The COVID-19 pandemic created unprecedented challenges for health professionals, including therapists working in school settings who experienced increased stressors and decreased support. The goal of this study is to analyze the impact of COVID-19 on the stress levels of school-based therapists (SBTs), determine the methods they used to…

A student's ability to participate effectively within a classroom environment is dependent on a multitude of factors. However, two such factors, sensory processing and self-regulation skills, are often not well understood by teachers due to limited training and education on these topics. Current research indicates that teachers report managing…

There is no research on the lived experience of school-based occupational therapists providing sensory-based interventions for students with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). The purpose of this study was to investigate how school-based occupational therapists are addressing sensory processing limitations for students with ASD. A phenomenological…

This article advocates for a conceptualization of occupational therapy service delivery and intervention for students with sensory integration and processing challenges which improves occupational participation and performance within the educational setting. By offering a full continuum of service delivery options through multi-tiered systems of…

There is no research available describing how school Occupational Therapy practitioners (OTPs) in Western New York (WNY) provide services. The purpose of this study was to determine OTP practice patterns in WNY schools, with a focus on delivery of contextual services and the contributing factors, consistent with American Occupational Therapy…

Enabling inclusive participation is an overarching goal of Occupational Therapy services in the school setting; however, evidence is scarce on practices addressing it. This study conducts an in-depth examination of actual Occupational Therapy practices with students with physical disabilities in mainstream schools and explores possible directions…

The decision support system (DSS) provides systematic data for improving effective decision-making by school-based occupational therapists (SBOTs) in healthcare services. The purposes of this study were to develop the DSS and investigate its usability in providing the occupational therapy (OT) service for students with disabilities during…

Occupational therapists often address pre-printing skills in young children, but the evidence supporting such practice has not been thoroughly investigated. The purpose of this scoping review was to summarize and evaluate pre-printing literature and outline a theoretical framework to inform best practice. Utilizing PRISMA guidelines and scoping…

An integral part of occupational therapy practice in early intervention involves assessment and treatment of pre-printing challenges and determination of printing readiness; however, the evidence to inform best practice has not been thoroughly investigated. This paper is part of a larger scoping review that focused on theoretical frameworks for…

Using a quasi-experimental design with no control groups, this pilot study aimed to test the effectiveness of a universal mental health promotion program for elementary school students in an underserved United States-Mexico border community. A total of eighty-five fifth and sixth grade students participated in this program and completed the…

This study explored the role of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) in school-based practice addressing mental health (MH) needs of all students. A sequential explanatory mixed method design which included two stages. Stage One: 61 OTPs in Southern California completed an online survey. Stage Two: 15 OTPs engaged in either an interview or a…

Directors of entry-level occupational therapy (OT) programs were surveyed regarding how their programs prepare students to become mental health practitioners in schools. Analysis of quantitative data included descriptive statistics to examine participants' ratings of their program's ability to prepare students for mental health practice. We found…

Children from military families experience high mobility, stressors due to parental separation and increased risk of parental injury and death. This study aimed to identify and describe school-related occupational disruption for students from military families. Arskey and O'Malley's structured approach to scoping reviews was used. Students in…

This evidence-based project provided a professional development opportunity for school-based therapists to gain knowledge about evidence-based practice and learn strategies to integrate newly learned knowledge for the purpose of becoming an evidence-based practitioner. The purpose of the project was to determine whether a six-module online course…

This study aims to explore the perceptions of parents of children receiving occupational therapy in educational settings, understand the importance of the parent/occupational therapist relationship and its impact on the outcomes of therapy. In addition, this study aims to reveal best practices when providing services within the school system in…