Occupational Therapy Assistants
An occupational therapy assistant is a person who has graduated from an occupational therapy assistant program accredited by the Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) or predecessor organizations, has successfully completed a period of supervised fieldwork experience required by the accredited occupational therapy assistant program, has passed a nationally recognized entry-level examination for occupational therapy assistants, and fulfills state requirements for licensure, certification, or registration. An occupational therapy assistant provides interventions under the supervision of an occupational therapist which emphasize the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (i.e., occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of facilitating participation in roles and situations and in home, school, workplace, community and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness and are provided to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational therapy assistants address the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of occupational performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.
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Specialization: Driving and Community Mobility
Occupational therapy assistants contribute to the completion of an individualized occupational therapy driving and community mobility evaluation by administering delegated assessments and identifying findings that impact the client's occupational performance. Clients engage in the assessment and occupational profile process to customize the evaluation to their individual driving and community mobility needs. Occupational therapy assistants administer and continuously modify individualized in-vehicle and community mobility assessments within the naturalistic context of the community in response to the occupational performance and safety behaviors of the client. They also implement an individualized intervention plan, within the parameters established in collaboration with the occupational therapist that reflects the contexts of the client and meets his or her occupational performance and safety needs. Occupational therapy assistants address immediate and long-term implications of psychosocial issues related to compromised driving and community mobility throughout the occupational therapy process and makes recommendations to the occupational therapist for modification to service delivery.
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