You completed the classroom observation. You talked with the teacher. You reviewed the student’s work. You completed targeted screening activities and tried a few supports.
Now comes another important part of the school-based occupational therapy screening process:
How do you turn all of that information into a clear OT screening summary?
A school-based OT screening summary should do more than list the tasks a student completed. It should help the reader understand the original concern, what you observed, how the student is participating in school activities, what supports helped, and what next steps may be appropriate.
The challenge is finding the right balance.
You want enough information to make your findings useful, but a screening summary should not read like a comprehensive occupational therapy evaluation.
In this guide, we will walk through how to write an OT screening summary that is functional, strengths-based, easy for the school team to understand, and connected to the student’s educational participation.
If you are looking for guidance on the screening process itself, start with my Occupational Therapy Screening in Schools: A Practical Guide for School-Based OTs.
What Should an OT Screening Summary Include?
The exact format will vary based on your school district, setting, referral process, and screening procedures.
In general, a useful school-based OT screening summary may include:
- reason for screening
- relevant teacher, caregiver, or team concerns
- student strengths
- classroom observations
- screening activities completed
- functional performance
- supports or accommodations trialed
- response to those supports
- summary of findings
- recommendations
- next steps
You do not necessarily need a lengthy paragraph for every area.
The goal is to document enough information that someone reading the summary can understand:
Why was the student screened?
What did the OT observe?
How is the student currently participating?
What helped?
What happens next?
Keeping those questions in mind can help prevent screening documentation from becoming a long list of isolated skills.
1. Start With the Reason for the OT Screening
Begin by clearly identifying why the screening was requested.
Avoid overly broad statements when more specific information is available.
Less Helpful:
Student was referred for fine motor concerns.
More Functional:
The student was referred for an occupational therapy screening due to teacher concerns related to written work completion, scissor use, and managing classroom materials during independent work.
Another example:
Less Helpful:
Student was referred for sensory concerns.
More Functional:
The student was referred due to concerns related to participation during louder classroom activities and transitions. The teacher reported that the student frequently covers their ears and requests to leave during assemblies and other high-noise activities.
The second examples immediately give the reader more context.
If you frequently receive broad referrals such as “poor handwriting,” “fine motor concerns,” or “sensory issues,” my School-Based OT Referral Questions: What to Ask Before You Screen a Student explains how to clarify the functional concern before beginning your screening.
2. Include Relevant Background Without Rewriting the Student’s History
An OT screening summary typically does not need an extensive developmental, medical, or educational history unless specific information is relevant to the screening question.
Focus on information that helps explain the student’s current school participation.
You might include:
- teacher concerns
- classroom routines that are difficult
- relevant supports already in place
- accommodations currently used
- previous strategies trialed
- student preferences
- relevant work samples
- information provided by the student
- patterns reported across settings or activities
Keep this section focused.
Ask yourself:
Does this information help the team understand the screening findings?
If not, it may not need to be included.
3. Document the Student’s Strengths
A screening summary should not become a list of deficits.
Document what the student is already doing successfully.
For example:
The student independently gathered materials, followed the familiar classroom routine, and initiated the writing activity without adult assistance.
Or:
The student demonstrated strong verbal participation during classroom discussion and independently communicated when additional time or clarification was needed.
Or:
The student independently used classroom tools including pencils, crayons, glue, and manipulatives and demonstrated effective bilateral hand use during familiar activities.
Strengths provide important context.
They also help the team determine which existing skills, strategies, interests, and supports can be used to increase participation in more challenging activities.
4. Describe What You Observed
Try to document observable performance rather than relying on broad descriptions.
Words such as:
- poor
- weak
- immature
- inappropriate
- sensory-seeking
- inattentive
- unmotivated
often tell us very little about what actually happened.
Instead, describe what you saw.
Instead of:
The student demonstrated poor attention.
Consider:
During a 10-minute independent worksheet activity, the student began the task following one verbal direction. The student stopped working three times and resumed following verbal prompts from the teacher.
Instead of:
The student has poor scissor skills.
Consider:
The student independently positioned the scissors and cut forward along a straight line. During curved cutting tasks, the student required additional time and verbal cues to rotate the paper with the assisting hand.
Instead of:
The student has poor visual motor skills.
Consider:
The student copied a circle and cross from a nearby model. When copying a more complex design, the student included the primary components but had difficulty maintaining their relative size and position.
Specific descriptions give the team information they can actually use.
5. Connect Your Findings to School Participation
This is where school-based OT documentation becomes especially important.
A student may demonstrate difficulty with an isolated skill, but what does that mean during the school day?
Instead of stopping at:
Letter spacing was inconsistent.
Consider adding:
Spacing between words was inconsistent during independent writing. The student was able to reread the written response, although the teacher reported that unfamiliar readers sometimes require clarification.
Instead of:
The student had difficulty with fasteners.
