OTA 120 - Developmental Disabilities 1

1. Discuss how occupational therapy history and occupational therapy theory and the social-political climate influence OT practice in working with children with disabilities.
2. Understand the importance of historical policy changes and how their philosophical bases have and do influence OT practice when working with children.
3. Articulate the purpose of using screening tools, interviews and skilled observation to gather information with other professionals in assessing child’s developmental performance.
4. Generally, understand the different assessment tools and methods of assessment that are used in occupational therapy to evaluate and screen children with disabilities and which help guide therapeutic intervention.
5. Identify when to recommend to the occupational therapist the need for referring clients for additional evaluation.
6. Articulate to customers, potential employers, colleagues, third-party payers, regulatory boards, policy makers, other audiences and the general public both the unique nature of occupation as viewed by the profession of occupational therapy and the value of occupation to support performance, participation, health, and well-being.
7. Identify role and responsibilities of the OT and COTA in the school setting vs. private practice setting in working with children with disabilities.
8. Describe the principle of typical development in children and understand how developmental milestones influence development throughout the human life span.
9. Describe general symptoms and effects of common developmental disabilities and the role of OTA in working with children diagnosed with orthopedic disabilities, movement disorders, genetic disorders, autism spectrum disorders, intellectual disabilities, learning disabilities, and attention deficit disorders; including injuries to physical and mental health and impaired occupational performance of the individual.
10. Develop and understand interventions reflective of functional limitation and impairment of children with a variety of disabilities and which are consistent with models of occupational performance.
11. Describe the importance of identifying skilled activities based on areas of occupation and performance skills which identify functional limitations and impairments and appropriately guide intervention for children with disabilities.
12. Students will provide therapeutic use of occupation in developing therapeutic intervention plans designed to enhance development, safety, and health and wellness through purposeful activities which address areas of client’s occupational needs.
13. Understand and provide treatment considerations which address functional limitations and impairments to promote development, remediation, and compensation for physical, mental, cognitive, perceptual, neuromuscular, behavioral skills and sensory functions to address a wide variety of childhood disabilities.
14. Understand oral motor development, precautions, and techniques used to provide intervention methods/activities which address functional limitations surrounding feeding and eating performance when working with children with disabilities in OT practice.

1. Demonstrate mastery of the occupational therapy foundational content requirements.
2. Conduct and document a screening and evaluation process.
3. Intervene and implement occupational therapy processes.
4. Describe the context of occupational therapy services.
5. Assist in the management of occupational therapy services.

• Critical Thinking - Critical thinking finds expression in all disciplines and everyday life. It is characterized by an ability to reflect upon thinking patterns, including the role of emotions on thoughts, and to rigorously assess the quality of thought through its work products. Critical thinkers routinely evaluate thinking processes and alter them, as necessary, to facilitate an improvement in their thinking and potentially foster certain dispositions or intellectual traits over time.
• Responsibility - Responsibility encompasses those behaviors and dispositions necessary for students to be effective members of a community. This outcome is designed to help students recognize the value of a commitment to those responsibilities which will enable them to work successfully individually and with others.