Question
What unique contributions do therapists bring to the educational team?
Answer
Speech language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists bring distinctive perspectives and expertise that complement other educational team members in critical ways. Understanding your unique lens helps maximize collaborative effectiveness and student outcomes.
Therapists excel at addressing motor tasks, self-care skills, and self-regulation—areas that directly impact a student's ability to access education. While teachers focus on academic content delivery, therapists zero in on the foundational skills that make learning possible.
Social-emotional abilities and play skills represent another vital contribution. Current cohorts of students show clear effects from COVID-related isolation, with disrupted play skill development and challenges in cooperative group work. Therapists uniquely assess and remediate these foundational gaps that interfere with classroom participation.
Pragmatic language—the ability to communicate appropriately with peers and adults—falls within the therapeutic scope. This includes understanding social conventions, receptive language, and expressive language in context. Therapists bridge the gap between communication ability and functional social use.
Executive functioning challenges require therapeutic intervention, as these skills underpin academic success, organization, and task completion. Therapists provide targeted strategies that teachers can reinforce throughout the school day.
Therapists offer expertise in sensory processing challenges, behavioral consultation, and energy conservation techniques. This specialized knowledge helps teams understand why students struggle and what environmental or task modifications might help.
The ability to develop accommodations and modifications based on age, abilities, and grade-level expectations represents a core therapeutic skill. Therapists analyze the "just right challenge" for each student, ensuring tasks are neither too simple nor overwhelmingly difficult.
For older students, therapists contribute essential knowledge about pre-vocational and vocational skills, preparing students for life beyond school. Additionally, therapists provide specific diagnostic information that illuminates the "why" behind observable behaviors and learning challenges.
What sets therapists apart is asking: What do I notice that others might miss? Your lens focuses on the intersection of physical abilities, sensory needs, developmental readiness, and participation—not just presence, but meaningful engagement in educational activities.
When reflecting on your team contribution, consider: What perspective do you bring that is simply different from what others see or value? That distinction is your professional strength.
This Ask the Expert is an edited excerpt from the course, It’s Never Too Late To Collaborate, School Based Therapists And Educators Getting Together, presented by Tere Bowen-Irish, OTR/L.
