The school-based physical and occupational therapists are trained to consider the following:

• The internal environment of the child; the underlying neurological and orthopedic foundation of educational readiness.

• The interaction between the child (internal environment) and the environmental demands (external environment).

The critical difference between special education and occupational/physical therapy in the schools is that a special educator would look to teach to strengths and compensate for deficit skills by drill and practice; whereas the occupational/physical therapist would intervene, to remediate the underlying dysfunction or weakness and provide adaptations as appropriate.

The occupational therapist is concerned with the underlying sensorimotor and neurological foundation of the child's educational readiness. The occupational therapist intervenes by building up the underlying foundation through environmental manipulations and facilitation/inhibition of components of the child's internal environment, to allow for better child/environment interactions and consequent learning.

Physical therapists attend to motor and other embedded skills and needs throughout the educational program to accomplish priority educational goals.

• PT/OT Common Disorders

• Wheelchair Clinic

(external links)

• ADDA - National Attention Deficit Disorder Association

• New Visions - Education and therapy services for professionals and parents

• S.I. Network - Great information on Sensory Integration Dysfunction

• CHADD - Children and Adults with Attention Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder

• COMEUNITY - Children's Disabilities and Special Needs