Participation in academic occupations: Considerations for school-based occupational therapists (September 20, 2022)

ON-DEMAND WEBINAR PURCHASE

Presented by: Sarah Y. Skinner 

In Canada, students with disabilities are attending general education classrooms. To promote full school participation, including participation in grade-level academic activities with peers, school-based occupational therapists need to deepen their understanding of academic occupations in the context of inclusive education and develop collaborative relationships with classroom teachers.

This webinar will begin with an overview of academic occupations in the context of general education, using the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance and Engagement (CMOP-E; Polatajko et al., 2007) as a framework. While the social model of disability suggests that the environment has a larger impact on participation than individual skills, school-based occupational therapy goals and interventions target factors related to the person, such as fine motor skills. This webinar will explore how therapists can shift the focus of their practice to enable participation in grade-level curricular activities. The strategies that foster engagement in academic occupations will also be discussed, including collaboration with classroom teachers and supporting Universal Design for Learning.

After taking part in this webinar, participants will be able to: 

1. Define academic occupation in the context of inclusive, general education classrooms.
2. Explain how factors in the person and environment influence engagement in academic occupations and consider implications for occupational therapy practice in terms of goals and interventions.
3. Discuss practical strategies for enabling participation and engagement in academic occupations for students with disabilities.

Level 
Beginner (0-2 years of experience in this specific area of practice)