Observation Hours
Developmental Therapy Associates welcomes all students who wish to pursue a career in occupational therapy and speech therapy to come and observe our clinics! As we strive to be a teaching clinic, we want to help provide prospective OT or Speech Therapy students with experiences that are evidence based and provided by skilled and specialty trained therapists. Our hope is that you will be able to take these experiences and apply them to any prospective therapy program.
Dress Code:
- We recommend that all individuals who shadow are dressed appropriately in business casual attire (khakis, dark jeans, polos, blouses, sweaters) , or scrub attire (short or long sleeved scrubs and long scrub pants).
Expectations:
There may be times during the day where we do not have a client or that a client may cancel. During these times, students are expected to be as productive as possible with the following:
- Therapy room cleanup
- Game room organization
- Assistance with scanning or copying
- Cutting, laminating and constructing take home materials for clients.
* We are limited to a certain number of shadowing students each month to make sure each person has the most immersive experience possible. Shadowing hours are in increments of 2-8 hours at a time and will be given based on therapist availability. We are not able to guarantee more than 2-4 shadowing days per student and we can provide more hours based on demand and availability.
Developmental Therapy Associates offers undergraduate students a chance to intern with our clinic in order to learn more about Occupational or Speech Therapy as well as fulfilling intern hours for undergraduate courses. Below is some additional information about what to expect during an internship.
General Responsibilities:
- Completing direct observation with occupational and speech therapy direct services and co-treatments.
- Assisting with projects related to therapy services
- Cleaning materials and therapy rooms
- Administrative tasks and organization work around the office.
Dress Code:
- We recommend that all individuals who shadow are dressed appropriately in business casual attire (khakis, dark jeans, polos, blouses, sweaters) , or scrub attire (short or long sleeved scrubs and long scrub pants).
Interview
- Since most internships need between 100-250 hours, it is required that the student completes an interview with the prospective therapist or lead therapist to make sure that the student is the right fit for our clinic.
- To apply for an internship please fill out this form and one of our lead therapists will be in contact with you.
Developmental Therapy Associates Occupational Therapy Fieldwork programs are available for level 1 and Level 2 fieldwork placements. The goals of our programs are as follows:
- Increase understanding of what occupational therapy is in regards to the pediatric population.
- Educate and implement sensory based interventions as a foundation to increase communication, engagement, attention and regulation needed to increase their participation in everyday activities.
- Practice standardized assessments as well as the ability to score and interpret results.
- Provide strong communication skills needed to educate parents and clients to increase home carryover and their child’s progress in therapy.
- Learn how to provide therapy through an interdisciplinary approach and learn how to handle co-treatments in a therapy session.
- Give students the information to prepare them to pass their board certifications and state licensure.
Expectations:
- It is essential for our students to be versed in pediatric developmental milestones from infant to teenage years.
- Have a basic understanding of sensory processing and sensory integration.
- Strong desire to work with children as well as working with a interdisciplinary team
- Understanding of our most common diagnosis (ADD, ADHD, ASD, Developmental Delay, Anxiety, ODD, Down Syndrome)
Interview
- Because of the sensory specialization, behavioral management and the specific niche that the majority of our caseload entails, it is required that potential OT Fieldwork and Full-Time Speech Therapy Graduate Internships students complete an interview before offering a position at our clinic.
- All students interested in participating in our Fieldwork Program should contact their school advisor to coordinate the affiliation agreement and reservation process.
- School Coordinators inquiring about information for fieldwork placements should reach out to our fieldwork coordinator for occupational therapy at …… and for Speech Therapy Graduate Internships at …..
Developmental Therapy Associates graduate level internships are available through University programs. The goals of our program are as follows:
- Increase understanding of speech-language therapy is in regards to the pediatric population.
- Educate and implement a variety of treatment approaches to target a variety of speech and language disorders (e.g., Autism, expressive-receptive language, articulation, apraxia, fluency, AAC, feeding, literacy, etc.)
- Complete initial evaluations and reassessments using standardized testing, including the ability to score and interpret results.
- Provide strong communication skills needed to educate parents and clients to increase home carryover and their child’s progress in therapy.
- Learn how to provide therapy through an interdisciplinary approach and learn how to handle co-treatments in a therapy session.
- Give students the information to prepare them to pass their board certifications and state licensure.
Expectations:
- Demonstrate an understanding of pediatric developmental milestones from infant to teenage years.
- Strong desire to work with children as well as working with a interdisciplinary team.
- Understanding of our most common diagnosis (language, articulation, fluency, feeding, AAC, Autism, and literacy).
Interview
- Because of the sensory specialization and behavioral management focus at DTA, it is required that potential OT Fieldwork and Speech Therapy Graduate Internship students complete an interview before finalizing a placement.
- All students interested in participating in our Fieldwork Program should contact their school advisor to coordinate the affiliation agreement and reservation process.
- All students interested in participating in our Fieldwork Program should contact their school advisor to coordinate the affiliation agreement and reservation process.