SCHOOL PARTICIPATION AND OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY APPROACHES IN SPECIFIC LEARNING DISORDERS

Abstract

Specific Learning Disorders (SLDs) have profound effects on school participation as related occupations, such as learning, participation in classroom activities, social interactions, and personal management, of children with SLDs are compromised (Law et al., 2017). Comorbid difficulties involving reading, writing, mathematical skills, as well as attention, executive capacity, coordination, and control, limit school participation of children with SLDs (American Psychiatric Association, 2022). However, ensuring functional interventions of an occupation-based, contextually relevant, and child-centered nature is critical through the collaboration of occupational therapy, which helps alleviate the deficits as a result of SLDs at school (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2020). The effects of SLDs on school participation of affected children would be explored, while considering occupation-based interventions of occupational therapy, which helps support school engagement, performance, as well as psychological and social outcomes of learning-induced difficulties as a result of SLDs of children (Bagnato and Neisworth, 1980). Indeed, employing multidimensional constructs of school participation shapes meaningful interventions of an occupation-based perspective of occupational therapy, which helps increase school participation, as well as learning outcomes, of children with SLDs, thereby ensuring valued participation of children at school through meaningful interventions of meaningful occupation as outlined by Kielhofner (2008).