Job Description

Atlanta Speech School

Occupational Therapist: Learning Hub/Wardlaw School

Start Date: August 2025

The Atlanta Speech School provides an unmatched opportunity to learn from peers and experts in the field. Beyond seeking proficiency, we work to construct a Deep Reading Brain for each child. Deep reading requires learning to make connections between what we read and what we think, feel, and do. Through deep reading, children develop empathy, hone critical thinking, and go on to make the greatest possible difference in the lives of others.

Founded over 85 years ago, the Atlanta Speech School has evolved into four school divisions, clinical programs, and the Rollins Center for Language & Literacy (our professional development program) with Rollins’ free online Cox Campus. Across all of our programs, we are committed to equity and driven to ensure each child can find their voice. We do this through our mission, to help each person develop their full potential through language and literacy, and extend our mission through our vision of literacy and justice for all.

As the educational equivalent of a teaching hospital, we lead change through the extension of our work—what occurs in the classroom for each child at the Atlanta Speech School is extended to every child through our free online learning platform, . Cox Campus’ membership is composed of more than 270,000 educators, leaders, healthcare professionals, and parents representing all fifty states and 100 countries.

The School attracts a staff of the most gifted and committed teaching professionals across all its programs. They apply the research of the nation’s leading brain development and educational experts to achieve transformational language and literacy outcomes for children, not as an end goal but as their starting point in deciding their own future.

Our focus on language and literacy is through constructing the Deep Reading Brain. This means that:

• We believe in connection over compliance. Rather than silencing children, we teach them to listen, think, question, and solve.
• Our staff works together to know and serve each child from within an intentional learning ecosystem that is as joyful as it is rigorous.
• Our practices are grounded in structured literacy and built on the sciences of healthy brain development, language acquisition, and the construction of the Deep Reading Brain. This work is intentionally centered around critical thinking, empathy, problem-solving, and the development of executive functioning.

We are committed to providing an environment in which all our students, families, and staff show up safely as themselves. As stewards of this environment, our responsibility is to ensure that safety extends to everyone, regardless of race/ethnicity, religion, gender, family structure, sexual orientation, and any other aspect of their identity.

The School has never turned away a child needing services based on his or her family’s financial circumstances.

PROGRAM SUMMARIES:

Formerly known as the Clinic, the Learning Hub (the Hub) of the Atlanta Speech School extends our mission to help every child find their voice. We offer comprehensive language, literacy, and occupational therapy services to children across Georgia, both in person and online. At the Speech School, “finding their voice” means ensuring every child has access to everything they need to decide their own future.

The Wardlaw School is dedicated to serving children with average to superior intelligence and mild to moderate language-based learning disabilities, including dyslexia (i.e., reading disability). Children accepted into the Wardlaw School may exhibit underlying auditory and/or language processing problems that make learning difficult in their present educational setting. Our students are between the ages of 5 and 12 years old and are in kindergarten through 6th grade. Wardlaw School students typically have a diagnosis of dyslexia or “red flags” for the disorder. They may also have difficulty understanding and/or using spoken language, expressing themselves through written language, or experiencing mathematical disabilities.

POSITION SUMMARY:

The Hub and Wardlaw School seek to employ a passionate occupational therapist to collaborate with multi-disciplinary educational teams and community professionals to provide consultative and direct services in the classroom and clinic-based intervention for the 2025-2026 school year. The occupational therapist is responsible for delivering a high-quality therapeutic and educational experience for students in Wardlaw classrooms and clients in the OT clinic of The Hub. The position is full-time at 37.5 hours per week, with 11 hours allocated to the Wardlaw School and 26.5 hours a week in the Hub. In addition, the occupational therapist will work for five weeks during the Hub’s summer session.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE JOB (Wardlaw School) :

At Wardlaw, OTs are fully integrated into the school environment and play a vital role in supporting student success across academic, social, and functional domains.

• Provide a minimum of 30 minutes of direct intervention weekly to each assigned classroom.
• Conduct annual informal baseline screenings for all students, and perform more in-depth assessments when needed, at no additional cost to families.
• Collaborate closely with teachers and staff to identify students who may benefit from additional OT support.
• Participate as an essential member of each student’s educational team—contributing to reports, attending parent meetings/conferences, and joining staff communication threads.
• Deliver ongoing consultative services to support listening, learning, and literacy development throughout the year.
• Provide targeted small-group or individual interventions, as needed.
• Offer parent education and follow-up to reinforce strategies beyond the classroom.
• Support the school community by participating in weekly recess duties and engaging with students in diverse settings.

ESSENTIAL RESPONSIBILITIES AND DUTIES OF THE JOB (Learning Hub):

Responsibilities in this role include managing a private outpatient clinic caseload, together with evaluation and intervention services, collaboration with families, professionals, and educators, and electronic documentation.

• Complete diagnostic OT evaluations and screening services for children, covering relevant OT framework domains, with appropriate documentation (i.e., reports)
• Tailor evidence-based intervention to meet measurable goals, with close and ongoing progress monitoring, to facilitate adaptive responses and growth.
• Produce accurate, timely, and precise documentation for treatment plans, goals, and progress notes, while maintaining electronic client files and records.
• Demonstrate excellent oral and written communication skills
• Work collaboratively, as appropriate, with other staff members, families, and outside resources (e.g., checking in with teachers, written communication with parents, providing strategies and home programming, etc.)
• Prepare periodic reports on each client’s progress and status following established policies.
• Participate in additional responsibilities as required, including attendance at staff or committee meetings and educational presentations.
• Serve as a fieldwork educator (or clinical supervisor) with OT interns when assigned.
• Prioritize staying current with information and skills through membership in professional organizations and attendance at appropriate continuing education seminars and conferences.
• Work alongside the Lead OT for off-site consultations and screenings at community schools.

QUALIFICATIONS AND REQUIREMENTS:

A Master’s degree in occupational therapy and a valid Georgia license in occupational therapy are required. Experience in a school setting is desirable, and a background or experience in learning or developmental disabilities is a plus. The Hub and the Wardlaw School are dedicated to ongoing staff development and provide opportunities for individuals to add to their repertoire of skills and methodology. We are looking for professionals who seek to be the best in their field and who enjoy working in a multidisciplinary, collaborative environment. Opportunities are available to present locally and nationally.

• Master’s degree in occupational therapy with specific experience serving a pediatric population
• A current Georgia license and certification with the National Board of Certification in Occupational Therapy
• An understanding of the interaction between language, learning, sensory integration, executive functioning, and neuro-motor development
• A commitment to ongoing professional development and advanced clinical reasoning
• Experience working with children in a group, with individualized goals

TO APPLY: Please submit a resume, cover letter, certification, and sample de-identified diagnostic evaluation to the Director of Human Resources - hr@atlantaspeechschool.org .

SALARY: Salary is commensurate with credentials and experience.

BENEFITS: This full-time school position offers a generous benefit package, including health/dental/life and long-term disability insurance; school-subsidized health insurance premiums for staff and families; a Flexible Spending Account; a 403(b) Plan; accrued sick time; a generous holiday schedule; and cost reduction of some Speech School services.

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