Services Description
Occupational and Physiotherapy (OT/PT) services are provided in our district by employees of Sunny Hill Hospital. The therapists collaborate with families, educators and other service providers to support students who fall in Low Incidence Ministry Funding Categories (A to G). They offer consultation and assessment, teach specific skills and suggest adaptations to equipment and/or to the environment that will meet the needs of children with complex challenges. By offering therapeutic recommendations that support the student’s educational goals, teachers, parents and therapists assist the student in their ability to function in educational settings.
Therapists
Occupational Therapists and Physiotherapists focus on the children with special needs who are most challenged. In School District #43 (Coquitlam) this will be children who are identified by the school system as being in a ministry of education low incidence category. In addition to the focus on children with severe disabilities, therapists also provide support to teachers and parents of students with significant developmental delays. This includes children with significant motor problems, children with perceptual motor and children with global developmental delay.
What Other Services Do School Therapists Offer?
Inservicing and workshops on a wide variety of topics are offered to teachers and SEAs throughout the school year.
Information packages on some specific disabilities that interfere with a child’s performance in the classroom are available from the therapists on request. Resources, technology links and handouts are available to school district staff on the OT/PT Web page (My43/Learning Services ) and are updated frequently to reflect current best practice and research findings.
Referral Process
1. Learning Services Request for Services form
2. Sunny Hill Consent for Release of information form
3. Occupational Therapy at a glance information sheet (for OT referrals only).
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These form must be completed and signed by the family or legal guardian and returned to the school team who will forward them to Learning Services (Please keep a copy of the forms in the students G4)
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The school and/or the parent will then be contacted by the therapist to set up a convenient appointment time.
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Children with safety issues in the school or at home are given priority over other concerns.