Consider:
The student independently managed the waistband of their clothing but required adult assistance with the button following bathroom use, which increased the amount of support needed during the classroom bathroom routine.
Whenever possible, connect screening findings back to:
- access
- participation
- independence
- efficiency
- classroom routines
- educational activities
- functional communication
- use of school materials
This helps keep the screening focused on educational relevance.
6. Include Classroom Observation Findings
A screening completed entirely outside the student’s classroom may not show how the student performs under typical school demands.
When appropriate, include information about the student’s performance during natural routines.
You might document:
- classroom positioning
- material management
- transitions
- written work
- visual access
- tool use
- multi-step routines
- regulation
- task initiation
- work completion
- self-care routines
- response to environmental demands
For example:
During whole-group instruction, the student remained with the group and participated verbally. When students transitioned to independent written work, the student required two verbal prompts to locate the correct worksheet and begin the assignment. Once started, the student completed the first four items independently.
If you want to take a deeper look at this part of the process, read my School-Based OT Classroom Observation guide.
7. Document Supports and Accommodations Trialed
One of the most useful pieces of information from a screening may be what happens when you change the task, environment, materials, or level of support.
Consider documenting supports such as:
- visual models
- visual checklists
- highlighted writing lines
- different paper formats
- reduced visual clutter
- additional time
- shortened directions
- directions broken into smaller steps
- changes in positioning
- adapted tools
- quieter work location
- movement opportunities
- organization supports
- alternative methods of responding
Do not simply write that a support was provided.
Document the student’s response to it.
Example:
When provided with a visual model, the student independently completed the three-step classroom routine without additional verbal prompting.
Another Example:
Letter alignment improved when the student used paper with more visually distinct writing lines. Writing speed remained similar.
That information can be more useful than simply documenting whether a student completed a screening task correctly.
8. Compare Performance Across Conditions
When possible, compare what happens under different conditions.
For example:
Without visual support: Student required four verbal prompts to complete the routine.
With a three-step visual checklist: Student completed all steps with one initial verbal direction.
Or:
Standard worksheet: Student skipped three items and required assistance locating where to continue.
Reduced visual clutter: Student completed the remaining items without skipping a line.
This helps answer an important school-based OT question:
What changes participation?
A screening is not just an opportunity to identify difficulty. It can also help identify supports that increase access and participation.
9. Write a Clear Summary of Findings
After documenting the individual observations, bring the information together.
Your summary should help the reader see the overall pattern.
Avoid simply repeating every screening result.
Instead, identify:
- strengths
- primary functional concerns
- relevant patterns
- environmental or task factors
- supports that improved performance
- impact on school participation
Example OT Screening Summary
The student demonstrated functional use of classroom writing and cutting tools during the screening. Written work was generally legible, although inconsistent alignment and spacing were observed during longer writing tasks. The student required additional time to complete written work compared with classroom expectations. Performance improved with visually distinct writing lines and a reduced amount of information presented on the page. During classroom observation, the student independently participated in familiar routines but benefited from visual support when completing multi-step activities.
Notice what this does not say.
It does not label the student as having “poor fine motor skills.”
Instead, it explains what the student did, where difficulty occurred, and what helped.
10. Keep Recommendations Functional and Specific
Recommendations should connect directly to your findings.
Avoid recommendations that are so general they could apply to almost any student.
Too General:
Provide sensory breaks as needed.
More Useful:
Provide access to a quieter work location during high-noise independent activities when the student indicates that classroom noise is interfering with participation.
Too General:
Use visual supports.
More Useful:
Provide a brief visual checklist for classroom routines that require the student to remember three or more steps.
Too General:
Work on fine motor skills.
More Useful:
Provide opportunities to practice managing the classroom fasteners and containers used during the student’s daily routines, with assistance reduced as appropriate.
Specific recommendations make it easier for the classroom team to understand what to try.
11. Avoid Turning Recommendations Into a Generic Strategy List
It can be tempting to add every strategy that might possibly help.
More recommendations are not necessarily better.
If your screening identified difficulty with written work organization, the student probably does not need a list of 15 unrelated fine motor activities.
Prioritize recommendations that:
- address the referral concern
- are supported by your observations
- fit naturally into the school day
- are realistic for the classroom team
- increase access or participation
- can be monitored
A short list of targeted recommendations is often more useful than a page of generic strategies.
12. Clearly Document the Next Step
The screening summary should answer:
What happens now?
Depending on your findings and your district’s procedures, next steps might include:
- no additional OT action at this time
- classroom strategies or accommodations
- continued monitoring
- consultation with the teacher or educational team
- additional data collection
- targeted MTSS or RTI support
- follow-up screening
- discussion with the educational team regarding whether additional evaluation should be considered
Be careful not to treat the screening itself as a comprehensive evaluation or eligibility determination.
Your wording should reflect the purpose and limitations of the screening and follow your district’s policies and procedures.
