Supporting Self-Determination in School-Based OT Practice (Free Hanout)
- Jayson Davies
- 13 minutes ago
- 7 min read
As school-based OT practitioners, we often focus on helping students become more independent in the classroom. But true independence goes beyond completing a task alone.
Rather, it's about developing the ability to make choices, set goals, and direct one's own actions.
In other words, it's about self-determination.
When students are self-determined, they see themselves as capable and in control. They don't just "follow directions," they make decisions, advocate for themselves, and actively shape their learning experiences. These are skills that impact not only academic success but long-term participation in all areas of life.
In this article, you'll discover practical strategies, evidence-based assessments, and actionable resources to help your students develop the skills they need to make meaningful choices, set their own goals, and advocate for themselves both in and beyond the classroom.
Today, we're discussing self-determination in school-based OT. Let's do it!
What Is Self-Determination?
In occupational therapy, self-determination refers to a person's ability to act as a primary agent in their own life to make meaningful choices and pursue goals that reflect personal interests and values.
A recent American Journal of Occupational Therapy article (2024) emphasized that self-determination is not just a desirable outcome but a fundamental element of occupational justice and participation. When students are empowered to make decisions about their learning and participation, they experience greater engagement, satisfaction, and well-being.
For students, self-determination manifests as:
Making choices about how to engage in learning tasks
Setting goals that reflect personal interests and strengths
Advocating for needed supports and accommodations
Reflecting on performance and adjusting strategies
By supporting these abilities, OT practitioners align with both IDEA's focus on preparing students for further education, employment, and independent living and the OT profession's core commitment to autonomy and participation.
Where Self-Determination Fits into Occupational Therapy
Self-determination has always been part of occupational therapy's DNA. Our profession is built around enabling people to make choices and participate meaningfully in everyday life. The Model of Human Occupation (MOHO) provides a strong foundation for understanding how self-determination develops, and how OTs can advocate for their role in supporting it within schools.
MOHO views occupational participation as an interaction among four subsystems: volition, habituation, performance capacity, and environment.
Volition: A student's motivation, interests, values, and sense of personal causation (essentially their "why"). Self-determination starts here.
Habituation: The routines and roles that help structure actions over time. When students help shape their own routines, they build self-regulation and consistency.
Performance capacity: The physical and cognitive skills required to act on choices. Supporting skill development ensures that students' intentions can become actions.
Environment: The social, physical, and institutional context that either enables or restricts choice and participation.
By framing self-determination through MOHO, we can articulate to teams that we don't just help students perform tasks. We also help them take ownership of those tasks.
Assessing Self-Determination in School-Based OT
Assessing self-determination helps identify both student abilities and environmental supports or barriers. The following formal and informal tools can guide this process.
Formal Assessments
The AIR-SDS is one of the most user-friendly, school-focused tools available.
It includes versions for students, teachers, and parents and takes about 20 to 30 minutes to complete.
The assessment measures two components:
Capacity: The student's knowledge, skills, and perceptions related to choice-making and goal-setting.
Opportunity: The degree to which the environment provides chances for those skills to be used. Results can highlight, for example, a student who wants to make choices but isn't given the opportunity to do so. This information directly informs OT goals and classroom recommendations.
The ARC scale is best for middle and high school students, especially those with disabilities. It examines autonomy, self-regulation, psychological empowerment, and self-realization.
It's relatively quick (20 to 30 minutes) and helps OTs understand how students view their own ability to control and direct actions. This forms a foundation for transition planning and self-advocacy skill building.
While not designed exclusively for self-determination, the COPM beautifully supports it through its client-centered goal-setting process.
Through a semi-structured interview, students identify activities that matter most to them, then rate their performance and satisfaction on a 1 to 10 scale.
For school-based OT, this might look like asking:
"What's one thing at school you'd like to do better or feel more confident doing?"
When students set and track their own goals, they begin exercising agency, which is the cornerstone of self-determination.
Informal Assessments
Informal tools can provide equally valuable insights, especially when connected to the reason for the referral.
Observations: Note whether the student initiates activity, asks for help, or avoids challenges. For example, if a referral says "student has difficulty starting independent tasks," observation may reveal that the issue isn't initiation but fear of failure or lack of control. Both are volitional concerns related to self-determination.
Student Interviews: Ask open-ended questions such as "What makes a good day at school for you?" or "When do you get to make choices in class?" These questions help identify motivation and barriers from the student's perspective.
Teacher and Family Questionnaires: Gain insights into whether students are given meaningful choices or opportunities for input. This context helps OTs advocate for environmental supports that enable autonomy.
When used together, these informal tools help you move from "This student doesn't stay on task" to "This student lacks opportunities for meaningful choice and self-direction in their learning routines."
7 School-Based OT Strategies to Foster Self-Determination Handout
Strategies to Promote Self-Determination in School-Based OT
The following evidence-based strategies embed self-determination into everyday OT practice. Each strategy includes why it matters, what it looks like in SBOT, and an example.
1. Begin With Student-Selected Goals
Why it matters: Choice and ownership increase motivation (volition).
In practice: Use visual choice boards, simple surveys, or COPM interviews to help students select or phrase their own goals.
