MILL VALLEY SCHOOL DISTRICT EDUCATIONAL OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST

DEFINITION

Under the direction of the Associate Superintendent/Special Education, the Educational Occupational Therapist provides an appropriate program for selected and eligible students with disabilities; assesses disabilities of referred students; makes recommendations regarding appropriate levels and types of service, goals and specific objectives for students; provides demonstrations of activities for the use of teachers in the classroom; and performs other related duties as assigned.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS

• Assess referred children’s skill and abilities in developmental functions, orthopedic status,
  quality of movement and postural control, gross, fine and oral motor functioning and
  independence in activities of daily living.
• Utilize treatment procedures individually designed to maintain or improve students’ functional
  abilities and enhance students’ ability to learn.
• Assist in the development of students’ IEPs.
• Coordinate services with the California Children’s Services and other agencies.
• Provide consultative assistance to the classroom teacher, paraprofessionals, and parents.
• Provide demonstrations of exercises and activities for classroom teachers, paraprofessionals and
  parents.
• Handle confidential material with complete security.
• Lift, move, position disabled persons up to age 15 who may weigh 150 pounds or more.
• Participate in meetings to coordinate occupational therapy goals with the total educational program.
• Make suggestions toward the future development of the occupational therapy program.
• Maintain and oversee the maintenance of progress records on individual students.
• Provide direction, training, and assistance to instructional assistants and paraprofessionals
  assigned to work with the occupational therapy program.
• Conduct in-service or other training programs for District and other personnel on the role of 
  occupational therapy as an educational service, normal sensory-motor development as related to
  learning, and identification of sensory-motor deficits.
• Perform related duties as assigned.

QUALIFICATIONS

Knowledge of:

• Modern treatment procedures designed to maintain or improve a student’s motor functions and to
  achieve greater independence in performing life skills.
• Interpersonal skills using tact, patience and courtesy.

Ability to:

• Assess individual needs, establish realistic and appropriate goals and objectives, and design and
  implement a program for each student.
• Communicate orally and in writing sufficient to express ideas, thoughts and instructions clearly to
  special educators, community members, parents and administrators.
• Collaborate effectively with staff, parents, members of other agencies and the public.
• Plan and conduct a system of continuous evaluation of each student’s progress.
• Communicate effectively, verbally and in writing, using correct English usage, grammar, spelling,
  punctuation and vocabulary.
• Establish and maintain occupational therapy files and treatment logs.

TRAINING LICENSES AND EXPERIENCE

• Graduation from an accredited school of occupational therapy with a minimum of a bachelor’s degree.
• A valid license from the State of California and registration with the American Occupational Therapy Association.
• One year of successful experience in a school setting serving students with disabilities.
• A valid California driver’s license.

PHYSICAL REQUIREMENTS

• Facility to sit at a desk, conference table, on low chairs, on the floor, or in meeting rooms of various
  configurations for extended periods of time.
• Facility to see and read, with or without vision aids, a computer screen and printed matter, and to
  distinguish colors.
• Facility to hear and understand speech at normal room levels, on the telephone, and outdoors.
• Facility to speak in audible tones so that others may understand clearly in normal conversations, in
  training sessions, presentations, on the playground, in meetings, and on the telephone.
• Manual dexterity to operate a telephone, and to perform tasks related to this position using both hands.
• Facility to walk on uneven terrain, play yards and school grounds.
• Physical agility to lift up to 25 pounds to shoulder height and 50 pounds to waist height; and to bend, to
  stoop, to site on the floor, to climb stairs, to walk, and to reach overhead.
• Physical capacity to lift (with assistance), move and position disabled persons up to age 15 who may weigh
  150 pounds or more.
• Facility to drive a car.

HAZARDS: 

• Possible exposure to and contact with blood and other body fluids; exposure to communicable diseases.

WORK ENVIRONMENT

The work environment characteristics described here are representative of those an employee encounters while performing the essential functions of this job. Reasonable accommodations may be made to enable individuals with disabilities to perform the essential functions.