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2025-26 DSE Public Pages » SERVICES » Recreation Therapy

Recreation Therapy

Recreation Therapy (RT)
School based Recreation Therapy is a related service to support students with disabilities who have social functioning challenges that impact their ability to access their educational environment. It predominately addresses supporting a student in the development and application of the underlying social skill (knowledge, acquisition, performance) to engage in cooperative learning, cooperative play, social recreation lessons and activities across a variety of school environments. Interventions and methodologies utilized are based in recreation and leisure activities, including therapeutic recreation, leisure education and recreation participation within in the school environment.
 
RT primarily focus in purposeful, goal directed activities that improve a student's social functioning performance during their school day and throughout their educational program. School 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.
  • Consistent with Recreation Therapy best practices, engage in interdisciplinary collaboration to support student success academically, socially including identifying supports to promote generalization of targeted skills. 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 types (individual or group) service delivery models which may include direct or indirect (consultation) and pushing into a whole group setting to support skill generalization when appropriate and based on student need.
Focus Areas
  • Service Delivery
    Provide services consistent with RT service prescription identified in a student’s IEP.
  • Effective Practices
    RT services are rooted in comprehensive assessments and individualized planning that reflect both evidence-based and research-supported methodologies. RTs draw on professional experience and clinical expertise to deliver inclusive, student-centered interventions that promote autonomy and self-awareness. Through recreation and leisure-based activities, RTs foster meaningful engagement, skill development, ensuring that each student’s strengths are recognized within a supportive and accessible environment.
  • Collaboration & Support: MTSS
    RTs are integral members of the school community who work closely with school staff, families, and other stakeholders to support students' social functioning. Within the MTSS framework, the expertise and knowledge of the RT can be used to identify and model strategies that improve students’ social functioning across various settings. Additionally, RTs collaborate with schools to ensure that activities and environments are inclusive and offer opportunities for all students to engage at different levels of interaction.
  • Professional Development
    RTs participate in weekly and monthly professional development activities. Interactive meetings target learning and skill-building opportunities, enhancement of therapeutic practices, promotion of student engagement, as well as staying current with legal requirements to meet the needs of diverse learners and ensure compliance with IDEA, California Ed Code, and District policy.
Recreation Therapy
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Related Services
 
333 South Beaudry Avenue
17th Floor
Los Angeles, CA 90017

213-241-6200