Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Environments.

McEwen IR, ed. Binghamton, NY 13904-1580, Haworth Press Inc, 1995, hardback, 109 pp, illus, $29.95.

The focus of this text is to clarify major issues surrounding the provision of occupational and physical therapy in public schools to ensure effective, lawful, team- and family-oriented services for students with disabilities. The text is a collection of five detailed articles. The contributing authors have a wide variety of expertise ill the area of provision of services to children with disabilities within educational settings and have attempted to more clearly define an appropriate role for therapists in the schools.

The book begins with "Laws that Shape Therapy Services in Educational Environments," a review of legislation, federal regulations, and case law interpretation that forms the foundation for school-based practice. "Pediatric Therapy ill the 1990s" reviews contemporary theories of motor development, motor learning, and motor control that have helped create the essential components of therapy for school-aged children with disabilities. "Related Services Decision-Making" is an article that focuses on a strong team approach, taking into consideration the uniqueness of both the student and the education team. "Assessment and Intervention in School-Based Practice" concentrates on assessment and intervention specifically geared for the educational setting, with hopes of facilitating educationally relevant outcomes for students. Finally, in "Challenges of Interagency Collaboration," the author acknowledges that many students receive services from a variety of different community agencies. The author emphasizes that successful coordination among the various agencies is instrumental in developing a strong foundation from which students with disabilities and their families can experience success in the educational environment.

This text is easy to read, displaying uniform style and article organization among the multiple contributors. Each article is referenced extensively. The figures provide schematic representation of some of the more abstract concepts, making these concepts more easily understood. I recommended this text to therapists, administrators, and teachers who work in the public schools. I find it especially informative for therapists new to educational settings and a wonderful reference for parents of children with disabilities.

Deborah E Thorpe, PT, PCS 

Allegheny University of the Health Sciences 

Philadelphia, Pa

Ms Thorpe is a consultant for Ken-Crest Services, an early childhood intervention program in Philadelphia. She is currently enrolled full time in the doctoral program in pediatric physical therapy at Allegheny University of the Health Sciences.