Occupational Therapist Position Description

The Occupational Therapist provides quality school-based occupation therapy services, which include but are not limited to assessment/evaluation, intervention/treatment, IEP planning and implementation, discharge planning, related documentation, and communication between teachers, teacher assistants, and related service providers, and families. A full-time position, 10-month position working with students in self-contained non-categorical classrooms and general education inclusion classrooms.

Major Responsibilities

• Develops individualized goals and objectives to facilitate eligible students’ active participation/acquisition of functional performance skills in self-maintenance, academic and vocational pursuits, and leisure/play activities that occur in school environments.
• Prepares both written and oral reports, and presentations for determining students’ eligibility for special education services.
• Utilizes direct and indirect services, assistive technology, and/or environmental modifications to implement special educational programming to provide for the development of sensory-motor, perceptual or neuromuscular functioning and emotional, motivational, cognitive, or psychosocial performance.
• Maintains confidential files which include assessments, reviews, test results, IEPs, and documentation of consultations.
• Consults with Lee Montessori general and special education staff, parents, and community resources.
• Participates in planning team meetings for students and discusses students’ response to OT treatment; makes recommendations to enhance student function in other areas, and may make or recommend referrals to other disciplines as appropriate.
• Reviews and interprets independently generated therapy and medical reports and serves as a resource in reporting findings to other health care and related service providers.
• Attend administrative due process hearings (and other court proceedings), eligibility conferences, and other meetings.
• Ability to articulate the role of occupational therapy in the evaluation, intervention planning, and intervention process.
• Analyze tasks relative to areas of occupation, performance skills, activity demands, contexts, and student factors to implement the intervention plan.
• Recognize occupational performance deficits in the areas of personal care, student role/interactive skills, processing skills, play, community integration, and written communication.
• Gather screening and evaluation data, completing checklists, histories, and interviews.
• Ability to select, adapt, and sequence relevant occupations and purposeful activities that support intervention goals.
• Ability to prepare and maintain accurate records and progress notes.
• Willingness to be educated and trained for specific program implementation.
• Complete thorough evaluation, including muscle tone, range of motion/mobility, orthopedic needs, movement analysis, perceptive/fine motor skills, sensory-motor processing, and functional activities of daily living.
• Educate and demonstrate (verbally or written) therapy techniques to parents that can be incorporated into the home.
• Attend staff meetings, in-service training, and continuing education courses as appropriate or required. Assess and make recommendations regarding the use of adaptive equipment as needed and provide written justification.
• Deliver timely documentation of evaluation results, progress reports, discharge reports, daily notes, and service tracker notes.
• Maintain professional clinical competency by attending certified CEU in-services and workshops.
• Other duties as assigned.

Requirements & Qualifications

• Preferred knowledge in Sensory Integration theory and practices.
• Successful completion and graduation from an accredited Occupational Therapy program recognized by NBCOT and completion of all fieldwork requirements
• Initiative, strong work ethic, and the ability to positively interact and collaborate in a team environment.
• 1-2 years of experience as an occupational therapist in an urban school setting with preschoolers and elementary-aged children.
• Certification as an occupational therapist by the National Board for Certification of Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
• Current District of Columbia license as a certified occupational therapist.
• Demonstrate an advanced understanding of strategies for students with autism, developmental delay, specific learning disabilities, and behavior disorders.
• Be strong classroom support.
• Demonstrate strong skills in partnering with families.
• Demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills and the ability to communicate effectively with a diverse group of colleagues, parents, families, and community members.
• Be committed to meeting the needs of a diverse student population.
• Have a track record of being a team player and community-minded.
• Be committed to their own learning.
• Have excellent time-management skills, attention to detail, and ability to work independently.
• Have a passion for urban public schools.
• Adhere to a high level of professional and ethical standards.

Compensation and Benefits

Salary range: $75,000 - $90,000 per year plus benefits

Lee Montessori PCS offers an extremely competitive compensation and benefits package. We are an Equal Opportunity Employer and, as a school serving a diverse group of students, work to reflect this diversity in our staff.