Examples of OT Screening Next-Step Statements
Here are a few ways you might document next steps.
When Classroom Supports May Be Appropriate
Screening findings suggest that the student is participating successfully in most classroom activities and benefits from visual supports during multi-step routines. Consider continued use of the supports described above and monitor functional participation with the classroom team.
When Monitoring May Be Appropriate
The student currently completes expected classroom tasks with available supports. Consider monitoring performance as classroom demands increase and consulting with occupational therapy if new concerns affecting participation arise.
When Additional Information May Be Needed
The screening identified ongoing difficulty with written work completion across classroom activities despite support trials. Additional data may be helpful to better understand the student’s performance and determine appropriate next steps.
When the Team May Need to Discuss Evaluation
Screening findings indicate persistent concerns affecting the student’s participation in classroom routines. The educational team may consider whether additional assessment is appropriate according to district procedures.
Your wording may vary depending on your school, district, state, and role.
Common OT Screening Documentation Mistakes
Even experienced therapists can fall into documentation habits that make screening summaries less useful.
Mistake 1: Listing Skills Without Explaining Functional Impact
Simply documenting that a student had difficulty with cutting, handwriting, visual motor tasks, or material management does not tell the team how those differences affect participation at school.
Instead of:
“Difficulty with spacing, cutting curves, and managing fasteners.”
Connect the findings to actual school activities:
“During written classroom tasks, inconsistent spacing sometimes reduced readability. The student independently cut along straight lines but required additional time when cutting curved shapes. The student also required assistance managing the button on their clothing following bathroom use.”
The goal is not just to document which skills were challenging. Explain when those skills matter during the student’s school day.
Mistake 2: Using Broad Labels
“Poor fine motor.”
“Has sensory issues.”
“Low attention.”
These statements do not describe what happened.
Use observable language instead.
Mistake 3: Documenting Only Difficulties
Include strengths, successful participation, and strategies the student already uses.
Mistake 4: Forgetting to Document What Helped
The student’s response to accommodations and environmental changes may be one of your most useful findings.
Mistake 5: Recommending Everything
Keep recommendations targeted to the actual screening findings.
Mistake 6: Making the Screening Sound Like an Evaluation
Screening and comprehensive evaluation serve different purposes.
Keep your conclusions within the scope of the screening.
A Simple OT Screening Summary Framework
If you find yourself staring at a blank screen after completing a screening, try this structure:
Reason for Screening
Why was the screening requested?
Information Reviewed
What sources of information were considered?
This might include teacher input, classroom observation, work samples, student input, or screening activities.
Student Strengths
What is the student doing successfully?
Functional Findings
What did you observe during relevant school activities?
Supports Trialed
What accommodations, environmental changes, or strategies were tried?
Response to Supports
What changed when support was provided?
Summary
What patterns emerged from the screening?
Recommendations
What specific supports may help participation?
Next Steps
What should happen following the screening?
This structure can help keep documentation organized without turning your screening summary into an evaluation report.
Need a Structured School-Based OT Screening System?
If screening, documenting findings, and deciding what to trial feels like a lot to organize, a structured tool can help.
My K–2 School-Based OT Screener was designed specifically for school-based occupational therapy practice.
It includes structured screening and observation across areas such as:
- handwriting
- scissor skills
- tool use
- visual motor and visual perceptual skills
- executive functioning and organization
- sensory processing and regulation
- positioning and motor participation
- functional school routines and self-care
The resource also includes classroom observation forms, more in-depth screening sections, student tasks, supports and accommodations to trial, and tools to help organize findings and next steps.
For therapists who need a broader collection of screening and data collection resources, my OT Screening & Data Collection Bundle brings together tools for school-based screening, baseline data collection, progress monitoring, consultation, and documentation.
Build a Clear School-Based OT Screening Process
A strong screening process does not begin or end with a checklist.
It starts with understanding the functional concern.
Then we observe the student, gather targeted information, identify strengths, trial supports, and document what changes participation.
If you are building or refining your school-based OT screening process, these guides can help:
Start with School-Based OT Referral Questions: What to Ask Before You Screen a Student to clarify the referral concern.
Then use my Occupational Therapy Screening in Schools: A Practical Guide for School-Based OTs for a broader look at the screening process.
For natural-environment observations, read School-Based OT Classroom Observation: What Should a School-Based OT Look For?.
Together, these steps create a clearer process from referral concern to observation, screening, findings, recommendations, and next steps.
Final Thoughts
Writing an OT screening summary does not have to mean documenting every skill you observed.
A useful screening summary tells a clear story.
Why was the student referred?
What is the student already doing successfully?
What did you observe?
How is the concern affecting school participation?
What happened when you changed the task, environment, or support?
What recommendations are supported by your findings?
What should happen next?
When your documentation answers those questions, the screening summary becomes more than a record of what you tested.
It becomes useful information that can help the educational team better understand and support the student’s participation at school.
