1226 Occupational Therapist

Posting # 1226

Posting date: February 5, 2025

Interviews:  Interviews begin the week of February 17, 2025, with applications being accepted until the position is filled

Location: Lyon, Sioux, O'Brien and Osceola counties

Region: North

Overview

Northwest AEA provides visionary leadership and quality, student-centered services through relationships with families, schools, and communities. In short, our focus can be summed up in these four words: Inspiring Learning. Changing Lives. 

Our vision is to be the first contact for timely and ongoing support to improve the performance outcomes and well-being of all learners.

About the Agency

Northwest AEA provides special education and school improvement services to 34 public school districts and 32 accredited, non-public schools. The agency serves 45,000 students and more than 5000 educators in a 10-county area of Northwest Iowa (Lyon, Osceola, Sioux, O'Brien, Plymouth, Cherokee, Woodbury, Ida, Monona, and Crawford). 

Our headquarters is located at 5800 Discovery Blvd., Sioux City, with regional offices in Cherokee, Denison, Le Mars, Onawa, and Sioux Center.

Why Northwest AEA?

Our vision, mission, and anchors guide our actions. Staff at Northwest AEA believe that what they do inspires learning and leads to changed lives for the students, staff, and families we serve. Our work is anchored in building positive, professional relationships with stakeholders and with one another. We embrace responsiveness in how we serve so that students, staff, and families can see improved results.

JOB DESCRIPTION

Qualifications:

• Master's degree in occupational therapy
• Licensed occupational therapist by the Iowa Department of Health
• Statement of professional recognition by the Iowa Department of Education                                                                      

Job Purpose:  Provide specialized evaluation, instruction and consultative services required to meet the unique educational needs of students with fine motor, sensory, visual motor, activities of daily living and related impairments, within a multi-disciplinary problem-solving team structure.

Essential Duties &  Responsibilities:

• Assist AEA/LEA problem solving teams in designing, implementing, and evaluating intervention plans and making subsequent instructional decisions for students experiencing learning or behavior problems.
• Participate in full and individual student evaluations, including analysis of interventions, planning, assessment, and reporting.
• Provide collaborative consultation services to parents, students, teachers and others, using progress monitoring data.
• Assist the AEA and LEA’s regarding compliance with special education rules and regulations.
• Assist in the development and implementation of IEPs and IFSPs and provide support and related services as determined by the IEP team when appropriate.
• Use a variety of interventions and collaborate with families and educators to address concerns in areas of fine motor, sensory processing skills, positioning, assistive technology, activities of daily living, play, pre-vocation/work activities, social development/participation, visual-perception, visual-motor, and instrumental activities of daily living.
• Outline duties to be carried out by the certified Occupational Therapy Assistant and provide continuing guidance as needed.
• Provide training for professional development and program planning to teachers, parents, and support staff. 
• Use available technology to complete and disseminate appropriate documentation of activities and results.
• Adhere to the Iowa Department of Education rules, IDEA Part B and C statute and regulations, and Northwest AEA policies and procedures.
• Work within the current AEA problem-solving process.
• Other duties as assigned.  

Click here for salary schedule.

A transfer shall be considered a change in an employee's assigned region (East, North, West) within the same job role (occupational therapist) in another region.  If you are interested in making a transfer request, contact Sherri Wing (swing@nwaea.org) for transfer request application.  If you are not currently serving in this role (occupational therapist) but want to be considered for a role change to this position, please contact Sherri Wing (swing@nwaea.org) for the role change application.

It is the policy of Northwest Area Education Agency not to discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, disability, religion, creed, age, marital status, sexual orientation, gender identity and socioeconomic status in its educational programs and its employment practices. There is a grievance procedure for processing complaints of discrimination. If you have questions or a grievance related to this policy, please contact Jerome Schaefer, Equity Coordinator, 5800 Discovery Blvd., Sioux City, Iowa, 51111, 712-222-6114.