What are our PTs doing in Schools? We asked a few of your favorites…

Favorite activities or top 3 activities to do with your students in your sessions?

• I love incorporating core and hip strengthening into fun ball play. An example of this is passing ball toss while in a tall kneeling or half kneeling position. 
• bean bags on belly sit ups, big ball kicks, dinosaurs on your feet -slow lift and lower.
• Obstacle courses! You can address balance, strength and coordination with uneven surfaces and motor planning challenges too. 

What skills do you feel you address most frequently in your PT sessions?

• Balance, core strength, stair navigation 
• Balance- reaching outside base of support, jumping with bilateral takeoff and landing, coordination- ball skills, crossing midline and jumping jacks, strengthening- core strength with sit ups, plank, superhero.

What do you feel is your most important role in the schools?

• Promoting a student’s participation.
• flexibility and support with kids and teachers and specialists to allow everyone to get what they need done and what you need done.
• Facilitating access to a student’s educational environment. Also being the bridge between the student’s medical history and school team and translating that into functional mobility goals. Training and educating staff and aides and providing the right equipment for the student to learn and grow. 

Is there something that you do that you didn’t expect to be part of the role of a PT in the school systems?

• My caseload is mostly MDS. I help students with personal hygiene pretty often and train the staff on how to assist them with personal care needs. We work on transfers to adaptive toileting seats, transfers to changing tables, etc. A lot of this involves training the staff on appropriate body mechanics.
• lots of crafting /creativity impeded into my gross motor plans (I love it and kids love it).
• I find I facilitate a lot of equipment ordering. Bridging the gap between their medical team and school team can lead to better outcomes for the student at both home and school. Also aiding the transition from year to year. Often the teacher and aides change, and we as related service providers are the constant year to year for the student, so I find I do a lot of training and education initially with the IEP teams and staff.