Training Needs of Pediatric Occupational Therapists in Assistive Technology

Abstract

The training of providers working with children who need assistive technology devices or services has not kept pace with the explosion of new, more sophisticated assistive technology devices now available. This article reports on a national survey of 272 pediatric occupational therapists, who responded to questions about their training needs in the area of assistive technology and delivering assistive technology services. A sizable percentage of these therapists reported less-than-adequate training in policies governing assistive technology services and the organization and function of the service system. The therapists would like training that is accessible and affordable in the areas of funding of technology and services; collaborating with families and other service providers; and accessing reliable, knowledgeable vendors. These findings underscore the need to develop pre-service and in-service training in assistive technology for providers who work with children who have disabilities.

Promoting Professional Development for Physical Therapists in Early Intervention

“…The only area that practitioners judged themselves as more competent than confident was in teaming. These findings are consistent with previous research that assessed the self-judgments of a wide variety of pediatric practitioners in key areas of practice (Campbell & Sawyer, 2009;Long & Perry, 2008;Long, Woolverton, Perry, & Thomas, 2007).…”

Assistive Technology Service Delivery in Rural School Districts

“…The results indicated that speech-language pathologists, occupational therapists, and physical therapists were consistent initiators and discussants of AT topics in IEP meetings and were ranked higher than special education teachers in terms of their AT knowledge. Although highly rated, related service personnel do not perceive themselves as experts in AT and reported themselves as less than adequately trained in a national survey of occupational therapists (Long, Woolverton, Perry, & Thomas, 2007). Teachers in rural districts should be able to depend upon these specialists to assist them in consideration and implementation of AT across functional areas.…”

Promoting a standard for assistive technology service delivery

“…In a 2007 study, considering AT training by profession, Long et al [3] found that 68% of surveyed occupational therapists (OT) lacked confidence to conduct an AT evaluation and 79% lacked confidence to select and match AT devices to individual needs. Long and Perry (2008) found similar figures for physical therapists (PT) of 62% and 79% [4].…”