Joanne Hinitt

Sensory processing has been linked with difficulties in school participation in children. Teacher perceptions of student sensory processing behaviors at school can impact outcomes, but have been underexplored. This study aimed to describe and explore factors influencing teacher rating of sensory processing difficulties in primary school aged children in their first 5 years of schooling (Kindergarten to Year 4). Binary logistic regression explored teacher rated sensory processing in 194 mainstream school students (mean age 7.79 years; male = 114, 58.76%) to determine factors influencing teacher rating of sensory processing difficulties. Male sex, age of student, class size and teacher qualifications were significant influencing factors. Findings have important implications for identifying and supporting children with these difficulties. These include the importance of screening for these difficulties, understanding underlying sensory patterns in designing classroom supports and being aware of possible biases in teacher ratings. There are multidisciplinary implications for those working in schools as well as related policies and practices.

Introduction: Globally occupational therapists are collaborating with teachers to support the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream schools. To begin to understand how collaboration promotes inclusion, this study aimed to measure occupational therapists and teachers perceived collaborative practice. Method: A quantitative cross-sectional analysis of occupational therapists and teachers in mainstream primary schools in three Australian states was conducted via an anonymous online survey. Eligible participants were recruited via self-selection and snowballing, resulting in a nonprobability sample of 108 occupational therapists and 33 primary teachers. The Teacher – Therapist Collaboration Index, an instrument based on an existing conceptual framework and associated tool was developed to measure perceived collaborative practice. Results: Occupational therapist and teacher profiles were similar. Both professions report above average collaborative practice, although teachers rated themselves more collaborative on two components. Ratings did not significantly differ by profession, demographic, or background. Personal, professional and systems influences positively correlated with collaboration ratings, with systems having the strongest relationship. Conclusion: Systems changes may be necessary to improve collaboration. Therapists could use the framework and measurement instrument as tools to plan, execute and evaluate their collaborative practice.

Collaborative practice between teachers and occupational therapists is promoted as best-practice to support the inclusion of students with disabilities in mainstream classrooms. However, interprofessional practice across the disciplines of education and health is complicated, and success is mediated by personal, professional, and system factors. This qualitative ethnographic study used shadowing, contextual conversations, and interviews to explore collaboration between teachers (n = 11) and occupational therapists (n = 10) in mainstream primary schools (n = 10) in three Australian states to better understand how context impacts practice. Findings reveal that collaborative practice is influenced both by the model of occupational therapy service delivery employed as well as professional differences between teachers and therapists. A move from itinerant to embedded models of service delivery may support collaboration and help bridge differences between professionals through improved communication and mutual professional development.

Introduction: Inclusive school environments require collaboration between teachers and allied health professionals to promote student access and participation. Collaboration is a complex phenomenon with no universally accepted definition or measurement and with many challenges to effective practice. The purpose of this scoping review is to describe what is known about interprofessional collaboration between teachers and therapists in inclusive primary schools.Methods: A scoping review of health and education literature was conducted using the Joanna Briggs Institute methodology. Peer‐reviewed articles reporting on empirical studies with a focus on collaboration between teachers and school‐based occupational therapists or speech and language therapists in inclusive primary schools were included.Results: Results summarise how collaboration is reported in the literature. Numerical and descriptive summaries describe how collaboration is defined and measured, the challenges to collaborative practice, the structures required to support effective practice, and the outcomes of such practice.Conclusion: Definitions vary between studies and disciplines but contain common elements. For effective practice, the purpose of the collaboration must be clear, and the intended outcomes of the collaboration are measured. Measurement of collaboration requires further research using tools developed from robust theoretical frameworks and validated within the educational context and with professionals of different disciplines. Consistent measurement tools would allow cross‐study comparisons. Barriers to collaborative practice are well documented; thus, future research should be directed to examining effective practice, investigating how professionals circumvent obstacles.

Inclusive education has increased the demand for school‐based occupational therapy services and has reconceptualised the practice in mainstream schools. Therapists are now expected to work collaboratively with teachers within tiered intervention models to support access and participation of all students, including those with disabilities, within the natural classroom context. School‐based occupational therapy has become a specialised area of practice, as therapists work within educational, rather than health, systems and processes. While the growth in demand and expanded scope of practice is positive for the profession, predicted workforce shortages and the necessity for specialised and enhanced practice present significant challenges. The ability of the profession to fully support the demands of an inclusive education system remains unclear. As accurate, up‐to‐date information on the school‐based therapy workforce is the foundation for planning future personnel needs, knowledge of the current state of the workforce is critical. There is a paucity of national data regarding this growing area of practice. The aim of this study is to describe a current profile of school‐based occupational therapists to better understand the workforce, practice patterns, and the funding landscape in Australia. A convenient and purposive sample of 108 Australian paediatric occupational therapists working in mainstream primary schools in New South Wales, Queensland, and Victoria was surveyed in this quantitative study, which was analysed using descriptive statistics. Results provide some insights into the workforce and practice of school‐based therapy in Australia offering preliminary data for future planning in this important and growing area of paediatric practice. While specific to the local context, results invite cross‐national and global comparison to reveal universal trends and localised nuances across diverse settings.

The objective for beginning writers is to learn how to generate alphabet-letters which are recognisable and easy to read. This study investigated the accuracy of Year 1 and 2 children’s alphabet-letter-writing by evaluating their alphabet and orthographic knowledge, following evidence which identifies these skills as important for correctly representing the Latin alphabet-letters in written form. 408 typical children from the first two years of formal schooling were recruited from eight Western Australian schools and asked to write the twenty-six-lowercase alphabet-letters under three different writing conditions: from memory; the initial sounds of words; and copying. Performance was measured using the Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis (Stage One). Analyses revealed the mean average number of the 26- lowercase alphabet-letters correctly written from memory was 8.17 (Year 1) and 12.76 (Year 2). Mean averages were similar across the three writing conditions. Comparative analysis showed children in Year 2 were significantly better than Year 1 children at recalling the alphabet-sequence, sound-letter-translation, and retrieving the letter-shape, letter-case, and letter-orientation. No significant difference was found in name-to-letter translation, letter-formation, or letter-placement skills. The results highlighted that many typical Year 1 and 2 children have difficulty accurately generating all 26- lowercase alphabet-letters. The findings suggested that the way early writers learn to form and place an alphabet-letter, whether it is accurate or not, is how they continue to write the alphabet-letter through their early school journey. Considerations for evaluation and instruction of alphabet-letter-writing are discussed.

Introduction: An occupational therapy handwriting programme integrating cognitive strategy training with alphabet-letter-writing instruction was found more effective than in-class instruction alone for early writers. This study investigated the impact of cognitive strategy training for children struggling to correctly write alphabet-letters. Method: Participants were ten children in the first 2 years of formal schooling identified with challenges in alphabet-letter-writing. A nonconcurrent A1BA2 single system research design was used. The A Phases represented within-class handwriting instruction only and B Phase represented additional handwriting intervention which included cognitive strategy training. The Perceive, Recall, Plan and Perform (PRPP) System of Task Analysis (Stage 2) was the repeated outcome measure. Results: Results revealed all ten children demonstrated a similar pattern of change in cognitive strategy application which was concomitant with improvement and mastery in writing all 26-lowercase alphabet-letters from memory. Cognitive strategies which exhibited the greatest impact on acquiring and executing accurate alphabet-letter-writing skills were those related to planning, memory, attention and sensory perception. The least influential were those associated with generating and controlling motor actions. Conclusion: This study provides beginning support for including cognitive strategies training concurrently with alphabet-letter-writing instruction to assist children struggling to write alphabet-letters.