The Value of Collaboration with Occupational Therapists in School Settings: Elementary Teacher Perspectives

ABSTRACT Collaborative practices are espoused in the literature as best practice. Following a needs assessment, data indicated that collaborative practices between teachers and occupational therapists were not happening consistently and were in need of improvement. Further research is needed to determine elementary teachers’ perceptions of the value of collaboration with occupational therapists in order to ensure maximum benefit for the students. This study focused on identifying elementary teachers’ perceptions of the value of collaboration with occupational therapists and validating the need for improved occupational therapy supports in the school environment. An anonymous electronic survey approach was used as the data collection method. The invitation to participate and the survey link were distributed to five school administrators, within the chosen geographic area, who forwarded the invitation and survey link to their site’s teaching staff. The survey included nineteen close-ended questions and one open-ended item for additional comments. While the majority of the participants indicated having had students receive occupational therapy services (96.05%), only 36.84% (N = 28) of the participants reported collaborating often with the occupational therapist to address the needs of the students. 73.68% (N = 56) of the participants perceived collaboration with the occupational therapist as valuable for providing effective classroom strategies and having a positive impact on student success. 82.89% of participants reported that more education about school-based occupational therapy would be beneficial. Findings indicated that school-based occupational therapists need to find ways to improve their collaborative practices with teachers. Teachers would like to learn more about the role of occupational therapists and the classroom strategies they can offer.