Example: A student says, "I want to be able to pack my backpack without help." The OT then scaffolds motor, sequencing, and self-monitoring skills to help the child meet that self-chosen goal.
2. Embed Meaningful Occupations That Reflect Interests
Why it matters: Tasks tied to personal interests enhance engagement and persistence.
In practice: Integrate class-relevant but personally meaningful tasks such as writing about favorite hobbies or managing classroom jobs.
Example: A student interested in art designs a class poster to work on fine-motor and visual-motor integration. The student gains both skill and confidence while experiencing authentic choice.
3. Provide Authentic Choices and Control
Why it matters: Real choices build autonomy and reinforce a sense of agency.
In practice: Embed decision points such as materials, sequence, or timing. Gradually move from guided to independent decision-making.
Example: You ask, "Would you like to start with keyboarding or handwriting today?" Later, you fade the prompt so the student plans their own sequence. Over time, this develops natural self-regulation.
4. Teach Reflective Problem-Solving
Why it matters: Self-determination includes reflection and self-regulation.
In practice: Use a consistent visual process like Goal–Plan–Do–Check. Encourage students to identify what worked, what didn't, and what to try next.
Example: A student who struggles with transitions creates their own "Plan-Do-Check" card and rates how smooth each transition feels daily. Over time, reflection fosters self-awareness and adaptive coping.
5. Model and Coach Self-Advocacy
Why it matters: Students who can express their needs participate more fully in education and life decisions.
In practice: Role-play communication and self-advocacy scenarios. Teach "I" statements and encourage participation in IEP discussions.
Example: A fifth grader practices saying, "I need a break to reset so I can focus again." The teacher agrees to a visual signal system, allowing the student to independently request breaks.
6. Modify the Environment to Support Agency
Why it matters: Even motivated students can't self-direct if their environment lacks supportive routines or flexibility.
In practice: Collaborate with teachers to design environments that promote independence. This includes offering choices within tasks, clear visuals, and structured routines.
Example: In a writing station, provide multiple seating options and materials so students can choose what helps them focus best.
7. Embed Reflection Into Progress Monitoring and IEPs
Why it matters: Reflection promotes accountability and ownership of learning.
In practice: Involve students in reviewing their data and progress. Use visuals or self-rating scales to help them describe growth.
Example: Before an IEP meeting, a student reviews their progress chart and chooses one success to share. Including their voice in documentation reinforces empowerment.
Tools and Resources to Support Self-Determination
These tools and programs can help OT practitioners integrate self-determination into practice:
I'm Determined Project: Created by the Virginia Department of Education, this free resource offers student-driven goal templates, one-pagers, self-advocacy lessons, and IEP participation guides. Excellent for teachers, families, and OTs to use collaboratively.
Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment (OU): Home to the AIR Self-Determination Assessment, the Zarrow Center offers research-backed curricula, training modules, and resources for transition planning.
Self-Determination.org: Provides free tools, scales, and professional development on self-determination and autonomy for students with disabilities.
COPM Resources: Official COPM guidance, downloadable forms, and training videos for using the measure to promote student goal setting.
Transition Coalition: Offers professional development and self-determination training modules ideal for OT collaboration with special educators.
Why OT Practitioners Must Support Self-Determination
Supporting self-determination is not an optional extra. It's central to the mission of school-based OT.
Recent findings, including Inclusion and Self-Determination for Secondary Students with Disabilities: The Effects of Interventions and Classroom Placement (2024), show that interventions fostering student choice, reflection, and self-advocacy lead to improved engagement, academic performance, and postsecondary readiness.
By helping students choose, act, reflect, and advocate, OT practitioners not only enhance classroom participation but also equip students with the confidence and competence to navigate life's broader occupations.
Self-determination connects directly to our domain by supporting volition, building skills for self-directed performance, and shaping environments that promote access and equity. As educational systems emphasize student-led learning and agency, OTs have a critical voice in showing how occupation-based approaches bring those goals to life.
Bringing It All Together
Self-determination is not an “extra” skill — it’s a core foundation of participation, learning, and long-term success.
By using models like MOHO, incorporating reflection and choice into daily sessions, and leveraging tools like the AIR Self-Determination Assessment and the I’m Determined Project, we can help students learn to direct their own learning, problem-solve challenges, and advocate for themselves with confidence.
When we prioritize self-determination, we empower students to become active agents in their education, and (more importantly) in their lives beyond school.
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Additional References
American Journal of Occupational Therapy. (2024). The Crucial Need for Occupational Therapy to Prioritize Self-Determination. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 79(1).
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2020). Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process (4th ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 74(Supplement_2).
Kielhofner, G. (2008). Model of Human Occupation: Theory and Application (4th ed.). Lippincott Williams & Wilkins.
Inclusion and Self-Determination for Secondary Students with Disabilities: The Effects of Interventions and Classroom Placement (2024). American Association of Special Education Professionals.
University of Oklahoma Zarrow Center for Learning Enrichment. (n.d.). AIR Self-Determination Assessment. Retrieved from https://www.ou.edu/education/zarrow/resources/assessments