Occupational Therapist

Occupational Therapist

The Occupational Therapist is responsible for providing direct occupational therapy services to students with multiple disabilities and visual impairments to improve sensory processing, attention, self-help skills, fine motor skills, perceptual motor skills, motor coordination, and instrumental activities of daily living and community skills. The occupational therapist enables students to participate in learning and educational activities. They use a variety of therapeutic techniques aimed at increasing independence in alignment with students' abilities and create a safe and orderly learning environment.

Responsibilities:

• Improves neuromuscular functioning including range of motion, muscle tone, strength, endurance, balance, and coordination
• Improves sensory processing and sensory integration to maximize attention and participation in self-care and community activities
• Facilitates use of hands for grasp and manipulation
• Maximizes residual vision and develops maximal perceptual abilities
• Administers therapeutic listening program
• Encourages socially acceptable behaviors
• Assesses and recommends adaptive equipment and orthotic devices as needed
• Structures intervention to meet goals and objectives on student's IEP
• Organizes and keeps records related to student attendance, student progress, and Medicaid/IDEA mandated documentation
• Works individual or in small groups with focus on integrating all therapy into classroom settings and with other related service providers
• Promotes independence in self-care and other critical skills through use of compensatory strategies due to students' vision loss and/or motor impairment
• Performs evaluations (initial, annual, triennial) and makes recommendations for goals and mandates as appropriate, attending IEP meetings as warranted
• Works as an integral part of the interdisciplinary team and provides consultation to classroom staff and other related service providers, facilitating an integrated therapy approach
• Uses assistive technology and modifies therapy materials as necessary to work with blind/visually impaired, multiply impaired, and sensory impaired students
• Encourages language and concept development in coordination with teaching and related services staff
• Works as part of the educational team to implement IEP goals, behavior intervention programs, curriculum development, parent relations
• Participates in regular team and departmental meetings, supervisory meetings, school and instructional meetings and staff development days as required
• Provides parent consultation on an ongoing basis in regard to evaluative findings, recommended mandates, carryover of therapeutic practices into the home, access to resources and other parent-focused activities

Requirements:

• Application of current occupational therapy educational practices to a student population with blind/visual impairment and multiple disabilities
• Effective participation in a team setting
• Effective written and verbal communication
• Appropriate and positive response to feedback from supervisory staff

Contact Name: Dr. Rebecca Renshaw

Contact Email: View email address on click.appcast.io

Contact Address: 3830 Paulding Avenue

Contact City: Bronx

Contact State: NY

Contact Zip: 10469