It’s true not everyone understands how much occupational therapy practitioners help our society. It’s also true that people underestimate the assistance and support occupational therapists and their occupational therapy assistant (OTA) teammates give to children and youth. Those choosing an occupational therapy assistant degree are choosing to make a difference in the lives of young people every day.
An occupational therapy assistant has a unique combination of technical knowledge and people skills. An OTA’s ability to be an encourager, a coach, and a trusted partner, contributes mightily to a client’s ability to achieve the life goals he or she wants to achieve.
Here are the six occupational therapy practice areas in which OTAs bring help and hope:
All six areas are essential for physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Addressing the needs of children and youth, however, offers tremendous benefits. Early use of occupational therapy methods and tactics can enhance self-esteem and sense of accomplishment, according to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA),
OTAs, which often help the occupational therapist assess a client’s needs, do the day-to-day work necessary to carry out the therapist’s treatment plan. OTAs can find themselves helping children and youth facing an amazingly wide number of conditions:
Some examples of the impact an occupational therapy assistant can have in a young person’s life:
School Settings
OTAs make learning appropriate for age and abilities, encourage appropriate behavior, and find adaptive methods for participation in school-centered activities and routines.
Injury Situations
OTAs help children recover from injuries or surgeries. OTAs might devise play-like activities that increase strength balance or improve coordination.
Cognitive Difficulties
An OTA can introduce adaptive skills, equipment, and techniques to improve thinking and decision-making.
Emotional/Behavioral Challenges
An OTA can teach ways to
For more detail about what an OTA does, check out this blog. You’ve already seen the good an OTA does, so you might be curious to know if becoming an OTA makes for a great career.
The OTA pay scale is high, especially for a two-year college degree. Salary.com puts the average OTA yearly salary at $55-58,000 for 2021. OTA employment is projected to grow at least 30% from 2020 to 2030.
Cleveland University-Kansas City (CUKC), a nonprofit, private, healthcare-focused university in Kansas City, offers an Associate of Applied Science (A.A.S.) in Occupational Therapy Assistant degree.
The CUKC degree, which students complete in as few as two years, includes 16 core courses and provides AOTA-approved fieldwork experiences. The CUKC program meets the AOTA standards and trains students to become Certified Occupational Therapy Assistants (COTA).
Features of the CUKC program:
Learn more about an occupational therapy assistant degree and career options today. Download your copy of our new ebook resource: Your Complete Guide to an Occupational Therapy Assistant Career.