TxSpot's Resource of the Month is Physical Activity Guidelines for Americans, 2nd Edition, by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. In addition to info about the health benefits of physical activity, this helpful resource includes guidelines for active children and adolescents (including real-life examples). Check out February's Resource of the Month via the link below.

Have questions about when or how to dismiss students from your service? Check out this featured article by Janine Calmes, PT, MS and Amy Collins, OTR, MOT, where they answer the following three common questions about dismissing students:

1. Is a reevaluation required to dismiss a student from occupational therapy or physical therapy services in Texas?
2. Can a student be dismissed from services at an annual ARD/IEP meeting or only at a REED or 3-year reevaluation meeting?
3. What are some considerations for dismissing a student from occupational therapy or physical therapy services at school?

Read the Feature Article via the link below:

Should school-based OTs and PTs write stand-alone or collaborative goals?

Many wonder whether school-based OTs and PTs should develop their own "stand alone" goals or support collaborative goals developed by members of the student's Individualized Education Program team. A recent guide by the American Occupational Therapy Association, American Physical Therapy Association, and American Speech-Language-Hearing Association helps guide stakeholders toward best practices.

Click below to read the "Joint Statement on Interprofessional Collaborative Goals in School-Based Practice (2022)".

This conference is designed to assist OT and PT school-based practitioners serving in Texas public schools with developing their knowledge base regarding service delivery for all struggling learners. Planned sessions will alert attendees to the latest developments in federal and state education policy, including applicable case law. Evidence-based practices and effective interventions will be shared for service delivery to students in traditional educational environments as well as virtual school environments. Current published competencies (PT) and quality standards (OT) for school-based practitioners will be reviewed. The conference will be held June 2-3, 2023, at the Marriott South Austin in Austin, Texas. Click the link below for more information.

TxSpot was developed so that occupational and physical therapists working in Texas schools would have a sustainable resource providing easy access to policy and practice information for supporting Texas schoolchildren.

TxSpot provides credible, authoritative information regarding federal and state education policy relevant to occupational therapy and physical therapy service to children in schools, and serves as an information depot for families, school personnel, and others.

TxSpot is a service of the Harris County Department of Education (HCDE), School-Based Therapy Services Division. HCDE is a public education entity dedicated to helping meet the needs of learners and school staff through innovative programming and support services.

TxSpot's Mission Statement:

“Advance best practices for physical therapy (PT) and occupational therapy (OT) service delivery in Texas schools by informing, educating, and modeling.”

Email: txspotsupport@hcde-texas.org
Website: www.txspot.org
Location: 6300 Irvington Boulevard, Houston, TX, USA
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/txspot
Twitter: @HCDETxSpot

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