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AOTA T H E A M E R I C A N O C C U P A T I O N A L T H E R A P Y A S S O C I A T I O N

JANUARY 23, 2012

CE ARTICLE

Developing Fieldwork Experiences: Examples From Early Intervention and School-Based Practice

Record TimePoint-of-Service Documentation Strategies Help Practitioners Beat the Time Crunch

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CE ArticleDeveloping Fieldwork Experiences:

Examples From Early Intervention and School-Based Practice Earn .1 AOTA CEU (1 contact hour or NBCOT professional development unit) with this creative approach to independent learning.

AOTA • THE AMERICAN OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY ASSOCIATIONV O L U M E 1 7 • I S S U E 1 • J A N U A R Y 2 3 , 2 0 1 2

FEATURESRecord Time 9 Point-of-Service Documentation Strategies Help Practitioners Beat the Time CrunchAndrew Waite reports that on-the-spot documentation helps practitioners better manage their documentation demands, whether using electronic devices or paper forms.

Implementing 13 Assistive TechnologyHelping a University Student With a Visual ImpairmentLynn Gitlow describes how a technology center in Maine helped educate a client, university faculty, and the center’s staff about the potential of new assistive technology.

OT PRACTICE • JANUARY 23, 2012

SPECIALOfficial 2012 AOTA Elections 17Have Begun Online— Make Your Voice Heard!

• Discuss OT Practice articles at www.OTConnections.org in the OT Practice Magazine Public Forum.• Send e-mail regarding editorial content to [email protected]. • Go to www.otpractice.org/currentissue to read OT Practice online. • Visit our Web site at www.aota.org for contributor guidelines, and additional news and information.

OT Practice serves as a comprehensive source for practical information to help occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants to succeed professionally. OT Practice encourages a dialogue among members on professional concerns and views. The opinions and positions expressed by contributors are their own and not necessarily those of OT Practice’s editors or AOTA.

Advertising is accepted on the basis of conformity with AOTA standards. AOTA is not responsible for statements made by advertisers, nor does acceptance of advertising imply endorsement, official attitude, or position of OT Practice’s editors, Advisory Board, or The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. For inquiries, contact the advertising department at 800-877-1383, ext. 2715.

Changes of address need to be reported to AOTA at least 6 weeks in advance. Members and subscribers should notify the Membership department. Copies not delivered because of address changes will not be replaced. Replacements for copies that were damaged in the mail must be requested within 2 months of the date of issue for domestic subscribers and within 4 months of the date of issue for foreign subscribers. Send notice of address change to AOTA, PO Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220, e-mail to [email protected], or make the change at our Web site at www.aota.org.

Back issues are available prepaid from AOTA’s Membership department for $16 each for AOTA members and $24.75 each for nonmembers (U.S. and Canada) while supplies last.

Chief Operating Officer: Christopher Bluhm

Director of Communications: Laura Collins

Director of Marketing: Beth Ledford

Editor: Ted McKenna

Associate Editor: Andrew Waite

CE Articles Editor: Maria Elena E. Louch

Art Director: Carol Strauch

Production Manager: Sarah Ely

Director of Sales & Corporate Relations: Jeffrey A. Casper

Sales Manager: Tracy Hammond

Advertising Assistant: Clark Collins

Ad inquiries: 800-877-1383, ext. 2715, or e-mail [email protected]

OT Practice External Advisory Board

Tina Champagne, Chairperson, Mental Health Special Interest Section

Donna Costa, Chairperson, Education Special Interest Section

Michael J. Gerg: Chairperson, Work & Industry Special Interest Section

Tara Glennon, Chairperson, Administration & Management Special Interest Section

Kim Hartmann, Chairperson, Special Interest Sections Council

Leslie Jackson, Chairperson, Early Intervention & School Special Interest Section

Gavin Jenkins, Chairperson, Technology Special Interest Section

Tracy Lynn Jirikowic: Chairperson, Developmen-tal Disabilities Special Interest Section

Teresa A. May-Benson: Chairperson, Sensory Integration Special Interest Section

Lauro A. Munoz: Chairperson, Physical Disabilities Special Interest Section

Regula Robnett, Chairperson, Gerontology Special Interest Section

Missi Zahoransky, Chairperson, Home & Community Health Special Interest Section

AOTA President: Florence Clark

Executive Director: Frederick P. Somers

Chief Public Affairs Officer: Christina Metzler

Chief Financial Officer: Chuck Partridge

Chief Professional Affairs Officer: Maureen Peterson

© 2012 by The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc.

OT Practice (ISSN 1084-4902) is published 22 times a year, semimonthly except only once in January and December, by The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., 4720 Montgomery Lane, Bethesda, MD 20814-3425; 301-652-2682. Periodical postage is paid at Bethesda, MD, and at additional mailing offices.

U.S. Postmaster: Send address changes to OT Practice, AOTA, PO Box 31220, Bethesda, MD 20824-1220.

Canadian Publications Mail Agreement No. 41071009. Return Undeliverable Canadian Addresses to PO Box 503, RPO West Beaver Creek, Richmond Hill ON L4B 4R6.

Mission statement: The American Occupational Therapy Asso-ciation advances the quality, availability, use, and support of occupational therapy through standard-setting, advocacy, edu-cation, and research on behalf of its members and the public.

Annual membership dues are $225 for OTs, $131 for OTAs, and $75 student members, of which $14 is allocated to the subscription to this publication. Subscriptions in the U.S. are $142.50 for individuals and $216.50 for institutions. Subscrip-tions in Canada are $205.25 for individuals and $262.50 for institutions. Subscriptions outside the U.S. and Canada are $310 for individuals and $365 for institutions. Allow 4 to 6 weeks for delivery of the first issue.

Copyright of OT Practice is held by The American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc. Written permission must be obtained from AOTA to reproduce or photocopy material appearing in OT Practice. A fee of $15 per page, or per table or illustration, including photographs, will be charged and must be paid before written permission is granted. Direct requests to Permissions, Publications Department, AOTA, or through the Publications area of our Web site. Allow 2 weeks for a response.

DEPARTMENTSNews 3 Capital Briefing 6CMS Clarifies “Continuing Qualifying Service” To Ensure Access to OT in Home Health Rule

Practice Perks 7Using AOTA Resources To Inform Parents, Educators, and School Administrators About Ayres Sensory Integration®

Fieldwork Issues 8Nontraditional Fieldwork: Challenges and Opportunities

Industry Update 19Trial Run: ACTOR Conference Helps Build Researchers’ Skills

Social Media Spotlight 21Updates From Facebook, Twitter, and OT Connections

Calendar 22Continuing Education Opportunities

Employment Opportunities 29Questions and Answers 36Virginia Stoffel, Professor and Chair, Occupational Therapy Department, University of Wisconsin–Milwaukee

COVER PHOTOgRaPH © JgI / TOm gRIll / JuPITER ImagEs

1

CHILDREN & YOUTHAutism Topics Part I: Relationship Building, Evaluation Strategies, and Sensory Integration and PraxisEdited by Renee Watling, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAEarn .6 AOTA CEU (6 NBCOT PDUs/6 contact hours) Order #4848AOTA Members: $210Nonmembers: $299

Response to Intervention (RtI) for At Risk Learners: Advocating for Occupational Therapy’s Role in General EducationAuthored by Gloria Frolek Clark, PhD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA, and Jean Polichino, OTR, MS, FAOTAEarn .2 AOTA CEU (2 NBCOT PDUs/2 contact hours)Order #4876AOTA Members: $68Nonmembers: $97

The Short Child Occupational Profile (SCOPE)Presented by Patricia Bowyer, EdD, MS, OTR, FAOTA; Hany Ngo, MOT, OTR; and Jessica Kramer, PhD, OTREarn .6 AOTA CEU (7.5 NBCOT PDUs/6 contact hours)Order #4847AOTA Members: $210Nonmembers: $299

Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Life After IDEAAuthored by Lisa Crabtree, PhD, OTR/L, and Janet DeLany, DEd, OTR/L, FAOTAEarn .3 AOTA CEU (3 NBCOT PDUs/3 contact hours)Order #4878AOTA Members: $105Nonmembers: $150

PRODUCTIVE AGINGAn Occupation-Based Approach in Postacute Care to Support Productive AgingA collaborative project between AOTA and Platinum Partner Genesis Rehabilitation ServicesAuthored by Denise Chisholm, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA; Cathy Dolhi, OTD, OTR/L, FAOTA; and Jodi L. Schreiber, MS, OTR/LEarn .6 AOTA CEU (7.5 NBCOT PDUs/6 contact hours)Order #4875AOTA Members: $210Nonmembers: $299

Using the Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Adults With Stroke to Enhance Your PracticePresented by Joyce Sabari, PhD, OTR, FAOTAEarn .2 AOTA CEU (2 NBCOT PDUs/2 contact hours)Order #4845AOTA Members: $68Nonmembers: $97

Determining Capacity to Drive for Drivers With Dementia Using Research, Ethics, and Professional Reasoning: The Responsibility of All Occupational Therapists Presented by Linda A. Hunt, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAEarn .2 AOTA CEU (2 NBCOT PDUs/2 contact hours)Order #4842AOTA Members: $68Nonmembers: $97

Skilled Nursing Facilities 101: Documentation, Reimbursement, and Ethics in Practice Presented by Christine Kroll, MS, OTR, and Nancy Richman, OTR/L, FAOTAEarn .3 AOTA CEU (3 NBCOT PDUs/3 contact hours)Order #4843AOTA Members: $108Nonmembers: $154

GENERAL PRACTICELet’s Think BIG About WellnessPresented by Winnie Dunn, PhD, OTR, FAOTAEarn .25 AOTA CEU (3.13 NBCOT PDUs/2.5 contact hours) Order #4879AOTA Members: $68Nonmembers: $97

Everyday Ethics: Core Knowledge for Occupational Therapy Practitioners and Educators, Second EditionDeveloped by the AOTA Ethics CommissionEarn .3 AOTA CEU (3 NBCOT PDUs/3 contact hours)Order #4846AOTA Members: $105Nonmembers: $150

Strategic Evidence-Based Interviewing in Occupational TherapyPresented by Renée R. Taylor, PhDEarn .2 AOTA CEU (2 NBCOT PDUs/2 contact hours)Order #4844AOTA Members: $68Nonmembers: $97

Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST): Theory, Content, and PurposePresented by Gary Kielhofner, DrPH, OTR/L, FAOTA; Lisa Castle, MBA, OTR/L; Supriya Sen, OTR/L; and Sarah Skinner, MEd, OTR/LEarn .4 AOTA CEU (4 NBCOT PDUs/4 contact hours)Order # 4838Member Price: $125Nonmember Price: $180

EARN YOUR CE CREDITS WITH AOTA CEonCDsTM!Welcome to AOTA Learning! Our CEonCDs provide relevant continuing education on a wide variety of topics in an easy-to-use format with electronic exam. Choose any of these CEonCDs or others at http://store.aota.org to advance your professional development and meet your state licensure requirements!

ShOp at HTTP://STORE.AOTA.ORG Or Call 877-404-AOTA!CE-221

USE PROMO CODE:

ACE11

3OT PRACTICE • JANUARY 23, 2012

N e w sAssociation updates...profession and industry news

AOTA News

Conference Blog Launched

Networking will be a favor-ite part of the AOTA 92nd Annual Conference & Expo

in Indianapolis, Indiana, from April 26 to 29, 2012. Now you can network before you get there by joining a conversation on AOTA’s event blog at http://otconnections.org/blogs/confer ence. Now is a great time to register, too, and save on fees and housing. Go to www.aota.org/conference to sign up for one of the most vibrant and formidable gatherings of occu-pational therapy professionals ever experienced!

Every Vote Counts

The polls are open! AOTA General, Special Interest Section, and Assembly of

Student Delegates elections began at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 17, and will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28. Visit AOTA’s election blog at http://otconnections.aota.org/blogs/aota_general_election/ default.aspx for more infor-mation. For full bios on the candidates, visit www.aota.org/governance/elections-2012. See page 17 of this issue for more 2012 AOTA election information.

2012 Video Contests Rolling

A fter the success of last year’s student video contest on the value of

AOTA membership (http://goo.gl/9iIy3), our 2012 contest is open to all members. This time, we’re asking you to

define occupational therapy in a way that shows consum-ers and others why OT is the best service they may not know they need. Submissions are due Wednesday, Febru-ary 29. For details and rules, go to www.aota.org/news/centennial/2012-video-contest.

The Assembly of Student Delegates (ASD) is also ask-ing students to submit their school’s or student organiza-tion’s video(s) to its “You Are the Future II Challenge” video contest, with information on rules and submissions also to be found at the URL above. The student-only contest ends Monday, February 27.

ACOTE®

December 2011 Accreditation Actions

The AOTA Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education

(ACOTE®) met from December 2 to 4, 2011, and took the fol-lowing accreditation actions:

Final ACOTE decisions subsequent to an initial on-site evaluation:Anamarc College, El Paso, Texas,

(OTA level)––AccreditationBrown Mackie College–Albuquer-

que, Albuquerque, New Mexico, (additional location of Brown Mackie College, Northern Kentucky), (OTA level)––Accreditation

Brown Mackie College–St. Louis,Fenton, Missouri, (additional location of Brown Mackie College, Northern Kentucky), (OTA level)––Accreditation

Goodwin College, East Hartford, Connecticut, (OTA level) ––Accreditation

Keiser University, Tallahassee Campus, Tallahassee, Florida, (additional location of Keiser University, Pembroke Pines,

Florida, (OTA level)–– Accreditation

Keiser University, Tampa Campus, Tampa, Florida (additional location of Keiser University, Pembroke Pines, Florida), (OTA level)––Accreditation

Keiser University, West Palm Beach Campus, West Palm Beach, Florida (additional loca-tion of Keiser University, Ft. Lauderdale, Florida), (OTA level)––Accreditation

Linn-Benton Community College, Lebanon, Oregon, (OTA level)––Accreditation

Marion Technical College, Marion, Ohio, (OTA level)–– Accreditation

North Central State College, (OTA level), Mansfield, Ohio–– Accreditation

Philadelphia University, Philadel-phia, Pennsylvania, (OTA level)––Accreditation

Washburn University, Topeka, Kansas, (OTA level)–– Accreditation

Final ACOTE decisions subse-quent to a re-accreditation on-site evaluation: Boston University, College of Health

and Rehabilitation Sciences (Sargent College), Boston, Massachusetts, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

Fox Valley Technical College, Appleton, Wisconsin, (OTA level)––Accreditation

Indiana University, Indianapo-lis, Indiana, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

Lenoir–Rhyne University, Hickory, North Carolina, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

Milligan College, Milligan College, Tennessee, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

Mount Mary College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

University of New Mexico, Albu-querque, New Mexico, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

University of North Dakota, Grand Forks, North Dakota, and Casper, Wyoming, (OT mas-ter’s level)––Accreditation

Pennsylvania College of Technology, Williamsport, Pennsylvania, (OTA level)––Accreditation

University of Florida, Gaines-ville, Florida, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

University of Southern Maine at Lewiston-Auburn College, Lew-iston, Maine, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

University of Washington, Seattle, Washington, (OT master’s level)––Accreditation

Final ACOTE decision subsequent to a review of a Significant Program Change Report:Brenau University, Gainesville,

Florida, and Atlanta, Georgia, (OT master’s level)––Approval for an MSOT Day Program at the Atlanta Campus

Final ACOTE decisions subsequent to a review of an initial Report of Self-Study (Step 2 of the Initial Accreditation Process):Concorde Career College–Mem-

phis, Memphis, Tennessee, (OTA level)––Letter of Review Granted

Concorde Career Institute–Miramar, Miramar, Florida (OTA level)––Letter of Review Granted

Hawkeye Community College, Waterloo, Iowa, (OTA level)––Letter of Review Denied

Indian Hills Community College, Ottumwa, Iowa, (OTA level)–– Letter of Review Denied

Letter of Review Granted: The proposed program would appear to meet the Standards if fully implemented in accor-dance with the plans of the sponsoring institution. An ini-tial on-site evaluation will be conducted before an accredita-tion decision is made.

Letter of Review Denied: The proposed program does not meet one or more of the Standards and there does not appear to be evidence of the ability to comply within the immediate future. No further action will be taken unless the program sends notification of the intent to proceed with the accreditation process. The institution retains the option

continued

4 JANUARY 23, 2012 • WWW.AOTA.ORG

of proceeding with the initial on-site evaluation.

Final ACOTE decision subsequent to a review of an Application for Developing Status for an Additional Location:Pennsylvania State University,

Shenango Campus, Sharon, Pennsylvania (Develop-ing additional location of Pennsylvania State University, Mont Alto, Pennsylvania), (OTA level)––Developing Status Granted

Developing Status Granted: The proposed program may now admit its first class of students at the additional loca-tion according to the approved timeline and proceed with the initial on-site evaluation. Developing Status indicates that the program meets the requirements for Develop-ing Status and the plans and resource allocations for the proposed program, if fully implemented, appear to dem-onstrate the ability to comply with the ACOTE Accreditation Standards.

Final ACOTE decisions subsequent to a review of an Application for Developing Program Status (Step 1 of the Initial Accreditation Process):Cossatot Community College

of the University of Arkan-sas, Ashdown, Arkansas (OTA level)––Developing Program Status Deferred

Keiser University, Fort Myers, Florida, (OTA associate degree)––Developing Program Status Granted

Nova Southeastern University–Tampa, Tampa, Florida, (OT doctoral level)––Developing Program Status Granted

Pacific University, Hillsboro, Oregon, (OT doctoral level)––Developing Program Status Granted

South College–Asheville, Asheville, North Carolina, (OTA level)––Developing Program Status Granted

South University–West Palm Beach, Royal Palm Beach, Florida, (OTA level)––Developing Program Status Granted

Developing Program Status Granted: The proposed pro-gram may now admit its first class of students according to the approved timeline and proceed to step 2 of the initial accreditation process (the

initial review), which will be followed by step 3 (the initial on-site evaluation). Develop-ing Program Status indicates that the program meets the requirements for Developing Program Status and the plans and resource allocations for the proposed program, if fully implemented, appear to dem-onstrate the ability to comply with the ACOTE Accreditation Standards.

Developing Program Status Deferred: Information received from the program is incom-plete and/or insufficient for evaluation. Supplementary information is requested for consideration at a subsequent ACOTE meeting.

As of December 21, 2011, the number of programs in the accreditation process totaled 367.

OT OT Doctoral Master’s OTA Total

Accredited Programs 4 144 152 300

Programs With Developing Program Status 3 3 24 30

Applicant Programs 4 6 27 37

TOTAL 11 153 203 367

Additional information regarding occupational therapy accreditation may be obtained from the ACOTE Accreditation section of the AOTA Web page, at www.acoteonline.org, or from AOTA accreditation staff at 301-652-6611, ext. 2914, or [email protected].

Industry News

Global Day of Service

Take part in the Occupational Therapy Global Day of Service on February 25.

Examples of volunteering include mentoring within the community, organizing activities for underserved children, doing safety checks for persons who are aging in place, and partici-pating in neighborhood cleanups or playground repairs. For more

A O T A B u l l e T i N B O A r d

Ready to order? Call 877-404-AOTA or go to http://store.aota.orgEnter Promo Code BB

Questions? Call 800-SAY-AOTA (members); 301-652-AOTA (nonmembers and local callers); TDD: 800-377-8555

Low Vision: Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention With Older Adults (SPCC)M. WarrenEarn 2 AOTA CEUs (20 NBCOT PDUs/20 contact hours).

Revised from the original 2000 edition, this course includes

new information on evaluation and lessons related to psychosocial issues and low vision. The course provides occupational therapy practitioners with a continuing education resource that supports the AOTA Specialty Certification in Low Vision Rehabilitation. $370 for members, $470 for nonmembers. Order #3025. http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=3025

Occupational Therapy in Action: Using the Lens of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition (ONLINE COURSE)S. Smith Roley & J. DeLanyEarn .6 AOTA CEU (6 NBCOT PDUs/6 contact hours).

Contributing authors to

the Framework-II explore ways in which the document supports occupational therapy prac-titioners by providing a holistic view of the profession. Part I highlights the relationship of the Framework-II to occupational therapy, and Part II features the application of the Framework-II in practice. $180 for members, $255 for nonmembers. Order #OL32 http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=OL32

The Reference Manual of the Official Documents of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., 16th EditionAmerican Occupational Therapy Association

This updated collection of

official documents compiles must-have information for occupational therapy practitioners, educators, and students into one handy refer-ence work. It’s a valuable resource for occupational therapy clinicians, managers, and educators, and it provides a solid grounding in the profession for students. $55 for members, $78 for nonmembers. Order #1585. http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1585

Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Low VisionM. Warren & E. Barstow

This comprehensive text provides an occupational

therapy approach to all aspects of low vision, from evaluation to intervention and rehabilitation. Detailed discus-sion covers the major causes of low vision, including aging, dia-betes, and brain injury, and it also includes assistive technology. $89 for members, $126 for nonmembers. Order #1252. http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1252

Therapy Association

official documents compiles must-

Bulletin Board is written by Jennifer Folden, AOTA marketing specialist.

OUTSTANDINGRESOURCES

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CEUs (20 NBCOT PDUs/20 contact

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information and to register, go to www.promotingot.org.

Practitioners in the News

n Mary Falzarano, PhD, OTR, an assistant professor at Kean University, was a co-contributor for a case study, “Design for Dwarfism,” that was used in a recently published text, Inclu-sive Design: A Universal Need, by Linda L. Nussbaumer, PhD, CID, ASID, IDEC, of South Dakota State University.

n James Herzog, MS, OTR, CEA, was granted the distin-guished Certified Ergonomics Associate (CE) credential by the Board of Certification in Professional Ergonomics (BCPE®) on November 17, 2011. This credential is awarded to an individual who has a bachelor’s degree from an accredited university, at least 200 contact hours of ergonom-

ics training, 2 years of full-time practice in ergonomics, and has passed a 4-hour written examination.

n Linda Hunt, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, published the article “Understanding and Help-ing Drivers With Alzheimer’s Disease” in the December 2011 issue of Police Chief, the professional journal of the Inter-national Association of Chiefs of Police. She has been asked to provide workshops to Oregon law enforcement officers, train-ing them on how to respond to lost drivers and drivers who commit traffic violations when the drivers have dementia. The article is available at www.policechiefmagazine.org.

n Maureen Palmer, OTR, CIMT, recently launched an online radio program, “Focus Point Review,” in conjunction with VoiceAmerica Health and Well-

ness and World Talk Radio. To check out the show, visit http://www.voiceamerica.com/Channel/ 248/voiceamerica-health-and-wellness.

n Heather Roberts, an occupa-tional therapy graduate student in the doctoral program, College of Health Sciences, at Texas Woman’s University, will be honored on February 16 with the Virginia Chandler Dykes Scholarships.

n Pam Toto, MS, OTR/L, BCG, FAOTA, received double cover-age for her recent work with CarFit programs, which address older driver safety. To view the article, visit www.post-gazette.com/pg/11335/1193669-56.stm and www.yourpennhills.com/node/10884.

n Diane Vitillo, MS, OTR/L, PTA, was recently featured on the National Stroke Association

Web site for her work in helping clients use ankle-foot orthotics. For more, visit www.stroke.org/site/News2?page=NewsArticle&id=12611&news_iv_ctrl=4762.

n Amy Wagenfeld, PhD, OTR/L, CAPS, recently spoke at the Palm Beach County, Florida, Learn Green Conference and Expo on the benefits of school gardening for children. The audience for the conference was Florida-based educators and business people.

