School OTs: See the research on how teamwork and collaboration are vital to students' success. Learn how to be a confident and valuable member of your students' IEP and support teams!

If one caring adult has the power to improve a child's life, imagine what a whole team can do!Countless visionaries have dropped insights on the value of teamwork, including truth bombs like:"Alone we can do so little; together we can do so much." – Helen Keller"Teamwork is the secret that makes common people achieve uncommon results." – Ifeanyi OnuohaAnd, of course, who could ever forget:"Teamwork makes the dream work!" – John MaxwellAs an <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">occupational therapist in a school setting</a>, a significant part of your job will be collaborating with other adults. And you won't be part of just one team; you'll have many opportunities to work on various student support teams.Whether you love or loathe teamwork, it's essential for driving student success. If you're a "people-person" like many occupational therapists and educators, teamwork and collaboration likely come naturally to you. On the other hand, if you prefer working with kids rather than adults and the word "team" makes you moan and groan, you're not alone.We're here to help! Dig into the information below to discover why teamwork is essential for your students' success, how you can work collaboratively within the school setting, and how you can gain confidence by positioning yourself as a valuable team member!While the idea of collaboration may be intimidating at first, after you've been to a few IEP team meetings and seen the results among your students, we're confident your confidence will grow and grow!<h2>Tips for OTs: Collaborating with Teams in the School-based Occupational Therapy Setting</h2>To be a successful team member as a school-based occupational therapist, you must keep collaboration in mind, whether <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blogs/successful-ot-ieps" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">attending meetings</a>, <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blogs/school-based-ots-boost-your-presentation-skills-for-successful" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">presenting at those meetings</a>, <a href="https://www.crosscountryeducation.com/blogs/goal-writing" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">writing SMART IEP OT goals</a>, consulting with teachers, or <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/blog/play-based-occupational-therapy?" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">implementing occupational therapy with kids</a>. Here are best practices to help ensure you're a valuable member of the team:<ul><li>Respect all team members' roles, responsibilities, opinions, and emotions.</li><li>Remember that all members are equally important for students' success.</li><li>Listen carefully for insights from parents, teachers, therapists, administrators, and the student (if present) that can aid your understanding of the student's difficulties and inform your approach to therapy.</li><li>Strive to communicate clearly regarding goals, OT interventions, and progress.</li><li>Eliminate jargon as much as possible, and be sure to explain complicated concepts or terms.</li><li>Ensure the team has obtained the services of a translator if the family does not speak or understand English well.</li><li>Get organized and come prepared for the meeting; print copies and provide team members with materials before or after the meeting.</li><li>Be prepared to give updates on present levels of performance (PIPs) and specific, measurable, attainable, realistic and timely (SMART) IEP goals.</li><li>Share your expertise and suggestions on OT-related activities that parents, teachers and other team members can use with students.</li><li>Work together with the team to develop students' goals and objectives, collaborate within classrooms, monitor interventions and review students' progress (<a href="https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/55/1/83/4515/Team-Collaborative-Practices-Between-Teachers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">AOTA</a>).</li><li>Ask team members for feedback and input on what is working or not working regarding OT.</li><li>If you do not have answers to questions, say you will research the issue and follow up.</li><li>Be empathetic, courteous, patient, positive, and professional.</li><li>Have an up-to-date, working understanding of your responsibilities regarding the <a href="https://sites.ed.gov/idea/regs/b/a/300.34/c/6" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Individuals with Disabilities Act</a> (IDEA) and the <a href="https://www2.ed.gov/parents/needs/speced/iepguide/index.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Individualized Education Program</a> (IEP).</li><li>Know <a href="https://www.floridahealth.gov/provider-and-partner-resources/fccdhh/education/parents.html" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">students' and parents' rights</a> under the law.</li></ul><h2>Who Might School Occupational Therapists Work With on Student Teams?</h2>Teams assembled to support students with occupational therapy and other needs can include various multidisciplinary partners. As a school-based occupational therapist, you may work with student support teams (SSTs) or IEP teams, including:<ul><li>Administrator</li><li>Advocate</li><li>Assistive technology specialist</li><li>Attorney</li><li>Caregiver</li><li>General education teacher</li><li>Other occupational therapist(s)</li><li>Parent or legal guardian</li><li>Physical therapist</li><li>School counselor</li><li>School nurse</li><li>School psychologist</li><li>Special education coordinator</li><li>Special education teacher</li><li>Speech-language pathologist</li><li>Student's physician</li><li>Student</li></ul><h2>Research Shows Collaboration is Vital for Occupational Therapists in School Settings</h2>Being a team player as an occupational therapist isn't just a feel-good idea; it's backed by solid evidence. Here's what the research says about collaboration among occupational therapists and teachers:<ul><li>In a study, 73.68% of elementary teachers perceived "collaboration with the occupational therapist as valuable for providing effective classroom strategies and having a positive impact on student success" (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19411243.2022.2054488#:~:text=73.68%25%20(N%20%3D%2056),positive%20impact%20on%20student%20success." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edick et al., Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, &amp; Early Intervention</a>).</li><li>82.89% of participants in the study reported that "more education about school-based occupational therapy would be beneficial" (<a href="https://www.tandfonline.com/doi/full/10.1080/19411243.2022.2054488#:~:text=73.68%25%20(N%20%3D%2056),positive%20impact%20on%20student%20success." rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Edick et al., Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, &amp; Early Intervention</a>).</li><li>A training and coaching program "improved interprofessional collaboration in a sample of 27 pairs of teachers and OTs" and resulted in "better communication, role perception, and conflict resolution" (<a href="https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/74/4_Supplement_1/7411505136p1/9657/Interprofessional-Collaboration-Among-Teachers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Hubbard et al., American Journal of Occupational Therapy</a>).</li><li>The majority of teachers in a study exploring collaboration between teachers and OTs in public schools reported that "occupational therapy contributed to student skill development, and as collaboration practices increased, the teachers' perceptions of occupational therapy contribution to student skill development increased" (<a href="https://research.aota.org/ajot/article-abstract/55/1/83/4515/Team-Collaborative-Practices-Between-Teachers-and?redirectedFrom=fulltext" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Barnes et al., American Journal of Occupational Therapy</a>).</li><li>In research comparing "the provision of occupational therapy as direct service versus collaborative consultation, teachers who collaborated with therapists reported much larger occupational therapy contributions and had more positive attitudes" (<a href="https://eric.ed.gov/?id=EJ414547" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">Dunn, Occupational Therapy Journal of Research</a>).</li><li>A survey of teachers showed that "collaboration with OTs was valued by 85.1% of respondents" (<a href="/content/%E2%80%A2%0982.89%25%20of%20participants%20in%20the%20study%20reported%20that%20" rel="noopener noreferrer">Bradley et al., American Journal of Occupational Therapy</a>).</li></ul>We hope this information on the value of collaboration helps you move forward with confidence in your career as a school-based occupational therapist! Remember that being part of a team can supercharge your collective powers and help students thrive amidst challenges. The efforts you contribute to the team can create ripples that last a lifetime.To find out where students and their teams need your specialized OT skills, view our <a href="https://www.crosscountry.com/education" rel="noopener noreferrer" target="_blank">school-based occupational therapy jobs</a> now.

Occupational Therapy School - Role of Teamwork & Collaboration