Occupational Therapy Practice in Schools: National Survey in Spain

Abstract

Aims

Interdisciplinary collaboration between health and education professionals is one of the principles of inclusive education. This study aimed to describe the practices and service delivery by pediatric occupational therapists (OTs) in schools in Spain.

Methods

Data came from a convenience sample of pediatric OTs recruited through Spanish professional colleges and associations for a web-based survey, mixed-method research study. Thirty-five respondents were excluded because they didn’t meet the eligibility criteria. Ninety-two responses were obtained for data analysis. Twenty-nine OTs (31.5%) work in schools (school-OTs), and sixty-three participants (68.5%) don’t work there but collaborate with schools (non-school OTs).

Results

Participants support students with and without a medical diagnosis. Services provided by OTs external to the educational system are mainly funded by families or only partially covered. Findings show that most participants use standardized assessments and apply several intervention approaches. They believe there are barriers to the collaboration and implementation of occupational therapy services in schools.

Conclusions

This preliminary study shows a need for changes in Spain’s State and Regional Education legislation and provides recommendations to improve school service delivery. Pediatric OTs are encouraged to reflect on and identify opportunities for changes to enhance school-based occupational therapy practice in Spain.

Keywords:

• Collaboration
• pediatric occupational therapy
• school-based practice
• service delivery model

Data Availability Statement

The survey and data presented in this study are available on request from the first author.

Acknowledgments

We sincerely thank the Colleges and the Associations of occupational therapists of Spain for supporting us in distributing the survey and participants who filled it out. Furthermore, thanks are expressed to Vera Kaelin and Helen Lynch’s teams for providing the pre-existing surveys. This research received no specific grant from the public, commercial, or not-for-profit funding agencies.

Disclosure Statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author(s).

Additional information

Funding

The author(s) reported there is no funding associated with the work featured in this article.

Notes on contributors

María José López-de-la-Fuente

María José López-de-la-Fuente, Ph.D., is an occupational therapist with 27 years of experience in pediatrics and neuro-rehabilitation. She is an Associate Professor at the Department of Physiatry and Nursing and has taught occupational therapy at Zaragoza University since 2006. Her research interests include interprofessional practice, person-centeredness, and school-based occupational therapy practices.

Ana Pilar Heras-Pérez

Ana Pilar Heras-Pérez is an occupational therapist with ten years of experience in pediatrics and neuro-rehabilitation services. She is currently working at the Association for families of people with Autism in Zaragoza (Autism Aragon) and Aragon Healthcare Service (SALUD). Her research interests are focused participation of children with disability and the inclusion of children with disabilities in schools.

Carmen López-de-la-Fuente

Carmen López-de-la-Fuente, Ph.D., is an Assistant Professor at the Department of Applied Physics and has taught optometry at Zaragoza University since 2006. She has worked as an optometrist in rehabilitation teams collaborating with physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Her research interests focus on ocular motility, binocular vision, and the accommodative system; optometric visual therapy and the collaboration between optometrists and other health professionals.