RE: OT & PT

[Guest guest]

Thank you for all of this. It really helps me a lot. It turns out I had an assistant who did his evaluation. My original time slot was changed that morning-they called me and asked me to come in an hour later. Somehow things got mixed around and I got the assistant, although the owner said I was not supposed to and was very upset. To me it’s just not worth it to stay. I was off to a bad start and I can’t goback. I am changing clinics, I have already interviewed another clinic and will go in and check it out before I have the DR write the referral. I really had no idea things were like this but now that I understand and know, I’m ready to go out and get thebest for my son. Thanks again! From: sList [mailto:sList ]On Behalf Of cherylSent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 3:13 PMTo: sList Subject: Re: OT & PT All OTs & PTs must have a Florida License. Most OTs have a Master's Degree with a few of the older OTs grandfathered in with a Bachelors Degree. All PTs have a Master's degree and manyhave their doctorates. The educational standards are extremely high. The OTs & PTs do the initial evaluations and can have assistants perform the treatments under their guidance. All assistants must have Florida licensure also. If you have questions orconcerns please bring them to the therapist's attention. Therapists also want input, guidance and teamwork when it comes to working with the child and their families. As you the caregiver know about the child and how they handle school, home, & communitysettings. The therapists go into their prospective fields to help. Many therapists have specializations such as sensory or neurodevelopment. If the therapist is working in a clinic then they either are hired by the clinic or own it. I, as a mother andalso a therapist am aware that sometimes there is not a " good " fit no matter what is attempted and perhaps another therapist has a different approach but I appreciate what was tried. For my child we had many changes in therapists over the years and it takesgood teamwork to have the child be comfortable with learning new skills, new people and new environments. I have met many assistants who are so exceptional that they should be the therapists. Share your concerns with the therapists. Home or clinic therapyis different than what the schools are allowed to do.Good luck.Cheryl To: " 'sList ' " <sList >Sent: Tuesday, November 27, 2012 2:07 PMSubject: OT & PT Good afternoon,I have a question about OT and PT. My son had an evaluation by OT and PT and I just was wondering about education levels to have these positions. In Florida do they have to be licensed?Do they have to have masters or higher? Are clinics allowed to use assistants instead of actual therapists? I would love any insight on this…While I did think my son would benefit from these therapies, I also would like to make sure I’m not being misguidedon what I think he is getting. Because honestly I didn’t feel like I was working with professionals.