Occupational Therapist

Summary of Duties and Responsibilities

The Occupational Therapist, a Related Service Provider (RSP), is responsible for providing direct and indirect service to students and staff consistent with the integration and collaboration model of the Cooke School. In this capacity, it is expected that the Occupational Therapist will establish collaborative relationships with parents, partner schools and Cooke colleagues to ensure successful inclusion for Cooke students. The Occupational Therapist’s responsibilities include:

Assessment and Direct Service to Students

Interpret assessments in order to determine level of functioning and needs of each child
Conduct ongoing informal assessments in the classroom and coordinate professional practice with pedagogic staff
Utilize a variety of activities to meet students’ needs as determined by informal and formal assessment
Utilize knowledge of content area to effectively serve students
Maintain ongoing communication with classroom teachers and parents about progress of the students
Attend team meetings prepared with information about the students being discussed
Collect and assess student homework for portfolio using portfolio guidelines and assessments
Meet typical physical demands of therapeutic service provision as required for domain

Planning and Record Keeping

Develop Progress Reports on each student in conjunction with classroom teacher and other team members
Create plans consistent with Progress Report goals for each child
Maintain narrative logs for each child
Maintain attendance records for each child
Complete monthly documentation relevant to the number of sessions given to each child
Ensure that make-up sessions are provided

General Professional Responsibilities

Initiate and foster good working relationships with teachers, paraprofessionals, administration, and parents.
Attend all planning meetings with the teachers and monthly meetings with each classroom team
Participate in all Progress Report meetings convened at the school level
Attend and participate in all Cooke meetings and workshops
Arrive at assigned site and meetings promptly and be prepared for daily assignment
Prepare documents, when necessary, for CSE meetings and, if applicable, impartial hearings
Adhere to carefully planned schedules
Utilize supervisor for guidance, discussion, collaboration, professional and self-growth
Develop professional growth goals with supervisor and create and implement a plan to reach the agreed upon goals
Staff training is an integral part professional development at Cooke. All staff must at a minimum: attend all scheduled Staff Development activities throughout the year and participate in staff orientation scheduled for the last week in August