Job Summary

Under the direction of the Special Education Program Principal and Coordinator of Infant/Preschool and with the guidance of the Assistant Superintendent of Student Programs, the Occupational Therapist provides direct services, intervention, treatment, and activities to enhance motor, sensory, self-regulatory, feeding, and other functional abilities among identified students; conduct assessments and provide recommendations for occupational therapy intervention; develop, implement, evaluate and modify occupational therapy treatment plans and interventions in response to student needs and disabilities.

Duties and Responsibilities

• Assess referred student’s skills 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.
• Assist in the development of students’ IEPs and interpret evaluation findings to parents and the IEP and instructional teams.
• Identify, design, and evaluate adaptive equipment to assist students in self-care and academic activities.
• Provides training, demonstration of exercises, and activities for classroom teachers and parents.
• Assists in the development of transition plans for students moving to other environments.
• Supports the policies and programs of the Humboldt County Office of Education and performs assigned duties consistent with school, district or office policies, regulations, and procedures.
• Maintains professional competency by actively engaging in employer-directed inservice activities and other similar opportunities provided to staff.
• Cooperatively engages in the professional evaluation process with supervisor to ensure ongoing professional growth and competence.
• Effectively communicates with staff, parents, and agencies.
• Attends regular and special staff meetings and actively participates as a member of the educational team.
• Responds effectively to the input from and coordinates tasks with district/school personnel as required by the assignment.
• Performs other related duties.

Qualifications

• 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 current registration with the American Occupational Therapy Association as an Occupational Therapist, and/or certification from the National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT).
• Demonstrate competence in communicating effectively with children and parents, staff members, and representatives of other agencies.
• Demonstrate knowledge of various school and community resources associated with a broad array of special education services.

Physical Requirements:

• Stand, sit and/or move about for sustained periods.
• Move about in non-traditional instructional environments; i.e., areas of the community.
• Report to multiple worksites on a given day or during the workweek.
• Communicate effectively in person and via telephone and other electronic media to individuals and groups of varying sizes.
• Exercise physical control over students who are acting out and/or offer physical assistance to students who might be themselves physically impaired.
• Conduct instructional programs within pre-designated break periods and time schedules.
• Maintain an appropriate personal demeanor during periods of heightened stress created by outside factors not always within the ability of the teacher to control at the time.

The Humboldt County Office of Education is committed to the principles of equal employment opportunity.  Consistent with that philosophy is the receptivity to consider requests to modify the traditional modes of delivering instructional services to reasonably accommodate an individual’s disabilities as long as the quality of the program offered remains consistent with the standards established by the office.

For further information concerning the specific requirements of any particular assignment, please contact the Personnel Office.