At the EEU, related service providers are an integral part of our transdisciplinary approach to supporting children and families. Our occupational therapists, physical therapists, and speech-language pathologists work alongside educators and families to help children participate meaningfully in their classrooms, relationships, routines, and communities.
Rather than viewing therapy as something that happens separately from a child’s everyday life, we strive to embed our expertise within the environments where children learn, play, communicate, and build relationships.
What Makes EEU Related Services Different?
Related service providers at the EEU work within an inclusive, transdisciplinary environment. We share our discipline-specific knowledge with educators, families, and other professionals while recognizing that each member of the team brings important expertise.
- We focus on participation and belonging, not simply on isolated therapy skills.
- We use child-led, developmentally appropriate, and strengths-based approaches.
- We are neurodiversity affirming, valuing and embracing a range of diverse brain wiring rather than viewing as a deficit.
- We provide services using an inclusion model, looking for ways to embed supports into natural routines and classroom activities rather than separating children from their peers or community environments.
- We coach, model, consult, and build family and staff capacity rather than relying only on direct therapy.
- We work toward meaningful membership in the classroom and community for every child.
Occupational Therapy
Our occupational therapists support children’s engagement, access, regulation, and participation in the activities that are meaningful to them.
OT services may address fine motor and visual-motor skills, sensory processing, regulation, adaptive and daily living skills, play, and environmental supports. OTs primarily provide services within children’s homes or communities and natural classroom environments, collaborating with teaching teams and families to develop strategies and supports that can be carried throughout the child’s day.
OTs also provide consultation, staff training, environmental recommendations, and support for programs and curricula related to fine motor skills, handwriting, and regulation.
Physical Therapy
Our physical therapists focus on helping children move safely and meaningfully through their environments so they can participate in the activities and relationships that matter to them.
PT services may address gross motor development, functional mobility, positioning, access to the environment, and the use of adaptive equipment or mobility supports. Our physical therapists work with children in their homes and communities, classrooms, playgrounds, gyms, and other school environments.
PTs collaborate closely with educators and families to integrate movement and mobility supports into everyday routines and to promote safe, joyful participation in gross motor activities.
Speech-Language Pathology
Our speech-language pathologists support children in communicating freely and fully so they can participate, build relationships, advocate for themselves, and engage in their learning and communities.
SLP services encompass speech, language, social communication, and a wide range of communication modalities, including speech, Augmentative and Alternative Communication (AAC), sign language, and gestures.
SLPs collaborate with educators and families to build communication-supportive environments, build literacy skills, and help ensure that classroom routines, interactions, and learning experiences are accessible to all children.
A Collaborative Approach
Although each discipline brings its own specialized expertise, our related service providers share a common goal: supporting children to participate, belong, communicate, connect, and develop in ways that are meaningful to them.
Our work is grounded in inclusion, collaboration, child-led and developmentally appropriate practice, and a focus on participation rather than simply remediating individual skills. We recognize that every child communicates, moves, learns, regulates, and participates differently, and we work with children and their teams to identify supports that honor those differences.
Related service providers may provide direct services, observe and assess students, collaborate with teaching teams, coach and model strategies, consult with families, adapt environments, contribute to IEP and IFSP planning, and provide training and resources to support children’s participation throughout the day.
At the EEU, we work alongside children, families, educators, and one another to create environments where every child can participate, develop a sense of belonging, and be an active member of their community.