Practice and perspectives of school-based occupational therapy

Abstract

The objective of the present study was to identify and characterize the school-basedOccupational Therapy actions towards children with educational special needs in the state of SaoPaulo. A statistic research in which 127 occupational therapists participated has been carried out.The data collected by means of a questionnaire was submitted to quantitative and qualitativeanalysis. The main fi ndings indicate that school-based occupational therapists: a) relate to thisprocess mainly through appointments in clinical settings; b) work in regular schools; c) have familyand other professionals’ participation in their practice; d) identify as the greatest obstacles for theirpractice the school and teachers’ lack of preparation; e) point out the importance and need of abroader insertion of Occupational Therapy in regular schools. The study identifi ed representativecharacteristics in the performance of school-based occupational therapists in Sao Paulo. It alsopointed out indicators for future research.