Occupational Therapist

Job Description

The Occupational Therapist works cooperatively with students, parents, and teachers to enable the students to
reach their educational goals; emphasizes remediation of compensation for perceptual, sensory, visual, fine-
motor, and self-care deficits; provides an appropriate educational program for students with disabilities; utilizes a
medically based training to evaluate and apply purposeful, goal-directed, developmentally sequenced activities to
enhance the student’s potential for learning.

Qualifications

Education: Minimum Bachelor’s degree in Occupational Therapy.

Certificates & Licenses: Valid Virginia Department of Health Professions license required in Occupational Therapy,
or the ability to obtain one.

Minimum Qualifications:

• Must have completed an accredited education program and all fieldwork education requirements.
• Must be certified by the Occupational Therapy Certification Board (OTCB) following successful completion of the national certification examination.

Experience:

• Must have successfully completed a pediatric affiliation and have two (2) years of prior work experience.
• Such alternatives to the above qualifications as the administrator may deem appropriate.

Desired: Experience with school-aged children with disabilities (ages 5-22 years)

Essential Functions:

• Train parents and staff in proper techniques of positioning, handling, dressing, and feeding students with disabilities as required to meet their individualized needs.
• Recommend necessary equipment and adaptations and, when possible, construct such equipment and adaptations.
• Consult with teachers in planning and updating classroom programs for fine-motor and perceptual-motor activities.
• Conduct home visits, group presentations, or individual teaching of parents, teachers, and other school personnel on normal and abnormal child development, medical aspects of disabling conditions, therapeutic techniques, proper body mechanics, etc.
• Attend and present at Individual Education Plan (IEP) meetings about student progress.
• Collect data related to IEP goals, monitor progress over time to ensure consist improvement in skills and make adjustments to therapeutic interventions if needed to ensure consistent student progress.

Assessment and Evaluation

• Evaluate new student referrals within mandated timelines. A written report is to follow the evaluation, indicating the student’s strengths and needs related to the reason for referral.
• Use standardized tests and customized measures and/or observation to evaluate the student in areas of cognitive-perceptual-motor skills, motor coordination, self-care, muscle strength and range of motion, postural reflexes, needs for adaptive devices, and vocational skills.
• The therapist, with parent permission, may make home visits for the purpose of evaluating the child within his/her home environment (Note: Director of Special Education permission should also be obtained).
• Evaluate treatment effectiveness by observation, testing, communication with family, and other sources.

Planning and Treatment

• Direct Services: Utilize treatment procedures involving physical, sensory, manual, creative, and recreational or play activities that are designed to:
• Maintain or improve motor functioning such as normal developmental motor patterns, range of motion, muscle strength, gross and fine motor coordination, and activity tolerance.
• Improve level of functioning in the areas of visual, auditory, tactile, kinesthetic perception, and cognitive- perceptual-motor integration skills.
• Improve psychosocial development by aiding ego development, developing social interaction skills, and helping the child discover constructive alternatives.
• Help the child achieve a maximum level of independence in toileting, feeding, personal hygiene, dressing, grooming, and mobility.
• Help the child acquire homemaking and vocational skills and appropriate work habits through pre-vocational activities.
• Instruct the student in the use of functional adaptive equipment and devices.
• Indirect Services (Other services provided by the occupational therapist in the school): Provide consultative services to school professionals who work with a student to collaborate on adjustments or accommodations necessary to support the student’s participation in the curriculum.

Clearances

• Criminal Justice Fingerprint/Background Clearance.
• Tuberculosis Skin Test.

Public Health Compliance

• Proof of COVID vaccination. Exemptions for religious/medical will be reviewed.
• Must follow safety and health protocols.

WP