Occupational Therapy

About Occupational Therapy

 Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants in school settings work with children with problems including:

• mental disability

  Highly trained therapists and assistants serving the community.”

• serious emotional disturbance

• orthopedic impairment

• specific learning disabilities

• hearing impairments including deafness

• visual impairments including blindness

• speech or language impairments

• autism

• multiple impairments

• traumatic head injury

• attention deficit disorder (ADD) with or without hyperactivity (ADHD)

• pervasive development disorder (PDD); and

• Fragile X syndrome

Occupational therapy services in the school setting include:

• screening and assessment to identify children needing occupational therapy;

• contributing to the development of the Individualized Education Program (IEP) or IFSP for each students;

• consulting with education staff and parents on environmental adaptations and assistive devices;

• planning and carrying out Individualized Education Program components related to occupational therapy goals and objectives;

• collaborating with team members;

• preparing students for the transition from school to work or independent living.

 Occupational therapy services in schools address functional areas affecting education performance such as:

• self-help (dressing, feeding, grooming, toileting)

• functional mobility

• positioning

• communication

• sensory-motor processing

• life skills and prevocational skills

• psychosocial adaptation for peer relations and play

• handwriting and other fine motor skills

Children may be referred for occupational therapy by parents, teachers, and other educational or community personnel.

What are the qualifications of occupational therapy practitioners?
 
Occupational therapists hold bachelor's or master's degrees, and occupational therapy assistants earn associate degrees. Occupational therapy education includes the study of human growth and development; with specific emphasis on the social, emotional, and physiological implications of illness and injury. Occupational therapy practitioners must complete supervised clinical internships in a variety of health and education settings, must pass a national certification examination, and meet state regulatory requirements. 

Occupational Therapists
 

Jan Ashton	Xenia High School, Simon Kenton, Ankeney INC, and Sugarcreek Schools (non preschool)
Wendy Drake-Kline	Main Elementary School
Cecilia Emery	McKinley, Four Oaks Preschool, Warner Middle School, Simon Kenton Preschool.
Lucy Frazier-Wallace	Fairbrook, Shaw, Ankeney
Eileen Gauder	Fairborn City Schools
Maria Floyd	Parkwood
Casey Haper	Parkwood Preschool, Beavercreek High School

 

Mary Grech	Stephen Bell, Sugarcreek Ed. Center Preschool, Xenia Itinerant
Christa McComas	Fairborn City Schools
Theresa Grieshop	Shawnee, Spring Hill, Warner, Xenia Preschool Assessments
Nicole Melin	Parkwood
Paula Moloney	Fairborn City Schools
Patricia Osborne	Ferguson, Valley
Mindy Severtson	Greeneview Preschool, Yellow Springs District
Sandra Carlson	Cox, Spring Hill Preschool, Warner Preschool
Mary Lou O'Malley	Greene Co. Learning Center, Greeneview, Central Middle School
Jennifer Dietz	Ankeney, Ferguson, Shaw
Occupational Therapy Assistants
Janet Glass	Main, Valley, Fairbrook, Parkwood
Pat Stewart	Sugarcreek Ed. Center, Stephen Bell, Warner, McKinley, Cox