The word "ace" first originated from the Latin word "as," meaning "a unit." It originally meant the side of a die with only one mark. According to the Wikipedia entry for the word, "Since this was the lowest roll of the die, it traditionally meant 'bad luck' in Middle English, but as the ace is often the highest playing card, its meaning has changed to mean 'high-quality, excellence.'" Unfortunately "high quality" quality" and "excellence" are not words we often hear today when speaking of this nation's public school systems. Our schools, in many cases, have sadly reverted to the "lowest roll of the die."

Let's change this right now! In the short term, the things we do now can create the groundwork for even bigger changes in the future.

We can begin to realistically group our kids so that we can plan based on individual needs. The pull-out model is still the rule in most school districts, and this is often dictated by class schedule (i.e., when it is right for the class). I believe we should be providing services based on when it is right for the child. If you have three children who have similar issues, see them together, regardless of whether they are in the same class/grade/location.

We can, politely, ask the paraprofessionals to bring kids to OT. We lose at least 5-8 minutes of therapy time in transportation! We could ask the principals to support us, with the goal of making our time at the school more "cost effective."

Grouping does have its issues. When we see children individually, we see many "hidden" concerns. However, individual therapy does not allow us to clearly see the socialization issues and the interactions that are often the measure of classroom success or failure. Groups allow us to evaluate this and guide the children that are having issues in a secure environment where peer disapproval is not as intense.

We can begin to pressure schools to make occupational therapy a subject/period slot at least once a week in every preschool and kindergarten class in America. Make perceptual/sensory corners in every ­classroom from pre-K through sixth grade. Such programs can help identify the children's potential concerns before they become deficit issues. This will save schools money.

Individual OTs in the school system are often given impossible caseloads. There is really no way we can reasonably and ethically treat 50 kids per week and do it well. Therefore, I suggest that we go into the classrooms and treat the whole class.

Everyone will benefit, particularly in the early grades when training with perceptual-motor sensory skills is part of the developmental process.

As occupational therapists, we can put ourselves on the agenda for PTA meetings, present at teacher workshops, and be vocal in the local LDA (Learning Disability Association of America) and CHADD (Children and Adults with Attention-Deficit/Hyperactivity Disorder) meetings.

It is essential that we not come across as adversaries of teachers and principals. We must include them in what we are doing and make them feel a part of the process. This requires a lot of "OT education" on our part. Let them know how we can make their job of teaching easier, that our ideas will not disrupt their teaching agendas.

We must also work to bring back arts and physical education, both of which schools are cutting in favor of more focus on academics.

Without the arts we have no science. Anyone who has studied physics can see art in it, and anyone who has studied music can hear math in its cadence and patterns. Science allows us to see and do things in new ways. The truly "valuable" part of science comes from the creativity of scientists-creativity that, as children, they first encountered and explored through art. You can't make a good scientist or engineer without art, as both are arts themselves.

We must not only feed children's minds, we must attend to their bodies as well. Gym is not something a child should be able to do online (as in Cobb County, GA). It should be played interactively, in groups, not just training a child in a sport but also teaching about peer relationships, judgment and social skills.

So in this developmental triangle of mind, body and spirit, let's join together to create a school system that nurtures all three. As occupational therapists we are in a unique position to foster this triangle as we address daily living as both an occupation and an avocation.

James Wendorf, MD, director of the National Center for Learning Disabilities, told the New York Times on August 4, 2006, "If you talk to principals and special ed directors, there is a pent-up demand for better ways to serve struggling kids than waiting until they crash and burn in third and fourth grade."

It is not just the children who are crashing and burning, it is the system itself. We can do better. Now is the time to lead the way to respond collaboratively with our colleagues and create schools that "ACE" our children's future.

Susan N. Schriber Orloff, OTR/L, is the author of Learning Re-enabled, a guide for parents, teachers and therapists. She also writes "Ask the Therapist," a column in Exceptional Parent magazine, and is CEO and executive director of Children's Special Services, LLC, an occupational therapy service for children with developmental and learning delays in Atlanta, GA. She was named OT of the Year for 2006 by the Georgia Occupational Therapy Association. Reach her at www.childrens-services.com or sorloffotr@aol.com.