Establishing OT’s Role in Transition Through Statewide Initiatives

Occupational therapists are valuable contributors to the secondary transition planning process and serve as a resource to transition teams, students, and parents alike. The Arizona Occupational Therapy Association established a Transition Specialty Interest Section with the intent of establishing occupational therapy’s role in transition planning for children with disabilities. The ArizOTA transition SIS has trained hundreds of OTs, OT students, special educators, administrators, state disability coordinators, and assistive technology professionals since it was established. This post-hoc study examines anonymous pre and post training assessment data and practitioner feedback collected from 81 of the 100 training participants during one of the training seminars. The researchers sought to understand if transition training that focused on OT’s role in transition could significantly improve OT self-efficacy with transition services, OT practitioner and transition service provider understanding of OT transition methods, and non-OT professionals understanding of OTs role in transition.

Pre session surveys suggested that 98.2% of the participants felt they do not understand the paradigms/methods that OTPs use as they help students transition to the post-secondary setting (mean = 4.25). The mean increased significantly (x = 8.19) with the post session survey where participants reported a high understanding of the paradigms OTPs can use in the transition process (t =16.584, p=0.001). Of the 98.2% of participants that felt they do not understand the paradigms/methods used in transition during the pre-session survey, 79% of participants (64 out of 81) during the post session survey were able to correctly define the transition planning paradigm OTPs use to help students transition to the post-secondary setting (t=22.563, p=.001). From the pre session survey, it was noted that 95.5% of participants did not know the basic tenets that serve as the foundation of a successful OT transition assessment. From the post survey, 75 of the 81 participants who completed the pre and post session surveys were able to list 4 tenets that can be used to conduct a successful OT transition assessment (t=14.968, p=0.001). Approximately 75% of the participants indicated that they are unsure or disagree that they are able to assess and obtain relevant information about children with severe disabilities to help the successfully transition to the post-secondary setting. The post seminar survey indicated a significant change with 92.6% of participants agreeing that they can obtain and access the relevant information (t=11.632, p=.001). After the seminar was complete, 100% of the participants agreed that they feel OT has a strong value in the transition process.

The results of this study indicate there is a need to educate key stakeholders and OTPs about their role in transition planning for individuals with disabilities. The study supports that the OTs can increase state level transition stakeholder’s understanding and knowledge of occupational therapy’s role in the transition planning process, the methods OTPs use, the tenets of a successful OT transition assessment, and the ability to define transition services under IDEA. Continuing education courses or seminars with evidence-based modules can be conducted by OTs to provide information to other stakeholders. If continuing education opportunities about transition services and OTs role in transition are conducted in a systematic fashion, therapists and transition providers will embrace OT as a viable transition service provider.

References

Abbott, B. L., & Provident, I. (2016). Changing occupational therapists’ knowledge of their role in secondary transition planning. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools & Early Intervention, 9(4), 382–396. doi:10.1080/19411243.2016.1227760

American Occupational Therapy Association. (2015). Transitions for older youths. Emerging Niches in Children and Youth. Retrieved from http://www.aota.org/Practice/Children-Youth/Emerging-Niche/Transitions-Older-Youths.aspx

Trujillo, C., Mankey, T., & Carroll, T. (2019). State transition efforts: Advocacy in three states. Occupational Therapy Practice, American Occupational Therapy Association, Bethesda, Maryland.

Trujillo, C., Poach, M., & Carr, M. (2018). Exploring the applicability of occupational therapy transition assessments for students with disabilities. World Federation of Occupational Therapists Bulletin. doi:10.1080/14473828.2018.1556961