| Occupational therapists working in schools make many decisions regarding evaluation and services to support a student's special education. Six school-based occupational therapists from the Midwest shared, through interviews, how they chose assessment methods and tools for a particular student and how their evaluation findings were used to make service delivery decisions for that student. This group of therapists addressed team members' concerns, focusing on how sensory processing, handwriting, and functional skills influence a student's schoolwork performance. Their decisions regarding assessments were determined by the needs of the student and the questions raised by the educational team. Their evaluation information contributed to team decision-making regarding services and resulted in a variety of service delivery models. The results acknowledge the linearity of thinking used by school occupational therapists. |