Andrew Waite is the associate editor of OT Practice.

GREAT NEW RESOURCE ON LOW VISION FROM AOTA PRESS!

Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Low VisionEdited by Mary Warren, MS, OTR/L, SCLV, FAOTA, and Elizabeth A. Barstow, MS, OTR/L, SCLV

This new and comprehensive text provides an occupational therapy approach to all aspects of low vision, from evaluation to intervention and rehabilitation. Detailed discussion covers the major causes of low vision, including aging, diabe-tes, and brain injury, as well as assistive technology. Chapters on basic optics and eye conditions that cause low vision provide a solid medical background, and evaluations and interventions address activities critical to maintaining indepen-dence for people with low vision.

Special Features• A “super case study”that details the application of principles.• Critical reasoning questions and keywords.• Extensive glossaries that clarify terminology. • Resource lists about low vision-related sources and tools.

To order, call 877-404-AOTA or Shop Online http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1252

BK-204

ISBN-13: 978-1-56900-306-0

Order #1252AOTA Members: $89Nonmembers: $126

A must-read for students, educators, and professionals who work with low vision or blindness populations!

More news you can use!Available exclusively to AOTA

members, this biweekly e-mail newsletter features important news of the profession. Find out more at

http://www.aota.org/Pubs/Enews/1MinUpdate.aspx


c A p i T A l B r i e f i N g

he Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) published its final Home Health Prospective Payment System (PPS) Rate Update rule for calendar year 2012 in the November 4, 2011, Federal Register. The final rule includes a 2.31% decrease in home health agency payments and clarifica-tions relating to when occupational therapy becomes a continuing qualify-ing service under the home health ben-efit. See AOTA’s analysis of the final rule for further details: www.aota.org/News/AdvocacyNews/Final-Home-Health-Rule-Analysis.aspx?FT=.pdf. The final rule took effect on January 1, 2012.

CMS does not require all occupational therapy services to be followed by a skilled service.

The final rule clarifies that after the initial qualifying service (e.g., intermit-tent skilled nursing, physical therapy, speech-language pathology services) identifies the need for occupational therapy, the therapy begins as a dependent service. After occupational therapy begins, it becomes a continu-ing qualifying service after the second visit by the initial qualifying service. CMS included this clarification as a result of advocacy by AOTA members and AOTA staff, after staff received reports that some home health agency administrators have been misinterpret-ing the regulation and discharging patients from the home health benefit when an initial qualifying service was no longer needed, even though the person required continuing occupa-tional therapy. AOTA submitted letters and met with CMS officials in January 2011 to discuss the legislative intent and history of the issue, as well as to provide examples of the correct applica-tion of legislative intent in ensuring that

Medicare beneficiaries qualifying for the home health benefit have full access to occupational therapy services during each episode of care.

The revised final regulation now reads:

§ 409.42 Beneficiary qualifica-tions for coverage of services. * * * * * (c) * * * (4) Occupational therapy servic-es in the current and subsequent certification periods (subsequent adjacent episodes) that meet the requirements of § 409.44(c) initially qualify for home health coverage as a dependent service as defined in § 409.45(d) if the beneficiary’s eligibility for home health services has been estab-lished by virtue of a prior need for intermittent skilled nursing care, speech-language pathology services, or physical therapy in the current or prior certification period. Subsequent to an initial covered occupational therapy service, continuing occupational therapy services which meet the requirements of § 409.44(c) are considered to be qualifying services.

AOTA is working with CMS staff as they develop examples to update Chapter 7, Section 30.4, of the Medi-care Benefit Policy Manual in order to illustrate situations where occupational therapy could become the sole qualify-ing skilled service.

Although this clarification from CMS is helpful in the final rule, AOTA contin-ues to actively pursue federal legislation to make occupational therapy an initial qualifying service in home health.

THERAPY UTILIzATIONAND CASE-MIx WEIGHTSThe final rule revised the case-mix

weights by lowering the relative weights for episodes with high therapy and increasing the weights for episodes with little or no therapy. CMS based these revisions on what it believes to be overpayments for therapy services due to the growing use of therapy assistants, as well as alleged incentives for agencies to pro-vide more therapy than is needed to maximize payments. In our comment letter, AOTA advised CMS to wait to review data from home health PPS changes implemented in April 2011. Starting in April 2011, CMS required that at defined points during a course of treatment, a qualified occupational therapist must perform the ordered therapy service. CMS also required that records be kept of whether a ther-apist or assistant provided the service. We recommended that CMS review at least 1 year of data before implement-ing additional policy changes. In its response to comments, CMS reiterated its belief that there is an inappropri-ate overpayment for therapy assistant services. CMS is gathering more data and indicated that it may implement further changes to the weights in future rulemaking. AOTA will continue to press CMS to ensure that occupa-tional therapy assistant services are properly valued.

AOTA will continue to monitor all Medicare changes related to providing occupational therapy services. Access updated information on these and other payment policy issues by going to our Web site at www.aota.org/practitioners/reimb/news. n

Jennifer Bogenrief is the manager of AOTA’s

Reimbursement and Regulatory Policy Department.

She can be reached at [email protected].

TCMS Clarifies “Continuing Qualifying Service” To Ensure Access to OT in Home Health Rule

Jennifer Bogenrief

Using AOTA Resources To Inform Parents, Educators, and School Administrators

About Ayres Sensory Integration®

Stefanie Bodison


I am an occupational therapist provid-ing services to children within my local school district. I use a variety of frames of references and interventions to address the functional concerns of the children I work with, but I often struggle to clearly explain to parents, educa-tors, and school administrators how the Ayres Sensory Integration® (ASI) frame of reference can address school-related concerns. Does AOTA have resources I can use to explain ASI, the functional outcomes that can be affected by using ASI, and what ASI might look like within the school setting?

AOTA offers many valuable resources for occupational therapy practitioners who are members. These resources can help hone members’ clinical reasoning skills and verbal commu-nication about our scope of practice, and many of these materials can also be directly disseminated to others for educational purposes. The following descriptions of the resources available on the use of ASI within the school setting include suggestions on ways each resource might be used.

Providing Occupational Therapy Using Sensory Integration Theory and Methods in School-Based Practice is an AOTA official statement prepared for the Commission on Practice and accepted by the Representative Assembly.1

This document details occupational therapy’s scope of practice within public and private schools as related to federal legislation. It explains how the ASI clinical reasoning process can guide intervention choices and describes the variety of evaluations used to measure skills related to aca-demic performance. It is based on the

Occupational Therapy Practice Frame-work: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition,2

and provides detailed case examples of identifying and evaluating condi-tions, planning interventions, and measuring school-related outcomes. Therapists can use this document when discussing with school admin-istrators and educators the scope of occupational therapy practice that uses an ASI approach. This document is also relevant for clinicians inter-ested in honing their own understand-ing of using ASI in schools and for practitioners within study groups.

Sensory Integration: An Approach to Occupational Therapy Intervention is a PowerPoint presentation developed in collaboration with AOTA and past Special Interest Section Standing Committees.3 It can be used during school in-services, staff develop-ment days, and even back-to-school nights for parents. This presentation provides insight about what sensory integration is, what an ASI interven-tion should look like, the outcomes that can be expected, and some of the evidence available to support using an ASI intervention.

Frequently Asked Questions About Ayres Sensory Integration®, a docu-ment geared toward practitioners, provides short, clear answers to the most commonly asked questions about ASI.4 This document describes how sensory integration deficits can impact functional performance, the number of children who have these issues, and the typical ways that sen-sory integration deficits are identified. Additionally, the document includes information about the training pursued by the occupational therapy

practitioner providing ASI interven-tions, whether sensory integration issues can truly impact school per-formance, and whether occupational therapy practitioners are allowed to use ASI techniques within the school-based setting. This is a resource that can be used by practitioners during a study group or to inform educators and school administrators.

Addressing Sensory Integration Across the Lifespan With Occupational Therapy, a Fact Sheet geared toward other professionals and policymakers, generally describes how the senses contribute to growth and develop-ment, and the ways sensory needs might be addressed at various stages of life.5 This document also provides some ideas of what occupational ther-apy practitioners and families can do to support the sensory needs of those individuals facing sensory challenges. This document could be bundled with the PowerPoint presentation previ-ously described and disseminated during an in-service. n

Stefanie Bodison, OTD, OTR/L, C/NDT, is a

postdoctoral fellow within the University of

Southern California, Division of Occupational

Science and Occupational Therapy. She is a

member of AOTA’s Commission on Practice.

References1. American Occupational Therapy Associa-

tion. (2009). Providing occupational therapy using sensory integration theory and meth-ods in school-based practice. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 63, 823–842. doi:10.5014/ajot.63.6.823

2. American Occupational Therapy Associa-tion. (2008). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (2nd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Thera-py, 62, 625–688. doi:10.5014/ajot.62.6.625

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f i e l d w O r K i s s u e s

Nontraditional FieldworkChallenges and Opportunities

Jeanette Koski Yda Smith

evel II fieldwork is often completed in established programs within medical settings, but community contexts also offer many opportunities for occupa-tional therapy students to learn and apply their skills. The refugee resettle-ment fieldwork program in Salt Lake

City, Utah, is one example of what can be accomplished when

an academic occupational therapy program—in this case, the Division of Occupational Therapy at the University of Utah—partners with a community agency.

Initially, a handful of students, directed by University of Utah Profes-sor Yda Smith, participated in Level I fieldwork experiences at University Neighborhood Partners-Hartland Partnership, an agency that helps immigrants and refugees living at a local housing complex adjust to their new lives in the United States. In operation for more than 7 years, the initiative recently began providing year-round Level II experiences at four different community-based locations.

During their fieldwork experience at the agency, students interact with people from a variety of countries. Many of the refugees do not speak English, and some are illiterate in their own lan-guage. Students use occupation-based activities to help these new Americans adapt to their surroundings and become independent in all aspects of daily liv-ing, at home and in the community. At the same time, students experience the need to respect and appreciate diver-sity, help maintain traditional cultures, and participate in reciprocal learning relationships supporting the concept that Western communities can gain from the knowledge and skills these individuals bring with them.

Students teach classes and also work directly with families or with individuals. Depending on what individual partici-

pants need, students provide education on public transportation, rules-of-the-road for driving, pre-employment (e.g., résumé writing, job search), computer skills, home maintenance, gardening, access to public services (e.g., library, health clinic), money management (e.g., bill paying, banking, money orders), and

access to higher education. Students also help preserve cultural heritage. For example, they have worked with Karen women from Burma who are weavers and are working toward starting their own businesses. Additionally, occupa-tional therapy students have provided treatment for children and adults with developmental or other disabilities that affect occupational performance.

This community setting provides many opportunities for students to practice their skills with activity analysis and appropriate grading of activities to meet the needs of their clients. Therapeutic use of self is another key educational component, as trust must be established with people with a wide range of backgrounds and migration experiences.

Students work with people experi-encing occupational deprivation and learn how occupational therapy pro-gramming helps address problems in this area.1 Students use a collaborative learning model, working with and sup-porting each other.2 Because they are not always under the direct supervision of an occupational therapist, students practice managing their time and devel-oping programs independently. Student assignments include writing reflection papers and conducting critical practice audits, documenting weekly sessions with individuals, and developing group activities.3

This fieldwork opportunity is avail-able to occupational therapy students across the country; however, working out the terms for shared affiliation agreements can be challenging. In a typical training agreement, there are two parties who must agree to the terms of the contract. Because this particular fieldwork site now has four locations, agreement must be reached among all satellite locations, in addition to all institutions sending students, and the University of Utah, which provides student supervision. Additionally, field-work dates vary from school to school, a discrepancy that affects the continu-ity of services provided at the refugee resettlement sites. Students complet-ing Level II fieldwork at this agency have also experienced difficulties in scheduling for various reasons,

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ith her quick wit and positive attitude, Mrs. Smith was just the sort of

client Andrea Gump, OTR, could have wished for right

before lunch. “You’re in good hands,” Mary

Beth Jarusewic, OTR/L, the program manager at Forest Hill Health and Rehabilitation Center in Forest Hill, Maryland, said when introducing Mrs. Smith to Gump before an initial therapy evaluation.

“Oh, like Allstate you mean,” Mrs. Smith said, referencing without a beat the insurance company’s slogan.

Although Mrs. Smith had the ideal mindset for her upcoming occupational therapy session, her body was not as accommodating. Gump pumped the sphygmomanometer to measure Mrs. Smith’s blood pressure and discov-

ered a reading of 200/80, which was too dangerously high to start therapy. Gump made a note of the reading, then called in a nurse, who administered pills to lower Mrs. Smith’s blood pres-sure, but the therapy would have to be put on hold until the afternoon, giving the medication time to take effect. That meant Gump’s schedule for the day would have to be rearranged and compressed, packing more events later into the day. Yet Gump didn’t groan when she knew Mrs. Smith’s therapy would be delayed––even though she wanted to finish working with her that

morning––because she knew her docu-mentation strategy would allow her to still finish everything that day without needing to work overtime to complete paperwork.

DOCUMENTING CAREIn some jobs, plans falling through might be something of a positive— an unexpected break that provides a chance to catch up on other work. It’s more difficult in occupational therapy, in which practitioners such as Gump, whose services primarily are reimbursed through Medicare, must

On-the-spot documentation helps occupational therapy practitioners manage their documentation demands, whether using electronic devices or paper forms.

Record Time

Point-of-Service Documentation Strategies

Help Practitioners Beat the Time Crunch

ANDREW WAITE

W

JANUARY 23, 2012 • WWW.AOTA.ORG

meet demanding industry productivity standards.

One major obstacle to meeting all the needs of this population is docu-mentation, which for many practition-ers is the most daunting part of their day. Many practitioners consider it to be their biggest barrier to productivity. Worse, documentation requirements will likely increase because of U.S. Con-gressional leaders, who have vowed a crackdown on what they view as overly liberal reimbursement rules.1 Policy-makers want to see documentation that highlights specific skilled care provided and demonstrates medical necessity. For more information, see www.cms.gov/manuals/Downloads/bp102c15.pdf.

Technology promises to make documentation more accurate and efficient, but will it make it better? Not

exactly, according to practitioners

and manag-

ers, who say that documentation is not so much about the tools used but about the process of managing time. The bottom line, practitioners say, is that if therapists and assistants care about the quality of their records, complete documentation with details that high-light their skilled treatments and care, and adopt their own strategies—such as point-of-service documentation—for fitting record-keeping time into their day, they can learn to maximize efficacy and efficiency while limiting the number of reimbursement denials, regardless of whether they are using pen and paper or a computer to do so.

DOCUMENTATION ON THE GOAt Forest Hill, Gump and her col-leagues use point-of-service documen-tation, meaning they do much of their record keeping while interacting with clients, engaging them in goal devel-opment and discussions about client progress. This allows for more detailed, client-centered documentation that better highlights the skilled care. In the

past, Gump saved all her documenta-tion notes until the end of the day and then finished several forms at once while trying to recall as many details as possible. She finds point-of-service documentation much more efficient and better able to capture the client’s level of functioning and treatment.

“When patients are resting, I can jot a little bit down. Then I try to go over what I am doing with them. I

tell them, ‘We’re working on this to improve

your standing tolerance. If we

can stand a little bit longer then we can start

working on independent standing at the sink for [activities of daily living].’ So when I explain to

them what I am doing, it makes it a lot easier, and they understand, too.” Gump says. “If I’m doing my eval and can write my range of motion right after I have tested it, then that takes away some time I would have needed to use at the end of the day.”

Forest Hill recently implemented point-of-service documentation in an attempt to improve clinical documenta-tion and maximize efficiency as indus-try standards become more rigorous and less forgiving, says Jarusewic, the program manager.

“The therapists now have certain regulatory demands about how they deliver their treatments, and they need to maximize the time in their day. They also need to be accountable and accu-rate for the information that they are pulling from their assessment with the patient. Point-of-service documentation allows them to be accurate and concise, timely, and thorough,” Jarusewic says.

This strategy saved Gump on a day when Mrs. Smith’s therapy was delayed by 2.5 hours. While waiting for the blood pressure medication to work, Gump was able to take and record use-ful information like sensation capability and range of motion, as well as ask Mrs. Smith questions to assess her level of cognition. Such tests allowed Gump the chance to formulate and document a plan of care during a spare moment, so she was ready to implement it imme-diately after lunch. Later, during Mrs. Smith’s therapy, Gump wrote notes and observations onto her form between activities.

“Point-of-service documentation allows me to be as productive and efficient as I can be. Before, if some-thing like this came up then it just made more work for me at the end of the day,” Gump said after finishing her therapy session with Mrs. Smith. “This allows me to be more efficient but still get my day done at the same time, so I don’t have the stress of ‘Oh, I have to finish this’ or ‘Oh, I have to finish that.’”

PUTTING TECHNOLOGYIN PERSPECTIVEExperts note the many benefits that technology offers in providing better record keeping for health care, reduc-ing documentation time, minimizing time spent searching records, increasing

It doesn’t matter what form you’re writing on or if you’re writing on a blank piece of paper or an iPad; it just has to reflect the care that you’ve given.

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accessibility to records, and reducing the likelihood of lost information, among other things.2 But practitioners empha-size that what helps most with efficient and effective documentation is the ease with which they are able to do it.

Sharon Kurfuerst, EdD, OTR/L, FAOTA, vice president of Rehabilitation and Orthopedic Services for Chris-tiana Care Health System, based in Wilmington, Delaware, notes that the rehabilitation services division within her organization is in the process of converting from paper-based system to electronic health records by April 2012.

“That’s taking up a fair amount of people’s time and energy, with the hopes of gains happening in that con-version,” Kurfuerst says. “One [gain] would be increased efficiency, [and] better ability to do point-of-service documentation.”

But technology should not be viewed as a means of eliminating “paperwork” in the sense of needing to document what work is done, Kurfuerst says. Rather than a necessary evil, documentation is part and parcel of good health care, she notes. In many ways, if documentation isn’t complete, neither is the treatment.

“It shouldn’t be seen as, ‘I’ve treated my patients, now I have got to do this dirty work of documenting.’ It needs to be seen as part of the whole care delivery process for each patient,” says Kurfuerst, who co-wrote a 2010 Administration & Management Special Interest Section Quarterly article on effective record keeping.3

“So I’m trying to reframe it as, ‘You’re really not done treating Mrs. Smith until her note is written and the chart is closed.’ And if you have that mindset about it, it doesn’t feel like such a big task.”

In taking that approach, the means of noting the treatment rendered takes on less importance, Kurfuerst says.

“It doesn’t matter what form you’re writing on or if you’re writing on a blank piece of paper or an iPad; it just has to reflect the care that you’ve given. The form is different but the content should not be,” she says.

Elizabeth Newman, OTD, OT/L, the director of IP Occupational Therapy, Rehab Engineering, and Clinical Infor-matics at National Rehabilitation Hos-

pital in Washington, DC, also recently switched her facility and employees to an electronic medical record. The thinking was that technology would speed up the process by encouraging point-of-service documentation, New-man says.

“That was our goal. In reality, I don’t really think that’s what the therapists are doing, especially for evaluations, because you end up with your nose in a computer instead of interacting with the patient,” Newman says. “I think people have it in their heads that the electronic documentation is going to make it so much more efficient and save so much time. That’s not what we found.”

THE RIGHT DETAILSDocumentation does not necessarily need to be done at point of service.

AOTA and facilities like Forest Hills want to ensure that practitioners using point-of-service documentation focus fully on the client at all times. This means pro-viding feedback, therapeutic interven-tions, instruction, and cues, as needed during the therapy session. Regardless of when it is done, the best approach in documentation, to provide the best record of treatment as well as to avoid feeling daunted by it and the time it con-sumes, is to simply look at it as explain-ing who the client is and what clinical expertise was used to help return that client to prior level of functioning.

“Instead of writing what treatment they just did and what their interven-tion was, many often get caught up in the form and the regulation,” Kurfuerst says. “I think a lot of times we make it harder than it has to be. If you provided really good care, writing about it should not be very difficult.”

The AOTA document Guidelines for Documentation of Occupational Therapy notes that documentation has several purposes, including articulating “the rationale for provision of occupa-tional therapy services and the rela-tionship of this service to the client’s outcomes” and creating “a chronologi-cal record of client status, occupational therapy services provided to the client, and client outcomes” (p. 684).4

So what’s the best way to achieve these ends? Like any good piece of writing, documentation uses the right details, practitioners say. At Forest Hill, which is one of 182 affiliated Sava Senior Care facilities, directors pro-vide employees with weekly training sessions on documentation because it helps with quality and timeliness. A November training session concen-trated on the need for therapists to portray how their skilled evaluations can lead to specific established goals. Jarusewic met with three employees, including Gump, and critiqued a recent evaluation by each therapist.

“What we are saying [with our training] is, ‘Highlight your care in a dif-ferent way,’” Jarusewic says. “You want to take things that are clinically based, theoretically based, and show your knowledge. I think people in general can tell when someone doesn’t feel well or when they seem a little more confused or a little weaker. But it takes

f O r M O r e i N f O r M A T i O NOT Connections Forum on Time Management http://otconnections.aota.org/forums/p/2082/ 19054.aspx#19054

Reimbursement News, Payment Sources, and Other Resourceswww.aota.org/practitioners/reimb

Documenting Occupational Therapy Practice, 2nd EditionBy K. M. Sames, 2010. Englewood Cliffs, NJ: Prentice Hall. ($40.80 for members, $57.95 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1331. Order #1331. Promo code MI)

Practical Considerations for School-Based Occupational Therapists (w/CD-ROM)By L. Pape & K. Ryba, 2004. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. ($39 for members, $55 for non-members. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1233. Order #1233. Promo code MI)

Reference Manual of the Official Documents of the American Occupational Therapy Association, Inc., 16th EditionBy American Occupational Therapy Association, 2011. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. ($55 for members, $78 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1585. Order #1585. Promo code MI)

CONNECTIONSDiscuss this and other articles on the OT Practice Magazine public forum at http://www.OTConnections.org.


the skill of a therapist to identify which muscle is weak, what part of their cog-nition has changed, [and the] potential for recovery, and also to do appropri-ate clinical assessments and caregiver education to maximize the outcome.”

Gump says the weekly trainings improve her documentation skills and save her time because they teach how to economize words, to say more by writing less.

“Before I would pretty much write ‘prior level of function’ and move on,” she says. “I was a little bit more vague than I should have been. So now I have been trying to be more detailed oriented and describe exactly what I’m seeing in my eval, so [that] anyone can pick up my paperwork and follow what I’m doing.”

CUSTOM SOLUTIONSPractitioners such as Konah Kpoto, MS, OTR/L, CMT, say that in regard to documentation, and how much to complete during a session with a client, there is no set formula.

As an occupational therapist who rotates job assignments through Rehabilitation Services Inc., Kpoto has worked in several settings and tried just about every type of documenta-tion, from pen-and-paper notes filled out at the end of the day to point-of- service electronic documentation.

“I kind of have a technique,” Kpoto begins when explaining her documen-tation style, as if she is about to reveal a personal secret. She says she feels at her best when jotting notes while seeing her client and then typing her formal records before having a lunch break and at the end of the day when she can fully concentrate.

Unlike Gump, Kpoto is concerned about point-of-service electronic documentation because she feels less connected to her client.

“They understand you have to put information down, but when there’s less eye contact, you pay more atten-tion to the computer, making sure you’re clicking on the right item, then clients feel they didn’t have any

therapy even though you may have provided quality services and spent time with them,” Kpoto says.

