Occupational Therapist- Therapeutic Day School- Autism

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Job description

Full Time Licensed Occupational Therapist (2 open positions available)

$Sign on BONUS for full time hires.

Amazing opportunity to work in a cutting-edge developmental language-based school founded by SLPs with attention to student-centered, meaningful and individualized learning.
Serve as an OT in a one-of-a-kind school, the only in the world, to use developmental language-based intervention with DIR Floortime principles.
Full Time Salaried position with typical hours 8:00-3:00 Monday to Friday in relationship-based, trauma informed therapeutic day school. (On site hours may vary depending on necessary prep and paperwork both before and after school)
Work 44.8 weeks of year with 6 weeks non-student attendance paid vacation breaks for full time hire.
Low student caseload, typically up to 20 students.
Competitive Salary commensurate with hours/weeks worked and experience.
12 PTO days.
BCBS medical, dental and vision.
Short-term/long-term disability and a life insurance.
403B retirement plan.
Employee Assistance Program.
Reflective processing to support you in your work.
Receive supervision and mentoring by an Occupational Therapist (DIR Certified Trainer) with extensive experience in autism, sensory processing disorder and developmental thinking through the OT lens.
Eligible to be invited to participate in a DIR course, taught by SEA Trainers, that can lead you to certification in DIR through the OT lens.

Make a difference in the life of a young person with Autism!

IL Occupational Therapist License Required. Seeking candidate with professional experience with ASD of varied ages and developmental levels and interactive style that is playful, affectual and engaging. Strong foundation and understanding of sensory processing disorders, regulation and modulation required.

Sign on BONUS for full time hires

Soaring Eagle Academy a not for profit, ISBE approved therapeutic day school in Lombard IL serving students ages 5 through 22 years old, faced with the challenges of Autism, is seeking 2 full time LICENSED OCCUPATIONAL THERAPISTS starting immediately, for our 1) Intermediate (4th-8th Grade Classrooms) position and 2) High School (14-18 year old classrooms) position with a caseload typically up to 20 students, joining our growing staff and student body, teaching in person 5 full days.

The Academy was founded by three Speech Language Pathologists with an accumulation of over 80 years serving children and families with Autism and other related disorders, and a passion to showcase the amazing capacities of students with Autism to interact, communicate, think and learn. SEA is the only school of its kind to utilize a developmental language approach and developmental thinking implementing principles of DIR Floortime, to understand and support students' social, emotional, language, sensory motor and academic development. This is a unique opportunity to do cutting edge work with fellow therapists, teachers, support staff and 1:1 teacher assistants assigned to each student, who understand developmental language, sensory processing and emotional development and how they impact children with autism. We believe that the "behaviors" others see as impacting education for these students are a result of their lack of comprehension and challenges to process sensory and social/emotional information from their environment and communication partners. With our appropriate interpretation of their intentions, our language-based strategies and emotional and sensory supports- our students are soaring. Join our team! Our Occupational Therapist have a central role in the support of our students. For more information, please visit our website at

QUALIFICATIONS:
Licensed by the Department of Financial and Professional Regulation.
Experience/ interest working with children, and their families, of various age and developmental levels with Autism Spectrum Disorder.
Strong foundation and understanding of sensory processing disorder, regulation and modulation is required.
Interactive style that is playful, affectual and engaging.
Willingness to gain knowledge and participate in direct coaching/training in DIR Floortime and developmental language methodology and its effects on sensory processing, regulation and modulation.

ESSENTIAL FUNCTIONS:
Evaluate, plan and implement Occupational Therapy services according to DIR and Developmental Language model methodology and practices.

Develop treatment plans and visual supports for each push in therapy and group session keeping a therapy log to document services, student performance, and data collection.
Provide individual or group intervention as needed.
Collaborate with interdisciplinary team members and parents to maximize services and support to each student.

Provide direction, instruction and coaching to staff in the classroom environment to support Occupational Therapy plan and goals.

Lead the development of student's Individual Regulatory Support Plan (behavior plan) in conjunction with student's team including SLP, MH, student's Teacher, DIR Specialist, and school nurse.

Provide direction, instruction and coaching to staff and parents, during his/her direct work with students, in the school environment to support "the just right level" of work jobs and recreational activities. Supporting the staff and parents understanding of the students' individual differences in work and recreational options.

Plan for and lead daily occupational therapy group sessions, which may also include recess, yoga, cooking, etc.

Collaborate with the team and families to create thorough and individualized Transition plans for annual IEP meetings.

Acknowledge and reflect on each student's feelings and behavior in a caring and respectful manner.

Assist and facilitate student directed play, interaction, and classroom work to sustain interactions, problem solving and learning.

Engage in and support physical activities initiated by students including but not limited to, jumping, climbing, rolling, sitting/lying on the floor, swinging.

Act and respond to each student's behavior according to the strategies developed in the student's Individual Regulatory Support Plan and Safety Plan.

Support appropriate educational curriculum in accordance with Illinois Common Core Learning Standards.

Assist in developing and maintaining Individual Education Plan goals and collecting progress, monitoring data to report student progress quarterly.

Participate supporting students during the lunch period.

Participate in arrival and departure of students
Ability to modulate and demonstrate affect appropriate to the situation to facilitate learning.
Ability to wear a facemask when required in the school building, even when social distance is maintained, except while drinking or eating.
Ability to bend, kneel, sit (on a chair or the floor) and stand moving easily and quickly from kneel to stand, sit to stand and stand to walk positions.
Ability to walk up to a mile in distance.
Ability to lift up to 50 pounds easily with no assistance from others.
Ability to engage in and support physical activities initiated by students including but not limited to, jumping, running, climbing, rolling, sitting/lying on the floor, swinging.
Ability to act and respond to a student's dysregulation/behavior/combative and aggressive actions according to the strategies developed in the student's Individualized Regulatory Support Plan, Safety Plan and SEA non-violent crisis intervention policy and procedures.
Ability to quickly move away from and avoid combative/aggressive actions or behaviors of students.
Ability to physically follow in close proximity and support students when he/she flees (runs) from an activity, an interaction or the learning environment.
Ability to physically support students on indoor/outdoor therapeutic equipment.

Ability to physically manage occupational therapy equipment including but not limited to, setting up/taking down therapeutic swings, climbing ladders and foam stairs, etc.
Acknowledge and reflect on student's feelings and behavior in a caring and respectful manner.

TERMS OF EMPLOYMENT: Immediate (Students are in attendance for 220 school days, 181 regular days and 39 summer session days). FULL TIME - Work a salaried regular full-time position with typical on-site hours Monday through Friday 8:00 to 3:00pm. While the work schedule is typically 8:00 to 3:00pm, as a salaried employee, you will be expected to report to work sufficiently in advance of the start of the school day and to remain after the end of the school day, so that student needs may be met and preparations for the next day can be made. Therefore, expected on site hours may vary depending on necessary prep and paperwork both before and after school. Work a total of 222 days, 44.8 weeks per year since there are 6 weeks of non-student attendance paid vacation breaks (2-week winter break, spring break, 2 week summer break and one week break before the new school year) and holidays with salary based on these hours, weeks of service and experience. Full-time staff employed 52 weeks of the year with 6 paid weeks off for non-student attendance.
BENEFITS : Eligible for medical and ancillary benefits for this full-time position. Benefits can include BCBS medical, with SEA contributing a portion of the total cost, employee funded dental and vision insurance benefits. Short-term, long-term disability insurance and a life insurance benefit are offered at no cost. 12 paid sick and personal days to be utilized by employee . click apply for full job details

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