A Checklist to Determine the Methods of Intervention Used in School-Based Therapy

Research is needed with respect to the types of intervention methods therapists use when providing school-based therapy to children with special needs. This article describes the development of a checklist by which to identify the intervention methods used by occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists in the school setting. The checklist was pilot tested on a group of 15 therapists working in a school-based therapy services program. Content validity of the checklist was estimated through a peer review process and by examining frequency distributions. Reliability was estimated using a test-retest approach. Five categories of methods are included in the checklist: teaching/learning techniques, cognitive strategies, handling/physical interventions, environmental/task modifications, and information sharing. Initial findings demonstrate the reliability of three of the five categories and the content validity of the checklist. Among both the occupational therapists and the speech-language pathologists, the most commonly used methods across therapy sessions were teaching/ learning techniques, followed by cognitive strategies. Among the physical therapists, teaching/learning techniques also were used most commonly across therapy sessions, followed by handling/physical interventions. Future research directions are discussed.