Kpoto’s varied experiences with documentation have taught her one thing about time management and record keeping: “You have to balance your commitment to patient care with efforts to document efficiently,” she says. “I had to make it work for me.” n

References1. American Occupational Therapy Association.

(2011). AOTA analysis: Final home health PPS rule. Retrieved November 10, 2011, from http://www.aota.org/News/AdvocacyNews/Final-2011-Home-Health-Rule.aspx?FT=.pdf

2. Arabit, L., (2010). Preparing for electronic docu-mentation. OT Practice, 15(12), 13–16.

3. Richmond, T., & Kurfuerst, S. (2010, December). Your questions answered: Documentation. Administration & Management Special Inter-est Section Quarterly, 26(4), 1–4.

4. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2008). Guidelines for documentation of occupational therapy. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 684–690. doi:10.5014/ajot.62.6.684


He can be reached at [email protected].

new AOTA Ce On fAlls prevenTiOn fOr OlDer ADUlTs!The third module in a three-part series on evidence-based fall prevention services.

Falls Module III Preventing Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults-Intervention Strategies for Occupational Therapy PractitionersPresented by Elizabeth W. Peterson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, and Elena Wong Espiritu, MA, OTR/L

Earn .45 AOTA CEU (5.63 NBCOT PDUs/4.5 contact hours)

In Falls Module III, community-dwelling older adults include both older adults who are well and those who are living with chronic diseases. Evidence supporting fall prevention intervention for people with specific chronic diseases such as stroke, Parkinson’s disease, and multiple sclerosis is limited. However, the self-management prin-ciples presented in this course have a strong evidence base that will support their use by people who are living with chronic diseases, and the course content describes how occupational therapists and their clients can apply self-management principles to fall prevention intervention.

This online course is designed to familiarize participants with evidence-based intervention strategies to reduce falls and features two case studies with video clips to promote application of the information presented.

Order #OL36 | AOTA Members: $158 | Nonmembers: $225

Prerequisite Recommendation: It is strongly recommended that course participants complete the first module, Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Overview, Evaluation, and Assessments, Order #OL34. Module I covers in detail topics that include fall risk factors and evidence-based evaluation strategies.

Prerequisite Recommendation: It is strongly recommended that course participants complete the first module, Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Overview, Evaluation, and Assessments, Order #OL34.covers in detail topics that include fall risk factors and evidence-based evaluation strategies.

Welcome toAOTA Learning

To order, call 877-404-AOTA, or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?sKU=Ol36CE-224


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The development of assistive technology (AT) over the past 25 years, especially computer-based products and communication tech-nology, has enabled per-sons who are blind or have

visual impairment to better compete and participate in the worlds of work, school, and leisure.1–3 But there are still numerous barriers preventing people from getting the AT they need. This article describes the role that an AT demonstration and loan program had in providing a college student with an opportunity to discover and implement AT into his life, while also educating occupational therapy and other faculty in his university and the loan program staff about options available for stu-dents with visual impairments.

ACCESSING ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGYThe Department of Education reported that 1% of the students with disabilities who are in K through 12 have a visual impairment.4 In addition, in 2008, 11.9% of noninstitutionalized people 21 to 64 years of age in the United States with visual impairments had obtained a bachelor’s degree or higher.5 Class-rooms today are not only full of printed material but also require students to be able to operate in a digital world chock full of computer-based and multime-dia technologies. To be successful in

school, all students must have access to these print-based and multimedia materials. Defined as “any item, piece of equipment, or system, whether acquired commercially, modified, or customized, that is commonly used to increase, maintain, or improve func-tional capabilities of individuals with disabilities,”6 AT is one way to make this possible for those who have dis-abilities that limit their access to print.

Examples of AT for students with visual impairment include magnifiers, digital text, handheld readers, braille,

A college student implements assistive technologies into his life, while also educating university faculty and staff about options available for students with visual impairments.

Implementing Assistive Technology

Helping a University Student With a Visual Impairment LYNN GITLOW


and large-print items.1,3,7 Computers even have accessibility features built into their operating systems that can help people who are blind or have visual impairment. For example, the Windows operating system has the Ease of Access Center, with which people with visual impairment can make the content easier to see. Options include changing font size, magnifying the screen, changing the contrast, and using basic screen reading technology.8

The MAC operating system has similar built-in options, including screen mag-nification and a text-to-speech reader called Voiceover.9 Research supports the effectiveness of many of these tools in providing valuable assistance for people with visual impairment.2,10

Although these technologies are available, effective, and legally man-dated to be considered for students with documented disabilities, many barriers to obtaining them remain, including funding. The Assistive Technology Act of 2004 continues the work of previous federal legislation to “increase the availability of, funding for, access to, provision of, and train-ing about assistive technology devices and assistive technology services.”11

Other barriers reported in the litera-ture include lack of skill and knowledge about AT on the part of teachers and other providers who work with stu-dents with visual impairments.12–13

When providers are evaluating student needs for AT, this lack of knowledge may result in a bad fit between the student and the technol-ogy solution provided.14 Students may realize that “these new tools are not working for them after all.… They may be too big and unwieldy or too small and inefficient for the tasks that need to be done” (p. 14).3

To help overcome these barriers, the federal government passed the Tech-nology Related Assistive Technology Act in 1998. This law, which was reau-thorized in 1994 and 1998 and updated in 2004, provides funding for each state to get AT into the hands of the people who need it.6,11

FEDERAL FUNDING IN ACTION: STATE OF MAINEThe Technical Exploration Center (TEC): MaineCite is the program that

receives the federal funds for AT in the state of Maine. Through a series of statewide partnerships, including Husson University, in Bangor, where TEC is also located, MaineCite delivers the mandate of the federal program. One of the MaineCite subgrantees, TEC has more than 2,000 AT devices that can be demonstrated or loaned to people so they can “try before they buy.” Additionally, TEC staff members provide training and workshops on AT to increase awareness of options for consumers, caregivers, and profession-als. TEC also provides internship oppor-tunities for pre-professional students in a variety of educational programs, including occupational therapy, physical therapy, and education.

During the spring semester of 2011, a senior education major who was enrolled in a Maine university came to TEC to complete one of his education program internship require-ments, which was to spend 180 hours at TEC. The student, a 24-year-old male, had a severe visual impairment due to retinitis pigmentosa. He stated that this disease ran in his family, and for him, resulted in low vision. At the beginning of the internship, TEC staff, the student, and the student’s intern-ship supervisors developed several goals. First, the student would research and try out many of the AT devices at TEC, from low- to high-tech options.

He would then develop a presentation for the education faculty at his school as a capstone project. Additionally, he would learn about and participate in the day-to-day operations of TEC.

Before coming to TEC, the student was reading texts using an Enhanced Vision Aid Model MRD17 Merlin CCTV at his university. This is a device that mag-nifies the font in a book or other printed material so that someone with a visual impairment may see it. He also had a personal computer for his schoolwork. At the start of his internship, we asked him if he would participate in an out-come assessment, the Canadian Occupa-tional Performance Measure (COPM).15

The COPM, an assessment based on the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance, has been used successfully to measure the outcome of AT use.16 The COPM is a client-centered, individual-ized, outcome measure that looks at occupational performance in the areas of self-care, productivity, and play and leisure.15 Only those areas of importance as defined by the client are considered, which is consistent with a user-centered approach to evaluation that is relevant to current models of disability.17–18 The COPM detects change in clients’ satisfac-tion with occupational performance in meaningful occupations over time. The clients use a scale from 1 (lowest) to 10 (highest) to rate how important it is for them to be able to do an occupation,

Table 1. Student COPM at the Beginning of the Internship (February 2011)Occupational Performance

Problems 1 = Not important to me to

be able to do this;10 = Very important for me

to be able to do this

Performance 1 = I am not able to do it; 10 = I am able to do it well

Satisfaction 1 = I am not satisfied at all

with the way I perform this;

10 = I am very satisfied with the way I perform this

E-mailing = 10 5—“I have to copy and paste my e-mail into a Word

document.”

3

Reading texts and other materials = 10

5—“I use a Merlin CCTV, but it is located in the library and it takes time to go from my room to the library to use it. I can’t study in my room like

everyone else.”

7

Taking computer-based tests = 10

5—“Setting up my computer is a barrier here.”

3


how they rate their current performance of the occupation, and how satisfied they are with their current performance. We at the center were curious to see if, dur-ing his time at TEC, the student would learn about strategies and AT that would influence his occupational performance in areas relevant to him. He agreed to participate in the assessment at both the beginning and the end of his intern-ship. The results of the pre-internship assessment are reported in Table 1 on p. 14, and the final assessment results are reported in Table 2.

According to the COPM manual, a change of 2 points between the pre- and posttest administration is clini-cally significant.15 In the areas of using e-mail and taking computer-based tests, there was an increase in perfor-mance scores (4 points) and satis-faction scores (6 points), indicating important changes for this student in term of his computer use. The changes he made were all available in the Win-dows operating system that he used at TEC and on his personal computer. These changes included increasing font and icon size and changing the contrast to meet his needs—previously, he had been unaware of the potential to adapt the Windows operating system and had cut and pasted all of the material he needed to read into a Word docu-ment in which he would increase the

font size. Interestingly, this change cost nothing; it was available in his comput-ers’ operating systems. This is consis-tent with reports that accommodations for people with disabilities often cost nothing, despite a misconception that all AT is costly.19

In terms of reading printed text, there was a 1-point change from pre- to posttest. The student also borrowed and used some hand-held magnification devices to read printed text that were available through the TEC inventory. The student said he found the devices useful and planned to purchase one, but he said the Enhanced Vision Aid Model MRD17 Merlin CCTV device in the library at school was more useful for reading school-based material. He also will be looking into getting a simi-lar device like this for himself.

FINAL PRESENTATIONThe presentation that the student completed for his final project was titled “Open Your Eyes: Assisting the Visually Impaired.” In his presenta-tion, he demonstrated a full range of low- to high-tech devices, including rulers, magnifying glasses, cell phone and computer adaptations, optical character-recognition systems, closed-circuit television systems, and braille. Additionally, he demonstrated accessi-bility features of the Windows operat-

ing system. He also talked a bit about his own experience and stated:

If you have a student who has a visual disability, he or she may not let you know about it. I can speak from my experience that, going through school, I didn’t want to tell anyone that I was having trouble seeing and would deny that I had a problem to everyone, including my mom.

This experience is consistent with descriptions in the literature, which reports that people with disabilities want to be treated just like everyone else,20–21 an inclination that often interferes with their need to disclose their disability, which is a requirement for obtaining accommodations in higher education settings. He also stated:

Students of all sorts, no matter who they are, want to be considered normal in the eyes of their peers, and if there is one thing that may set them apart, like having to get extra help or use some kind of assistive technology, they may be afraid of being teased or bullied by their peers.

This is certainly consistent with an “insider” perspective of people with disabilities.22–23

In addition to providing us with this perspective, the student taught us a lot about some of the equipment that we had in our inventory. For example, he taught us that two of our handheld mag-nifiers could be attached to a computer or TV screen, greatly enhancing their usability. This will help us serve our future customers better. He also helped compare different types of products. For example, we learned from him that the hand-held magnifiers, which he bor-rowed, were not as useful as the CCTV for reading textbook material. This was important learning for us in that it helped us to understand that different types of reading may require different modes of magnification.

It is important for therapists and others working with those who have vision impairments to make sure to identify all of the occupations that a client may need to do, and match the correct tools to the correct tasks. As an occupational therapist, I am always learning to be more mindful of this important aspect of our practice.

Table 2. Student’s Scores on the COPM at the End of the Internship (April 2011)Occupational Performance

Problems 1 = Not important to me to

be able to do this;10 = Very important for me

to be able to do this

Performance 1 = I am not able to do it; 10 = I am able to do it well

Satisfaction 1 = I am not satisfied at all

with the way I perform this;

10 = I am very satisfied with the way I perform this

E-mailing = 10 9—“I learned how to modify my computer screen so I

can do things quicker now.”

9

Reading texts and other materials =10

6—“I learned about equip-ment that is more por-

table so I can become more efficient. I will be looking

to purchase options I have learned about here.”

8

Taking computer-based tests = 10

9—“Learning how to set up my computer made so many

things easier.”

9


CONCLUSIONIn summing up his experience at the center, the student said he had learned a lot about AT, about which he had known very little previously, and which now helps him in very signifi-cant ways:

By being at TEC and getting the chance to test the different items and learning how to adjust computer settings to make things more manageable and efficient in my academics, I was able to have my most successful semester in my 5-year college life, reaching a 3.6 GPA for the semester, making the dean’s list, and graduating with my bachelor’s in educational studies.

The staff at TEC also greatly benefit-ted from this internship. It gave us extended time to collect qualitative and quantitative information that shows our program is doing what it is meant to do, which is getting AT into the hands of people who need it. In addition to the data that we collect for our funders, by using a standardized assessment tool to capture pre- and postintern-ship data, our program was able to gain outcomes information that can augment our standard data collection. Qualita-tive data from the student’s journal also proved useful, as we have to include “narratives” with our funding reports. Moreover, we had the opportunity to learn about the equipment from an end user. Finally, we all realized the benefi-cial aspect of internships for students with disabilities at an AT program. We look forward to more opportunities like this in the future. n

References1. Cook, A. M., & Polgar, J. M. (2007). Cook &

Hussey’s assistive technologies: Principles and practice (3rd ed.). St. Louis, MO: Mosby.

2. Jutai, J. W., Strong, J. G., & Russell-Minda, E. (2009). Effectiveness of assistive technolo-gies for low vision rehabilitation: A systematic review. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 103, 210–222.

3. Presley, I., & D’Andrea, F. M. (2008). Assistive technology for students who are blind or visu-ally impaired. New York: AFB Press.

4. U.S. Department of Education, National Center for Education Statistics. (2010). Digest of Edu-cation Statistics, 2009. Retrieved July 1, 2011, from http://nces.ed.gov/pubs2010/2010013_0.pdf

5. Erickson, W., Lee, C., & von Schrader, S. (2010). Disability statistics from the 2008 American Community Survey (ACS). Ithaca, NY: Cornell University Rehabilitation Research and Training Center on Disability Demographics and Statis-

tics. Retrieved June 30, 2011, from http://www.disabilitystatistics.org

6. Assistive Technology Act of 1998. Pub. L. 105-394.

7. American Foundation for the Blind. (2011). Assistive technology. Retrieved July 1, 2011, from http://www.afb.org/Section.asp?SectionID= 4&TopicID=31

8. Microsoft. (n.d.). Make your computer easier to use. Retrieved July 1, 2011, from http://windows.microsoft.com/en-US/windows7/Make-your-computer-easier-to-use

9. Apple. (n.d). Apple accessibility. Retrieved July 1, 2011, from http://www.apple.com/accessibility

10. Kelly, S. M., & Smith, D. W. (2011). The impact of assistive technology on the educational per-formance of students with visual impairments: A synthesis of the research. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 105, 73–83.

11. Assistive Technology Act of 2004. Pub. L. 108-364.

12. Abner, G. H., & Lahm, E. A. (2002). Implementa-tion of assistive technology with students who are visually impaired: Teachers’ readiness. Journal of Visual Impairment & Blindness, 2, 98–105.

13. Zhou, L., Parker, A. T., Sith, D., & Griffin-Shirley, N. (2011). Assistive technology for students with visual impairments: Challenges and needs in teachers’ preparation programs and practice. Journal of Visual Impairment and Blindness, 4, 197–210.

14. Gitlow, L., & Sanford, T. (2003). Assistive tech-nology education needs of allied health practi-tioners in a rural state. Journal of Allied Health, 32, 46–51.

15. Law, M., Baptiste, S., Carswell, A., McColl, M., Polatajko, H., & Pollock, N. (2005). Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (4th ed.). Ottawa, ON, Canada: CAOT Publications.

16. Petty, L. S., McArthur, L., & Treviranus, J. (2005). Clinical report: Use of the Canadian Occupation-al Performance Measure in vision technology. Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy, 72, 309–312.

17. American Occupational Therapy Associa-tion. (2008). Occupational therapy practice

framework: Domain and practice, 2nd edition. American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 62, 625–683. doi:10.5014/ajot.62.6.625

18. World Health Organization. (2001). Interna-tional classification of functioning, disability and health (ICF). Geneva, Switzerland: Author.

19. Job Accommodation Network. (n.d.) Frequently asked questions. Retrieved July 1, 2011, from http://askjan.org/links/faqs.htm#13

20. Polgar, J. M. (2010). The myth of neutral technol-ogy. In M. Oishi, J. M. Mitchell, & H. F. M. Van der Loos (Eds.), Design and use of assistive technol-ogy: Social, technical, ethical, and economic challenges (pp. 17–24). New York: Springer.

21. Scherer, M. J. (2005). Living in the state of stuck: How assistive technology impacts the lives of people with disabilities (4th ed.). Cam-bridge, MA: Brookline Books.

22. Covington, G., (1998). Cultural and environ-mental barriers to assistive technology: Why assistive devices don’t always assist. In D. B Gray, L. A. Quatrano, & M. L. Lieberman (Eds.), Designing and using assistive technology (pp. 77–88). Baltimore: Paul H. Brooks.

23. Silvers, A. (2010). Better than new! Ethics for assistive technologists. In M. Oishi, J. M. Mitch-ell, & H. F. M. Van der Loos (Eds.), Design and use of assistive technology: Social, technical, ethical, and economic challenges (pp. 3–16). New York: Springer.

Lynn Gitlow, PhD, OTR/L, ATP, is an associate

professor of occupational therapy at Ithaca College.

Gitlow has been an occupational therapist for more

than 20 years, specializing in the areas of mental

health and assistive technology. She is also certified

by RESNA as an assistive technology practitioner.

Her research has focused on barriers to assistive

technology use among various groups, including

health care practitioners and elders. She has pub-

lished her research in peer-reviewed journals and

presented at local and international conferences on

the topic of assistive technology.

f O r M O r e i N f O r M A T i O NTechnical Exploration Centerwww.tecmaine.org

Cook & Hussey’s Assistive Technologies: Principles and Practice (3rd Ed.)A. M. Cook & J. Miller Polgar, 2008. St. Louis, MO: Mosby. ($91.95 for members, $130.50 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1422. Order #1422. Promo code MI)

Assistive Technology in the WorkplaceD. de Jonge, M. Scherer, & S. Rodger, 2007. St. Louis, MO: Mosby. ($54.95 for members, $78 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1423. Order #1423. Promo code MI)

Occupational Therapy Interventions for Adults With Low VisionEdited by M. Warren & E. A. Barstow, 2011. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. ($89 for members, $126 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1252. Order #1252. Promo code MI)

Low Vision: Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention with Older Adults (SPCC), Revised EditionBy M. Warren, 2008. Bethesda, MD: American Occupational Therapy Association. (Earn 2 AOTA CEUs [20 NBCOT PDUs, 20 contact hours]. $370 for members, $470 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=3025. Order #3025. Promo code MI)

Functional-Visual Behavior in Adults: An Occupational Therapy Guide to Evaluation and Treatment Options, 2nd EditionEdited by M. Gentile, 2005. Bethesda, MD: AOTA Press. ($39 for members, $55 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1206A. Order #1206A. Promo code MI)

Motor-Free Visual Perception Test, 3rd EditionBy R. P. Colarusso & D. D. Hammill, 2003. Tor-rance, CA: Western Psychological Services. ($140 for members, $199 for nonmembers. To order, call toll free 877-404-AOTA or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1387. Order #1387. Promo code MI)


GENERAL ELECTIONSBelow is a brief description of the responsibilities for each position in the General Elections. Full job descriptions are available on the AOTA 2012 Elec-tion site at www.aota.org/governance/elections-2012.aspx. In addition, visit AOTA’s election blog at http://otconnec tions.aota.org/blogs/aota_general_elec tion/default.aspx for coverage of the elections.

President-Elect: After spending a year learning the job of President, serves as the ambassador for the profession ensuring it is recognized, included in policy, and meeting the needs of society. Works closely with members and Association headquarters staff to foster an organization that enhances practice, education, and research. Pre-sides over all membership meetings of the Association and the Board. Serves as a member of the Representative Assembly.

Vice President: In the absence of the President, fulfills Presidential duties. Chairs the ad hoc Centennial Vision Commission and the Board’s strategic planning process, and serves as Board liaison with other bodies of the Associa-tion as designated by the President. Serves as a member of the Representa-tive Assembly.

Director to the Board of Directors: Has fidu-ciary responsibilities to the Association and serves to increase the Association’s

visibility with members, other health professions, policymakers, and the pub-lic. Brings skills, knowledge, and ideas to the Board to help move the organiza-tion closer to the Centennial Vision.

Commission on Education (COE) Chairper-son-Elect: Like the President-Elect, the first year in office is used to prepare for all the Chairperson’s duties and perform any assigned tasks. Once assuming office, manages the work of the COE, promotes quality education for the profession, and takes action on education issues, including facilitat-ing guidelines and position papers on occupational therapy education. Serves as a member of the Representative Assembly.

Ethics Commission (EC) Chairperson-Elect: After learning about the position during the first year, the Chairperson oversees/implements the educational and enforcement functions of the EC. This includes overseeing revisions to the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards (2010) document, implementing the Enforcement Procedures process to handle complaints of ethical violations, and developing diverse educational resources for the Association on ethics. Serves as a member of the Representa-tive Assembly.

All members of AOTA are eligible to vote in the General Elections. The candidates for the General Elections are:

President-ElectVirginia (Ginny) Carroll Stoffel, PhD,

OT, BCMH, FAOTA

Vice PresidentBrent Braveman, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAPaula Kramer, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAAmy Lamb, OTD, BS, OTRL

Two (2) Directors to the Board of DirectorsClarissa A. Meyers, OTR, MEdShawn Phipps, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAPamela E. Toto, PhD, OTR/L, BCG,

FAOTA

Commission on Education Chairperson-ElectAndrea R. Bilics, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Ethics Commission Chairperson-ElectJeffrey L. Crabtree, OTD, MS, OT, FAOTAYvette Hachtel, JD, MEd, OTR/L

SPECIAL INTEREST SECTIONSThere are also elections for Chairperson of four of the Special Interest Sections. AOTA members who have selected voting rights in any of these four SISs are able to vote in these elections. The candidates are:

Administration & Management SIS Jane Richardson Yousey, OTR/L, ACC

Early Intervention & School SISDottie Handley-More, MS, OTR/L

Home & Community Health SISAmy Wagenfeld, PhD, OTR/L, CAPSTracy Van Oss, DHSc, MPH, OTR/L,

SCEM, CHES, CAPS

Mental Health SISLinda M. Olson, PhD, OTR/L Marian Kavanagh Scheinholtz, MS, OT

2012 AOTA Election Information

Official 2012 AOTA Elections Have Begun Online—Make Your Voice Heard!

