By Liz Couch, BS, RPT
Physical Therapist for
Missoula Area Education Cooperative

Traditionally, as a physical therapist (PT) working in the public school system, I have provided services to eligible students by working on gross motor activities to support educational goals as outlined in the Individualized Education Program (IEP). Performing evaluations, addressing motor deficits, and working on mobility, accessibility, and orientation issues in the school environment are all areas addressed by the school physical therapist. In addition, the school PT attends IEP/Child Study Team (CST) meetings, provides staff training, and delivers direct services to identified students. Some of these issues are addressed in the classroom, others in the Physical Education curriculum, and still others by direct services in one-on-one delivery mode.

With my involvement in the WISER grant, I noticed little change in the services I provided at the grade school level, but for students age 13 and older, I adopted a more holistic approach. I found myself working with students who did not qualify for PT services through the IEP process, but due to their transition needs, they became a part of my caseload. I participated in weekly meetings with staff and team members to discuss each student’s transition plan. I found myself helping as a member of a team to work on revising life skills curriculum within the classroom. Goal areas included safety, accessibility, orientation and independence skills. I began to work with eligible students, staff, and community business owners to determine what skills were needed to better prepare students for employment and life after high school graduation.

As part of the team, I spent time learning about these students’ lives, their interests, and potential job qualifications. We gathered information by visiting students and families in their homes, conducting phone conversations, and spending time with each student at school and in the community. Team members, teachers, and parents worked together to discover all we could about the students, and took photographs as we spent time with them. Using the pictures and details we had compiled, we developed Portfolios we could use to market students to employers. By getting to really know each student, areas of strength and weakness, along with areas of interest and disinterest emerged. I began taking students to the school shop to work on clean-up activities; others went to the cafeteria to help with set-up and clean-up. Housekeeping, maintenance, janitorial, and assisting in the school offices all became potential school-based work experience opportunities. Area businesses were contacted to see if they had needs that might match the interests and contributions of individual students.

Involvement in this grant has been instrumental in welding a link between educators, related service providers, employment assistance agencies, community business owners, parents, and the student. The focus of education has long been to graduate the student with a diploma by preparing them academically. For some students, this is not enough, as they also need to learn marketable skills and develop an ongoing support network. Addressing transition through the IEP with a core of involved staff has proven to be the wave of the future in this process. These core members, who are related service personnel in many of the schools involved, are able to understand the student’s needs, make referrals to outside agencies, work within the school and community with work experience and job coaching, and develop a customized employment plan for students as needed.

The changes I made in my service delivery model are noted in the chart below:

Traditionally	Presently
PT-eligible student service classroom-based	Classroom therapy continued; school/community-based observation and research
IEP/CST meetings 1-2x/year with staff and parent	Weekly meetings with staff and team members, with specific task assignments given to members; Employment Planning meetings with student, friends, family, school and agency staff, and employers
Paperwork is recorded after each session in form of progress notes	Research and development of student Vocational Profile and Portfolio; community education and awareness of student’s potential
School staff meetings	Meetings and communication within community and employment assistance agencies

It takes an entire team, plus community support, for a transition to be successful. Educators, counselors, school staff, and outside agencies come together to determine each student’s abilities and support needs, and to make referrals and recommendations. School curriculum is modified to meet specific needs and enhance marketable skills. Special education teachers are instrumental in referring students, while school psychologists, speech, occupational, and physical therapists all know these students in different capacities. Working together as a team with outside agencies and community contacts, the transition to the world of adult employment and services can be very successful and smooth.