Together on the Way : Occupational Therapy in Mainstream Education—A Narrative Study of Emerging Practice in Switzerland

InSwitzerland,recentchangesinlegislationhavereformedspecialneedseducation;morechildrenwithspecialneedsarenow integratedintomainstreamschools.HealthprofessionalssuchasoccupationaltherapistsarenotembeddedintheSwiss educationsystem,butpediatricoccupationaltherapistsarestartingtoworkatschools,withtheaimofenablingchildren’sfull participationasschoolstudents.Thisisbringingachangetothepracticeofpediatricoccupationaltherapists.Cultural,political, andsocialfactorsdifferinmanywaysfromthoseofothercountrieswheremostofthecurrentresearchonpediatric occupationaltherapistsinmainstreameducationhasbeenconducted.Theneedforschool-basedresearchthatissituatedwithin thepolitical,structural,andculturalcontextofacountryhasbeenstressedindifferentstudies.Thisqualitativestudyemployed narrativeanalysistoexplorethepracticeexperiencesandclinicalreasoningofSwisspediatricoccupationaltherapistswhen workingwithchildrenwithspecialneedsintheschoolcontext.Threemainthemeswereidentifiedinthenarratives:“bringing inanoccupationaltherapyperspective,”“focusingonschool-relatedoccupations,”and“collaboratingwithdifferentinclusion players.”Theserepresentthreedifferentaspectsofthetherapists’emergingpractice.Theparticipantshighlightdifferent approachesforchildrenwithspecialneedstoenabletheirparticipationineverydaylifeatschoolthroughlearning,playing,and beingwiththeirpeers.ThefindingsarediscussedinrelationtocurrentinternationalresearchandwithrespecttoEuropean countrieswithasimilarpoliticalandstructuralcontext,thuscomplementingapproachestoschool-basedoccupationaltherapy