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Recreation Therapy

Recreation Therapy (RT)

School-based Recreation Therapy (RT) is a related service identified in the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA). Children 3 to 22 years of age who meet criteria for special education services may be eligible for RT services. Service needs are determined upon completion of a school RT assessment and IEP team recommendation. School-based RTs share in the decision-making process with the IEP team to determine how to meet the educational program needs of individual students.

About School-Based Recreation Therapy

School-based Recreation Therapy (RT) is a support service to the student’s educational program. It predominantly addresses supporting a student in the development and application of the underlying skills necessary to engage in inclusive cooperative learning and inclusive cooperative play (or social recreation) lessons and activities across a variety of school environments.

School-based Recreation Therapists use therapeutic activities that may improve a student’s ability to utilize social functioning skills in the school environment.

About Our School-Based Recreation Therapists

Recreation Therapy primarily focuses on purposeful, goal directed activities that improve a student's functional performance during their school day and throughout their educational program. School-based recreation therapists:

Assess students within their educational setting, using a comprehensive and dynamic approach to evaluate and assess a student’s needs in their educational environment
Collaborate with team members, including students, parents, teachers, adapted physical education teachers, psychologists, speech therapists and behavior support providers
Utilizing a multi-tiered system of support, assist schools, teachers and other stakeholders in identifying strategies to support ALL students in utilizing skills required to meaningfully engage in a variety of school based cooperative lessons and activities
Provide services through a scope of service delivery models including: collaboration, individualized, small group, as well as, pushing into whole group setting to support skill generalization
Provide consultation to classroom teacher/staff/families for students with disabilities to improve social functioning within the educational environment

The Los Angeles Unified School District Recreation Therapy program consists of therapists with dynamic professional backgrounds that have vast experience in the clinical, community and educational settings. Many therapists are actively involved in the advancement of the field through participation in state and national professional organizations. Several of our therapists frequently present at conferences, mentor school-based therapists from other states and districts, and collaborate with universities locally and across the nation to develop train our future recreation therapists. Additionally, district Recreation Therapists participate in ongoing continuing education training in a variety of areas to ensure their ability to implement the latest research, evidenced-based best practice methodology into their service to schools and students.

Recreation Therapists are highly skilled and certificated professionals whose educational course of study include: human anatomy, physiology, abnormal psychology, human growth and development across the lifespan, characteristics of illnesses and disabilities, theory and analysis of play, group dynamics and professional ethics.

Contact Us

Related Services

333 S. Beaudry Avenue

17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

Phone (213)241-6200