School-Based Practice: Integrating the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework

Occupational therapists in school-based practice frequently experience change due to the evolution of the profession and education reform. This project examines the impact of these changes relative to the integration of client-centered and occupation-based services in contemporary educational practice. Occupational therapists have identified significant barriers that impact the efficiency and effectiveness of service delivery. This paper, through the review of current occupational therapy and special education literature, explores the integration of collaboration, client-centered occupation-based care, and service delivery. The increasing requirements for accountability and professional standards define documentation needs. Findings indicate a need for school-based occupational therapists to have processes and documentation tools, which support occupation, available to enhance consistency from the prereferral phase through outcome monitoring. This manual includes a case study to demonstrate the integration of occupation into required documentation.