Young girl painting outside in garden with others in background
advocacy issues

Schools & early intervention

Primary education and early intervention services are largely controlled by state and local governments. However the federal government has some influence over these programs through federal laws such as the Individuals with Disabilities in Education Act (IDEA) and the Elementary and Secondary Education Act (ESEA), which was most recently amended by the Every Student Succeeds Act (ESSA). The AOTA policy team works at both the state and federal levels to protect and promote the role of occupational therapy in both of those settings.

Child with blocks

Why early intervention matters

AOTA works at the federal and state levels to make sure policies support occupational therapy practitioners using the full scope of their knowledge and skills within school and early intervention settings, in order to support student achievement. We work to make sure children have access to occupational therapy services and that occupational therapy practitioners are a valued part of early intervention and school-based teams.