Therapy Services under the Moderate Physical Disabilities Contract

Physiotherapy and occupational therapy services provided under the moderate physical disabilities contract

These students receive services under what is known as the moderate contract for children who have physical disabilities. Services are delivered by physiotherapists and occupational therapists from both the Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE) and from school specialist service providers (SSP's).

Students who access this service are described as having a primary physical disability. The student's physical disability impacts on their ability to access their school environment and is a barrier to educational participation and learning.

Students in this group will typically:

• have difficulty moving within the classroom, are unsafe on inside/outside surfaces and on playground equipment
• have difficulty manipulating class tools and materials, particularly impacting on handwriting
• have difficulty accessing the school curriculum, e.g. physical education, technology
• have difficulty with self management, e.g. toileting, managing lunchbox and eating, changing for physical education/swimming
• require adaptations to access learning materials and tools, and positioning for learning and participation.

The moderate physical disability service is not for:

• those students recovering from surgery. They are covered by health agencies
• speech-language therapy
• those students verified on the ongoing and reviewable resourcing schemes (ORRS)
• those students under 6 years of age if not in the compulsory school sector.

There is no funding under this contract for teacher aide support or for consumables.

Students who have had accidents and who are registered with ACC can access the moderate physical disability service if they meet the services' criteria and the service is not part of the rehabilitation provided by ACC. ACC can provide additional specialist and para-professional services and transport assistance if it chooses to. Usually these additional services are provided by ACC to meet its legislative responsibilities to its claimants.

Students' access to this service is by application from their school to the contracted provider in the students region.

Services Provided

Once accepted for this service, occupational and/or physiotherapy services may consist of functional observations of the student during typical school activities, e.g. written language, physical education. A range of assessment tools will be used as required. Following assessment, which is carried out in consultation with parents and school staff, the most suitable approach to meet the students learning needs will be decided upon.

Therapy services:

• occur within the context of the New Zealand curriculum framework - the essential learning areas and key competencies
• focus on removing, reducing or overcoming barriers to educational achievement
• assist in meeting identified learning achievement objectives and outcomes
• support the student in the context of their classroom/learning environment
• derive from the goals identified through the IEP process.

School responsibilities

• Ensure involvement of parents throughout the process.
• Nominate a contact person e.g. SENCO, Deputy Principal.
• Organise an Individual Education Plan (IEP). Every student receiving services is required to have regular IEPs with the meetings organised, attended and written up by the school representative.
• If additional support is required to support the students programme the school will provide this through school funding e.g. Special Education Grant (SEG). Learning support funding.

Frequently asked questions about the service provision to children who have moderate physical disabilities

1. What kind of children would get a service?

Children will have a primary physical disability that impacts on their ability to access their school environment and is a barrier to educational participation and learning. An example of a fictitious child is on this website for your information.

2. How is the service accessed?

Schools, in collaboration with parents/caregivers would complete the application form, available on the Ministry of Education website  and in paper form at every school. This application form is then sent to the local office of Ministry of Education, Special Education (GSE)/other service provider. The contacts for your local office are located below this document. In some areas specialist school providers (SSPs) are the providers of this service. See below for a list of SSPs. Your local GSE office will be able to tell you if service is to be provided by themselves or a school specialist service provider.

3. What happens after an application form is submitted?

Initially you will receive a letter acknowledging your application.

Once it has been processed, parents and schools will be contacted regarding the outcome of the application.

4. Who are the people who provide the service?

Occupational therapists and physiotherapists will engage with the school team including the teacher, special needs co-ordinator (SENCO), the family, other special education staff, resource teachers of learning and behaviour (RTLB). They may also liaise with physiotherapists and occupational therapists from health.

5. What do you mean by service?

Service will involve an assessment. Assessment involves classroom and/or school wide observations, teacher, student and caregiver interviews and may be in collaboration with other people like RTLB's, SENCO's and other physiotherapists and occupational therapists. Occasionally more formal assessments may be necessary. An analysis of assessment data will inform an intervention plan, which will be determined by all those involved in the assessment process and a service agreement will identify goals and priorities for intervention, resources needed, timeframes and responsibilities of those involved. Review of the intervention plan is undertaken to enable any adaptations to goals or strategies to take place and to identify when the service will finish.

6. Will the therapist work with children individually?

Therapists use a number of approaches to help children. They would determine, in collaboration with everyone else involved with the child, what is the approach that best meets the needs of the child in their particular environment. One approach could be consulting with all those working with the child and working through strategies to support the child. Training and ideas on how to make learning more accessible would be one of the features of a consultation approach. The therapist could also undertake some direct intervention where work might happen for a pre determined period either in a small group or with another support person. Where possible this would occur in the classroom.

7. What are the parent and teacher roles in the therapy process?

Parents and teachers can provide information on how they see the child's physical difficulties getting in the way of learning. They also play a major part in integrating any therapy goals into the everyday programme and by providing opportunities for the practicing of new skills during the day and in the home environment.

8. Does this service provide extra support for the child in the classroom?

Service under this contract does not provide funding for teacher aides. Your school will be able to tell you about any school supports like Resource Teacher: Learning and Behaviour (RTLB), Supplementary Learning Support (SLS), Resource Teacher of Literacy (RT Lit). Schools may also use their Special Education Grant (SEG) to fund additional support.

9. Is there only one chance at accessing therapy?

No. At the end of the pre determined therapy period with successful goal achievement and desired outcomes, therapy intervention will stop. Schools can then reapply and may well do so when there are changes in circumstances like the child moving school, moving classes, or there are significant changes in health.

Contacts

Your local GSE office