Abstract
Students with sensory-processing disorder pose unique challenges to OTs working in schools. A year-long program to promote competent utilization of sensory-based interventions in school-based practices utilized a qualitative research study as part of its program evaluation. The resulting conclusion is that professional development needs to be adapted to meet the needs of school-based OTs in order to overcome the specific barriers that limit service delivery for students.
Primary Author and Speaker: Nicole Quint
It Just Makes Sense, a nine-month professional development program conducted with Broward County Schools for occupational and physical therapists included four workshops, community of learning, knowledge translation, sensory equipment lending library, and adult learning theories to guide an enhanced way to provide continuing education. After an initial needs assessment, which identified barriers related to time, space, systems, teacher collaboration, teacher knowledge, therapist knowledge, administrator support, and lack of equipment, the program was created to address the identified needs and promote competence and mastery for the participating therapists and related services administration team. With a program goal toward efficacy and generalization of knowledge and skills obtained, a research study utilizing a qualitative approach provided participant experiences of the trainings to inform how a long-term program can empower therapists within a system that has multiple contextual and environmental barriers toward sensory-based interventions (Mills & Chapparo, 2018). Within schools, there is potential for up to 16.5% of the student populations to have sensory-related needs that influence occupational performance (Ben-Sasson, Carter, & Briggs-Gowan, 2009), potentially impacting approximately 43,000 students in Broward County Schools, the sixth largest district in the United States (Broward County Public Schools, 2018). This study utilized a phenomenological methodology, using convenience and purposive sampling, resulting in a sample of five school-based occupational therapists who completed three of the four workshops. Utilizing a semi-structured interview format and Colaizzi’s (1973) seven-step phenomenological method, participants provided symbolic representations of their experience of the program. The researchers then coded the individual interviews during data analysis; thematic analysis commenced with a resulting bracket analysis for final thematic conclusions. Utilizing the Kawa model (Iwama, 2006), systems theory (Meadows, 2008), and occupational adaptation (Schkade & Schultz, 1992) for theoretical guidance, the resulting themes of the study emphasized the unique barriers of school system service delivery, limits related to traditional continuing education formats, specific enablers related to teacher receptiveness, interprofessional collaboration, and format of the workshops, and the personal enablers related to desire for learning and life experiences. The results were then converted into a discussion involving a professional development knowledge translation cycle, including five process elements: self-reflection, desire for mastery, knowledge gained, knowledge translation, and self-efficacy toward generalization. The information gained from this study is important to convey how school-based therapists encounter unique barriers within sensory-based intervention delivery, thus requiring adaptation of traditional continuing education and professional development formats to better meet their needs, consistent with needs identified by Laverdure (2014) and utilize the strong enablers of pediatric OTs and their commitment to practice (Seruya & Hinojosa, 2010). This study has potential to influence multiple aspects of occupational therapy, including validating barriers experienced by school-based therapists working with children with sensory needs, exploring effective ways to adapt professional development for school-based therapists, identifying enablers within school contexts for improved delivery of sensory-based interventions, and encouraging use of self-reflection as a means toward improved efficacy with continuing education.
Ben-Sasson, A., Carter, A. S., & Briggs-Gowan, M. J. (2009). Sensory over-responsivity in elementary school: prevalence and social-emotional correlates. Journal of abnormal child psychology, 37(5), 705-716.
Mills, C., Chapparo, C. (2018). Listening to teachers: views on delivery of a classroom based sensory intervention for students with autism. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 65, 15-24. Doi: 10.1111/1440-1630.12381
Laverdure, P. (2014). Considerations for the development of expert practice in school-based occupational therapy. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 7(3-4), 225-234.
Seruya, F. M., & Hinojosa, J. (2010). Professional and organizational commitment in paediatric occupational therapists: The influence of practice setting. Occupational therapy international, 17(3), 125-134.