School Based Rehabilitation Services
ErinoakKids delivers School-Based Rehabilitation Services (SBRS) for Speech Language Pathology and Occupational Therapy for children and youth in publicly funded schools to support student participation in the school curriculum.
What Do School Based Rehabilitation Services Involve?
Occupational Therapy
An assigned Occupational Therapist (OT) will make visits on a regular and scheduled basis. The OT will be available to support classroom teachers in developing classroom strategies to support your child with their specific needs, including building fine motor skills, practicing activities of daily living and sensory regulation.
More direct therapy options will be available for students with additional needs. This may include either group therapy or direct one-on-one service. Our Occupational Therapists prioritize students who urgently require equipment or treatment in order to attend school. Learn more about Occupational Therapy.
Physiotherapy
A Phyiotherapist (PT) will be assigned to consult with eligible students and support equipment and mobility needs to improve your child's participation in the classroom, physical education and recess.
Our physiotherapists prioritize students who urgently require equipment in order to attend school. Learn more about Physiotherapy.
Speech Language Pathology:
ErinoakKids SBRS Speech-Language Pathologists (SLPs) provide speech therapy (i.e., articulation, motor speech, fluency/stuttering and voice disorders) only, while language services (i.e. reading comprehension, grammar, writing, etc.) will continue to be provided through district school boards.
If you have any concerns about your child's speech, please contact your school board SLP and they will help determine if a referral to an ErinoakKids SBRS SLP is required.
SBRS speech services may be provided through home programming, individual or group treatment. ErinoakKids has aligned all preschool services, including Preschool Speech and Language, to transition to the school age teams in September of the year the child is eligible for Junior Kindergarten.
How the SBRS Process Works
Step 1: Speak with your School Team
Speak with your School Team if you think that your child needs support from an Occupational Therapist, Physiotherapist or a Speech-Language Pathologist to participate in school activities.
Step 2: School Team makes a referral to ErinoakKids
With your consent, the School Team will send a referral to ErinoakKids for SBRS.
Step 3: Phone call from the ErinoakKids’ Therapist
The ErinoakKids’ clinician will call you before they do an assessment with your child to talk about the process and get your consent.
Step 4: Consultation with the School Team/Classroom Observation
As part of the assessment, the ErinoakKids’ clinician may consult with the School Team and/or observe your child in their classroom.
Step 5: Assessment
The ErinoakKids’ clinician may do some testing with your child and/or try different equipment to assess the best way to meet their needs at school. They will share their suggestions with you and the School Team.
Step 6: Intervention
Your child may receive individual or group intervention to meet their needs. The ErinoakKids’ clinician will work closely with you and your child's School Team to set goals and create an intervention plan.
Most services will take place at the school. Home intervention may be provided for students with complex physical needs to address home equipment.
Step 7: Completion of Service Session
When your student has completed their period of service, the ErinoakKids’ clinician will discuss strategies to continue work towards goals. If needed, they may suggest a re-referral for another session of service.
You can download the SBRS Roadmap to have handy for later:
SBRS Roadmap (English)
SBRS Roadmap (French)
Frequently Asked Questions
Your child’s school can tell you if your child is eligible for this service. You child must be registered and attending a publicly funded school within ErinoakKids SBRS catchment area.
Some therapy services are also provided by school boards and other organizations. Where a school board provides OT, PT and/or SLP services for specific needs, your child may not be eligible for SBRS through ErinoakKids.
If your child attends a private school, please inquire with Home and Community Care Support Services for School Health Support Service options for OT, PT or SLP.
If your child is eligible for service, your child’s school can complete the SBRS ErinoakKids
referral form.
ErinoakKids is committed to working with all of our school board partners to find the best way to safely provide SBRS and follows all provincial and public health guidelines.
Your child/youth’s needs are important. Each referral is reviewed by the SBRS team and will be prioritized for service based on safety and access needs in the school. Students will be placed on the waiting list in the order that the referral was received. Waiting lists vary based on the type of service that is needed. Every effort will be made to have your child/youth seen as quickly as possible. Please inform your school if there is a significant change in your child/youth’s needs so they can help us prioritize the referral.
If your child/youth is receiving individual or group therapy through SBRS you are encouraged to register for ErinoakKids Connect, a secure online portal, where you will be able to view your child/youth’s ErinoakKids health care records and message directly with your child/youth’s therapist. You can also phone your therapist or let your school know that you would like to further discuss therapy goals in the classroom.
If your child/youth will be absent from school, please contact your clinician as soon as possible. We appreciate as much advance notice as possible when you need to reschedule or cancel an appointment so that we can give the appointment to another student.