The online 2012 elections began January 17 and will end on February 28.Elections are being held for General, Special Interest Section (SIS), and Assembly of Student Delegates (ASD) positions. On the voting site, you can vote on all the ballots for which you are eligible, with a few clicks

of your mouse. At the conclusion of the elections, we will hold a drawing from all those who voted for two annual AOTA memberships, so be sure to vote.

continued on page 18


TO VOTE, go to the AOTA Web site home page (www.aota.org), click on AOTA Elections—Vote Here! and follow the directions. Make sure to cast your vote before the voting site closes on February 28 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

ASSEMBLY OF STUDENTDELEGATESEach year, AOTA student members may vote for the persons they think should hold the offices of Chairperson, OT Vice Chairperson, OTA Vice Chairperson, Secretary, and Communi-cations & Advocacy Chairperson of the ASD Steering Committee. Additionally, a student representative to the Com-mission on Education and the Repre-sentative Assembly will be elected. Only student members of AOTA are eligible to vote in ASD elections. The candidates for the positions are:

ChairpersonDanielle CentiLaura MillsEmma Wilking

OT Vice-ChairpersonCourtney ZonRussell Thompson

OTA Vice-ChairpersonSara AndroynaDanielle Morgan

SecretaryRebecca KlompAshley Nichols

Communications and Advocacy ChairpersonJamie MorrisAlexandra D. WilliamsMiranda Wilson

Student Representative to Commission on Education (COE)Nicole Cortes Moira Priven

Student Representative to the Representative Assembly (RA)Michelle CoolidgeKristin J. DavisStefanie HaarChelsea Rew

READ the candidates’ biographies and position statements by going to the Get Involved! section of AOTA’s Web site, then clicking on AOTA Elections (2012), at www.aota.org/governance/elections-2012.aspx.

TO VOTE, go to the AOTA Web site home page (www.aota.org), click on AOTA Elections—Vote Here! and follow the directions. For voting issues or prob-lems, do not hesitate to call 800-729-2682, ext. 2025, or e-mail [email protected]. Please include your member name and number, a brief description of the problem, and your contact informa-tion. The voting site opened at 12:01 a.m. EST on January 17, 2012, and will close at 11:59 p.m. EST on February 28, 2012.

If you prefer a paper ballot, call 800-729-2682, ext. 2025, or e-mail [email protected], and we will be happy to send you a ballot. After you have voted, send the paper ballot to the address provided on the ballot. All ballots must be received on or before February 28, 2012;ballots received after this date will not be counted. Also, remember to cast your vote either online or through the paper ballot method, but not both. Note: Paper ballots are not available for the ASD or SIS elections.

THANK YOU very much for taking the time to learn about these worthy candidates, voting in these very impor-tant elections, and most of all for your continued support of AOTA!

REMEMBER, the voting site on AOTA’s Web site is currently open and ready for your vote. Make sure to cast your vote before it closes on February 28 at 11:59 p.m. EST.

3. Watling, R., & Schefkind, S. (2009). Sensory inte-gration: An approach to occupational therapy intervention. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.aota.org/Practitioners/PracticeAreas/Pediatrics/Browse/SI/SI-Intervention.aspx?FT= .pdf

4. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2008). Frequently asked questions about Ayres Sensory Integration®. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.aota.org/Practitioners/PracticeAreas/Pediatrics/Browse/SI/Ayres.aspx?FT=.pdf

5. American Occupational Therapy Association. (2008). Addressing sensory integration across the lifespan with occupational therapy. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.aota.org/Practitioners/PracticeAreas/Pediatrics/Browse/SI/Fact-Sheet.aspx?FT=.pdf

PRACTCE PERKSUsing AOTA Resources To Inform Parents, Educators, and School Administrators About Ayres Sensory Integration®

continued from page 7

including cultural differences in attention to time and priorities, and clients not being home during scheduled appointment times.

Students in the Division of Occupa-tional Therapy at the University of Utah are currently completing a research study about the experiences of students who have participated in the refugee resettle-ment fieldwork. The study seeks to determine what skills Level I and Level II fieldwork students gained from partici-pating, and how those skills helped them in their other fieldwork experiences and current practice. n

References1. Whiteford, G. E. (2005). Understanding the occu-

pational deprivation of refugees: A case study from Kosovo. Canadian Journal of Occupa-tional Therapy, 72(2), 78–88.

2. Cohn, E. S., Dooley, N. R., & Simmons, L. A. (2001). Collaborative learning applied to fieldwork education. Occupational Therapy in Health Care, 15(1–2), 69–83.

3. Brookfield, S. (2006). Developing critical think-ers. Retrieved November 28, 2011, from http://www.stephenbrookfield.com/Dr._Stephen_D._Brookfield/Workshop_Materials_files/Criti-cal_Thinking_materials.pdf

Jeanette Koski, MS, OTR/L, is the academic fieldwork

coordinator and an associate professor, clinical, at

the Division of Occupational Therapy at the Univer-

sity of Utah College of Health, in Salt Lake City.

Yda Smith, PhD, OTR/L, is an assistant professor in

the Division of Occupational Therapy at the Univer-

sity of Utah College of Health.

FIELDWORK ISSUESNontraditional Fieldworkcontinued from page 8


i N d u s T r Y u p d A T e

he Accelerating Clinical Trials and Outcomes Research (ACTOR) Confer-ence, held from December 1 to 2 in Arlington, Virginia, brought together 70 occupational therapists and a handful of other professionals to share information about more effectively designing and conducting research.

Jointly sponsored by AOTA and the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, and funded through a 1-year, $49,000 grant from the Agency of Healthcare Research and Quality, ACTOR presentations and roundtable discussions covered such topics as standard research phases; experimen-tal designs; recruiting, retaining, and blinding in clinical trials; disseminating and implementing research; the future of rehabilitation research; and facilitat-ing collaborations among researchers, graduate students, and clinicians.

Susan Lin, ScD, OTR/L, AOTA’s director of research, says the con-ference was intended to provide researchers with information that they could very quickly put into practice.

“The Centennial Vision cites the goal of being a science-driven profes-sion, so having a research conference focusing on clinical research issues from design through dissemina-tion and implementation is urgently needed for occupational therapy and occupational science researchers,” Lin says. “The impetus for the ACTOR Conference was this question: How can we increase the quantity and improve the quality of research guid-ing practice and policy decisions?”

Among the presenters at the conference, Robert Sainburg, PhD, OT, in his presentation on navigating the National Institutes of Health (NIH) grant funding application process,

advised researchers to strategically write their specific aims and hypoth-eses; map their studies out in simple, easy-to-understand language; include relevant pictures and graphics; and try to learn from reviewer comments if their proposals are not funded. Sainburg has received continuous NIH grant funding for his research lab in the Department of Kinesiology at Pennsylvania State University since 1996 and has served as an NIH ad hoc grant reviewer.

Christy Moser, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, a professor at Concordia University in Wisconsin, says the information she obtained from the Sainburg presen-tation and other ACTOR sessions will definitely help her in her goal of developing more of a career focus on research.

“I saw grants from NIH as almost unattainable. Now I’m realizing that that isn’t the case,” says Moser. She attended ACTOR to learn all the steps studies require and the best methods for completing those steps. “I wanted to be walked through the process, and I’ve learned a lot about the organiza-tion of studies, how to obtain partici-pants, and how to put your findings into practice,” says Moser, who is interested in studying handwriting from a sensory perspective and yoga’s impact on children with attention deficit disorder. “This was the kick in the butt I needed.”

Kris Barnekow, PhD, OTR/L, says she was struck by the presentation by AOTA President Florence Clark, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, on implementing study findings. Barnekow is involved

Trial RunACTOR Conference Helps Build Researchers’ Skills

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with research developing occupation-based curricula to help parents of chil-dren discharged from neonatal intensive care units engage with the children after leaving the hospital. The parent–child focus is different from other curriculums that focus solely on the child, Barnekow says, so implementing practice tech-niques from her research will require something of a paradigm shift.

Clark, in her presentation, advised researchers to think, throughout their research process, about how to translate studies into practice.

“We hadn’t even thought about imple-mentation,” Barnekow says of her early intervention research. “Dr. Clark really brought that to the forefront in my mind, and now I’m going to go back to my col-leagues and brainstorm ways to make it a reality.”

By discovering practical implications for the theories they study, Barnekow and other researchers say that research not only helps improve interventions, but it also supports the reputation of the profession among policymakers making important decisions about Medicare and other areas of funding.

“Research gives us credibility, espe-cially at the policy level,” Barnekow says. “And we need credibility in order to survive.”

The 75 total participants—who also included two physical therapists, one speech-language pathologist, and two rehabilitation engineers—were selected from more than 100 applicants. Lin says that the high interest in the ACTOR Conference from researchers and clini-cians is an encouraging indicator that the profession is gradually building research capacity, and that conference organizers are planning a follow-up Webinar for this spring. For updates on this and more information on the ACTOR Conference, including video of the lectures, visit https://sites.google.com/site/actorresearch conference/conference-agenda and the Researcher Resources section of AOTA’s Web site, at www.aota.org/educate/researcher. n


He can be reached at [email protected].

Edited by Jim Hinojosa, PhD, OT, FAOTA, and Marie-Louise Blount, AM, OT, FAOTA

This updated edition presents a theoretical foundation for the idea of occupation, framed within histori-cal and current practice and devel-oped from within the occupational therapy profession. Using language from the Occupational Therapy Prac-tice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition, and the International Classification of Functioning, Dis-ability and Health, updated chapters detail aspects of occupation such

as activity analysis, activity synthesis, and clinical reasoning, and explore how to apply activity across various settings.

Students and experienced practitioners alike can use this important resource to further develop their understanding of occupation, bet-ter articulate its complex nature, and apply its principles in the clinic.

Highlights• Occupation Across the Life Span • Activity Analysis • The Occupational Profile • Activity Synthesis as a Means to Occupation • Clinical Reasoning • Care and Caregiving• Application of Activities to Practice • Occupation and Activities in Groups • Leisure Occupations • Work Occupations • Self-Care Occupations

Order #1209BAOTA Members: $59Nonmembers: $84

To order, call 877-404-AOTA, or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1209B

Essential Reading From AOTA Press

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The Texture of LifePurposeful Activities in the Context of Occupation, 3rd Edition

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www.aota.org/twitter

Common Core Standardshttp://otconnections.aota.org/blogs/lifeskillsot/archive/2011/12/13/common-core-standards.aspx

Posted December 13, 2011, 8:22 PM by Sandy SchefkindI highly recommend looking at the new IDEA Partnership Common Core Standards Collection, at http://www.ideapartnership.org/index.php?option=com_content&view= article&id=1522. The collection includes a ready-to-use workshop with presenter guide, three dialogue guides to begin conver-sation, short videoclips describing purpose of tools, and more. We need to articulate our role in helping students achieve these benchmarks. You could pair this collection with the IDEA Partnership Collection on Specialized Instructional Support Personnel (SISPs), often referred to as Related Services, and with the IRIS Center Module on Related Services/SISPs. Spe-cific information about occupational therapy is offered through both of these modules at

http://iris.peabody.vanderbilt.edu/rs/chalcycle.htm

http://ideapartnership.org/index.php?option=com_content& view=article&id=1512

Check OT Connections for more blog entries as well as the usual forum postings.

AOTAInc AOTA: RT @AOTAIncPR How to focus on the strengths of people on the autism spec-trum http://ow.ly/7XZcW 14 Dec

AOTAEvents AOTAEvents: Check out this Autism West Recap. Integrating Evidence Into Practice: Preparing Practitioners at Autism West http://ow.ly/7ZpLX#Autism11 14 Dec

OTAInc AOTA: RT @AOTAIncPR Last day of Older Driver Safety Awareness Week! No more driving doesn’t equal no more independence. http://ow.ly/7U5ar #ODSAW 9 Dec

AOTAIncPR AOTA News & PR: Smart Phone Thumb, Cell Phone Elbow, PDA Nails? Learn how to avoid high-tech discomfort with these simple tips http://ow.ly/7Tgbj 8 Dec

Find us on Facebookwww.aota.org/facebook

Watch and share these two great videos! Occupational Therapist SGT McCollough and partner SGT Zeke (5-year-old black lab) helps Wounded Warriors http://ow.ly/8hSYL

Occupational Therapist Capt. Amy Gray providing comfort to soldiers with brain injuries http://ow.ly/8hTdo

Occupational Therapy Team helps Wounded Warriors | DoDLive www.dodlive.milIn a deployed environment servicemembers are subject to risks such as post Traumatic Stress Disorder and Traumatic Brain Injury. Cases vary in severity but some can be treated in theater allowing servicemembers to return to duty. The Occu-pational Therapy Team is just one of the specialized groups that work together to help the wounded warriors.

Mary Jo Moore, Lloyd Luttrell, Jessica-Elaine A. Phillips and 19 others like this.

AOTA Poll Results

What is your biggest obstacle to being an OT advocate?”Not an expert on the issues ...............................................26%Don’t know what to write or say .........................................23%Don’t have time for advocacy.............................................19%Don’t have obstacles to advocacy .....................................17%None of the above or other ..................................................9%Nervous contacting Congress .............................................5%

To vote on and see results from other AOTA polls, visit the 1-Minute Update Poll at www.aota.org/polls/minute-poll.

“

You’ll also find AOTA on www.aota.org/youtube


c A l e N d A rTo advertise your upcoming event, contact the OT Practice advertising department at 800-877-1383, 301-652-6611, or [email protected]. Listings are $99 per insertion and may be up to 15 lines long. Multiple listings may be eligible for discount. Please call for details. Listings in the Calendar section do not signify AOTA endorsement of content, unless otherwise specified.

Look for the AOTA Approved Provider Program (APP) logos on continuing edu-cation promotional materials. The APP logo indicates the organization has met the requirements of the full AOTA APP and can award AOTA CEUs to OT relevant

courses. The APP-C logo indicates that an individual course has met the APP requirements and has been awarded AOTA CEUs.

22

February

St. Louis, MO Feb. 18–19Low Vision Rehabilitation:Treatment of the Older Adult with Vision Loss. faculty: mary Warren, ms, OTR/l, sClV, faOTa. Practical workshop teaches participants how to evaluate and develop interven-tions for adults with vision loss from age-related eye diseases. developing low vision programs, and documentation for insurance reimbursement included. appropriate for OTs/OTas working with older adults. Contact www.visabilities.com or 888-752-4364 or fax 205-823-6657.

Milwaukee, WI Feb. 23–25Healing Trauma. This 3-day course is a discussion and exploration of the stress response following trauma, which can not only interfere with rehabilita-tion but can also create additional functional impair-ments. as therapists learn how to work with this criti-cal and often overlooked occurrence, their patients with chronic challenges will begin to transform. This course will include lecture, discussion, case studies, and hands-on labs. for additional courses, informa-tion, and registration, visit our Web site at www.chs-continuing.uwm.edu or call 414-227-3123.

Torrance, CA Feb. 24–25R2K 2012: Early Development, Sensory Integra-tion, and Movement. Pediatric Therapy network’s 13th annual research symposium is devoted to re-search on postural control, motor learning, motor planning, and early sensory and motor indicators of autism and dCd. Earn 12 contact hours/1.2 CEus through aOTa. Pre-Conference Institutes: I. Feb. 22–23, Measuring the Fidelity of Ayres Sensory In-tegration® Intervention; Presenters: diane Parham, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa, & zoe mailloux, ma, OTR/l, faOTa. II. Feb. 22–23, Applying Ayres Sensory In-tegration® in School-Based Practice; Presenters: lisa Test, OTd, OTR/l, sarah field, ma, OTR/l, & anahita daruwalla, ma, OTR/l. Contact Hours: 9 (.9 CEus). Visit www.pediatrictherapynetwork.org for further in-formation and to register.

March

Philadelphia, PA Mar. 3–6The Philadelphia Meeting—Surgery and Reha-bilitation of the Hand: With Emphasis on Best Practice, March 3–6, 2012. sponsored by Hand Rehabilitation foundation and Jefferson Health sys-

tem. Hands-on workshops, panel discussions, and anatomy labs complement didactic sessions. Pre-conference 3-day tutorial and a new 1-day pediatric precourse available. Honored Professors: nancy m. Cannon, OTR, CHT; Joy C. macdermid, BscPT, Phd; alejandro Badia, md; Charles J. Eaton, md; Joseph E. Imbriglia, md; donald H. lalonde, md. for info, contact HRf at 610.768.5958 or [email protected]; or visit our web site at www.handfoundation.org.

Dallas, TX Mar. 3–13Lymphedema Management. Certification courses in Complete decongestive Therapy (135 hours), lymphedema management seminars (31 hours). Coursework includes anatomy, physiology, and pa-thology of the lymphatic system, basic and advanced techniques of mld, and bandaging for primary/sec-ondary uE and lE lymphedema (incl. pediatric care) and other conditions. Insurance and billing issues, certification for compression-garment fitting included. Certification course meets lana requirements. Also in Omaha, NE, March 3–13, 2012. aOTa approved Provider. for more information and additional class dates/locations or to order a free brochure, please call 800-863-5935 or log on to www.acols.com.

New York City Mar. 10–14A-ONE CERTIFICATION: Assessing Cognitive– Perceptual Dysfunction Through ADL and Mobility.This course is designed to train OTs in objectively assessing the impact of cognitive–perceptual impair-ments (e.g., neglect, agnosias, spatial dysfunction, apraxia, body scheme disorders) on adl and mobil-ity, highlighting our unique contribution to this prac-tice area. limited enrollment. aOTa CEus. Contact glen gillen at 212-305-1648 or [email protected].

April

San Francisco, CA Apr. 14–15Eval & Intervention for Visual Processing Deficits in Adult Acquired Brain Injury, Part I. faculty: mary Warren, ms, OTR/l, sClV, faOTa. This updated course has the latest evidence based research. Par-ticipants learn a practical, functional reimburseable approach to evaluation, intervention, and documen-tation of visual processing deficits in adult with ac-quired brain injury from CVa and TBI. Topics include hemianopsia, visual neglect, eye movement disor-ders, and reduced acuity. Also in Syracuse, NY, Sept. 29–30, 2012. Contact www.visabilities.com or 888-752-4364. fax 205-823-6657.

Indianapolis, IN Apr. 27–29Hand Care 2012. This 2 1/2 day course is designed for therapists with a special interest in the upper extremity. lectures, labs (anatomy and splints), and exhibits are all part of this special program. Both educational and fun! Contact 317-471-4308 or visit www.handcare2012.com for more information.

September

St. Louis, MO Sept. 12–15Envision Conference 2012. learn from leaders in the field of low vision rehabilitation and research

Continuing Education

Sensory Integration Certification Program by USC/WPS Los Angeles, CA: Course 2: March 6, 7, 8, and 14, 15, 2012

Regina, SK, Canada: Course 1: March 15–19, 2012London, ON, Canada: Course 1: March 29–April 2, 2012

For additional sites and dates, or to register, visit www.wpspublish.com or call 800-648-8857

d-5775


d-5629


c A l e N d A rwhile earning valuable continuing education credits. attend the multi-disciplinary low vision rehabilitation and research conference dedicated to improving the quality of low vision care through excellence in professional collaboration, advocacy, research, and education. Envision Conference, september 12–15, 2012, Hilton st. louis at the Ballpark. learn more at www.envisionconference.org.

Ongoing

Clinician’s View Offers Unlimited CEUs Two great options: $177 for 7 months or $199 for 1-full Year of unlimited access to over 640 contact hours and over 90 courses. Take as many courses as you want. approved for aOTa and BOC CEus and nBCOT for Pdus. www.clinicians-view.com 575-526-0012.

Online/Interactive Course Driving Rehabilitation: The Analysis of Occupa-tional Performance in the Context of Driving a Vehicle. Occupational therapy clients want to know, “Can I drive?” This online course is designed for practitioners who need to address driving as part of the intervention planning, whether for an older adult with a stroke or a teenager with attention deficits. un-derstanding the demands of driving tasks through activity analysis will better equip the practitioner to determine if the client is an at-risk driver. The course is designed to (1) prepare the generalist to articulate the rational for treatment or referral and (2) build an essential foundation for the practitioner interested in considering advanced expertise in driving rehabili-tation. Instructor: dr. anne dickerson, [email protected], 252-744-6190. self-paced with opportuni-ties to interact with driving experts. Only $100 and approved for 20 contact hours; 2 CEus. link to regis-

ter: http://cpeprograms.ecu.edu/Coursestatus.awp? &course=dRIVER

Self-Paced Distance-Learning Course Improving Function for Those Living With Cogni-tive and Perceptual Impairments. designed for those working with individuals who present with limitations in daily function due to visual/cognitive/perceptual impairment. specific topics related to evaluation and interventions include: poor aware-ness, visuospatial deficits, apraxia, neglect, mem-ory loss, attention deficits, executive dysfunction, agnosia, etc. Instructor: glen gillen, Edd, OTR. Contact [email protected]; visit our Web site at www.columbiaot.org for more information.

Internet & 2-Day On-Site Training Become an Accessibility and Home Modifica-tions Consultant. Instructor: shoshana shamberg, OTR/l, ms, faOTa. Over 22 years specializing in design/build services, technologies, injury preven-tion, and ada/504 consulting for homes/jobsites. start a private practice or add to existing services. Extensive manual. aOTa aPP+nBCOT CE Registry. Contact: abilities OT services, Inc. 410-358-7269 or [email protected]. Group, COMBO, personal men-toring, and 2 for 1 discounts. Calendar/info at www.AOTSS.com. Seminar sponsorships avail-able nationally.

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course NEW! Occupational Therapy and Home Modifica-tion: Promoting Safety and Supporting Participa-tion. Edited by margaret Christenson, mPH, OTR/l, faOTa, and Carla Chase, Edd, OTR/l, CaPs. This new sPCC consists of text, exam, and a Cd-ROm of hundreds of photographic and video resources that provide education on home modification for occupational therapy professionals. Practitioners who work with either adults or children will find an

overview of evaluation and intervention, detailed descriptions of assessment tools, and guidelines for client-centered practice and occupation-based outcomes. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nBCOT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3029, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3029.

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course NEW! Mental Health Promotion, Prevention, and Intervention With Children and Youth: A Guiding Framework for Occupational Therapy. Edited by susan Bazyk, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. This important new sPCC provides a framework on the role of oc-cupational therapy in mental health interventions for children that can be applied in all pediatric practice settings. The public health approach to occupation-al therapy services at all levels puts an emphasis on helping children develop and maintain positive mental health psychologically, socially, functionally, and in the face of adversity. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nBCOT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3030, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3030.

