South Australian school teachers' perceptions of occupational therapy reports

The qualitative research reported here investigated the perceptions of primary school teachers regarding the usefulness of occupational therapy reports from the Flinders Medical Centre. The reports included either recommendations alone or in conjunction with written programs for the students.

This qualitative descriptive study employed in-depth semistructured interviews to gather the perspectives of four school teachers from primary schools in the southern suburbs of Adelaide. The interviews were audiotaped, transcribed, and analysed using a thematic inductive approach.

Four themes emerged from the data in relation to teachers' perceptions of the reports: (i) Understandable but not always useful; (ii) It's important ... we can't do it all; (iii) We never actually speak; and (iv) It's probably impossible but ... in an ideal world.

The research findings provide an insight into the professional relationship between education and health professionals in the presence of minimal collaboration. The participants in this study described the occupational therapy reports as useful but they all wanted a higher level of interaction with therapists. The participants also gave suggestions for improving the current procedure to increase collaboration between health and education professionals. Such improvements could enhance educational outcomes for South Australian children with a disability.