| dc.description.abstract | This thesis investigated the education support services provided by occupational therapists, physiotherapists and speech and language therapists in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Changes in the education policy in South Africa to an inclusive education system have major implications for the way therapists provide support. Therapists have been challenged to move from a medical model of support with a focus on highly specialised treatment for a small number of individual learners with disabilities, to a systemic and health promoting model which focuses on support for the education system, including all learners, teachers and parents. The aim of this research was to
develop an appropriate and integrated approach for therapists to support schools within an inclusive and health promoting schools framework in South Africa. Participatory action research using quantitative and qualitative methodology was used. Two surveys were conducted in the Western Cape Province. The first was a survey of all therapists to determine who was working with pre-school and school-aged learners and where. The second survey was of all therapists working in special schools and a small number of private practitioners to identify the roles of the therapists in providing direct and indirect support. In two of the seven education districts in the province, focus group discussions were held with 45 teachers from special and ordinary schools, and 21 parents of school-aged learners - to identify the support they needed. Workshops, incorporating focus groups, were also held with the therapists to, firstly, identify the support they needed to give to learners, teachers, parents and the education system and, secondly, to identify the competencies they needed to give this support.
The data from the surveys were subjected to simple descriptive statistical analysis. These analyses reveal that therapists have a very wide range of roles relating to direct support, including: assessment, intervention with individual learners and learners in groups, and evaluation. Interventions include the development of hearing, speech and communication skills; skills for activities of daily living; life skills; home management skills; work related skills; motor function skills; and play and leisure skills. Therapists from different disciplines frequently provide the same type of support. Indirect support provided includes support for the schools system, teachers and parents. Thirty six percent of the therapists in this study want to increase the proportion of time they spent on indirect support. The study also revealed that multidisciplinary collaboration and teamwork were Teachers involved in the study identified that they need an enormous amount of support
in fulfilling their crucial roles in identifying barriers to learning; identifying the support learners need; and addressing the barriers. This includes the need for support to teach a diverse group of learners; adapting content, presentation and evaluation of the curriculum; adapting the physical environment; accepting new roles of teachers and therapists; making changes to the school system; developing relationships with the parents; addressing challenges related to socio-economic problems; networking with the community; facilitating positive attitudes to diversity; developing supportive relationships with therapists; and further training poorly developed. Teachers involved in the study identified that they need an enormous amount of support in fulfilling their crucial roles in identifying barriers to learning; identifying the support learners need; and addressing the barriers. This includes the need for support to teach a diverse group of learners; adapting content, presentation and evaluation of the curriculum; adapting the physical environment; accepting new roles of teachers and therapists; making changes to the school system; developing relationships with the parents; addressing challenges related to socio-economic problems; networking with the community; facilitating positive attitudes to diversity; developing supportive relationships with therapists; and further training. Parents in this study indicated that they need access to education and support for their children, including direct support for their children; effective means of communicating with their children; specific competencies to facilitate caring for their children; emotional
support; advocates to work with them in support of their children addressing environmental physical and attitudinal barriers, and developing a supportive community; and supportive relationships with therapists. | en_US |
