that can help a child make sense of the world around them. A child can gain self-confidence, learn problem solving, and develop social skills through play. Your child may be developmentally delayed if they show one of the following symptoms:
Remember that all children are different and develop these skill sets at their own pace. However, if you think your child may be struggling with adopting some of the skill areas above, you can contact an occupational therapist.