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course Early Childhood: Occupational Therapy Services for Children Birth to Five. Edited by Barbara E. Chandler, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. This course is an enlightening journey through occupational therapy with children at the earliest stage of their lives. Ex-plores the driving force of federal legislation in oc-cupational therapy practice and how practitioners can articulate and demonstrate the profession’s long-standing expertise in transitioning early child-hood development into occupational engagement in natural environments. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nB-COT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3026, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3026


PROFESSIONAL DOCTORATE of OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

• Enhanceyourcareerandbecomealeaderinyourprofession• Applyprinciplesofevidence-basedpracticeasabasisfor

clinicaldecisionmaking• Gainadvancedknowledgeofoccupationaltherapypractice

throughthestudyandapplicationofoccupationalscienceliteratureandoccupation-basedintervention

• Design,implement,andevaluatetheeffectivenessofinnovativeoccupation-basedprogramsinyourchosenareaofinterest

• 24/7onlineexperience,withjusttwoshortresidencies,allowsyoutostudywithconvenienceandflexibility

• Developskillsinareasofprofessionaladvocacy,education,andbusiness

• Taughtbyclinicaleducatorsdistinguishednationallyandregionallyinspecificareasofexpertise

• AccreditedbyMiddleStatesAssociationofCollegesandSecondarySchools

Bachelor’s Degree-to-otD optionExperiencedoccupationaltherapistswhoholdabachelor’sdegreeinoccupationaltherapybutdonotholdamaster’sdegreehavetheoptiontobridgeintoChatham’sOTDprogram

professional Doctorate of occupational therapy

Woodland Road . . . Pittsburgh, PA

866-815-2050 . . . [email protected]

www.chatham.edu/ccps/ot

d-5812

• Enhance your career and become a leader in your profession• Apply principles of evidence-based practice as a basis for clinical

decision making• Gain advanced knowledge of occupational therapy practice

through the study and application of occupational science literature and occupation-based intervention

• Design, implement, and evaluate the effectiveness of innovative occupation-based programs in your chosen area of interest

• 24/7 online experience, with just two short residencies, allows you to study with convenience and flexibility

• Develop skills in areas of professional advocacy, education, and business

• Taught by clinical educators distinguished nationally and regionally in specific areas of expertise

• Accredited by Middle States Association of Colleges and Secondary Schools

Bachelor’s Degree-to-otD optionExperienced occupational therapists who hold a bachelor’s degree in occupational therapy but do not hold a master’s degree have the option to bridge into Chatham’s OTD program


866-815-2050 . . . [email protected]/ccps/ot

• Enhanceyourcareerandbecomealeaderinyourprofession• Applyprinciplesofevidence-basedpracticeasabasisfor

clinicaldecisionmaking• Gainadvancedknowledgeofoccupationaltherapypractice

throughthestudyandapplicationofoccupationalscienceliteratureandoccupation-basedintervention

• Design,implement,andevaluatetheeffectivenessofinnovativeoccupation-basedprogramsinyourchosenareaofinterest

• 24/7onlineexperience,withjusttwoshortresidencies,allowsyoutostudywithconvenienceandflexibility

• Developskillsinareasofprofessionaladvocacy,education,andbusiness

• Taughtbyclinicaleducatorsdistinguishednationallyandregionallyinspecificareasofexpertise

• AccreditedbyMiddleStatesAssociationofCollegesandSecondarySchools

Bachelor’s Degree-to-otD optionExperiencedoccupationaltherapistswhoholdabachelor’sdegreeinoccupationaltherapybutdonotholdamaster’sdegreehavetheoptiontobridgeintoChatham’sOTDprogram

professional Doctorate of occupational therapy


866-815-2050 . . . [email protected]

www.chatham.edu/ccps/ot


c A l e N d A rAOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course Occupational Therapy in Mental Health: Consid-erations for Advanced Practice. Edited by marian Kavanaugh scheinholtz, ms, OT/l. a comprehen-sive discussion of recent advances and trends in mental health practice, including theories, stan-dards of practice, and evidence as they apply to occupational therapy. Includes content from several federal and non-government entities. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nBCOT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3027, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3027

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course Dysphagia Care and Related Feeding Concerns for Adults, 2nd Edition. Edited by Wendy av-ery, ms, OTR/l. Provides occupational therapists at both the entry and intermediate skill leves with an up-to-date resource in dysphagia care, written from an occupational therapy perspective. Earn 1.5 aOTa CEus (15 nBCOT Pdus/15 contact hours. Order #3028. aOTa members: $285, nonmembers: $385. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3028

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course Collaborating for Student Success: A Guide for School-Based Occupational Therapy. Edited by Barbara Hanft, ma, OTR, faOTa, and Jayne shep-herd, ms, OTR, faOTa. Engages school-based oc-cupational therapists in collaborative practice with education teams. Identifies the process of initiating and sustaining changes in practice and influencing families/education personnel to engage in collabo-ration with occupational therapists. Perfect for learn-ing to use professional knowledge and interperson-al skills to blend hands-on services for students with team and system supports for families, educators, and the school system at large. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nBCOT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3023, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3023

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical CourseStrategies to Advance Gerontology Excellence: Promoting Best Practice in Occupational Ther-apy. Edited by susan Coppola, ms, OTR/l, BCg, faOTa; sharon J. Elliott, ms, OTR/l, BCg, faOTa; and Pamela E. Toto, ms, OTR/l, BCg, faOTa. fore-word by: Wendy Wood, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. Excel-lent resource for gerontology practitioners today to help sharpen skills and prepare for the spiraling de-mand among older adults for occupational therapy services. special features include core best prac-tice methodology with older adults, approaches to and prevention of occupational problems, health conditions that affect participation, and practice in cross-cutting and emerging areas. Earn 3 aOTa CEus (30 nBCOT Pdus/30 contact hours). Order #3024, aOTa members: $350, nonmembers: $450. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3024

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical CourseLow Vision: Occupational Therapy Evaluation and Intervention With Older Adults, Revised Edition.2008. Edited by mary Warren, ms, OTR/l, sClV, faOTa. Occupational therapy practice in low vision rehabilitation services has changed significantly since the first edition of Low Vision. The Revised Edition helps practitioners maintain professional competency by supporting the aOTa specialty Cer-tification in low Vision Rehabilitation (sClV) creden-tialing process. special features include first-edition updates and revisions, new information on evalu-ation, lessons related to psychosocial issues and low vision, eye conditions that cause low vision in adults, and basic optics and optical devices. Earn 2 aOTa CEus (20 nBCOT Pdus/20 contact hours). Order #3025, aOTa members: $370, nonmembers: $470. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3025

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical CourseNeurorehabilitation Self-Paced Clinical Course Series. series senior Editor: gordon muir giles,

Phd, dipCOT, OTR/l, faOTa. This series includes 4 components—the Core sPCC and 3 diagnosis-specific sPCCs. The Core sPCC is highly recom-mended as a prerequisite for the diagnosis-specific courses. Each of the diagnosis-specific sPCCs is based on a case study model supported by key concepts presented in the Core. Core SPCC: Core Concepts in Neurorehabilitation: Earn .7 aOTa CEu (7 nBCOT Pdus/ 7 contact hours). Order #3019, aOTa members: $130, nonmem-bers: $184. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3019 Diagnosis-Specific SPCCs: Neurorehabilitation for Dementia-Related Diseases (Order #3022 http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3022), Neurorehabilita-tion for Stroke (Order #3021 http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3021), and Neurorehabilitation for Traumatic Brain Injury (Order #3020 http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3020). Each: 1 aOTa CEu (10 nBCOT Pdus/10 contact hours), aOTa members: $185, nonmembers: $263. Call or shop online to purchase the Core and/or 1 or more diagnosis-spe-cific sPCCs together for significant savings!

AOTA CEonCD™ NEW! OT Manager Topics. authors: denise Ch-isholm, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa; Penelope moyers Cleveland, Edd, OTR/l, BCmH, faOTa; steven Ey-ler ms, OTR/l; Jim Hinojosa, Phd, OT, BCP, faOTa; Kristie Kapusta, ms, OT/l; shawn Phipps, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa; Pat Precin, ms, OTR/l, lP. This CE course presents supplementary content from chap-ters in The Occupational Therapy Manager, 5th Edi-tion, and provides additional applications that are relevant to selected issues on management. The course focuses on six specific topics related to oc-cupation-based practice, evidence-based manage-ment, evaluating OT services, continuing compe-tency, conflict resolution, and employee motivation. Participants should read the selected text chapters prior to studying the CE topics. Earn .7 CEu (8.75 nBCOT Pdus/7 contact hours). Order #4880, aOTa members: $194, nonmembers: $277. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4880

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Let’s Think BIG About Wellness. By Winnie dunn, Phd, OTR, faOTa. The focus of occupational therapy on living a satisfying life embraces a global view about wellness. In this course, we will explore the official documents and materials that support our concept of wellness, review examples of in-terdisciplinary literature on wellness, and explore strengths models from other disciplines as a way to inform our bigger thinking. Earn .25 CEu (3.13 nB-COT Pdus/2.5 contact hours). Order #4879, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4879

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! The Short Child Occupational Profile (SCOPE). Presented by Patricia Bowyer, Edd, ms, OTR, faOTa; Hany ngo, mOT, OTR; and Jessica Kramer, Phd, OTR. Introducing The Short Child Oc-cupational Profile (sCOPE) assessment tool, this course provides a systematic way to document a child’s motivation for occupations, habits and roles, skills, and environmental supports and barriers. The sCOPE can be used with children and youth ages birth to 21 in a range of practice contexts. Earn .6 aOTa CEu (7.5 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Or-der #4847, aOTa members: $210, nonmembers: $299. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4847

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! An Occupation-Based Approach in Postacute Care to Support Productive Aging. A collaborative project between the American Occupational Therapy Association and AOTA Platinum Partner Genesis Re-habilitation Services. authored by denise Chisholm, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa, Cathy dolhi, OTd, OTR/l, faOTa, and Jodi l. schreiber, ms, OTR/l. Course reviews occupation-based practice with a focus on postacute care practice settings for older adults.


Assessment and Intervention2-day hands-on workshop (1.6 CEU)

2008 Conference Schedule

San Antonio, TX Apr 19-20Charleston, SC Apr 25-26

Tampa, FL May 2-3Manhattan, NY Jul 17-18

Virginia Beach, VA Sep 20-21Morganton, NC Sep 25-26

Chicago, IL Oct 10-11Columbia, SC Oct 16-17

Sacramento, CA Oct 24-25Orlando, FL Nov 14-15

For additional info and to register, visitwww.beckmanoralmotor.com

Host a Beckman Oral Motor Conference in 2009!For Hosting info call (407) 590-4852, or email [email protected]

San Francisco, CA Feb 29-Mar 1Burlington, NC Mar. 14-15

Houston, TX Mar 28-29

Chicago, IL Apr 11-12McAllen, TX Apr. 4-5

Assessment & Intervention TrainingTwo Days of Hands-On Learning (1.6 CEU)

Upcoming Locations & Dates:Atlanta, GA February 17–18

San Ramon, CA March 16–17Cedar Rapids, IA April 12–13

Andover, MN April 20–21Battle Creek, MI April 27–28San Antonio, TX May 17–18

Stafford, TX June 28–29Harrison, AR August 16–17

San Antonio, TX October 4–5Miami, FL October 13–14

For complete training schedule & information visit www.beckmanoralmotor.com

Host a Beckman Oral Motor Seminar!Host info (407) 590-4852, or

[email protected]


HandRehabilitation

FoundationPresents

______________________________________The Philadelphia Meeting 2012

surgery and Rehabilitation of the Handwith Emphasis on Best Practice

March 3–6, 2012

Honored ProfessorsNancy M. Cannon, OTR, CHT

Joy C. MacDermid, BScPT, PhDAlejandro Badia, MDCharles J. Eaton, MD

Joseph E. Imbriglia, MDDonald H. Lalonde, MD

1-Day Pediatric Pre-course available 3/2/12

sponsored by theHand Rehabilitation foundation

supported by theJefferson Health system

For information, please contact us:610.768.5958

[email protected]


c A l e N d A rPractical strategies to promote the practitioner’s abil-ity to integrate occupation throughout the occupa-tional therapy process are presented in an interactive format to maximize clinical application, and real-life scenarios illustrate the occupation-based approach for facilitating productive aging. Earn .6 aOTa CEu (7.5 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Order #4875, aOTa members: $210, nonmembers: $299. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4875.

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Young Adults on the Autism Spectrum: Life After IDEA. authored by lisa Crabtree, Phd, OTR/l and Janet delany, dEd, OTR/l, faOTa. Explores the critical issues of autism in adulthood and pro-vides occupational therapy practitioners with the knowledge and tools to advocate for the health and community participation of young adults and adults on the autism spectrum. The course uses multiple sources and perspectives that provide information, strategies, and resources. Earn .3 aOTa CEu (3 nBCOT Pdus/3 contact hours). Order #4878, aOTa members: $105, nonmembers: $150. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4878

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Response to Intervention (RtI) for At Risk Learners: Advocating for Occupational Therapy’s Role in General Education. By gloria frolek Clark, Phd., OTR/l, BCP, faOTa and Jean Polichino, OTR ms, faOTa. Provides core components of RtI, the role of occupational therapists at each tier, and case studies. RtI is being implemented nationally to ensure high quality instruction and data-based decision making within the general educational system, and content highlights opportunities for occupational therapy within RtI frameworks in public education. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2.5 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4876, aOTa mem-bers: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4876.

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Strategic Evidence-Based Interviewing in Occupational Therapy. Presented by Renee R. Taylor, Phd. Begins with an introduction to the three basic types of interviews most commonly applied in occupational therapy practice: structured interviews, semi-structured interviews, and general clinical in-terviewing. Through evidence-based examples of frequently used interview-based assessments within the occupational therapy literature, this course will describe a set of norms and communication strate-gies that are likely to maximize success in gathering accurate, relevant, and detailed information. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4844, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4844.

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Everyday Ethics: Core Knowledge for Oc-cupational Therapy Practitioners and Educators, 2nd Edition. developed by aOTa Ethics Commis-sion and Presented by deborah Yarett slater, ms, OT/l, faOTa. Provides a foundation in basic ethics information that gives context and assistance with application to daily practice. learning objectives include what is meant by ethics, key ethical theories and principles, and the rationale for changes in the Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards 2010. The course reinforces the value of self reflection on practice for enhanced competency and increased ethical behavior. Earn .3 aOTa CEu (3 nBCOT Pdus/3 contact hours). Order #4846, aOTa members: $105, nonmembers: $150. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4846

AOTA CEonCD™NEW! Autism Topics Part I: Relationship Building, Evaluation Strategies, and Sensory Integration and Praxis. Edited by Renee Watling, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. The first in a 3-part series on content from Autism, 3rd Edition to expand occupational thera-

py practice with children on the autism spectrum through building the intentional relationship, using occupational therapy evaluation strategies, ad-dressing sensory integration challenges, and plan-ning intervention for praxis. Highlights include video clips and strategies that will enhance the provision of evaluation and intervention services. Recom-mended Reading: Autism: A Comprehensive Oc-cupational Therapy Approach, 3rd Edition. Earn .6 CEus (6 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Order #4848, aOTa members: $210, nonmembers: $299. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4848.

AOTA CEonCD™Skilled Nursing Facilities 101. Christine Kroll, ms, OTR and nancy Richman, OTR/l, faOTa. This new course is designed to help practitioners better manage practice within skilled nursing facility set-tings. It addresses the importance of documenta-tion, requirements for different payers, significance of managing productivity, understanding billing considerations, and maintaining ethical practice standards. Earn .3 aOTa CEu (3 mBCOT Pdus/3 contact hours). Order #4843, aOTa members: $108, nonmembers: $154. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4843

ADED Approved AOTA CEonCD™Determining Capacity to Drive for Drivers with Dementia Using Research, Ethics, and Profes-sional Reasoning: The Responsibility of All Occupational Therapists. linda a. Hunt, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. Emphasizes the role of occupational therapy in the evidence-based evaluation process and focuses on the required professional reason-ing and ethics for making final recommendations about the capacity for older adults with dementia to drive or not. Provides the multifactor Older driver with dementia Evaluation model (mOdEm) to both general practice and driving specialist occupational therapy practitioners who work with older driver cli-ents with dementia. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4842, aOTa mem-bers: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4842

ADED Approved AOTA CEonCD™ Creating Successful Transitions to Community Mobility Independence for Adolescents: Address-ing the Needs of Students With Cognitive, Social and Behavioral Limitations. miriam monahan, ms OTR, CdRs, CdI, and Kimberly Patten, OTl, amPs certified. addresses the critical issue of community mobility skill development for youth with diagno-ses that challenge cognitive and social skills, such as autism spectrum and attention deficit disorder. Community mobility is vast in that it includes mass transportation, pedestrian travel, and driving, and is essential for engaging in vocational, social, and ed-ucational opportunities. The course is appropriate for occupational therapy practitioners practicing in educational settings and in driver rehabilitation. Earn .7 aOTa CEu (7 nBCOT Pdus/7 contact hours). Or-der #4833, aOTa members: $175, nonmembers: $250. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4833

ADED Approved AOTA CEonCD™Driving Assessment and Training Techniques: Ad-dressing the Needs of Students With Cognitive and Social Limitations Behind the Wheel. miriam monahan, ms, OTR, CdRs, CdI. Occupational ther-apy practitioners in the driver rehabilitation area are challenged by students with asperger’s syndrome, nonverbal learning disabilities, autism, traumatic brain injury, attention deficit disorders, and lower IQ scores. This new course is highly visual and creative in addressing critical issues related to driving as-sessment and training. Course highlights include skills deficits related to these diagnoses, methods and tools that address driving skills (including video review), assessment techniques to determine the readiness to drive, and intervention techniques for developing specific social and executive function


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c A l e N d A rskills necessary for driving tasks. Earn 1 aOTa CEu (10 nBCOT Pdus/10 contact hours). Order #4837, aOTa members: $249, nonmembers: $355. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4837

AOTA CEonCD™Model of Human Occupation Screening Tool (MOHOST): Theory, Content, and Purpose. gary Kielhofner, drPH, OTR/l, faOTa; lisa Castle, mBa, OTR/l; supriya sen, OTR/l; and sarah skinner, mEd, OTR/l. Occupation-focused practice and top-down assessment make occupational therapy unique when assessing and documenting client services. unfortunately, therapists often turn to quicker impairment-oriented or performance-based assessments. The mOHOsT occupation-focused assessment tool is comprehensive and easy-to-administer with a wide range of clients at different functional levels. This new course teaches you how to use a variety of information from ob-servation, in-terview, chart review, and proxy reports to complete the mOHOsT tool. Earn .4 aOTa CEus (4 nBCOT Pdus/4 contact hours). Order # 4838, aOTa mem-bers: $125, nonmembers: $180. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4838

AOTA CEonCD™Exploring the Domain and Process of Occupational Therapy Using the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework, 2nd Edition. Presented by susanne smith Roley, ms, OTR/l, faOTa; Janet V. delany, dEd, OTR/l, faOTa. Explore ways in which the doc-ument supports occupational therapy practitioners by providing a holistic view of the profession. Earn .3 aOTa CEu (3 nBCOT Pdus/3 contact hours). Order #4829, aOTa members: $73, nonmembers: $103.00. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4829

AOTA CEonCD™Sensory Processing Concepts and Applications in Practice. Winnie dunn, Phd, OTR, faOTa. Ex-amines the core concepts of sensory processing based on dunn’s model of sensory Processing. The course explores the similarities and differ-ences between this approach and other sensory based approaches, examines how to implement the occu-pational therapy process, and reviews evidence to determine how to create best practice assessment and intervention methods. Case stud-ies and applications within school-based practice, and knowledge and practice issues on the horizon are also discussed. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4834, aOTa mem-bers: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4834

AOTA CEonCD™Ethics Topics—Organizational Ethics: Occu-pational Therapy Practice In a Complex Health Environment. lea Cheyney Brandt, OTd, ma, OTR/l, and member-at-large, aOTa Ethics Com-mission. Explores organizational ethics issues that may influence the ethical decision making of oc-cupational therapy practitioners. Participants will be introduced to strategies that will assist in ad-dressing situations in which occupational therapy practitioners may be pressured by an organization’s administration to provide services that are in conflict with their personal or professional code of ethics. Earn .1 aOTa CEu (1 nBCOT Pdu/1 contact hour). Order #4841, aOTa members: $45, nonmembers: $65. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4841

AOTA CEonCD™Ethics Topics—Moral Distress: Surviving Clini-cal Chaos. lea Cheyney Brandt, OTd, ma, OTR/l, and member-at-large, aOTa Ethics Commission. Explores how the complex nature of today’s health care environment may result in increased moral dis-tress for occupational therapy practitioners. Offers coping strategies for reducing negative outcomes associated with moral distress. Earn .1 aOTa CEu (1 nBCOT Pdu/1 contact hour). Order #4840, aOTa

members: $45, nonmembers: $65. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4840

AOTA CEonCD™Occupation-Focused Intervention Strategies for Clients With Fibromyalgia and Fatiguing Condi-tions. Renee R. Taylor, Phd. Presents a number of evidence-based strategies for managing fibromyal-gia and other fatiguing conditions, such as chronic fatigue syndrome. learners will become familiar with interdisciplinary treatment approaches and how to work best with other professionals treating these syn-dromes. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 con-tact hours). Order #4839, aOTa members: $68, non-members: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4839

AOTA CEonCD™Pain, Fear, and Avoidance: Therapeutic Use of Self With Difficult Occupational Therapy Popula-tions. Reneé R. Taylor, Phd. Examines strategies for managing client pain, fear, and avoidance in occu-pational therapy practice. six distinct modes of in-teracting based on the author’s conceptual practice model teach how to best manage these emotions and behaviors so that treatment goals can be ac-complished. The model is particularly useful when therapists are having difficulty engaging clients or sustaining active participation in therapy. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4836, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4836

AOTA CEonCD™Staying Updated in School-Based Practice. Yvonne swinth, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa, and mary muhlenhaupt, OTR/l, faOTa. Provides information and practical strategies on issues, trends and knowledge related to providing services for children and youth in pub-lic schools. Topics include IdEa 2004, nClB, and section 504 of the Rehabilitation act. Ideas and ap-proaches presented can be implemented individu-ally or in collaboration with colleagues or members of a school district team. Earn .15 aOTa CEu (1.5 nB-COT Pdus/1.5 contact hours). Order #4835, aOTa members: $51, nonmembers: $73. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4835

AOTA CEonCD™Hand Rehabilitation: A Client-Centered and Oc-cupation-Based Approach. Presented by debbie amini, mEd, OTR/l, CHT. describes how to use the occupation-based intervention to enhance hand re-habilitation protocols without sacrificing productivity or detracting from the concurrent client factor focus. Cd-ROm includes mP3 audio file of the entire course. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4832, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4832

Available From AOTA ASHT Test Preparation. This intermediate-level course provides a comprehensive overview of all topics related to upper extremity rehabilitation. There are twenty-five PowerPoint chapters with over 2,000 slides and sample multiple-choice test questions accompany each chapter. Earn 30 aOTa approved contact hours (3 aOTa CEus/30 nBCOT Pdus). Order #4850, aOTa members: $300, nonmembers: $450. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4850

AOTA/Genesis CEonCD™Seating and Positioning for Productive Aging: An Occupation-Based Approach. Presented by felicia Chew, ms, OTR, and Vickie Pierman, msHa, OTR/l. Reviews seating and positioning from evaluation to outcome, with a concentration on interventions. Information reviewed will be applicable to a vari-ety of settings, including skilled nursing facilities, home health, rehab centers, assisted living com-munities, and others. Primarily addresses manual wheelchair mobility. Earn .4 aOTa CEu (4 nBCOT Pdus/4 contact hours). Order #4831, aOTa mem-bers: $97, nonmembers: $138. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4831

AOTA CEonCD™The New IDEA Regulations: What Do They Mean to Your School-Based and EI Practice? Presented by Leslie L. Jackson, mEd, OT, and Tim nanof, msW. understand what the 2004 reauthorization of IdEa and the new Part B regulations, released in august 2006, mean and what impact they have on your work as a school-based and early intervention practitioner. This CE course is an excellent oppor-tunity to update your knowledge on IdEa. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 contact hours). Order #4825, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4825

AOTA CEonCD™Occupational Therapy and Transition Services.Presented by Kristin s. Conaboy, OTR/l; susan m. nochajski, Phd, OTR/l; sandra schefkind, ms, OTR/l; and Judith schoonover, mEd, OTR/l, aTP. This course will present an overview of the impor-tance of addressing transition needs as part of a stu-dent’s IEP and the key role of the occupational ther-apy practitioner as a potential collaborative member of the transition team. It is an excellent opportunity to update your knowledge about Transition services and practice opportunities related to this area of school-based practice. Earn .1 aOTa CEu (1 nBCOT Pdu/1 contact hour). Order #4828, aOTa members: $34, nonmembers: $48.50. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4828 Set of 3 CE on CDTM’s: The New IDEA Regulations, Response to Intervention, and Oc-cupational Therapy and Transition Services. Order #4828K, aOTa members: $144.50, nonmembers: $206.13. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=4828K

