More than any other leadership skill, an occupational therapist must be able to empathize with her students. Developmentally challenged students encounter frustrations that the therapist must help them overcome as she keeps them focused on learning. OT graduates will assist their students' development of self-regulation and the ability to focus on individual tasks.
The occupational therapist must posses superior communication skills because she spends most of her time connecting with the child. The occupational therapist uses her skills to communicate lessons in a way that the child understands. At the other end of the educational spectrum, the occupational therapist works with educators, parents and administrators to communicate the child's needs, progress and future growth challenges.
Facilitating collaborative mediation between the student, teacher, administration and parents is a skill required for the successful OT graduate. Because the occupational therapist works closely with cognitively and developmentally challenged children, the occupational therapist may understand the children better than anyone else in the educational environment. The occupational therapist's challenge is to connect the dots between the standard educational process, the classroom educator and the student's parents in order to facilitate adaptive learning.
Standardized tests are used to evaluate every child's progress. Yet the CI student is often unable to complete a standardized test. The responsibility falls on the occupational therapist to creatively translate standardized evaluations and assessments into a format that will accurately measure the CI student's growth. Regardless of the student's abilities, this data is needed to interpret and create programs that meet students' individual needs.