Which specialist is best suited to assist students with visual impairments in developing sensory-integration skills?

An occupational therapist is the specialist best suited to assist students with visual impairments in developing sensory-integration skills. This is because occupational therapy focuses on helping individuals achieve independence and improve their ability to perform daily activities. When working with students with visual impairments, occupational therapists often employ strategies and interventions that target sensory integration, which is the process by which the brain organizes and interprets sensory information for effective functioning.

In the context of visual impairments, occupational therapists help students develop the necessary skills to interact with their environments more effectively by incorporating activities that involve tactile, proprioceptive, and vestibular sensory systems. This holistic approach is crucial in aiding students to use their other senses to navigate, understand, and engage with the world around them, thereby enhancing their overall functional capabilities.

While physical therapists focus primarily on mobility and gross motor skills, and speech therapists concentrate on communication abilities, their roles are not specifically oriented towards sensory integration skills in the context of visual impairments. Counselors support emotional and social development but do not specialize in the direct physical or sensory skills needed for daily living tasks that an occupational therapist would address.