AOTA Online Course NEW! Falls Module I—Falls Among Community-Dwelling Older Adults: Overview, Evaluation, and Assessments. Presented by Elizabeth W. Peterson, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa, and Roberta newton, Phd, PT, fgsa. first module in a three-part series of online continuing education courses on fall prevention. The content of each module will support occupa-tional therapists in their efforts to provide evidence-based fall prevention services to older adults who are at risk for falling or who seek preventive ser-vices. This course is divided into two sections: Prevalence, Consequences, and Risk factors and approaches to the Evaluation of fall Risk. Earn .6 aOTa CEu (6 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Order #Ol34, aOTa members: $210, nonmembers: $299. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Ol34

AOTA Online Course NEW! Falls Module II—Falls Among Older Adults in the Hospital Setting: Overview, Assessment, and Strategies to Reduce Fall Risk. Presented by Ro-berta newton, Phd, PT, fgsa and Elizabeth W. Pe-terson, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. The second module in a 3-part series on fall prevention, this online course pro-vides an overview of the problem of falls that occur in the hospital setting and focuses further on the identi-fication of older adults at risk for falls, the factors that contribute to fall risks, and the assessment strategies that involve occupational therapy expertise. Earn .2 aOTa CEu (2 nBCOT Pdus/2 Contact hours). Order #Ol35, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Ol35

AOTA Online Course Driving and Community Mobility for Older Adults: Occupational Therapy Roles, Revised. susan l. Pierce, OTR/l, sCdCm, CdRs, and Elin schold davis, OTR/l, CdRs. Targeted to occupational therapy professionals in all settings who work with older adults. Revised with expanded content and updated links on research, tools, and resources to help advance knowledge about instrumental ac-tivity of daily living (Iadl) of driving and commu-nity mobility. Earn .6 aOTa CEu (6 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Order #Ol33, aOTa members: $180, nonmembers: $255. http://store.aota.org/view/ ?sKu=Ol33


c A l e N d A rAOTA Online Course Elective Session 2 (2009): Occupational Therapy for Infants and Toddlers With Disabilities Under IDEA 2004, Part C. Presented by mary muhlen-haupt, OTR/l, faOTa. an elective session in the Occupational Therapy in school-Based Practice: Contemporary Issues and Trends series, this Es2 replaces the previous “Early Intervention: service delivery under the IdEa.” The core course is not required as a pre-requisite for this new elective session. Earn .1 aOTa CEu (1 nBCOT Pdu/1 contact hour). Order #OlsB2a. aOTa members: $29.95, nonmembers: $41. http://store.aota.org/view/ ?sKu=OlsB2a

AOTA Online Course Occupational Therapy in Action: Using the Lens of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition. Presented by susanne smith Roley, ms, OTR/l, faOTa, and Janet delany, dEd, OTR/l, faOTa. This course focuses on understanding occupational therapy and the occupational therapy process as described in the 2008, second edition of the Framework. This new course builds on the original Framework course developed to supplement the first edition of the Framework in 2002. Earn .6 aOTa CEu (6 nBCOT Pdus/6 contact hours). Order #Ol32, aOTa mem-bers: $180, nonmembers: $255. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Ol32

AOTA Online Course Understanding the Assistive Technology Process to Promote School-Based Occupation. Presented by Beth goodrich, ms, mEd, OTR, aTP; lynn git-low, Phd, OTR/l, aTP; and Judith schooner, mEd, OTR/l, aTP. The purpose of this course is to provide occupational therapy practitioners with knowledge of the aT process as it is delivered in schools, and how it can assist practitioners in considering the use of technology to increase student participa-tion in meaningful school-based occupations. Earn 1 aOTa CEu (10 nBCOT Pdus/10 contact hours). Order #Ol31, aOTa members: $225, nonmembers: $320. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Ol31

AOTA Online Course Occupational Therapy in School-Based Prac-tice: Contemporary Issues and Trends. Edited by Yvonne swinth, Phd, OTR/l. gain an understand-ing of and suggestions for service delivery and intervention strategies in school-based settings based on IdEa, the no Child left Behind initiative, the philosophy of education, and the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework. The content of the Core Session has been updated to reflect the changes in the 2004 IDEA amendments. Core session: Service Delivery in School-Based Practice: Occupational Therapy Domain and Process. Earn 1 aOTa CEu (10 nBCOT Pdus/10 contact hours). Or-der #OlsBC, aOTa members: $225, nonmembers: $320. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=OlsBC Elec- tive sessions: after completing the Core session, choose supplemental sessions to further enhance your knowledge for specific school-based popula-tions, types of settings, and service delivery issues. Each provides .1aOTa CEu (1 nBCOT Pdu/1 contact hour), aOTa members: $22.50, nonmembers: $32.

AOTA Self-Paced Clinical Course The Hand: An Interactive Study for Therapists.By Judy C. Colditz, OTR/l, CHT, faOTa. Combines written coursework with interactive, computer-based learning to present the anatomical basis and clinical presentation of problems in the hand and forearm. using the Cd-ROm The Interactive Hand: Therapy Edition, explore the multiple layers of com-plex anatomy while learning about palpation, exami-nation, and common disorders. an excellent prepa-ration tool for the Hand Therapy Certification Exam. Earn 1.6 CEus (16 nBCOT Pdus/16 contact hours). Order #3017, aOTa members: $260, nonmembers: $360. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=3017

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Social Participation and Communication Strate-gies for Individuals with Autism across the Lifes-pan. Presented by lisa a. Crabtree, Phd, OTR/l, and zosia zaks, mEd, CRC. describes adaptive strategies and environmental modifications to sup-port health and participation in life for all individuals on the autism spectrum through engagement in oc-cupation. Participants will explore the components of optimal programming for children and adults with autism, and be ready to implement strategies in a variety of settings. Earn 2.75 Contact Hours, Order #Wa1002, aOTa members: $124, nonmembers: $177. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1002

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast AOTA and You: Working Together to Promote The Policy and Practice of Occupational Therapy for Persons with Autism. Presented by marcy m. Buckner, Jd, aOTa; sandra schefkind, ms, OTR/l, aOTa; and Chuck Willmarth. Outlines aOTa efforts in both the policy and practice of occupational ther-apy services for individuals with autism. Includes current state legislative activity to enact autism re-form and scope of practice and aOTa resources on autism. Earn 1 Contact Hour. Order #Wa1003, aOTa members: $45, nonmembers: $64. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1003

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Evidence-based Review of Interventions for Chil-dren with Autism Spectrum Disorders. Presented by Jane Case-smith, Edd, OTR/l, faOTa. summa-rizes the up-to-date research evidence for interven-tions used by occupational therapy practitioners with children with asd. addresses current research evidence for sensory integrative, sensory-based, social skills, behavioral, relationship-based, and comprehensive interventions at different levels of severity and age groups, and outlines themes that define elements central to effective intervention. Earn 1 Contact Hour. Order #Wa1004, aOTa mem-bers: $45, nonmembers: $64. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1004

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast You Say ‘Deficit’ I Say ‘Defines Me’: Daring to Celebrate the Unique Contributions of People on the Autism Spectrum. Presented by Winnie dunn, Phd, OTR, faOTa. anyone who has known someone on the autism spectrum has experienced joy when they captured the logic that underpins a quirky behavior or recognized the perfect syn-chrony of a reaction that reflects the experience. This webcast explores the authentic experience of autism and how it calls us to change the definition of ourselves as professionals who support them. Earn 1 Contact Hour. Order #Wa1005, aOTa mem-bers: $45, nonmembers: $64. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1005

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast A Family Affair: The Voices of Parents and Indi-viduals with Autism. Presented by Janet V. dela-ny, dEd, OTR/l faOTa; Barbara B. demchick, ms, OTR/l. discussion among parents of children with autism, and youth and adults with autism on life realities and necessary services for full community involvement. Topics also include service delivery, connecting services to family goals and cultural expectations, fiscal and legislative constraints, and advocacy and collaboration of occupational thera-py practitioners with individuals and families. Earn 1.5 Contact Hours. Order #Wa1006, aOTa mem-bers: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1006

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Professional Collaboration to Maximize Success-ful Participation Across the Lifespan. Presented by lisa Crabtree, Phd, OTR/l. The needs of individ-uals on the autism spectrum require team collabora-tion to maximize successful participation in daily life

activities. This webcast presentation by profession-als working with individuals with asd of all ages will provide participants with practical strategies that have been implemented in schools, clinics, and the community. Earn 1.5 Contact Hour. Order #Wa1007, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store. aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1007

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Developing Evidence-Based Interventions in Early Childhood Aged Children with an ASD Across Contexts. Presented by scott Tomchek, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. assessment and intervention processes are often impacted by social-communi-cation difficulties and repetitive behavioral patterns in young children with an asd. Practice guidelines and evidence-based reviews have begun to eluci-date common themes across interventions yield-ing favorable outcomes. This webcast will present these evidence-based themes and apply them to occupational therapy practice in early childhood and across contexts. Earn 1.5 Contact Hours. Order #Wa1008, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1008

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Partnering with Adolescents and Young Adults with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Challenges and Opportunities. Presented by Kristie Patten Koenig, Phd, OTR/l, faOTa. adolescents and Young adults with asd generate personal narratives and self-advocacy work that highlight life challenges and opportunities, perspectives that can significantly inform occupational therapy practice. This webcast provides a conceptual model of intervention that offers an “inside out” perspective of the individual with asd and highlights strategies and methods for improved outcomes. Earn 1.5 Contact Hours. Order #Wa1009, aOTa members: $68, nonmembers: $97. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1009

AOTA Autism Conference Session Webcast Set 2010 Autism Specialty Conference Webcasts.Presented by experts in the field. aOTa held its first autism specialty Conference in december 2010 and drew hundreds of attendees to hear expert speakers and experience top-level education. If you were not able to attend, you can choose from any or all of the 10 selected session Webcasts that present audio and PowerPointTm presentations and help participants stay current in practice, evi-dence, and policy. Earn up to 13.5 contact hours. Order #sWa1002–Wa1011. Individual Prices. full set Order #Wa1000K. http://store.aota.org/view/?sKu=Wa1000K


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Effective Communication Strategies (REC #1054; TXT #1055; POD #1056) Presented by Lisa Lucks Mendel, Ph.D., CCC-A

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e M p l O Y M e N T O p p O r T u N i T i e sFaculty

San José, CaliforniaANNOUNCEMENT OF POSITION AVAILABILITY

Subject to Budgetary Approval

Occupational TherapyJob Opening ID (JOID): 14283 Rank: Tenure-track, probationary position at Assistant Professor. Ten-month academic appoint-ment.Qualifications: Occupational therapist with PhD or equivalent doctorate required (clinical doc-torate not eligible for appointment). Prefer at least 5 years of clinical practice in the areas of pe-diatric and/or physical disabilities occupational therapy and 2 to 3 years academic teaching ex-perience. Applicants must be eligible for occupational therapy licensure in California. Applicants should have awareness of and sensitivity to the educational goals of a multicultural population as might have been gained in cross-cultural study, training, teaching, and other comparable experience.Responsibilities: Responsibilities include teaching, scholarship, and service to the university and the profession. Primary responsibility will be to teach pediatric and/or physical disabilities content in both didactic and clinical practice courses in the BS/MS and entry-level master’s programs. Candidate must address the needs of a student population of great diversity—in age, cultural background, ethnicity, primary language, and academic preparation—through course materials, teaching strategies, and advisement.Salary Range: Commensurate with qualifications and experience.Starting Date: August 20, 2012Eligibility: Employment is contingent upon proof of eligibility to work in the United States.Application Procedures: For full consideration, please send a letter of application, curriculum vitae, statement of teaching interests/philosophy and research plans, and at least three original letters of reference with contact information by March 16, 2012, to:

Heidi McHugh Pendleton, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTAProfessor and Chair

Department of Occupational TherapySan José State UniversityOne Washington Square

San José, CA 95192-0059Please include Job Opening ID (JOID) on all correspondence.

The Occupational Therapy Program is fully accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupa-tional Therapy Education. The occupational therapy department, founded in 1943, is situated in the College of Applied Sciences and Arts, one of seven colleges at the San José State University (SJSU). SJSU is California’s oldest institution of public higher learning. The campus is located on the southern end of San Francisco Bay, in downtown San José (population 945,942), hub of the world-famous Silicon Valley high-technology research and development center. Many of California’s most popular national, recreational, and cultural attractions are conveniently close. A member of the 23-campus CSU system, San José State University enrolls approximately 29,000 students, a significant percentage of whom are members of minority groups. The university is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty so our disciplines, students, and the com-munity can benefit from multiple ethnic and gender perspectives.SJSU is an Equal Opportunity/Affirmative Action Employer committed to nondiscrimination on the bases of race, color, religion, national origin, sex, sexual orientation, gender status, marital status, pregnancy, age, disability, or covered veteran status consistent with applicable federal and state laws. This policy applies to all SJSU students, faculty, and staff as well as university programs and activities. Reasonable accommodations are made for applicants with disabilities who self-disclose.

The latest San José State University Safety 101 Uniform Campus Crime and Security Report is available. You may request a copy of San José State University’s annual safety report by contacting the University Police Department at 408-924-2222 or by visiting the University Police Department Web site, at www.sjsupd.com/asr/index.html.

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Faculty

Misericordia UniversityDepartment of Occupational Therapy

Full-Time Faculty PositionThe Department of Occupational Therapy is currently accepting applications for a full-time (10-month), non tenure-track position in our occupational therapy program.

The Department of Occupational Therapy is a fully accredited program that includes a 5-year weekday professional entry-level mas-ter’s degree program and a weekend college program for COTAs and individuals already possessing a baccalaureate degree in another discipline. A post-professional pediatric cer-tificate program and a post-professional clini-cal doctorate in occupational therapy are also offered. The curriculum has a strong founda-tion in occupation and evidence-based and community-based practice.

Qualifications for Full-Time Faculty Position: A doctoral degree in occupational therapy or related field is required, and qualified candi-dates must have NBCOT certification and be eligible for Pennsylvania licensure. A mini-mum of 5 years of clinical experience and pre-vious teaching experience is desirable. Quali-fied individuals must be available to teach in both the weekday and weekend entry-level MS programs. A background in assistive technol-ogy, evidence-based practice, and/or research would also be helpful. Courses to be taught may include assessment, clinical intervention, and pediatric and geriatric occupational thera-py practice based on the successful candidate’s qualifications and experience. This position will also involve responsibilities for student advisement and committee work.

Starting date for full-time position: August, 2012.

Salary is commensurate with education and experience.

For confidential consideration, please enclose in your application package a letter of appli-cation, curriculum vitae, and three letters of recommendation. Please submit a cover letter and resume by e-mail to [email protected] or by mail addressed to the Office of Human Resources, Misericordia University, 301 Lake Street, Dallas, PA 18612

Misericordia University is committed to stu-dent, faculty, and staff diversity and values the educational benefit this brings to campus. Candidates should indicate any experience and/or leadership that contribute to this goal.

Misericordia University, an 87-year-old insti-tution founded by the Sisters of Mercy, of-fering baccalaureate, master’s, and doctoral degrees, is located adjacent to the Pocono Mountains region of Northeastern Penn-sylvania, approximately 2 hours from New York City, and Philadelphia. The university’s approach of combining a quality liberal arts education with professional preparation and service leadership has resulted in its wide re-gional acclaim. f-5696

e M p l O Y M e N T O p p O r T u N i T i e s


The Department of Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science at Towson University, established in 1975, is currently recruiting a tenure-track faculty mem-ber with expertise in graduate-level teaching. Current programs include a Com-bined BS/MS degree; professional and post-professional master’s degree programs; and a doctoral degree program in occupational science.

Position responsibilities • Teaching and advising • Conducting scholarship in occupation-based practice through a research line

consistent with the mission of the Department, College, and University • Developing and obtaining external grant funding to support research line • Contributing to service mission of the Department, College, and University

Qualifications Applicant must be licensed or eligible for licensure as an occupational therapist in the State of Maryland and have a minimum of three years of occupational therapy practice experience. In addition, the applicant must have prior academic teaching experience (at least six years for rank of associate), with a strong commitment to excellence in teaching and evidence of scholarship outcomes and on-going in-volvement in professional activities. Candidates for the rank of Associate Professor must have a well-established line of research. An earned doctoral degree with a research component (i.e., PhD, ScD, EdD) is required.

General Information Founded in 1866, today Towson University is recognized by U.S. News & World Report’s as one of the top public universities in the Northeast and Mid-Atlantic regions. Towson is nationally recognized for its programs in the liberal arts and sciences, business, education, communications, health sciences, and the fine and performing arts. The University places a strong emphasis on service learning and civic engagement through such activities as internships, practical, clinical place-ments, course assignments and student events. As the Baltimore area’s largest

university and Maryland’s Metropolitan University, Towson articulates its research and scholarship mission through partnerships that link the University to the eco-nomic, educational and cultural life of the state of Maryland and the mid-Atlantic region. Towson enrolls more than 21,000 students and offers more than 100 bach-elors, masters, and doctoral programs in the liberal arts and sciences, and applied professional fields. Located on a rolling 328 acres, the striking campus is eight miles north of downtown Baltimore and 45 miles from Washington, D.C. The campus and its surrounding cities provide an excellent environment for teaching and supporting the academic pursuits of the 830 full-time faculty who work here.

Application ProcessApplications will be reviewed beginning on January 27, 2012 and include a let-ter of application; curriculum vitae; transcript(s); evidence of initial certification as an OTR; and names, addresses, and telephone numbers of four professional references to:

S. Maggie Reitz, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Chairperson & ProfessorDepartment of Occupational Therapy & Occupational Science

Towson University8000 York Road, Towson, MD 21252

[email protected]

Upon submitting your Curriculum Vitae to indicate that you are an applicant for this position, please be sure to visit http://www.towson.edu/odeo/applicantdata.asp to complete a voluntary on-line applicant data form. The information you provide will inform the university’s affirmative action plan and is for statistical purposes only and shall not be used to illegally discriminate for or against anyone.

Towson University is an equal opportunity/affirmative action employer and has a strong institutional commitment to diversity. Women, minorities, persons with disabilities, and veterans are encouraged to apply.

f-5817

Faculty

Assistant/Associate ProfessorOccupational Therapy & Occupational Science

College of Health Professions—Towson UniversityCHP-N-2549

Faculty

ShenanDoah UniverSityProgram Director/FacULty, DiviSion oF occUPationaL theraPy

Joint at/ot FacULtyShenandoah University’s Division of Occupational Therapy (SUDOT) invites applications for two positions. Shenandoah University’s program in occupational therapy continues to be on the cutting edge of curricular design with a hybrid model for their entry-level Occupational Therapy and Athletic Training Master’s program and an upcoming Occupational Therapy satellite program in Jerusalem, Israel. We are seeking dynamic and innovative leaders who will continue to build on a strong foundation involving use of technology in practice and education, integration of research and practice, community-based experiential learning opportunities, and student-faculty mentored research.Program Director or Faculty in the Division of Occupational Therapy: Requirements for the faculty posi-tion are participation in leadership in the areas of program development and curricular design, engagement in interdepartmental and university-wide collaboration, engagement in teaching responsibilities in the applicant’s area of expertise, development and enhancement of current relationships with area agencies and community partners, and participation in scholarly activity in collaboration with students. Additional requirements for pro-gram director include providing general oversight of all division activities, including human resources, budget, curriculum, facilities, admissions, and accreditation.Qualifications: We are looking for an experienced leader in the field of occupational therapy who will enhance current programming and provide opportunities for further curricular innovation and scholarly opportunities. Qualified candidates will have an earned doctorate, 6 years of clinical experience, a minimum of 2 years of teach-ing experience. Experience with Web-based learning platforms (i.e., Blackboard) is strongly recommended. Four years of teaching experience is required for the Program Director position.Joint Faculty Position: Assistant/Associate Professor Division of Athletic Training and Division of Occupa-tional Therapy. The primary responsibility will be teaching the research course series within each respective Division. Two additional athletic training courses will be part of the overall course load. Scholarship and service requirements will be a 50/50 split.Qualification: Terminal degree and certification as an athletic trainer with licensure in the Commonwealth of Virginia required. Licensure as an occupational therapist in the Commonwealth of Virginia strongly encouraged. An active scholarly agenda and experience teaching graduate research in the rehabilitative sciences preferred. Because both divisions use online instruction, experience in Web-based learning platforms is strongly recom-mended. Pre-employment background check required. To apply for any of the positions mentioned: Send a letter of interest, including a statement of your philosophy of education and teaching; current CV; and contact information for three professional references to Shenandoah University–OT, Office of Human Resources, 1460 University Drive, Winchester, VA 22601, or e-mail all of the above to [email protected] and indicate “Program Director OT/AT” in the subject line. We encourage and support diversity in the workplace. EOE.

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Faculty

Governors State University seeks applications to fill atenure-track faculty position in OccupationalTherapy, Department of Occupational Therapy,College of Health and Human Services. We wantcandidates with outstanding teaching skills,experience advising non-traditional or diverse studentpopulations, evidence of potential or distinguishedrecord of scholarship, and community service viaprojects, committees, and/or leadership roles.

Minimum Qualifications: Post-professionaldoctorate in OT or related field; university teachingat the graduate level; minimum of five years of OTpractice and is eligible for OT licensure in Illinois.

For more information about the position andrequirements and to apply, go to:

employment.govst.edu.

AA/EOE

Assistant/Associate ProfessorOccupational Therapy

f-5807



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Faculty

Western New Mexico University School of Allied Health invites applicants for the following three faculty positions:

n Assistant Professor of OTA Program. Nine month, tenure-track faculty position with a contract starting August 2012. Minimum requirements: Bachelor’s degree, Master’s preferred, from an accredited program in occupational therapy or a related field. An Assistant Professor in the Occupational Therapy Assistant program is responsible for teaching clinical or theory courses as assigned.

n Assistant Professor of OTA and MOT Programs. Nine month, tenure-track faculty position with a contract starting August 2012. Minimum requirements: Master’s degree, Doctorate preferred, from an accredited program in occupational therapy or a related field. The faculty member is responsible for teaching clinical or theory courses as assigned within the Occupational Therapy Assistant program and the Master of Occupational Therapy program as well as additional related duties.

n Assistant Professor/Program Director of OTA Program. Ten month, tenure-track faculty position with a contract starting August 2012. Minimum requirements: Master’s degree from an accredited institution, initial certification as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, and be licensed to practice occupational therapy in New Mexico. The Program Director must have a minimum of 5 years of experience in the field of occupational therapy, including practice as an occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant, administrative or supervisory experience, at least 1 year of experience in a full-time academic appointment with teaching responsibilities and experience working with occupational therapy assistants. Program Director of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program is responsible for teaching OTA classes and the management of the program including program evaluation, budgeting, selection of faculty, admission of students and maintaining accreditation standards.

