Occupational Therapist

Position: Licensed Occupational Therapist

Reports to: Program Coordinator

Minimum Qualifications Graduate of an AOTA accredited Occupational Therapy Program

Current and holds a valid license issued through the Illinois Department of Professional and Financial Regulations, as a Registered Occupational Therapist with  Experience in pediatric or school -based therapy preferred.  

Service Description: OCEC provides itinerant services to students in OCEC programs and students with special needs in district programs.  These services are delivered by personnel who are assigned to a number of different schools and program locations.  Services may be delivered as direct minutes with the student or consultation minutes with staff/teams or a combination of both, based on students’ needs as determined by the IEP team.  

Occupational Therapists work with students who are ages 3-22 and have visual motor, fine motor and sensory processing deficits. School-based occupational therapy is designed to enhance the students’ ability to fully access and be successful in the learning environment.  

Performance Expectations: Duties may include, but are not limited to the following:  

IEP Process

• Collects and interprets information from professionals to determine the need for pre-referral interventions, initial evaluations, reevaluations and/or potential services.
• Conducts assessment/evaluation of student abilities and needs.
• Collaborates in the development and updating of educationally relevant IEP goals/objectives and assists in identifying needs for other related services.
• Measures student outcomes and uses data to review progress with the IEP team.
• Prepares and submits reports in a timely manner.
• As a member of the IEP, completes all necessary paperwork in advance of the meeting, completes filing requirements, monitors implementation, and collaborates with the team.
• Using evidence based practice models, conducts assessments in the areas of:  
• performance skills (gross motor, mobility, balance/equilibrium and interaction skills); 
• performance patterns (habits, routines, and roles); 
• context (physical and social environment); 
• activity demands (required actions and body functions); and 
• client factors (the mental, neuromuscular, sensory and various systems that impact performance at school).

              Service Delivery 

• Establishes and maintains a positive and safe therapeutic or educational environment for students. 
• Develops, adapts/modifies, sequences and implements a variety of activities to meet the students’ individual goals/objectives.
• Provides therapy to students based on district or OCEC curriculum, ISBE learning standard, and/or individual student IEP goals and objectives within the classroom or outside of the classroom environment. 
• Employs appropriate technology to engage students.
• Creates and follows a weekly work schedule and provides a monthly copy to the program coordinator.
• Monitors and charts behavioral, academic, and/or functional progress of students.

Interpersonal Relations/Communication

• Maintains cooperative, positive working relationships with parents, OCEC staff, school district personnel, and community service agencies.
• Maintains ongoing appropriate and timely written and oral communication with parents, OCEC staff, school district personnel, and community service agencies.
• Attends various school and program related team meetings and staffings.
• Maintains appropriate expectations and communications with paraprofessional staff assigned to the classroom. 
• Develops knowledge of local and community resources as they relate to caseloads.

Training/Consultation

• Consults with school personnel to modify classroom environments, tools and curriculum to facilitate student performance and participation in school-related activities.
• Provides information and/or consultation to staff, school district personnel, volunteers, and agency personnel.
• Works with general education staff to foster integration of special education students.
• Demonstrates a commitment to professional growth to understand the educational model/terms for the educational setting and to keep current with best practice models of physical therapy.
• Trains and/or supervises paraprofessionals to assist with selected exercises or programs as allowed by state licensure.

Knowledge, Skills and Abilities

• Demonstrates knowledge of relevant evidence-based pediatric assessments, tools, and treatment methods.
• Demonstrates skills and abilities to assist students in developing relevant motor skills.
• Demonstrates ability to develop and implement treatment sessions.
• Demonstrates knowledge of assessment methods, techniques and tools for students eligible for physical therapy services.
• Demonstrates the ability to effectively communicate medical information, test results, diagnoses, and /or proposed treatment in a manner easily understood by parents, educational staff and administrators.
• Demonstrates knowledge of materials and strategies appropriate to students with physical needs.
• Demonstrates ability to manage time, work independently and be self-motivated.  
• Demonstrates a genuine interest in the student population of the cooperative and member districts.

Other Professional Responsibilities

• Ensures that physician’s orders, parent releases, school records and other therapy related paperwork is on record and reviewed annually.
• Maintains an attendance record of all therapy services provided for each student and maintains Medicaid reports on a monthly basis.
• Participates in committees when appropriate.
• Demonstrates leadership in department, classroom, and school communities.
• Demonstrates knowledge of personal technology use (Word, email) and assistive technology when necessary.
• Demonstrates problem-solving skills, flexibility, organizational skills, patience, and receptivity to change.
• Demonstrates ability to maintain favorable public relations.
• Responds as soon as possible, to parent, student, teacher and administrative inquiries via phone or email during regular work week.
• Demonstrates the ability to function as a member of an educational team.
• Maintains a high level of ethical behavior, confidentiality and student-focus.
• Supervises a Certified Occupational Therapy Assistant according to State Licensure Act, when appropriate.
• Serves as a positive role model and works to ensure a safe building environment.
• Maintains a positive working relationship with program administrator and communicates essential information in a timely manner.
• Demonstrates ethnic and cultural sensitivity and competence.
• Meets and maintains state requirements for certification or licensure.  
• Performs related duties, as assigned.

Physical Work Requirements

With appropriate accommodations and/or modifications, employees in this position must have the ability to:

• Provide service indoors in schools 75% to 95% of the time, varying mainly according to travel demand.  Therapists infrequently provide off-site community-based services; homes based services/visits and sometimes provide services outdoors at schools.
• Use personal transportation to and from sites.  Travel can account for 5% to 25% of work time.
• Enter data into a computer; operate standard office equipment, telephone, student technology.
• See and hear a computer screen and printed matter with or without visual aids.
• Hear and understand speech at normal levels and on the telephone.
• Speak so that others may understand at normal levels and on the telephone.
• Stand, walk, bend over, reach overhead, grasp, push, pull and move, lift and/or carry up to 25-50 pounds waist height.
• Lift or control student bodies of up to 50 pounds and participate in occasional lifts of 50 pounds, from floor to waist level frequently without the assistance of a mechanical lift.
• Work in both indoor and outdoor environments, some of which may have air-conditioning.
• Work in environments where privacy is limited and noise levels vary. Occasionally, services may be performed in hallways or areas where dust or debris may be present.
• Walk, stand, bend, reach, push, pull, crawl, or stoop to access and treat students.  Up to 75% of work time is spent intermittently in these types of activities.  The remainder of the time can be spent sitting to accommodate student treatment, driving and paperwork tasks. 

The above statements are intended to describe the general nature and level of work being performed by staff assigned to this classification. They are not to be construed as an exhaustive list of all responsibilities, duties, and skills required of personnel so classified. All personnel may be required to perform duties outside of their normal responsibilities from time to time, as needed.

Updated 2/1/2018