Educators know that collaboration among colleagues is vital to support and serve our students. We each bring our own experiences, teaching styles and strategies to the table.
Incorporating strategies used by occupational, physical and speech therapists into classroom teaching can not only greatly benefit students with disabilities but can also improve learning for all students.
“It takes a village to help lead and shape young minds,” said physical therapist Dan Renahan. “Whether it be teachers, aides or related service providers, we all have different tools and gifts we can utilize to help our students.”
And the more teachers normalize using these strategies, the more special needs students will feel included and supported.
Many students’ social, emotional and physical skills have weakened since the pandemic, regardless of whether they have a disability. Among elementary school students, speech pathologist Melissa Toribio has noticed higher student dysregulation, an “overdependence on devices” and a lack of play, either independently or with other students. “Play is the foundation for communication and learning,” she said.
Renahan, who works at pre-K schools in the Bronx, noted a decrease in student coordination and balance as well as play skills. During the pandemic, he said, “many students did not have the opportunity to develop essential gross motor skills, such as running, jumping or climbing that they would normally learn on the playground, at parks or on playdates.”
However, Toribio sees potential for student progress with the arrival of the new reading curricula. Since these programs integrate the science of reading, they also align closely with her work. “Speech and language therapists have always known the importance of the foundational skills of phonological and phonemic awareness,” she said. Toribio has seen significant growth among the students she works with at an elementary school campus in the Bronx now that both she and classroom teachers are reinforcing these skills.
Teachers can take language skills one step further through techniques like modeling and recasting, said Toribio. For instance, if a student has limited language, a teacher can enhance a response by adding descriptive words. If a student says, “car,” the teacher can restate, “a red car” or “a fast car.” Modeling can be used to help students with grammar or sentence structure, too.
Teachers can draw attention to the mouth or throat when reading to practice specific sounds, explained Toribio. For students struggling with pronunciation, words can be recast correctly, so “me yike ats” can be restated as “I like cats.” But it’s crucial that a teacher utilize these techniques without shaming or judgment, she stressed.
Renahan, the physical therapist, said teachers can make adjustments to help all students with spatial awareness, such as using floor spots so students know where to sit during circle time, labeling different parts of the classroom or using tape on the floor to delineate a walking path.
Even recess offers opportunities to incorporate strategies therapists use. “During playground time, teachers can emphasize fun, fitness and participation versus competition,” Renahan said. Teachers can pair students with a “recess buddy” to promote socialization and language skills. Organized games, such as obstacle courses, scavenger hunts or relay races, promote physical skills and inclusion, he said.
Incorporating movement into lessons is key, said Rachel Dorsey, a physical therapist at the Academy for Career and Living Skills, a District 75 high school in the Bronx. Teachers throughout grade levels and subject areas can integrate kinesthetic skills by “having students use movement to showcase what they learned,” she said.
Shirley Mansukhani, a fellow physical therapist at Dorsey’s school, suggested that teachers incorporate simple movement breaks throughout the day, such as quick stretches, dances or even yoga poses, which would “help them concentrate in class-based activities.”
The occupational therapist team at the Academy for Career and Living Skills works with students on developing skills to help them make the transition to adulthood, independence and the workforce. But any teacher can reinforce these skills by including daily routines, such as setup and cleanup of academic materials, into classroom procedures, said occupational therapist Kim McPherson.
Sensory regulation activities, such as those that can be found online at GoNoodle or S’Cool Moves, or drawing, painting, coloring and other arts and crafts, can “improve motor planning, core strength, coordination, attention and overall learning,” said occupational therapist Sandra Esguerra-Ramirez.
Adding short sensory breaks throughout the day “also works well in providing all students a time to reset from academic work,” she said.
Teachers should be mindful of not only assigning students tasks they can easily accomplish on their own, Dorsey said. To truly enable skill growth and empowerment, students need to engage in more complex tasks that require them to stretch. In the case of a student with disabilities, they may need the support of a therapist, aide, peer or an assistive device to complete the task successfully, but they will be on the path to reaching their full potential.
“It may take some trial and error to find solutions, but it is always worth exploring multiple options to give the student the most opportunities possible,” Dorsey added.