For additional information and details on how to apply, please visit our website at: http://www.wnmu.edu and click on Human Resources.

f-5815

Faculty

The UTMB Department of Occupational Therapy invites applications for a 12-month tenure-track faculty position at the rank of assistant or associate professor. Rank will be commen-surate with the individual’s record of prior experience and productivity. Duties will include teaching, research and scholarly work, and service on departmental, school, and university committees. Special consideration will be given to individuals with experience in psychosocial practice.We welcome the opportunity to expand our faculty with the addition of a team-minded indi-vidual committed to education and to expanding the knowledge base of occupational therapy. The individual would benefit from associations with experienced OT faculty and opportunities to network with faculty from other schools, the Division for Rehabilitation Sciences, and vari-ous centers of excellence. Founded in 1891, UTMB is a major medical research and medical humanities center located within a resilient and multi-cultural community that offers numerous venues for collaboration and practice.The successful applicant will have a minimum of 2 years of practice in occupational therapy and eligibility for occupational therapy licensure in Texas. Preferred education will be an earned PhD or OTD degree in occupational therapy, rehabilitation sciences, or other related discipline. Please send a letter of application and curriculum vitae to:

Patricia Fingerhut, OTR, PhDChair of the Occupational Therapy Search Committee

Department of Occupational TherapySchool of Health Professions

The University of Texas Medical Branch at Galveston301 University Blvd.

Galveston, TX 77555-1142The University of Texas Medical Branch is an Affirmative Action/Equal Opportunity institution that proudly values diversity. Candidates of all backgrounds are encouraged to apply.

f-5744

Faculty

The University of Washington Division of Occupational Therapy is seeking a team-orient-ed individual who wishes to join an outstanding faculty at this top-ranked Occupational Therapy Program. We invite applications for a full-time, 12-month regular faculty position, nontenure track, at Assistant or Associate Professor rank, depending on qualifications and experience. Candidates must have earned an academic doctoral degree (e.g., PhD, ScD, or equivalent) and must hold or be eligible for occupational therapy licensure in Washington State.The UW Division of Occupational Therapy is a recognized leader in education and research, with consistent ranking in the top 10 programs in the United States by our peers. Our Reha-bilitation Medicine Department, in which the OT Division resides, has an exceptional record of successful extramural research funding, including major grants from NIH, NIDRR, CDC, and the Department of Defense. There are substantial opportunities for multi-disciplinary research within the department and other schools and colleges within the university. The ideal candidates will have teaching and research experience, with a minimum of 3 years of clinical experience preferred. Mentoring and advising students in our entry-level MOT and PhD in Rehabilitation Science programs are important aspects of this position. Can-didates should have an active research program or the potential to develop grant-funded research projects. Our Department’s highly experienced multi-disciplinary faculty are poised to mentor junior applicants or collaborate with more senior researchers.Review of applications will begin on April 1, 2012. Applications will be accepted until the position is filled. Interested candidates should send a curriculum vitae, cover letter, and list of four references that may be contacted by the department, to:

Tracy Jirikowic, PhD, OTR/LChair, Occupational Therapy Faculty Search Committee

University of Washington, Department of Rehabilitation Medicineemail: [email protected]

For questions, call Dr. Jirikowic @ 206-598-7413 University of Washington faculty engage in teaching, research, and service.

The University of Washington is an affirmative action, equal opportunity employer. f-5816


e M p l O Y M e N T O p p O r T u N i T i e sFaculty

College of Science, Health, & EngineeringAssistant Professor or Lecturer—Department of Occupational Therapy

The College of Science, Health, & Engineering at Eastern Washington University invites applications for a faculty position in the Department of Occupational Therapy to begin September 2012. This position may be filled as either a tenure-track Assistant Professor or as a Lecturer position, depending on the qualifications of the selected candidate.

The Occupational Therapy Program, located at EWU Spokane on the Riverpoint Campus, provides an entry-level master’s degree program taught by faculty who are nationally recognized in the occupational therapy profession. Our mission is to prepare entry-level graduates to provide occupational therapy services with distinctiveness and compassion, in a variety of professional practice environments. Responsibilities will include teaching and curriculum development at the undergraduate and graduate levels, and active par-ticipation in scholarly and service activities.

f-5754

Assistant Professor Qualifications:Required:• PhD, EdD, or OTD in Occupational Therapy or a

closely related field is required within 3 months of date of hire

• Minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in more than one practice area, such as rehabilita-tion, community practice, health and wellness programs, or other area relevant to the curricu-lum of Eastern’s Occupational Therapy Program

Preferred: • 1 year of college teaching experience • Research, publications, and grant writing

experience are desirable

Additionally, candidates must demonstrate interest, ability, and/or experience in promot-ing cultural competency and/or diversity.

Position is open until further notice; screening will begin January 3, 2012. To be assured full consideration, your application must be complete and submitted through the online portal by the screening date located at https://jobs.hr.ewu.edu. All materials will be held in strictest confidence; references will not be contacted until candidates have been noti-fied. Questions about the position may be directed to Carrie Walker, Department of Oc-cupational Therapy, at 509-828-1344.

Eastern Washington University is committed to increasing the diversity of its faculty, staff, students, and academic program offerings and to strengthening sensitivity to diversity throughout the institution. Eastern Washington University is an affirmative action/equal opportunity employer, and applications from members of historically underrepresented groups are especially encouraged.

SPECIAL ACCOMMODATIONS: Eastern strives to satisfy all requests for special access needs for persons with disabilities. Requests for such accommodations are welcome and may be made by calling Human Resources at: (509) 359-2381.

FOR ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE POSITION, please visithttp://access.ewu.edu/HRRR/Jobs.xml.

Lecturer Qualifications:Required:• Master’s degree in occupational

therapy or a related field• Minimum of 3 years of clinical

experience in more than one practice area

Preferred:• Degree in occupational therapy

with a master’s in occupational therapy or a related field and the intention to complete a doctoral degree within 6 years

Faculty

Faculty/FieldworkOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Keuka College is seeking a faculty mem-ber to join our growing occupational therapy program for the fall of 2012. This is a 12-month, assistant or associate professor tenure track position depend-ing on qualifications. The position would include teaching and fieldwork responsi-bilities. We provide an excellent opportunity to teach and grow professionally in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Emphasis of the program is teaching in an innovative occupational therapy program. The new faculty will have the opportunity to work with sup-portive and experienced faculty and administration in a well-established OT program. Keuka College is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and en-courages applications from groups un-derrepresented in higher education.Specific Responsibilities: • Work in coordination with the aca-

demic fieldwork coordinator and the division chair

• Teaching and fieldwork support em-phasizing innovative community-based programming and outreach re-lating to fieldwork education.

• Supervision of students in non-tradi-tional clinical settings

• Travel to set up, educate, and foster fieldwork clinical experiences in both traditional and non-traditional settings

• Working with the academic fieldwork coordinator on clinical site place-ments.

Qualifications: • MS degree required with the under-

standing of progressing to an OTD or advanced Doctorate preparation in OT or related field, minimum of 3 years of clinical experience in physical dis-abilities.

• Candidates must be eligible for licen-sure in New York and be NBCOT certi-fied.

For further information about the position contact Vicki Smith Ed.D, MBA, OTR/L at [email protected] or 315-279-5666. Applications can be submitted at

https://keuka.peopleadmin.comf-5771



Faculty

Science FacultyOCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

Keuka College is seeking a faculty member to join our growing program for the fall of 2012. This is a 10-month, assistant or associ-ate professor tenure track position depending on qualifications. The position would include teaching anatomy, physiology, and kinesiology courses. We provide an excellent opportunity to teach and grow professionally in the beautiful Finger Lakes region of upstate New York. Emphasis of the program is teaching in an innovative occu-pational therapy program. The new faculty will have the opportunity to work with supportive and experienced faculty and administration in a well-established OT program. Keuka College is an Equal Opportunity Employer committed to a diverse and inclusive workforce and en-courages applications from groups underrep-resented in higher education.Specific Responsibilities: • Coordinating and teaching the OT curricu-

lum sciences course sequence• Coordinating and teaching a section of the

curriculum in a gross anatomy lab environ-ment

• Assisting with advising students• Assisting with graduate student project de-

velopment and advisingQualifications: • Doctorate education in a science related

field and minimum of 2 years experience teaching in a health science related program.

For further information about the position contact Vicki Smith Ed.D, MBA, OTR/L at [email protected] or 315-279-5666. Appli-cations can be submitted online at

https://keuka.peopleadmin.com f-5772

Faculty

f-5814

Faculty

Texas Woman’s University School of OT is seeking applicants for a full-time clinical faculty position on the Houston campus. Responsibilities include entry-level and post-professional teaching, production of scholarly work, and university and community service. Earned doctor-ate preferred in OT or related field. four years of relevant teaching and/or clinical experience. Contingent upon credentials, assistant or associate rank may be negotiated. applicants with a master’s in OT will be considered; must be eligible for OT licensure in Texas. Join a diverse group of 25 faculty across three campuses with exciting opportunities for collaboration within the university and in the community. applications should include a letter of interest, curriculum vitae, and the names and contact numbers of four references. application materials must be submitted to [email protected]. for further information visit www.twu.edu/ot, contact dr. sally schultz 214-207-6943 or [email protected]. all positions at TWu require background checks.Equal Opportunity Employer. f-5713

Oh, the places you’ll go...

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Early Childhood: Occupational Therapy Services for Children Birth to Five Self-Paced Clinical CourseEdited by Barbara E. Chandler, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

Earn 2 AOTA CEUs (20 NBCOT PDUs/20 Contact Hours).

Order #3026.AOTA Members: $370, Nonmembers: $470To order, call 877-404-AOTA, or visit http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=3026.

CE-180

ContinuingEducation

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Northeast

n-5677

Pediatric Opportunities:Full-time and Part-time OTR.

Join our OT department at the renowned

Lab School of Washington Take a sneak preview online at labschool.org.

Excellent benefits package, beautiful location, strong mentoring, creative treatment using

interactive metronome, assistive technology, NDT and SI-based treatment in an arts-based curriculum. Full- and part-time positions with

elementary or middle school-aged students. New grads welcome.

Résumés to [email protected].

Northeast

Pediatric Occupational Therapist—Cleveland, OHFlexible, organized, inquisitive, energetic OT needed to serve families with children with autism and other developmental delays. Join our dynamic multidisciplinary team, PT/FT, and provide individualized treatment at our state-of-the art clinic, schools, or community sites where we also provide early intervention, mealtime management, and social skills training programs. Help us provide treatment and DIR®FloorTime™ coaching at our new clinic-based preschool for children with autism.This is an opportunity to work with Northeast Ohio’s premiere pediatric interventionists. Our multidisciplinary team includes speech therapists, a neuropsychologist, school psychologist, tutors, early interventionists, and a social worker!We strongly encourage professional development, including ongoing mentoring with our clinical director. Apply now, (new grads welcome) if you love to learn new intervention approaches and enjoy working with parents and children!Resumes to [email protected].

n-5759

Northeast

Holy Name Medical Center, located in Teaneck, NJ, has earned the reputation as one of the preeminent care facilities in New Jersey due largely to our overall medical excellence. Our high standard of excellence is founded on the dedicated work of hundreds of physi-cians, nurses, technologists, and other members of our health care team who are simply committed to providing the compassionate care that each and every one of our patients deserve. Immediate Opportunities in Occupational TherapyThe ideal candidate will provide occupational therapy services to in and outpatients at Holy Name who have been referred for treatment by a physician. Bachelor/Masters degree in occupational therapy and NJ State Licensure is required. Treatment of patients of all ages, all types of disabilities, and multiple medical problems. Ability to apply appropriate body mechanics and use of assistive equipment in all patient transfers. Please forward your resume for confidential consider-ation to [email protected] or fax to 201-833-7031. EOE n-5823

Faculty opportunities in education

Northeast Connecticut, Washington, d.C., delaware, maine, maryland, massachusetts, new Hampshire, new Jersey, new York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, Vermont

South alabama, arkansas, florida, georgia, Kentucky, louisiana, mississippi, north Carolina, Oklahoma, s. Carolina, Tennessee, Texas, Virginia, West Virginia

Midwest Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Kansas, michigan, minnesota, missouri, nebraska, north dakota, south dakota, Wisconsin

West alaska, arizona, California, Colorado, Hawaii, Idaho, montana, nevada, new mexico, Oregon, utah, Washington, Wyoming

National multiple locations within the u.s.

International all countries outside the united states

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Faculty

f-5762

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The World Health Organization has identified mental illness as a growing cause of disability worldwide and predicts that in the future, mental illness— specifically depression—will be the top cause of disability. With that backdrop,

AOTA Vice President Virginia Stoffel, PhD, OT, BCMH, professorand chair of the Occupational Therapy Department at the University of

Wisconsin–Milwaukee, in October attended the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy in Georgia. AOTA has been a regular participant at the annual invitation-only symposia, which since 1985 has brought mental health professionals together for open dialogue. Stoffel discussed her recent experience with OT Practice Associate Editor Andrew Waite.


Waite: What was discussed at the 2011 symposium? Stoffel: This year’s focus was on building services and support for child welfare, juvenile justice, and children exposed to domestic violence. I participated in the prevention and resilience group, and we talked about the current programs that have good, strong evidence. We also discussed the dilemma that many of the working professionals may not be aware of the evidence they can use those to inform their care. For example, dur-ing the last year I have had a number of opportunities to attend presentations on trauma-informed care, and attending [the mental health symposium] really made me aware that we need to be sure that all OT practitioners understand what trauma-informed care is and how we can integrate it into our working knowledge.

Waite: How do you explain trauma-informed care? Stoffel: Trauma-informed care starts with a review of the therapeutic environment to be sure that its programs and practices don’t unintentionally retraumatize or trigger traumatic enactments. Children who have been exposed to psychological or physical violence and overwhelming stress have been shown to have neuro-biological changes in areas of the brain that generate thought and memory, often with long-term effects such as ineffective personal control (e.g., addictive behavior, self-harm) or deficits in interpersonal skills. If you think about juvenile justice, you think about a teenager who has broken the law and is now serving the

consequences of his or her offenses. Trauma-informed care would suggest that every person in a juvenile justice treatment setting has been exposed to abuse, neglect, or long-term overwhelm-ing stress. Helping them to develop skills to self-regulate and move toward a sense of personal responsibility is one trauma-informed approach. Another point made at the symposium was that when kids are frequently exposed to trauma, they want and need to talk about it. Just little things like asking the question, “Since the last time I saw you, has anything really scary or upsetting happened?” is a way to get a sense of what the exposure has been and then help us meet their needs.

Waite: How does trauma-informed care relate back to your contributions to the mental health symposium?Stoffel: Part of what we talked about is, what adults are kids talking to? Who might be able to be in a position to help them? In the absence of a good, positive parental role model, we know that the kids who are resilient and thrive have some caring, significant adult in their life, and that could be an occupational thera-pist who works with them in a school setting, for example. So it’s important to recognize some of the ways we can better serve this group of young people.

Waite: Did you feel like your voice was heard at the symposium? Stoffel: The participants in our resiliency group were interested to know how an occupational therapy practitioner might work with youth in school systems.

However, some know that [occupational therapy practitioners] are in school systems, but because we’ve often been so over connected to things like handwrit-ing, I think a lot of professions don’t have a sense of our broad scope. How we build on strengths and develop interpersonal skills as a part of social participation in everyday occupations. I think we bring new knowledge and understanding about so much, from sensory systems to mental health, and although I briefly mentioned that at the symposium, I think we need to do a lot more to really offer good, strong information to other professions about how to pay attention to what skills we can provide.

Waite: So AOTA taking part in this symposium is a way to spread to word? Stoffel: Exactly—it was a great oppor-tunity to build relationships with other professionals focused on mental health and resiliency. n

For more information on the sympo-sium, visit www.cartercenter.org/health/mental_health/symposium/index.html.

For more information on AOTA and mental health, check out www.aota.org/practitioners/practice areas/mentalhealth.

QA&

uestions and Answers

Wisconsin–Milwaukee, in October attended the Rosalynn Carter Symposium on Mental Health Policy

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New Edition of Occupational Therapy Bestseller!

The Occupational Therapy Manager, 5th EditionEdited by Karen Jacobs, EdD, OTR/L, CPE, FAOTA, and Guy L. McCormack, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

In today’s health care environment, occupational therapy practitioners in clinical and leadership positions must be prepared to ensure that clients receive the highest quality of care; morale and efficiency remain high; businesses and organizations are profitable; and the profession is recognized by other health care professionals, reimbursers, and clients as a valuable service steeped in evidence.

This new edition includes 37 new and updated chapters, discussing the how-to aspects of creating evidence-based practice; effectively leading and motivating staff; ensuring ethical service delivery; and important day-to-day items such as budgeting, documentation, and reimbursement. Chapters feature case studies, learning activites, multiple-choice questions, and topic-specific evidence tables and are updated to reflect health care reform and its potential effects on occupational therapy.

Highlights Include—

• Section I: Defining and Rethinking Management• Section II: Strategic Planning• Section III: Leading and Organizing• Section IV: Controlling Outcomes• Section V: Public Policy, Professional Standards, and Collaboration• Section VI: Supervision• Appendixes—Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards,

Scope of Practice, and more.

Order #1390CAOTA Members: $79, Nonmembers: $112

To order, call 877-404-AOTA, or shop online at http://store.aota.org/view/?SKU=1390C

BK-187IsBn-13: 978-1-56900-273-5

The Occupational Therapy Manageris the most comprehensive

leadership and management book in occupational therapy.

This program is administered by Marsh U.S. Consumer, a service of Seabury & Smith, Inc.AR Ins. Lic. #245544 • CA Ins. Lic. #0633005 • d/b/a in CA Seabury & Smith Insurance Program Management The Group Enhanced Dental Insurance Plan is underwritten by The United States Life Insurance Company in the City of New York. Coverage may vary or may not be available in all states.

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And why.Is there a gap in your overall health coverage? Rising dental costs can take a bite out of your family budget. Making matters worse, many employers are cutting dental benefits during these turbulent economic times, which could result in a costly gap in your family’s health coverage. Fortunately, as a valued AOTA member, you and your family are guaranteed acceptance in the AOTA Group Enhanced Dental Insurance Plan that can help insulate your family against skyrocketing dental bills.

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This program is administered by Marsh U.S. Consumer, a service of Seabury & Smith, Inc.

P-5711

WINIFRED SCHULTz-KROHN, PHD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTAProfessor of Occupational TherapySan Jose State University, San Jose, CA

This CE article was developed in collaboration with AOTA’s Early Intervention and School Special Interest Section.

ABSTRACTFieldwork education is an important element in training future occupational therapy practitioners. It fosters the application of didactic knowledge to practice and the transi-tion from student to occupational therapist or occupational therapy assistant. More than 25% of occupational therapists work in schools and early intervention, and more than 20% of occupational therapy assistants work in school-based prac-tice (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2010a), so it is critical that Level I and Level II fieldwork experiences include these settings to prepare entry-level occupational therapy practitioners to meet the needs of clients.

LEARNING OBJECTIVESAfter reading this article, you should be able to:1. Identify the important elements of Level I and Level II

fieldwork experiences. 2. Compare the different requirements between Level I and

Level II fieldwork.3. Select appropriate documents to develop learning objec-

tives for both Level I and Level II fieldwork.4. Identify how reflective exercises can be incorporated into

Level I and Level II fieldwork to foster clinical reasoning.

INTRODUCTIONFieldwork experiences are designed to foster the transition from occupational therapy student to occupational therapy practitioner (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2009a) and can vary substantially in the setting and occupational needs of the clients served. They are categorized as either Level I or Level II fieldwork (Accreditation Coun-cil for Occupational Therapy Education [ACOTE®], 2007a, 2007b, 2007c) and are required by accredited occupational therapy programs, at both the technical and graduate level within the United States.

PURPOSE OF FIELDWORK ExPERIENCESLevel I fieldwork occurs while students are enrolled in aca-demic programs. Frequently, a specific course in the aca-

demic program helps a student interpret observations made and experiences at a fieldwork site. Level I fieldwork provides students with a view of occupational therapy practice while still completing academic coursework (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Examples of activities students may be expected to perform during Level I fieldwork include completing observa-tional forms, documenting client responses, writing progress notes with guidance, and helping to provide occupational therapy services. Academic programs decide on the number of hours students must complete and the students’ specific responsibilities. The desired outcome of Level I fieldwork is to provide students with the opportunity to translate knowledge into practice and to understand the occupational needs of clients.

Level II fieldwork is designed for occupational therapy students to develop the entry-level competence needed at a specific setting (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). The field-work often occurs near or at the end of the academic course-work, or at least following sufficient academic preparation for students to meet Level II fieldwork demands. The goal of these experiences is for students, whether at the techni-cal or graduate level, to demonstrate entry-level generalist skills. Occupational therapy students at the graduate level would be expected to assume the roles and responsibilities of entry-level clinicians, whereas occupational therapy assistant students would be expected to demonstrate entry-level skills commensurate with that level of practice. This goal requires Level II fieldwork sites to clearly articulate expectations for entry-level practice and develop systematic goals that stu-dents must achieve during the fieldwork to successfully reach that outcome (Schultz-Krohn & Pendleton, 2002). Level II fieldwork sites should be carefully selected to ensure stu-dents have the necessary supervision and support to meet the desired outcomes (Soderlund, 2005).

Minimum duration requirements of Level II fieldwork are stipulated by ACOTE (2007a, 2007b, 2007c), and students should complete these Level II fieldwork experiences at two different sites or with two different types of client populations or practice settings. The Level II fieldwork minimum require-ments for occupational therapy assistants is the equivalent of 16 weeks of full-time work, typically divided between two sites to provide a diverse experience for the student. For occupational therapy graduate students, the equivalent of 24 weeks of full-time work is needed to complete Level II fieldwork requirements, typically divided between two dif-ferent sites. As an example, at one large urban hospital, an occupational therapy student was assigned for 12 weeks with

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the outpatient rehabilitation services and then for another 12 weeks with the inpatient mental health services. Academic programs may have additional requirements that must be met to complete Level II fieldwork, but ACOTE provides the minimum requirements in terms of equivalent full-time work. Whether at the technical or graduate level, students must demonstrate entry-level competence as occupational therapy practitioners to successfully pass this requirement.

SUPERVISORY REQUIREMENTSStudents completing Level I fieldwork, whether at the techni-cal or graduate level, can be supervised by a wide variety of professionals and practitioners (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Although an academic program may stipulate that Level I fieldwork students be supervised by occupational ther-apy practitioners, ACOTE indicates that other professionals, including teachers, psychologists, social workers, and physical therapists, can also provide supervision. Because this field-work is closely linked to academic coursework, students may be placed in sites where no current occupational therapy ser-vices are provided or where such services could be expanded. Academic programs must, however, provide clear expecta-tions of the student experience. Level I fieldwork is focused on students making the connection between knowledge and practice, but students are not expected to achieve entry-level competence by the completion of Level I fieldwork.

Clinical Example: “Share a Snack”An example of shared supervision for Level I fieldwork stu-dents can be seen in an integrated preschool program where the occupational therapist and the occupational therapy assistant, who have full schedules, would like to start a “Share a Snack” social interaction group for children with autism spectrum disorders (ASDs) and children who are neurotypi-cal. The occupational therapy practitioners at the program understand the importance of helping children who have ASDs overcome aversion to various foods (Cermak, Curtin, & Bandini, 2010; Chatoor, 2009) and providing a structured opportunity for children who have ASDs to interact with chil-dren who are neurotypical. Using peers who are neurotypical to model exploration of and possibly try new foods can help children who have ASDs be more comfortable trying them. Meeting for a snack as opposed to a more formal, elaborate meal can provide initial exposure to different foods under less intimidating conditions. However, the occupational therapy practitioners, although they understood the need to provide psychosocial support for children with special needs (McDuff, Schultz, Andersson, & Pemberton, 2009), had limited time to provide this service consistently. Thus, when the occupational therapist was approached by the local university to offer Level I fieldwork for graduate occupational therapy students currently enrolled in a course addressing pediatric practice settings, with a specific emphasis on school-based practice,

the therapist saw an opportunity: The need for additional support services for children who have ASDs and the need for graduate students to gain Level I fieldwork experience in the schools could be combined creatively.

