Certificate in Occupational Therapy: School-Based Practice Tufts University - Graduate School of Arts and Sciences

The Tufts Department of Occupational Therapy Advanced Professional Certificate in School-based Practice is a no-residency, online certificate designed for working school professionals.

This asynchronous, online certificate is for practicing school therapists with an interest in:

• expanding their knowledge in applicable special education law
• best practices in evaluation and intervention, including systems approach, translation, and application of available evidence to their current practice

participation in an online community of learners

Tufts Occupational Therapy graduate students who are interested in a school-based practice certificate are encouraged to discuss the application process with the certificate coordinator.

The Advanced Professional Certificate in School-based Practice is a series of three courses delivered in an asynchronous online format, over the course of one calendar year, and aims to create a supported professional development opportunity for working school-based therapists. Given reform in special education and civil rights legislation, current guidelines for best practices in the provision of educationally-relevant related services to students with disabilities, as well as school system pressures, including increased accountability for student outcomes, the program prepares participants to become more evidence-based and effective in advancing a systems approach to delivery of services. The certificate will focus on systems considerations, current evidence for evaluation and intervention, research on inter-professional teams and collaboration, self-reflection on personal practice patterns, and action-planning for potential practice change.

• This certificate consists of three courses; this certificate program begins in the January semester.
• Participants will take one course each in the spring, summer 1 session, and fall semesters.

Course Curriculum

Spring semester (January-May): Participants enroll in:

• OTS 284: Therapy in Schools: Best Practices

Summer semester 1 (May-June): Participants enroll in:

• OTS 193 Autism: Working with Children with Autism: Facilitating Social and Educational Participation
  or
• OTS 194 Working with Children with Self-Regulation Issues in Schools

Either course is a prerequisite for OTS 285. Pick only one.

Fall semester (September-December): Participants enroll in:

• OTS 285: Mentored Seminar in School-based Practice