The AOTA Occupational Therapy CEU courses are now available to qualified applicants. These programs are best known for their quality continuing education and the benefits their members can enjoy upon approval. Completing occupational therapy CEU courses can boost your resume and obtain relevant experience that can boost your career.
Strong Education now offers courses to professionals, parents, and other qualified applicants who want to work with the special needs population. If you are interested in this course, read on. Below is an overview of the course’s different levels and how to get up to 10 AOTA CEUs after completion.
Adaptive Special Needs Trainer Certification – Level 1
Level 1 is heavy on training professionals to empower the special needs population and help them live independent and happy lives. In the first level, you will be trained on how to communicate properly with the disabled population. To better understand them, you need to learn about the special needs population’s key terms and definitions. It also tells about a general understanding of the different special needs, the regressions and progressions of the special needs, and proper safety protocols.
Moreover, professionals and service providers are expected to obtain the learning outcomes in preparation for supporting their client’s health and full participation, including the following:
- Create three forms of proper communication that are suitable for the special needs population
- Define five key terms and definition for the special needs population
- Identify and expound behavior-based strategies that are created to improve exercise adherence to a disabled client.
- Learn different safety modification strategies that can be used during adaptive fitness training
- Learn the different movement patterns for ADL
- Demonstrate three adaptive fitness exercise movements
The topics involved in Level 1 can be applied to other conditions such as autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, stroke victims, and non-ambulatory patients. This introductory part teaches you all about behavior analysis, communication, and safety while working with disabled persons. You will undergo the CBSE training model and CBSE mock assessment. Lastly, you need to pass the Adaptive Special Needs Trainer Certification level 1 Test to get certified.
Adaptive Special Needs Trainer Certification – Level 2
Moving forward, the Adaptive Special Needs Trainer Certification is one of the occupational therapy continuing education courses that are worth the investment. Once you completed the first level, you are now ready to learn more complex concepts in working with the special needs population and apply your foundational knowledge from level 1.
In this level, you are expected to already have a general understanding of the different types of special needs, model three forms of communication suitable for the special needs population, define five key terms and definitions for the special needs population, learn three-movement progressions and regressions in ADL movement patterns, learn the five safety modification strategies that should be utilized when training disabled individuals, easily recognize any signs of neurological imbalances and identify three types of exercises that should be implemented, and demonstrate three adaptive fitness exercise movements.
Level 2 is a bit challenging. You will be taught in-depth knowledge about the brain, how it communicates, the parts of a neuron, and the parts of the brain. After this, you will be taught about the relationship between exercising the body and exercising the brain. Knowing how exercise can impact depression, alleviate anxiety, and relieve stress can help you choose the right exercise movements if your client is suffering from a meltdown.
As you aspire to thrive in the adaptive fitness industry, you might encounter some non-verbal clients. This is one of the occupational therapy CEU courses that will teach you how to handle them. It also helps you understand how to connect with them using your words and be empathetic with your special needs clients.
After completing the course, you need to take the Adaptive Special Needs Trainer Certification Level 2 test and pass it before you can get certified.
Adaptive Special Needs Nutrition Coach Course
Special Education also offers the Special Needs Nutrition Coach course. If you are a nutritionist or interested in this aspect, this is one of the most suitable courses to earn CEUs.
At the end of the course, you are expected to gain basic nutrition background, understand nutrition through the lifecycle from birth to adulthood, define key terms for the special needs population, understand the unique nutrition needs within the special needs population, create therapeutic diets, manage multiple dietary needs within a family, and offering counseling techniques to special children and adults.
If you are a professional or a service provider, there are learning outcomes that you must obtain for each activity. It includes modeling three forms of proper communication that are suitable for the special needs population, defining five key terms for the special needs population, identifying three types of behavior-based counseling strategies that can help to improve the nutrition of the special client, identify three types of therapeutic diets for the special needs population, and identify five stages of nutrition for the special needs population.
As mentioned above, you will go through everything you need to learn about nutrition. It is divided into six stages: infancy, the introduction of solids, toddler nutrition, childhood, adolescence, and adulthood. You will also learn the basics of healthy eating, therapeutic diets, and nutrition for special needs, including anthropometrics, autism spectrum disorder, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, spina bifida, and differently-abled. This CEU class will also help you learn different counseling techniques such as feeding therapy, motivational interviewing, SMART goals, limiting changes, using open-ended questions, and the difference between counseling children and adults.
In order to get certified, you must pass the Adaptive Special Needs Nutrition Coach Certification Test. Completing the course will allow you to obtain CEUs afterward. You can jumpstart your career as a nutritionist or dietitian focusing on the special needs population upon getting certified.
