Therapy Services

The primary goal of Therapy Services in the Louis Riel School Division is to facilitate the inclusion of students with special needs in their educational setting and to enhance the student's potential to access, participate in and benefit from their educational program. Therapy Services may include Physiotherapy, Occupational Therapy and Music Therapy.

Occupational Therapy

The overall goal of Occupational Therapy in the school system is to optimize the student's functional skill in all school environments. Specific areas that may be addressed include:

• sensory processing
• fine and gross motor coordination
• visual perception
• adaptive skills (feeding, dressing, mobility, personal hygiene, etc.)
• ergonomics
• environmental barriers and access

Programming recommendations are embedded into classroom activities as much as possible, and are supported by Educational Assistants, classroom teachers and Student Services teachers.

Physiotherapy

The overall goal of Physiotherapy in the school system is to enable the student to access and participate in educational programming by optimizing physical function. Specific programming may include strategies aimed at improving:

• strength
• motor control
• flexibility
• endurance
• gross and fine motor control
• access and independence in the school settings

Programs are often carried out by an Educational Assistant following instruction by and under the direction of the Physiotherapist. The therapist may also make suggestions about seating, gait aids, mobility, and physical education.

The Developmental Music Program

Singing, creating, moving, and listening to music, allows students to develop a wide range of cognitive, emotional, and physical abilities. Participation in the Developmental Music Program offers students the opportunity to learn, create, and express in a way that is significantly different from more traditional educational-therapeutic approaches. The skills learned can then be transferred to other areas of the student's life.

The Developmental Music Program supports many of the goals targeted in the Individual Educational Plan:

• academic concepts
• cooperation
• agility
• communication
• self-esteem
• exploration

It provides special programming for students in the Skills for Living Program and the Interdivisional Program for Students with Autism, while supporting music educators in the special needs and mainstream music classroom.