Louisiana’s Criteria of Eligibility for Occupational Therapy Services in the Public School System

Abstract

Since the enactment of the Education for All Handicapped Children Act of 1975 (Public Law 94-142), occupational therapists in the public schools have been responsible for determining the occupational therapy needs of special education students. In Louisiana, therapists and special educators, in cooperation with the Louisiana Department of Education, have developed the criteria of eligibility for occupational therapy. These criteria do not alter the descriptive standards established in Public Law 94-142; instead, they provide an objective method for the selection of students in need of occupational therapy. The criteria, which have been revised and refined since 1981, were adopted recently by the Louisiana Board of Elementary and Secondary Education. This paper presents these criteria and examples of their implementation.