Graduation Date
5-2018
Document Type
Master's Thesis
Degree Name
Master of Science in Occupational Therapy
Department or Program
Occupational Therapy
Department or Program Chair
Julia Wilbarger PhD, OTR/L
First Reader
Laura Greiss Hess, PhD, OTR/L
Second Reader
Joann Figone, MS, OTR/L
Abstract
Objective: This exploratory survey study examined collaborative practices of professionals working in special education. The basis for the survey was the Conceptual Model of Collaboration (CMC), created by Hess and colleagues (2017).
Methods: 27 professionals who work in special education participated. Cross tabulation tests and Pearson's correlation tests were run to determine relationships between the variables.
Results: The findings indicated that the majority of participants value collaboration for student outcomes and professional development. Most participants agreed on common facilitators and barriers to collaboration. Collaboration primarily takes place in IEP meetings, through email and text messaging and is frequent in all classroom types and age ranges. Frequent collaboration has supported prioritization of sensory-motor programming for both the student and the classroom equally.