School Based Occupational Therapy Assistant

No two students perform alike. Some are whizzes at math while others complete their first novel before they’re done with high school. Some need extra assistance from Tutors while others have physical, developmental, or emotional disabilities that create a different set of problems. For these students, help comes in the form of Occupational Therapists and School Based Occupational Therapy Assistants.

As a School Based Occupational Therapy Assistant, you work under the direct supervision of a School Based Occupational Therapist. Together, you carefully evaluate each student. While some come to you with obvious physical disabilities or injuries, others may have been referred by a Teacher or Therapist.

Once they enter your office, you present a pile of self-evaluation and medical history forms for them to complete. Based on the information they provide plus data from family members, Teachers, and School Administrators, you help make a treatment plan.

With a diagnosis and a plan in hand, the student begins therapy sessions. Initially, the Occupational Therapist will lead the way, but once she gets the ball rolling, you take over a percentage of the care. That might mean guiding the student through physical therapy exercises, finding equipment that helps the child sit at a desk, or introducing coping strategies for dealing with stress and peer pressure.

A job as a School Based Occupational Therapy Assistant gives you a chance to improve the school and social experience for elementary, middle, and high school students, as well as those on a college campus.