POSITION SUMMARY:
The Office
of Programs and Services provides support to and on behalf of
eligible students, birth to 21, with educational disabilities who receive
special education or are 504 plans. More specifically, occupational
therapists address child/student needs in the areas of feeding/oral motor,
self- management and self- regulation, adaptive skills/activities of daily
living, fine motor, social participation and support of written work production. These needs may be addressed through
early-intervening consultation, assessment, intervention and supports to
students, families and school teams for program planning and
training. Services requiring the expertise of an occupational therapist
may include therapeutic interventions, strategies,
modifications/accommodations, and technical support as well as monitoring the
effectiveness of interventions and strategies to promote the child’s/student’s
ability to access, participate and make progress in his/her natural environment/educational
program.
DUTIES and RESPONSIBILITIES: To perform this job successfully, an individual must be able to perform each essential duty satisfactorily.
Assisting
Individual Family Service Plan (IFSP) team in determining eligibility for Part C
services under IDEA 2004 through assessment and consultation;
Consulting
with IFSP teams and families to: 1) develop meaningful and practical family
driven outcomes, 2) identify intervention techniques to achieve specific
outcomes, 3) identify natural settings where child can participate, 4) provide
services to support participation, and 5) educate caregivers on physical
management, feeding, use of assistive devices and/or adaptive equipment,
adaptive skills, and play;
Assessing
a child’s capability relative to their functional and development needs in
context of the family;
Participating
in transdisciplinary meetings;
Assisting
the IFSP team in determining realistic needs of the child when performance is
impacted by motor and/or sensory regulation needs;
Consulting
with training staff and/or caregivers on physical management, feeding, use of
assistive devices and/or adaptive equipment, adaptive skills, and play;
Serving
as a liaison between the IFSP team, the family, medical personnel and medical
equipment vendors;
Participating
on IFSP transition teams from Part C to Part B under IDEA;
Attending
departmental meetings and continuing professional development programs;
Completing
professional documentation such as related services logs and records;
Contributing
to staff development and departmental initiatives;
Working
with family and teams to trail and review feeding and physical management
techniques;
Assessing special needs students as
to their functional and developmental capabilities, the barriers that impact
their performance or routines in accessing and/or participating safely or
meaningfully in their educational setting, and their access to the general
curriculum;
Consulting with school teams and
parents to interpret assessments, identify strategies, assistive devices,
and/or discuss potential impact of developmental, medical, physical and/or
sensory neuromotor problems of the child on school performance;
Participating in interdisciplinary
and transdiciplinary, Individualized Education Plan (IEP), and 504 teams;
Providing occupational therapy
services to and on behalf of students
with a broad range of educational disabilities;
Providing supervision
of services provided by occupational therapy assistants
Providing clinical
supervision of occupational therapy/
occupational therapy assistant students for field work or internships as
placed; and
Performing
other duties as assigned.
QUALIFICATIONS:The requirements listed below are representative of the knowledge, skill, and/or ability required.
Specialty skills in
pediatrics, feeding/oral motor; assistive technology, evaluation, universal
design, area encouraged;
Ability to physically
manage infants and toddlers with physical disabilities or motor difficulties
through proper transfer, lifting, and/or behavioral techniques;
Ability to physically
manage adaptive equipment;
Good human relations
skills;
Excellent oral and
written communication skills;
Advanced organizational
skills; and
Knowledge of IFSP process
and Early Intervention Practice.
EDUCATION and/or EXPERIENCE REQUIREMENTS:
Bachelor’s
degree, Master’s degree or Doctoral degree in Occupational Therapy.
CERTIFICATION REQUIREMENTS:
Maryland State Board
of Occupational Therapy Practice License; National OT Certification Board for
Pediatrics or Feeding (preferred).
SUPERVISORY RESPONSIBILITIES:
No direct supervisory responsibilities.
PHYSICAL DEMANDS:
The physical demands are representative of those that must be met by an employee to successfully perform the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.
While performing the duties of this job, the employee is frequently required to stand, talk, hear, walk, sit, and use fingers, tools or controls. The employee is occasionally required to reach with hands and arms and stoop, kneel, crouch, or crawl. Specific vision abilities required by this job include close vision such as to read handwritten or typed material, the ability to adjust focus, and depth perception. While performing the duties of this job, the employee may occasionally push or lift up to 25 lbs.
WORKING ENVIRONMENT:
The work environment characteristics are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of the job.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION:
None.