Our Schools
Related Services
Related Services
Mercer High School provides a full range of therapeutic services including occupational, physical, and speech therapy. Group and individual counseling services are available. The student’s IEP determines the level of therapeutic services and number of units provided to each student.
Counseling is provided in an individual or small group setting. The school social worker, psychologist or substance awareness coordinator provides this service to our students. The challenges of the high school years can be especially difficult for special needs students and staff members delivering this service keep up to date on agencies in the community who can assist our youngsters. Counseling services are provided to students in need of help for substance abuse, mental health, and behavioral issues which may interfere with the student’s ability to learn.
The primary goal of Occupational Therapy is to enable students to enhance their ability to participate in school activities or, by modifying the environment to better support participation. The occupational therapists run a small workshop in which they train students in various job related skills, such as filing, sorting, collating, and assembly tasks. The occupational therapists address daily living skills to better enable students to function in school, at home, and in the community.
The purpose of Physical Therapy within the school setting is to optimize the student’s ability to function in the least restrictive environment and to identify and maximize quality of life and movement potential for each student with respect to their current school needs and post-graduation/transition goals. Therapists perform classroom and/or vocational ergonomics assessments and handle the evaluation, adjustment, and maintenance of the assistive/adaptive equipment. Therapists work with our students on safety awareness and health/wellness promotion.
Speech Therapy is provided to students according to the needs identified in the IEP. Receptive, expressive and pragmatic language skills are addressed in various settings throughout the school day. Speech and language specialists incorporate the use of augmentative communication systems and assistive technology for those students requiring an alternative mode of communication. Therapy is often integrated during functional, social, vocational, daily living and classroom activities in order to facilitate generalization of skills.