AOTA

Authors:

Meghan E. Spielman, COTA/L

Earn: .1 AOTA CEU (1.25 NBCOT PDU; 1 contact hour)

Overview:

Under the supervision of occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants have been providing services in school systems since 1975, when the Education for All Handicapped Children Act (Pub. L. 94-142) was passed by the U.S. Congress. According to the American Occupational Therapy Association’s ([AOTA’s], 2015d) workforce survey, the percentage of occupational therapy assistants working in school systems and responding to the survey was 15.2% as of 2015, making it the second most common practice area for occupational therapy assistants. This chapter will provide a deep dive into the roles and responsibilities of the OTA in the school practice setting.

Learning Objectives:

1.      List the qualifications needed to practice as an OTA.

2.      Describe the roles and responsibilities of OTAs in schools.

3.      Identify occupational therapy supervision methods.

4.      Discuss benefits and challenges regarding the supervisory process.

5.      Discuss the process of identifying OTA competence for provision of occupational therapy services.

Key Terms and Concepts:

Collaborative partnership

Continuing competence

Documentation

Intervention plan

Occupational profile

Supervision

Therapeutic use of self