Role of the occupational therapist in education

Uvod: Izobraževanje posamezniku omogoča pridobivanje znanja. Vsak posameznik ima pravico do izobraževanja. Delovni terapevti se vključujejo v vzgojno-izobraževalni proces v Sloveniji in tujini. Primarni cilj delovnih terapevtov je vsem uporabnikom zagotoviti sodelovanje v šolskih in obšolskih aktivnostih. Namen: Raziskati vključenost in vlogo delovnega terapevta v vzgojno-izobraževalnem procesu v tujini. Metode dela: Uporabljen je bil kvalitativni metodološki pristop, pregled literature na temo vloge delovnega terapevta v šolstvu. Literatura je bila zbrana s pomočjo spletnih baz: Cinahl, Eric, Medline, Master File Premier, Sage. Iskanje je potekalo z naslednjimi ključnimi besedami: delovna terapija, delovni terapevt, šolsko okolje, šola, zdravljenje, intervencija, terapija, vodenje. V analizo so bili vključeni članki objavljeni med 2010–-2020, dostopni v polnem besedilu v angleškem jeziku. Rezultati: V končno analizo je bilo vključenih 9 znanstvenih člankov, od tega 4 kvantitativni, 4 kvalitativni in eno poročilo o primeru. Kvalitativna sinteza podatkov je podala tri tematike za razpravo: intervencije v šolstvu, interdisciplinarno sodelovanje in ovire/bariere pri vključevanju v šolstvo. Razprava in zaključek: Izsledki raziskav potrjujejo, da je vloga delovnega terapevta v šolstvu ključna za podporno in vključujoče izobraževanje za vse. Delovni terapevti stremijo k univerzalni zasnovi šolskega sistema. Delovni terapevt je del interdisciplinarnega tima, ki je ključen za učinkovito intervencijo, vezano na šolsko delo. Najpogostejše intervencije so na področju pisanja in fine motorike. Sodelovanje različnih strokovnjakov omogoča doseganje zastavljenih ciljev. Nepoznavanje delovne terapije in njene vloge v šolstvu je ovira na poti k vključevanju delovnih terapevtov v šolski sistem. Kaže se potreba po promociji delovne terapije, definiciji vloge delovnega terapevta in spremembi zakonodaje, ki bi omogočala vključevanje zdravstvenih profilov v šolski sistem.Introduction: Education enables an individual to acquire knowledge. Every individual has the right to education. Occupational therapists are involved in the educational process in Slovenia and abroad. The primary goal is to provide all users with participation in school and extracurricular activities. Purpose: To investigate the involvement and role of the occupational therapist in educational process abroad. Methods: A qualitative methodological approach was used, a review of the literature on the topic of the role of the occupational therapist in education. The literature was collected with the help of online databases: Cinahl, Eric, Medline, Master File Premier, Sage. The search was conducted with the following keywords: occupational therapy, occupational therapist, OT, school setting, school-based, treatment, intervention, therapy, management. The analysis included articles published between 2010 –2020, available in full text in English. Results: 9 scientific articles were included in the final analysis, of which 4 quantitative, 4 qualitative and one case report. Qualitative data synthesis provided three topics for discussion: interventions in education, interdisciplinary cooperation and barriers to inclusion in education. Discussion and Conclusion: Research findings confirm that the role of occupational therapists in education is key to supportive and inclusive education for all. Occupational therapists strive for a universal design of the school system. An occupational therapist is part of an interdisciplinary team that is key to effective intervention, related to school work. The most common interventions are writing difficulties and poorer fine motor skills. The participation of various experts enables the achievement of the set goals. Ignorance of the profession of occupational therapy and its role in education is an obstacle to the integration of occupational therapists into the school system. There is a need to promote occupational therapy, define the role of occupational therapists and change legislation that would allow the integration of health profiles into the school system