Title:                        Occupational Therapist 2021-2022-233

Reports to:               Director of Special Education and School Principal

Status:                     Full Time or Part Time Negotiable

                                 Competitive benefit package and state retirement plan

Location:                  District Wide
 

Start Date:               August 24, 2021
 

 
Evaluate students to determine their functional levels and identify special needs.  Plan and implement therapeutic activities to assist special education students to benefit from their education experiences.
 
Essential Job Duties

• Screen, observe, evaluate, re-evaluate, monitor, interpret, document, and report student’s functional physical status in the school setting, including determining recommendations and implications for education; to include the identification of disability and the determination of need for special education services.
• Develop motor skills to enable the student to more readily perform required pre-academic, academic, communication, self-care, prevocational and vocational readiness tasks.
• Improve self-care skills in order to maximize the student’s independence in eating, dressing, toileting, and grooming.
• Increase prevocational and vocational readiness skills to prepare the student to function as independently as possible in an independent living situation, vocational program or work setting.
• Improve and/or maintain muscle strength, endurance, and range of motion through the use of physical activities so the student is better able to perform required educational tasks such as writing or using a computer.
• Provide or recommend adaptive aids and equipment to enable the student to participate more effectively in the educational environment.
• Facilitate the student’s ability to effectively process and respond to basic sensory and motor information as a foundation for learning.
• Enhance social/emotional adjustment in the school setting by providing opportunities for success and independence in skill development.

Responsibilities

• Develop and adhere to a daily schedule for treatment, consultation and meetings.
• Evaluate and determine the need for occupational therapy services for students referred to occupational therapy.
• Write reports based on the OT assessments and provide copies as per district policy.
• Participate, plan, and assist in the completion of the IEP team process including collaborating for goal and objective development, for placement decisions, and for the need for related services.
• Provide occupational therapy services for student who have been determined to need therapy with educational implications.
• Maintain measurements of student’s progress in therapy and report the progress in accordance with district policy.
• When appropriate, communicate with clinics, physicians and other therapists.
• Communicate with parents to assure their understanding and participation in the child’s therapy program.
• When appropriate, design and construct adaptive equipment – splints, positioning, writing, eating, and dressing devices
• When appropriate, provide consultation for school staff regarding individual student’s program, disabilities, positioning and handling activities of daily living and other therapy modalities, and general precautions.
• Supervise certified occupational therapy assistants.
• Participate in ongoing continuing education to ensure professional competence, and meet state licensing requirement.
• Maintain confidentiality.
• Carry out other duties as required by Special Education Services.

Supervisory Responsibilities

• Supervises certified occupational therapy assistants and students.

 Required Qualifications

1. Graduation from a Baccalaureate or Masters Level Occupational Therapy Program accredited by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
2. Pass the AOTA registration requirement.
3. Possess knowledge of child development, school-related therapeutic interventions, behavior and management and assistive technology.
4. Demonstrate an understanding of the role of the occupational therapist in a school setting (educational relevancy).

CERTIFICATES, LICENSES, REGISTRATIONS:

Maintain a current Montana Occupational Therapy License.

 
Preferred Qualifications

1. Successful experience in public school setting and/or related experiences in pediatrics (preferable).

Knowledge and Skills

LANGUAGE SKILLS:

Ability to read, analyze, and interpret general business periodicals, professional journals, technical procedures, or governmental regulations.  Ability to write reports, business correspondence, and procedure manuals.  Ability to effectively present information and respond to questions from groups of managers, clients, customers, and the general public.

MATHEMATICAL SKILLS:

Ability to work with mathematical concepts such as probability and statistical inference, and fundamentals of plane and solid geometry and trigonometry.  Ability to apply concepts such as fractions, percentages, ratios, and proportions to practical situations.

REASONING ABILITY:

Ability to solve practical problems and deal with a variety of concrete variables in situations where only limited standardization exists.  Ability to interpret a variety of instructions furnished in written, oral, diagram or schedule form.

OTHER SKILLS AND ABILITIES:

Ability to apply knowledge of current research and theory in instructional program; ability to plan and implement lessons based on division and school objectives and the needs and abilities of students to whom assigned.  Ability to establish and maintain effective working relationships with students, peers, parents and community; ability to speak clearly and concisely in written or oral communication.

Physical and Mental Demands and Work Hazards

While performing the duties of this job, the employee is regularly required to climb or balance; stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl; and talk or hear.  The employee frequently is required to stand, walk, sit, and reach with hands and arms.  The employee is occasionally required to use hands to finger, handle, or feel objects, tools, or controls.

The employee must occasionally lift and/or move up to 100 pounds.  Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision, distance vision, and depth perception.

While performing the duties of this job, the employee regularly works near moving mechanical parts.  The noise level in the work environment is usually moderate.  The employee is frequently exposed to infection at a greater risk than the average person.  The employee is directly responsible for the safety, well-being and work output of students.  Must be able to meet multiple demands from several people.

The duties, physical demands, work-environment characteristics, and mental/motor demands described within this vacancy announcement are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job with compliance with the American with Disabilities Act Amendment Act (ADAAA) and is not an exhaustive list of the duties performed for this position.  Additional duties are performed by the individuals currently holding this position and additional duties may be assigned.