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Occupational and Physical
Therapy are related services provided to students with disabilities who
need these services in order to access their educational programs.
Occupational and Physical Therapy (OT/PT) are designed to support a
student’s academic goals and benchmarks. These are educational relevant
services and are not indicated for medical or rehabilitative reasons.
Therapy in the educational
environment encompasses a variety of intervention strategies. The
knowledge and expertise of a therapist are required to determine the
needs of the student, and to develop educationally relevant benchmarks
and goals. Some of theses strategies may then be implemented by a
variety of school based personnel.
Consent for a PT and OT evaluation is obtained from the parents or
guardians at an IEP meeting or a Child Study Team (CST)/ School Support
Team (SST) meeting. In addition, a referral from a physician licensed in
the State of Florida is required for a physical therapy evaluation. An
evaluation of the student is conducted by a physical and/or occupational
therapist employed by M-DCPS. The therapists work closely with the
students and teachers to ensure that the benefits of therapy are
transferred to the classroom and school environment. Students are
assessed regularly to determine the need for continued educationally
relevant therapy.
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