The Springfield School District's Motor Development Team welcomes you to the public school setting. Our Motor Development Team whom we call the Motor team, is comprised of occupational therapists (OTs), physical therapists (PTs) and adapted physical education specialists (APE). We provide services to every school in the district. Motor Team services are available to students who demonstrate a significant delay in fine and/or gross motor skills.

Therapy offered in the schools is an educational model rather than a medical model provided by private and hospital therapists. The educational model is designed to assist a student gain the most from her/his education and to be as independent and safe as possible in the school setting.

The role of Springfield's occupational therapists is to assess, develop, and implement programs in the areas of fine motor development, visual-motor skill building, and activity of daily living skills. These skills include: improvement of hand grasp, coordination of two handed activities, improvement of motor planning and body scheme, enhancement of visual sequencing and problem solving, and skills relating to dressing, feeding, toileting and grooming. OTs also design adaptive equipment devices designed to enhance independence in the academic areas of writing, key boarding, and feeding.

The role of the Springfield physical therapists is to assess, develop, train staff and implement programs in the following areas. The areas are: postural and gross motor development which involves head control, sitting and standing balance; gait training and functional mobility for maximum independence within the educational environment; wheelchair mobility and transfer skills; improvement of strength, coordination and prevention of deformity; and respiratory function for improvement/maintenance of health. The PT plans and arranges for equipment adapted to student's abilities, particularly for positioning and mobility such as, fitting wheelchairs, standing tables, and monitoring braces. The PT will also consult with the student's doctor and/or medical clinic in order to coordinate services and the carry over of suggestions.

The role of the adapted physical education specialist is to assess, develop and implement programs in the following areas: physical fitness; motor fitness; fundamental motor skills and patterns; individual and group games; sports, including lifetime and intramural sports.

Normally therapy is delivered to the students in the classroom in a one on one, or small group setting or through consultation with the classroom teacher. Thus, the students are not pulled out of the classroom missing time with their classmates or missing class time.

The Motor Team feels that the parent knows the child best. That is why we hope to work with the parents as a team. Our therapists can provide parents with home programs. With the parents support and encouragement and our therapy in the educational setting, the students will have the best chance to reach his or her potential.