FROM MY PT SCHOOL NOTES · PEDIATRICS · CHAPTER 17
Collaboration with OT, SLP, families and educators
Communication, feeding, hand skills, mobility and learning are intertwined—but the expertise and safety scope of each profession matter.
Occupational therapy overlaps with PT without replacing it
The OT guest lecture reviews fine-motor manipulation, visual-motor skills, daily living, sensory access and classroom activity. PT may address trunk/postural control or functional mobility in the same task. Joint planning can reduce redundant exercises and improve transfer to daily life.
SLP brings essential communication and swallowing expertise
The SLP lecture addresses speech, language, augmentative communication, cognition and feeding/swallowing. If communication barriers prevent the child from participating in motor tasks, adapt cueing and seek specialist input rather than labeling the child unmotivated.
Build one coordinated plan
Specify what the child needs to do, who will practice the skill, how success will be measured and which change should trigger a team discussion. Caregivers and school staff often determine whether a program is feasible.
Try a clinical decision
An infant with motor delay becomes distressed during feeding and shows coughing. Should PT simply continue oral-motor exercise?
No. Stop an unsafe feeding activity and refer to the appropriate medical/feeding-swallowing team. PT can contribute postural assessment within an interprofessional plan.
Original class sources: 0 OT Lecture.pdf, 6 SLP for the PT.pdf, Effects of oral stimulation.pdf, 1 Family Centered PT.pdf
This is a focused summary from personal PT-school notes, not a substitute for medical evaluation, an instructor course or a current clinical guideline.
