A self-paced clinical course (SPCC) available through the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) outlines the role of occupational therapy services in early childhood, from birth to age 5. According to the AOTA website, this new SPCC focuses on community-based programs and reveals a journey through occupational therapy with children at the earliest stage of their lives. The “Early Childhood: Occupational Therapy Services for Children Brith to Five SPCC” course is intended to explore the mechanisms behind federal legislation in occupational therapy practice, and how practitioners can articulate and demonstrate the profession’s expertise in transitioning childhood development into occupational engagement in natural environments.

The course will cover a variety of topics, including assistive technology and young children, evaluation, assessment, and outcomes in early childhood, as well as family-centered practice. Learning objectives include the ability to identify how assistive technology is used in early childhood programs, and identify the key principles of family-centered care and how these principles are reflected in the services provided in the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, Head Start, and Early Headstart.

Additional objectives center on identifying the legislative foundations of the four primary early childhood programs authorized by federal legislation; comparing and contrasting the ways in which interdisciplinary, multidisciplinary, and transdisciplinary teams are composed and work; and delineate the ways in which occupational engagement is supported by the interaction of development process. Upon completion, course participants will also be able to state and describe the three anticipated outcomes for each child enrolled in the Infants and Toddlers with Disabilities Program, and differentiate play as means and play as occupation.

For more information and to purchase the course, click here

[Source: AOTA]