POSITION TITLE:               Occupational Therapist Assistant

FLSA:                                   Non-Exempt

REPORTS TO:                     Special Education Director and/or Supervisor

JOB GOAL:

Occupational Therapist Assistant, OTA, works directly under the guidance of supervising occupational therapist.  The OT must perform the initial evaluation, discharge visit, develop and/or modify a plan of care which also includes the occupational therapy treatment goals and discharge summaries. In the school setting the OTA may have input in continuation and/or modification of annual goals and plan of care, and may summarize existing data, but only in collaboration with the supervising occupational therapist.  

Occupational Therapy is considered a related service thus, the primary role of the occupational therapist assistant (OTA) within the school setting is to assist the child with a disability to benefit from special education. OTAs may be included as members of the child’s educational team and share in the decision-making process regarding how to meet the educational needs of individual children. In collaboration with the educational staff working with the student, OTAs address the daily routines and activities of school life and extend their specialized knowledge to assist in solving many of the functional challenges that students encounter in school.  OT services are provided to promote improved quality of movement, visual motor functioning, organizing and using materials appropriately, interacting with peers appropriately, attending and focusing on instruction or directions, improving coordination skills, and facilitating independence in activities of daily living. OTAs recommend, construct, and teach others to maintain and use adaptive equipment for such activities as positioning, feeding, and helping children write or use educational equipment and materials. Occupational therapy interventions may address behavioral or sensorimotor problems, functional limitations, perceptual problems, and the use of assistive or other technology. Assistance may be provided with transition planning, the process that prepares the student to move from school to post-secondary activities including education, training and independent living.  Although therapists who work in educational environments are concerned about the underlying components of dysfunction, the focus of intervention is directed away from achieving isolated motor skills, such as one might see on a developmental milestone chart, and directed toward the achievement of functional tasks required to participate and benefit from the special education placement.

ESSENTIAL DUTIES:

• Receives initial information attends screening meeting as needed and communicates all information to supervising occupational therapist.
• Obtains additional or supplementary information from appropriate staff, family, and/or available records as needed. If a student is transferring from another district, communicates information to supervising occupational therapist.
• Observes referred student within the context of the school environment.
•  Provides information to school personnel and parents through appropriate documents and record keeping. 
• Provides direct and indirect therapy interventions for individual students and/or groups under the direction of supervising OT.
• Provides services at multiple work sites for the purpose of providing direct therapy interventions and assistance as required.
• Provides direct and indirect therapy interventions for individual students and/or groups in regular and special education settings as determined in the IEP and directly pertains to IEP goals.  
• Manages quality occupational therapy services while providing therapy minutes listed in the IEP or 504 and providing compensatory service minutes when therapist is absent. 
• Maintains and is accountable for inventory and equipment.
• Transports supplies and equipment to a variety of sites for the purpose of ensuring the availability of items as needed
• Constructs, modifies, and maintains adaptive equipment for positioning, ADL, vocational, and classroom use.
• Instructs, provides consultation and/or training and monitors school personnel in the therapeutic management of students including adaptive equipment and is readily accessible regarding concerns and questions pertaining to a student’s gross motor needs.    
• Communicates with school personnel and families regarding adaptations and supports required for individual students to meet IEP goals.
• Communicates with outside agencies and non-school personnel regarding needs of individual students if needed. 
•  Organizes and implements an intervention plan that follows the special education     process and school policies after collaboration with supervising OT regarding goals, and plan of care a minimum of 1 week prior to the IEP meeting.  
• Documents current fine motor performance after collaboration with supervising OT a minimum of 1 week prior to review of existing data meeting. 
• Research resources and evidence-based methods (e.g., intervention and treatment techniques, assessment tools and methods, community resources, etc.) for the purpose of determining the appropriate approach for addressing students' functional goals in collaboration with supervising OT.
• Establishes and maintains an appropriate record keeping and reporting system including intervention strategies and specific results through daily online documentation.  Documentation is completed day of service; if authorized by supervising OT documentation may be completed within 24 hours of service.
• Participates in total program planning through communication with supervisor (OTA) and IEP/504 team.
• Manages appropriate caseload for optimal efficiency to provide necessary intervention as directed by supervising OT.
• Provides informal and formal in-service education for multiple levels of educational and support personnel. 
• Provides information on an informal or formal basis to parents and / or non-school personnel regarding school-based therapy services.
• Participates in professional growth activities and continuing education opportunities. 
• Provides a formal in-service to PT and/or OT staff after attending a continuing education course that has been paid for by the school district.
• Integrates current, evidence-based professional knowledge and skills into occupational therapy practice.
•  Adheres to ethical standards of the occupational therapy profession.
• Supports efforts to accomplish the goals and objectives of the local education agency.
• Adheres to established rules, regulations and laws.
• Meets professional growth plan yearly.
• Assists in covering other occupational therapy assistants and/or occupational therapists FMLA, maternity or paternity leave as needed.  
•  Assists in providing Occupational Therapy services during ESY as needed.

PHYSICAL DEMANDS: Must be physically able to lift a minimum of 50 pounds, to stoop or bend, to respond to emergencies in a timely manner to any location on the school campus, including playground, practice fields and school buses.

Contact Information:
Human Resources
315 E Dunklin St
Jefferson City, MO 65101
573-659-3013

EQUAL OPPORTUNITY EMPLOYER

NOTICE OF NONDISCRIMINATION
Applicants for admission or employment, students, parents of elementary and secondary school students, employees, sources of referral and applicants for employment, and all professional organizations that have entered into agreements with our School District are hereby notified that our School District does not discriminate on the basis of race, color, national origin, sex, age, religion, or disability in admission or access to, or treatment or employment in, its programs and activities.