FRANKLIN COMMUNITY SCHOOL CORPORATION
District Occupational Therapist (OT)
Job Description
JOB TITLE: Occupational Therapist
LOCATION: District-wide
SUPERVISED BY: Executive Director of Student Support and Accessibility
DAYS PER WEEK: Varies
HOURS PER DAY: 7.75 hours
Certification: Must be a graduate of an accredited occupational therapy program, hold a valid certificate issued by the Occupational Therapy Committee of the Indiana Medical Licensing Board and adhere to the Indiana Occupational Therapy Certification Act.
Qualifications: Previous experience with individuals with special needs in a school setting is preferred.
Overview: School occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants are key contributors within the education team. They support a student’s ability to participate in desired daily school activities or “occupations.” They help children to fulfill their role as students by supporting their academic achievement and promoting positive behaviors necessary for learning. School occupational therapists support academic and non-academic outcomes, including social skills, math, reading and writing (i.e., literacy), behavior management, recess,
participation in sports, self-help skills, prevocational/ vocational participation, transportation, and more. (AOTA)
Professional Duties and Responsibilities:
Purposeful Planning And Preparation
- Use standardized assessments when relevant to the student, educational need, or setting and faithfully
administer and score test accurately and according to the directions of the assessment tool
- Interpret assessment data and communicate its findings to the student’s team during the case Conference
- Select and adapt material, equipment and devices to meet student needs
- Provide physically, developmentally, and verbally appropriate activities within the therapy setting to enhance the overall quality of services provided
- Demonstrate knowledge of etiology, characteristics, and functional prognosis of student’s disabilities and share them with the team as requested
- Review data to consider dismissal from related service according to student’s abilities, needs having been met, and resources, and consistently recommends dismissal when necessary
Effective Instruction, Treatment And/Or Instructional Support
- Demonstrate positive and respectful student interactions by intentionally addressing desired behaviors more than undesired behaviors
- Collect data relevant to therapy related service interventions
- Collaborate with teachers when introducing a new strategy that impacts classroom routines
- Confirm that therapy strategies or interventions applied in the classroom are producing the intended outcome and make necessary revisions
- Use time with student effectively by ensuring efficient transitions to and from the session,
appropriately pacing the session, and allowing sufficient wait time for student to demonstrate skill acquisition
- Identify need for and request assistive technology/adaptive equipment to support student learning
- Educate staff, students and families in proper and safe use of equipment and equipment maintenance
- Report on or within annual case conference paperwork according to local, state and federal guidelines. Reports must be free of errors and presented during the case conference
Leadership And Professional Responsibilities
- Communicate with teacher of record about upcoming case conferences and suggest objectives based on student’s present level of performance, disability limitations, and potential
- Maintain professional communication with colleagues for consistent implementation of IEPs and be mindful of student confidentiality
- Engage with families in a professional, positive, and empathic manner that is sensitive to differences, addresses concern of parents
- Reflect on practice to identify areas for growth and seeks out related opportunities for professional development
- Routinely seek ways to implement new practices into service delivery, where applicable based on identified areas of need
- Make or recommend referrals on behalf of students and families after considering the student’s case and gathering initial information
- Write goals that are appropriately ambitious, identify the skill to be acquired based on student’s present level of performance and goals that are linked to students’ identified area of need
- Document student progress on goals by frequently assessing and reports student performance
- Implement APTA Guidelines for Supervision as necessary
- Efficiently manage and adjust schedules by appropriately grouping and scheduling students to maximize therapy time with minimal interruptions to general education instruction
OTHER DUTIES AND RESPONSIBILITIES AS ASSIGNED BY THE DIRECTOR AND/OR ASSISTANT DIRECTOR OF STUDENT SUPPORT & ACCESSIBILITY
Pay: $51,000.00 - $80,000.00 per year
Benefits:
- Dental insurance
- Flexible schedule
- Flexible spending account
- Health insurance
- Health savings account
- Life insurance
- Paid time off
- Retirement plan
- Vision insurance
Work Location: In person