Adaptive Special Needs Group Instructor Certification
Another occupational therapy CEU course that you should consider taking is the Adaptive Special Needs Group Instructor Certification. This course is best for professionals and service providers who want to focus on group fitness classes.
In this CEU class, you are expected to model three forms of proper communication for the special needs population, define key terms for the special needs population, identify five key terms and definitions for the special needs population, identify three types of behavior-based strategies that are designed to improve exercise adherence of the special needs population, learn the three-movement progressions and regressions for group fitness classes, and identify five types of equipment that are suitable for group fitness classes.
The course provides an in-depth disability overview. It teaches you about behavior analysis, communication, and safety when training people with down syndrome, autism, cerebral palsy, and stroke victims. It also introduces you to the group class model, including the CBSE training model, group instructor best practices, five stations of adaptive fitness, progression, and regression.
This CEU class requires you to pass the Adaptive Special Needs Group Instructor Certification Test before getting certified. You can use this certification to obtain AOTA CEUs and start training in group fitness classes.
AOTA Continuing Education
AOTA introduced the Self-Paced Clinical Courses (SPCCs) strategically designed for professionals who would like to acquire continuing education but do not have the time to attend conventional classroom instruction. The AOTA SPCCs are created and written by experts, entailing a wide selection of topics and allowing you to learn at your own pace. It offers a flexible schedule, making it more appealing to professionals currently employed and still wanting to earn AOTA CEUs.
Besides that, AOTA online courses are becoming an excellent choice for anyone who wants to study from home or office. There are also continuing education articles that are accessible to members of AOTA.
If you cannot find the course you’d like to take from their offered programs, you can get certified from other organizations such as Special Education and still earn up to ten AOTA CEUs.
How to Choose the Best Continuing Education Course as an Occupational Therapist
As an occupational therapist, it’s crucial that you choose the right course among hundreds of occupational therapy continuing education courses offered by different organizations. CEU costs some money, so make sure that you are investing in the right program.
Here are some factors that can help you narrow down the best occupational therapy CEU courses:
1. Evaluate the course.
The first thing to do is ask yourself, is this one of the occupational therapy CEU courses that will add value to your profession? If you are a newly-graduate, this is one of the best paths to take. Make sure that it’s a course that is of value to your employer or would make your resume look good. The course should help you improve yourself as a therapist in your special treatment and offer you other services to your clients.
2. Determine the population to work with the course.
Most of the occupational therapy courses are designed to work with a specific population. For instance, Strong Education focuses on the special needs population, people with disabilities, and physically and mentally challenged. Ensure that you know what population your CEU will be focusing on and determine if you are passionate about working with the target population. Other populations include the pediatric and geriatric, depending on the course.
3. Ask for advice from a senior occupational therapist.
As an occupational therapist, you need to come face-to-face because you will be dealing with occupational CEU courses in the long run. The more CEUs you earn, the more advantageous it is for your career. Hence, you should consider asking your senior occupational therapist for advice. Ask what they think of the occupational therapy continuing education courses you are considering. Most of them have already gone over their continuing education. They can give you an insight into what courses to choose and help boost your career.
4. Consider your personal interest.
What good are these occupational therapy CEU courses if it does not interest you? You should consider a specific topic or interest to target. If you are passionate about your course, it will be easier to get your CEUs. Occupational therapy is a diverse field that tackles different populations. The opportunities are endless, and the topics are vast. You need to choose what suits you the best.
For starters, you can try browsing the AOTA’s CE WebFind Database. It provides a list of the occupational therapy continuing education courses that you can take. You may also get in touch with Special Education, and one of their representatives will guide you step by step into choosing the right CEU class. As early as not, create a list of the possible courses that you’d like to consider applying to after graduation.
5. Check the organization.
Since the industry is unregulated, any organization can create their own program and certify applicants as they wish. Hence, you must be very wary of choosing the right program for your continuing education. As much as possible, choose an affiliated and highly-recognized program by the national and state organizations. You need to get certified by a program that will help you thrive in your career as an occupational therapist and look good in your resume. If you cannot find any course you want in AOTA and want to try other programs, a little background search won’t hurt. As per recommendation, choose programs that have been established for years and still in operation as it speaks of its integrity and credibility.
Conclusion
Strong Education is one of the few programs that offers occupational therapy CEU courses and will let you earn the AOTA continuing education units you deserve. It’s highly-affordable, easy to understand, and can be completed at your own pace. If you want to thrive in the occupational therapy industry, Strong Education is an excellent program to choose from. Complete the course and watch your career grow.