Occupational Therapist; School-Based

Occupational Therapist, School-based

At The Children's Institute of Pittsburgh, we've built our legacy on being amazing. After more than a century of the highest quality care and service to children and their families, we're forever proud of our team members who don't just make a career here – they make a difference.

The Occupational Therapist provides school-based occupational therapy services as a related service within an Approved Private School, supporting students with complex educational, behavioral, communication, and developmental needs. The Occupational Therapist evaluates students, develops and implements individualized interventions aligned with each student's Individualized Education Program (IEP), and collaborates with educators, families, and multidisciplinary team members to maximize students' access to the curriculum and participation in the school environment.

Using evidence-based practices, including principles of Applied Behavior Analysis (ABA), the Occupational Therapist prioritizes services within natural learning environments whenever appropriate to promote skill development, independence, and generalization. As a member of the educational team, the Occupational Therapist supports student success by fostering functional skills that enable meaningful participation in educational activities and school routines.

Effective Non-Teaching Professional (NTP) plan and prepare to deliver high-quality services equitably to all learners based upon extensive evidence-based knowledge of their discipline relative to individual and systems-level needs and within the context of interdisciplinary collaboration. Service delivery outcomes are clear, measurable, and represent relevant goals for the individual and system.

• Identifies instructional delivery needs and takes steps to seek and receive instructional support.
• Provides Occupational Therapy screenings and evaluations.
• Contributes to student IEPs and attends meetings.
• Integrates The Day School's curriculum into sessions.
• Attends and participates in classroom Team Planning Meetings.

Effective NTPs assess and enhance the quality of the environment along multiple dimensions toward improved academic, behavioral and social-emotional outcomes. Environmental dimensions include adult-student relationships, staff interactions, security and maintenance, administration, student academic orientation, student behavioral values, student-peer relationships, parent and community-school relationships, instructional and intervention management and student activities. Monitor and adjust interventions based on patient response and progress toward goals.

• Identifies management needs and seeks help in gaining a working command of the elements and techniques of classroom management.
• Demonstrates understanding of effects of family and community on student behavior and performance.

Effective NTP service delivery and evidence-based practice originate from a problem-solving process that can be applied at the individual, group, and systems level and is used for: (a) identification of priority areas for improvement; (b) analysis of variables related to the situation, including student needs and backgrounds; (c) selection of relevant factors within the system; (d) fidelity of implementation of services and supports;

and (e) monitoring of effectiveness of services.

• Demonstrates competency in both group and individual Occupational Therapy activities.
• Clearly demonstrates competency in delivering individual and group therapy sessions.
• Demonstrates appropriate techniques when working with students.
• Trains, assists, and consults with other members of classroom teams to maximize effective implementation of…