Pediatric occupational therapists specialize in helping children with learning, behavioral, and cognitive difficulties. They can work as consultants, for educational services companies, as teachers, or for government agencies. To become a pediatric occupational therapist, one must complete a college degree in occupational therapy and additional courses in the specialty area. Some therapists open their own private practice, while others work for schools or social services agencies. Strong problem-solving skills, professionalism, dedication, self-discipline, and interpersonal skills are important for success in this career.
There are four different pediatric occupational therapist jobs: consulting, working for an educational services company, teaching, and working for a government agency. A pediatric occupational therapist is a fully trained occupational therapist who specializes in children with learning, behavioral and cognitive difficulties. All occupational therapists must pass a certification exam to become fully licensed professional therapists.
To become an occupational therapist, you will need to complete a college degree in occupational therapy. Pediatric occupational therapy is a specialist area. Additional courses are needed to focus on this area. Most programs require applicants to have at least five years of experience working in occupational therapy before accepting them into the pediatric specialty program.
A growing number of pediatric occupational therapists open their own private practice. Working as independent consultants, they provide their expertise to schools, government agencies and parents who wish to provide additional assistance to their children. Generally, the therapist is not employed by a specific school, but by a school board. She receives a series of schools in an area and visits each school on a schedule.
There is a wide range of pediatric occupational therapist jobs available from an educational services company. These private organizations offer therapies and support that have not yet gained mainstream support, but have been effective in working with children with specific problems. A growing number of private health insurance policies cover the cost of these therapies, as they can reduce the need for specialist schooling and increase a child’s level of cognitive functioning.
A growing number of pediatric occupational therapist jobs are available for instructors in the local community or career colleges teaching courses for occupational therapy technicians or assistants. To become an instructor, many professionals complete an adult education certificate program. Learning the most effective way to teach adults can be a huge help when making this career transition.
Many government agencies related to social services hire pediatric occupational therapists. They are typically responsible for assessing clients, creating a treatment program, and working with the social worker and other health care team members to address that child’s needs. Many governments have adopted a “preemptive” approach to social services, where they are willing to invest additional resources when the client is young, in hopes of lowering total support costs over their lifetime.
People who report greater job satisfaction as pediatric occupational therapists enjoy solving problems and working independently. Professionalism, dedication and self-discipline are very important in this career. Interpersonal skills and the ability to communicate clearly with an audience with a wide variety of educational backgrounds are very important in this role.
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