The occupational therapist approached the preschool teacher and suggested that occupational therapy graduate students from the local university come twice a week during the snack time to help encourage all the children to iden-tify the sensory attributes of new snacks, such as the color, texture, and smell, although the students would not require any child to eat the snack. Typically, a classroom aide would sit with the children during snack time. The occupational therapy practitioners developed a program to identify the children’s preferred snacks and, based on this information, select new snacks with attributes similar to those of the preferred snacks. The occupational therapy assistant supervised the Share a Snack group once a week, and the teacher agreed to supervise the occupational therapy graduate students during the other Share a Snack time. The occupational therapist did not partici-pate in the Share a Snack time but regularly met with both the occupational therapy assistant and the teacher. The occupa-tional therapy graduate students completing the Level I field-work met with both the occupational therapy assistant and the course instructor in the academic program to understand the types of foods that could be offered as a novel snack and how to discuss the sensory attributes of the snacks offered.

The students completing the Level I fieldwork were super-vised by the occupational therapy assistant, with additional supervision from the preschool teacher when the occupa-tional therapy assistant was not present. This experience was closely linked to academic coursework to help the graduate students interpret and document the responses of the chil-dren participating in the Share a Snack group. The occupa-tional therapy graduate students met with the occupational therapy assistant to plan the introduction and presentation of new foods. This creative Level I fieldwork experience gave the graduate students a unique view of the sensory challenges seen in children who have ASDs and allowed those children an opportunity to explore the sensory attributes of foods without the demand to eat them.

The academic program and professionals at the site col-laborated to supervise the students completing the Level I fieldwork. The expectation was not that the graduate occupa-tional therapy students would develop competent entry-level skills, but that they would apply coursework to practice by implementing a structured program to support the occupa-tional needs of children with ASDs.

Fieldwork SupervisionThe qualifications to serve as a fieldwork supervisor dif-fer depending on the type of fieldwork experience and the academic program’s requirements (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Students completing Level I fieldwork can be super-


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vised by a variety of professionals and/or staff at the site, provided they are knowledgeable about the profession and able to provide appropriate supervision and support (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Academic programs work directly with sites and provide additional supervision of students through discussions and guidance. Often, occupational therapy prac-titioners participate in supervising Level I fieldwork students prior to supervising Level II fieldwork students, but ACOTE does not require this. The support provided by academic pro-grams helps occupational therapy practitioners develop the skills needed to supervise Level II fieldwork students.

For occupational therapy students, either at the technical or graduate level, ACOTE provides specific requirements for Level II fieldwork site supervisors (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Occupational therapy graduate students must be supervised by occupational therapists with at least 1 year of experience. Occupational therapy assistant students may be supervised by occupational therapists or occupational therapy assistants, who must also have at least 1 year of clini-cal experience. ACOTE provides the minimum standards, and additional requirements may be stipulated by either the participating sites or academic programs. For occupational therapy practitioners to supervise Level II fieldwork students, there is an additional expectation that the supervisors under-stand the role of an entry-level practitioner at the site. There should be clear objectives sequenced throughout the Level II fieldwork to help students achieve that outcome.

CREATING FIELDWORK OBJECTIVESThe fieldwork experience supports the student’s transition to practitioner (Costa, 2004). This transition requires clearly articulated goals and objectives (Schultz-Krohn & Pendleton, 2002).

Fieldwork Level I ObjectivesThe Level I fieldwork experience is closely linked to the academic program and, therefore, student objectives should be developed by academic programs in collaboration with fieldwork sites (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c; Costa, 2004). Academic programs may have several Level I fieldwork expe-riences with progressively more challenging objectives as stu-dents advance through the programs. For example, the first semester of courses in an occupational therapy program may include Level I fieldwork that allows students to observe how occupational therapy practitioners interact in various practice settings. Using data from AOTA’s 2010 Occupational Ther-apy Compensation and Workforce Study (AOTA, 2010a), which found that more than 25% of occupational therapists work in school-based practice and early intervention and more than 21% of occupational therapy assistants work in schools, one academic program designed a Level I fieldwork experience in which students observed occupational therapy practitioners in various practice settings, including school-

based and early intervention, and were then required to describe the focus of service using the Occupational Ther-apy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edi-tion (Framework-II; AOTA, 2008). In this example, students were expected to understand the Framework-II and observe how services were delivered in various settings. This Level I fieldwork experience included having students observe prac-titioners for several hours in each of the following settings: a preschool, an inclusion classroom, a school in which services were provided as a Response to Intervention (RtI; Clark & Polichino, 2010), and a community-based life-skills program for teenagers. Students were expected to understand how the occupational therapy services were provided to meet not only the clients’ needs but also the environmental expecta-tions. The following examples of objectives developed by the academic program reflect these expectations:1. The student will report the type of services provided by

the occupational therapy practitioner at the various sites using terminology from the Framework-II.

2. The student will describe the focus of intervention at each site using terminology from the Framework-II.

3. The student will identify the intended outcome for clients served at the various sites using terminology from the Framework-II.

As the students advance through this particular academic program, a second Level I fieldwork experience is provided concurrent with a course on enhancing pediatric occupational performance, particularly social participation for children with various disabling conditions. Several Level I fieldwork sites provide the opportunity for occupational therapy students to apply the classroom knowledge of supporting social participa-tion for children with disabling conditions to practice. Indeed, there is a growing demand for occupational therapy practi-tioners to meet this need in the public schools (Bazyk, 2010; McDuff et al., 2009; Olson, 2009). At one Level I fieldwork site, students working with an occupational therapist at a public school helped facilitate a social skills group to foster appropriate playground interactions between children with ASDs and children who are neurotypical. Again, this Level I fieldwork is not designed for students to demonstrate entry-level competence; rather, students are expected to apply their academic knowledge within a supervised clinical setting.

Level I fieldwork objectives focus on students’ ability to connect didactic experiences with clinical experiences (Costa, 2004). These objectives are often designed to help students develop observational skills and foundational profes-sional behaviors. If a site offers Level I fieldwork for students at both the technical and graduate levels, the objectives pro-vided by the academic programs should reflect the difference in practice expectations. The following are examples of objec-tives developed by an academic program for this type of Level I fieldwork experience for occupational therapy students.



1. The student will identify the environmental supports and challenges related to social participation faced by children with disabling conditions.

2. The student will demonstrate appropriate interactions with children and professionals.

3. The student will report effective and ineffective strate-gies used to foster social participation for children with disabling conditions during playground time.

Level II Fieldwork ObjectivesLevel II fieldwork is designed for the occupational therapy student to demonstrate entry-level practice skills upon com-pleting the experience. Therefore, objectives should reflect the expectations of entry-level practitioners at that site (Schultz-Krohn & Pendleton, 2002). From a perspective of school-based or early intervention programs, it is imperative to clearly identify the expectations of entry-level practition-ers. If a site typically does not hire entry-level practitioners, communication between the academic fieldwork coordinator and the site supervisor is essential to create appropriate Level II fieldwork objectives.

CLINICAL ExAMPLEAll Kids Can Learn, a community-based early intervention program, did not typically hire entry-level occupational therapy practitioners due to the medical complexity and behavioral issues of many of the infants and toddlers served. But Jean, an occupational therapist with more than 11 years of experience who has been employed by this program for the past 5 years, wanted to offer Level II fieldwork to a graduate occupational therapy student. Jean had previously provided Level I fieldwork experiences through All Kids Can Learn for occupational therapy graduate students from the local university, and these students consistently expressed interest in working in early intervention. The Level I fieldwork focused on graduate students understanding the importance of pro-viding services for infants and young children using naturalis-tic learning opportunities (Stewart, 2009).

Jean discussed the possibility of offering Level II field-work with her supervisor, explaining that training graduate occupational therapy students would not only enhance Jean’s professional development but would also create stronger con-nections between All Kids Can Learn and the local univer-sity. Those ties would include access to literature that could improve the program’s evidence-based practice (Clark & Schultz-Krohn, 2011; Lopez, Vanner, Cowan, Samuel, & Shep-herd, 2008). Additionally, a typical Level II fieldwork objec-tive includes having students complete projects to enhance or expand services at the site, and this additional support would be beneficial in providing best practice services to the program’s families, Jean noted. Jean’s supervisor agreed to offer Level II fieldwork, and the contractual agreements between their community-based early intervention program

and the local university were completed. Jean was now faced with determining what expectations would be appropriate for entry-level occupational therapists within this program.

To begin this process, Jean and the university’s fieldwork coordinator reviewed the job essentials for an occupational therapist and compared them to her current responsibilities. Jean reviewed the specific site expectations and ACOTE’s definition of entry-level practice and competency to help develop the Level II fieldwork experience (ACOTE, 2007a, 2007b, 2007c). Jean also consulted with the academic pro-gram for support and assistance in developing appropriate outcomes for this Level II fieldwork experience. She then created weekly expectations to be met by the students to achieve competence in entry-level practice.

Level II fieldwork objectives need to be sequenced with systematic and increasing demands placed on students throughout the experience (Schultz-Krohn & Pendleton, 2002). In developing weekly objectives for her future field-work students, Jean looked at pertinent AOTA documents (e.g., Standards of Practice for Occupational Therapy) and compared them to the statements from the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation (FWPE) form (e.g., Basic Tenets of Occupational Therapy) (AOTA 2002b) and information on how to use the forms (Atler & Wimmer, 2003). The FWPE form identifies seven content areas for occupational therapy students and six content areas for occupational therapy assis-tant students. A minimum passing score is included on each form. Both forms identify the first content area addressing safety and adherence to the ethics of occupational therapy as the Fundamentals of Practice (AOTA, 2002a; AOTA 2002b). Adhering to the Fundamentals of Practice section is required by the ACOTE Standard for passing the Level II fieldwork experience—the site develops specific objectives that mea-sure how a student will demonstrate the skills included in the Fundamentals of Practice. Students at the technical or graduate level who do not meet the Fundamentals of Practice standards will fail the Level II fieldwork regardless of the total score on the FWPE. In addition to Fundamentals of Practice, occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students must address the following areas: Basic Tenets of Occupational Therapy, Evaluation and Screening, Interven-tion, Communication, and Professional Behaviors. The FWPE for occupational therapy students also includes Management of Occupational Therapy Services.

To develop a series of weekly objectives, Jean considered what entry-level practice expectations would be appropriate for occupational therapists at her site in each of the seven FWPE content areas. She then developed incremental steps in the form of weekly objectives for students to progress toward the goal of competent entry-level practice. Within the content area of safety and ethics addressed in the Funda-mentals of Practice, Jean considered the need for students to be able to safely handle medically compromised infants and


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toddlers in the home setting. She also addressed the behav-ioral issues often seen with this client group and added Level II fieldwork objectives to help students develop safety skills and ethical judgment. Providing safe care and navigating ethi-cal challenges is challenging, so Jean wanted to provide clear expectations for the student (Estes & Brandt, 2011). She developed the following series of objectives to be met during the first 2 weeks of the Level II fieldwork:1. The student will identify three safety risks when work-

ing with infants and toddlers in the home and at the early intervention center.

2. The student will identify potential ethical concerns with issues of discipline.

3. The student will describe how to safely intervene when a child displays a behavioral outburst, such as crying, hitting, or biting.

4. The student will describe how to safely intervene with positioning devices and handling when a child displays poor head and trunk control.

In meeting these initial objectives, students would be able to demonstrate essential knowledge of safety and ethical issues. Jean then developed additional objectives, to be met in subsequent weeks, for students to demonstrate safe and ethical behavior during interventions. By analyzing the site expectations and using AOTA documents, Jean then devel-oped similar objectives for each section of the FWPE to sup-port students making the transition to entry-level clinician. Developing specific, incremental Level II fieldwork objectives provides clear expectations of students reaching the ultimate goal of demonstrating entry-level competence.

Table 1 on p. CE-6 provides a mechanism to align spe-cific Level II fieldwork objectives at a fieldwork site with the FWPE, using AOTA documents as a guide.

REFLECTIVE PRACTICEThe two levels of fieldwork experience are designed to help occupational therapy students at the technical and gradu-ate levels transition to occupational therapy practitioners (Santalucia & Johnson, 2010). Although Level I fieldwork is tied to academic programs, often with an emphasis on developing observational skills and accepting graded respon-sibilities, even this fieldwork experience can be challenging for students, who may be uncomfortable making clinical decisions based on several variables instead of finding a single, correct answer. Level I fieldwork allows occupational therapy students to engage in clinical reasoning activities in a controlled, supported environment (Hooper, 2008). At one school-based practice, for example, Level I fieldwork students get the chance to observe occupational therapists providing suggestions and activities to classroom teachers to foster improved handwriting skills for all children in the class. The school district where this Level I fieldwork program operates

supports the use of RtI (Clark & Polichino, 2010), through which general suggestions can be made and provided to an entire classroom instead of making a referral for a specific child in that class to be seen by the occupational therapist. One day, at the beginning of a typical Level I fieldwork experi-ence at this program, an occupational therapy student—not fully understanding the tenets of RtI and using procedural reasoning to make sense of a situation given her limited experience (Hooper, 2008)—expressed confusion that the occupational therapist did not request a referral for a particu-lar child in the classroom who was struggling with handwrit-ing. In response, the occupational therapist explained that by using conditional reasoning, the demands of the classroom are considered along with the needs of the children (Boyt Schell & Schell, 2008). All children may benefit from the sug-gestions provided, which won’t occur if the therapist imme-diately requests that the child with handwriting issues be referred for an occupational therapy evaluation. This example of labeling clinical reasoning and explaining why a specific form of clinical reasoning is preferable helped the Level I fieldwork student experience the complexity of services.

Compared with Level I fieldwork, Level II fieldwork places far greater expectations on student performance. This change may be seamless for some students. For others, shifting from student to practitioner is difficult. At the Level II fieldwork sites, students are expected to transform relatively quickly into occupational therapy practitioners competent to serve clients (Santalucia & Johnson, 2010). During Level II field-work, students expect supervisors to actively foster clinical reasoning and help them apply that ability to practice (Alfaro-LeFevre, 2009; Farber & Koenig, 2008). Engaging Level II fieldwork students in self-reflection (Hansen, Larsen, & Nielsen, 2011) can promote more interactive and conditional reasoning. Interactive reasoning is seen when students are able to adjust the intervention strategies during a session to meet the client’s occupational preferences and needs. Conditional reasoning requires students to consider possible futures for the clients and how several variables may interact and influence selecting and implementing interven-tion approaches.

At one particular homeless shelter that provides Level II fieldwork opportunities, an exercise to promote conditional reasoning asks occupational therapy students to write a progress note in advance of a session working with teenagers to foster money management skills. Students must imagine the best outcome of the session and, using the Subjective–Objective–Action–Plan (SOAP) note format, document the results of the session. Students then imagine the worst out-come about the same intervention and write another SOAP note. This exercise helps students consider the potential range of outcomes for any session. Students are then asked to identify what strategies could be used to improve the likeli-hood of the best outcome occurring as a result of the inter-



vention services provided. This reflective exercise promotes conditional reasoning within the students during the first few weeks of Level II fieldwork at the shelter.

Using reflective exercises such as journaling during Level II fieldwork helps give students a sense of becoming occupa-tional therapy practitioners (Hansen et al., 2011). The initial journaling may focus on the feelings students experience during good and not-so-good situations occurring in the first few weeks of Level II fieldwork. Continued journaling over the course of a few weeks can focus on effective and ineffective intervention strategies and consider what additional variables could contribute to session outcomes. This reflection fosters

interactive reasoning prior to sessions so that students can be better prepared to respond to unusual events during the intervention sessions (Farber & Koenig, 2008). The reflective journaling can also be used for a retrospective analysis of the types of observations, feelings, and responses made during the initial weeks of Level II fieldwork and compare those with entries during the final weeks of the experience. This approach can help students appreciate their professional evo-lution during Level II fieldwork (Santalucia & Johnson, 2010). Students may gravitate toward procedural reasoning but, with support and guidance, interactive and conditional reasoning can be fostered through the fieldwork experience.

Table 1. Using AOTA Documents To Align Level II Fieldwork Objectives With the Fieldwork Performance Evaluation FormsFieldwork Performance Evaluation Form Sections for Occupational Therapy Students

Fundamentals of Practice

Basic Tenets of Occupational Therapy

Evaluation and Screening

Intervention

Managing Occupational Therapy Services

Communication

Professional Behaviors

AOTA Documents

• AOTA Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards (2010) (AOTA, 2010b);

• Contextual considerations

• Standards of Practice for Occupational Therapy (AOTA, 2010e)

• Standards for Continuing Competence (AOTA, 2010d)

Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, 2nd Edition (Frame-work-II; AOTA, 2008); Occupational profile and analysis of occupational performance

Framework-II (AOTA, 2008); Plan, imple-ment, and review, includes approaches of:• Create/promote• Establish/restore/maintain• Modify/compensate• Prevent

• Framework-II (AOTA, 2008); Outcomes of intervention: occupational performance, client satisfaction, role competence, adaptation, health and wellness, prevention, quality of life

• Guidelines for Supervision, Roles, and Responsibilities During the Delivery of Occu-pational Therapy Services (AOTA, 2009b)

Framework-II (AOTA, 2008); Process is com-municated, including evaluation/intervention/outcomes

• Occupational Therapy Code of Ethics and Ethics Standards (2010) (AOTA, 2010b)

• Scope of Practice (AOTA, 2010c)• Standards of Practice for Occupational

Therapy (AOTA, 2010e)• Standards for Continuing Competence

(AOTA 2010d)

Site Considerations

List three primary safety risks at setting

Identify primary role of occupational therapy and key professionals/staff

• List three primary occupa-tions addressed

• List the three most-used assessment tools

Identify three primary approaches used for inter-vention, including Frame of Reference or models that guide intervention

• Identify three primary outcomes for clients served at setting

• Identify external constraints of funding and time affect-ing intervention

• Identify the role of assis-tants/aides

Specify the method and frequency of meetings and written reports

• Identify specific profes-sional behaviors within the setting

• Identify expectations for professional growth

Fieldwork Student Learning Objectives

Specify adherence to safety, confidential-ity, and judgment in ethical issues

Specify client collaboration and collabo-ration with other professionals/staff

Competence in assessing occupational performance and use of tools

• Competence in planning and executing intervention

• Competence in altering intervention in response to client and additional issues/concerns from other professionals/staff or significant others

• Competence in meeting productivity standards

• Responsible plans that meet constraints of setting

• Entry-level supervisory skills with assistants/aides

Competence in reporting for written and oral requirements of setting

• Compliance with professional behaviors and quality of self-directed professional growth

CONCLUSIONLevel I and Level II fieldwork helps students understand the occupational needs of clients within various settings, apply skills learned during the academic preparation to practice, and transform from the role of the student to a competent entry-level occupational therapy practitioner. The shift from student to practitioner can be guided through clear expecta-tions stated in fieldwork objectives and through the use of reflective journaling. Using these approaches, students are able to envision their role not only as students but as entry-level practitioners.

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Schultz-Krohn, W., & Pendleton, H. (2002). Learning objectives for the fieldwork experience. In K. Sladyk (Ed.), The successful occupational therapy fieldwork student (pp.11–20). Thorofare, NJ: Slack.

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Stewart, K. B. (2009). Natural environments or naturalistic learning opportunities: What is the evidence in early intervention? Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention, 2, 2–5.

CE-7

How To Apply for Continuing Education CreditA. After reading the article Developing Fieldwork Experiences:

Examples From Early Intervention and School-Based Practice, register to take the exam online by either going to www.aota.org/cea or calling toll-free (877) 404-2682.

B. Once registered you will receive your personal access informa-tion within 2 business days and can log on to www.aota-learn ing.org to take the exam online. You will also receive a PDF version of the article that may be printed for personal use.

C. Answer the questions to the final exam found on p. CE-8 by January 31, 2014.

D. Upon successful completion of the exam (a score of 75% or more), you will immediately receive your printable certificate.


Earn .1 AOTA CEU (one contact hour and 1.25 NBCOT PDU). See below for details.

Final Exam CEA0112

Developing Fieldwork Experiences: Examples From Early Inter-vention and School-Based Practice • January 23, 2012

To receive CE credit, exam must be completed by January 31, 2014.

Learning Level: Entry Level

Target Audience: Occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants

Content Focus: Category 3: OT Education

1. According to the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®), who can supervise an occupational therapy graduate student completing Level I fieldwork?A. An occupational therapist

B. An occupational therapy assistantC. A teacherD. All of the above

2. According to ACOTE, who can supervise an occupational therapy graduate student completing Level II fieldwork? A. An occupational therapist with 1 year of experience

B. An occupational therapy assistant with 1 year of experience

C. A teacher with 1 year of experienceD. All of the above

3. The student learning objectives for Level I fieldwork at a school or early intervention site should be developed by:A. The academic program

B. The siteC. The studentD. The Level I fieldwork supervisor

4. The outcome of Level I fieldwork is to prepare the stu-dent to:A. Make accurate observations of client behavior

B. Understand the occupational needs of clients C. Identify the type of service provided at the siteD. All of the above

5. Level II fieldwork prepares students to:A. Supervise other Level II fieldwork students at the site

B. Be entry-level occupational therapy generalist practitioners

C. Gain advanced practice skills to meet specific challenges at the fieldwork site

D. All of the above

6. Which of the following types of students must complete at least 24 weeks of full-time fieldwork?

A. Occupational therapy students completing Level I fieldwork

B. Occupational therapy assistant students completing Level I fieldwork

C. Occupational therapy students completing Level II fieldwork

D. Occupational therapy assistant students completing Level II fieldwork

7. For both occupational therapy and occupational therapy assistant students to ultimately pass Level II fieldwork, which content area on the Fieldwork Performance Evalu-ation (FWPE) form must be passed as meeting the site standard?A. Basic Tenets of Occupational TherapyB. Management of Occupational Therapy Services

C. Fundamentals of Practice D. Evaluation and Screening

8. As a reflection of entry-level competence, the FWPE form includes which content area for occupational therapy students but not occupational therapy assistant students?A. Basic Tenets of Occupational TherapyB. Management of Occupational Therapy Services

C. Fundamentals of Practice D. Evaluation and Screening

9. Students who request that a teacher submit a referral for an occupational therapy evaluation prior to offering any suggestions to address a child’s needs are using which type of clinical reasoning?A. Procedural reasoningB. Conditional reasoning

C. Interactive reasoning D. All of the above

10. Asking Level II fieldwork students to write progress notes in advance of actual sessions and anticipate the best and worst outcomes allows students to further develop their:A. Procedural reasoning B. Conditional reasoning


11. Students able to modify and adjust interventions during actual sessions to better meet the client’s needs use:A. Procedural reasoningB. Conditional reasoning


12. To help Level II fieldwork students recognize the trans-formation to a competent occupational therapy practi-tioner, Level II fieldwork sites should ask students to:A. Read several articles about practices at a similar Level II

fieldwork siteB. Review the notes of Level II fieldwork supervisors and

other professionals C. Watch the therapy sessions of several different professionals D. Engage in self-reflective journaling and complete reflec-

tive exercises

AOTA Continuing Education ArticleCE Article, exam, and certificate are also available ONLINE. Register at http://www.aota.org/cea or call toll-free 877-404-AOTA (2682).


Developing Fieldwork Experiences - University of Southern Maine

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