Pediatric Occupational Therapist

About Faith Reins

Faith Reins brings pediatric therapy, counseling, family support, and purposeful equine experiences together to help children and families thrive. Guided by faith, our mission is to expand access to exceptional care that nurtures physical, mental, and emotional well-being. Our pediatric programs serve children from birth through age 18, with families involved as partners in care.

We are seeking an experienced Pediatric Occupational Therapist with demonstrated expertise in handwriting development, sensory processing, pediatric feeding and oral motor skills, fine motor and visual motor skills, and functional independence.

The opportunity

Help children develop the skills needed to participate more confidently in play, learning, self-care, feeding, and family routines.

The ideal clinician brings substantial pediatric experience and can identify the developmental, sensory, motor, and environmental factors affecting a child’s participation. You will translate assessment findings into practical treatment goals and partner with caregivers to support progress beyond the therapy session.

This opportunity serves patients from birth through age 18. The caseload is exclusively pediatric.

Required qualifications

• Minimum five years of relevant pediatric clinical experience as an Occupational Therapist, excluding student fieldwork.
• Current, active, unrestricted Arkansas Occupational Therapy license, maintained throughout the contract.
• Degree in occupational therapy from an accredited program, or board-recognized equivalent, meeting Arkansas licensure requirements.
• Current National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) certification as an Occupational Therapist Registered (OTR).
• Demonstrated experience assessing handwriting difficulties and implementing a structured handwriting curriculum, such as Handwriting Without Tears or a comparable program.
• Demonstrated experience evaluating sensory processing needs and developing individualized interventions tied to functional participation.
• Demonstrated pediatric feeding assessment and intervention experience, including sensory-related feeding difficulties, food selectivity, and mealtime participation.
• Documented training and clinical experience evaluating oral motor function relevant to pediatric feeding.
• Ability to distinguish sensory, motor, developmental, and environmental contributors to feeding difficulties and identify concerns requiring additional evaluation.
• Ability to collaborate with the SLP and other providers to establish coordinated feeding goals and caregiver recommendations.
• Training and clinical experience in pediatric developmental assessment, including primitive reflex patterns such as ATNR, and evaluating their relevance to occupational performance.
• Experience assessing and treating fine motor, visual motor, bilateral coordination, and daily living skill difficulties.
• Strong caregiver coaching, treatment planning, electronic documentation, and interdisciplinary collaboration skills.

The five-year minimum applies to relevant pediatric clinical practice overall. Candidates must demonstrate competence in the specific services they will provide.

Experience limited to adult rehabilitation, geriatric care, or adult orthopedic practice does not satisfy this role’s pediatric experience requirements.

Clinical responsibilities

Handwriting and fine motor development

• Evaluate prewriting and handwriting skills, functional grasp, dexterity, visual motor integration, bilateral hand use, and positioning during writing tasks.
• Develop individualized handwriting plans using a structured curriculum and direct practice appropriate to the child’s developmental level.
• Address letter formation, sizing, spacing, alignment, legibility, writing fluency, and endurance as clinically indicated.
• Establish measurable goals and track progress through writing samples, appropriate assessments, and functional performance.
• Recommend adaptations, writing tools, or alternative access methods when needed.

Sensory processing, feeding, and oral motor skills

• Assess and document sensory processing needs affecting self-care, play, learning, feeding, and participation in daily routines.
• Evaluate pediatric feeding through caregiver interviews, relevant history, clinical observation, and appropriate assessment methods.
• Assess oral motor skills relevant to feeding, including lip, tongue, and jaw function and coordination, within demonstrated competence.
• Address food selectivity, sensory responses to food, oral motor feeding difficulties, positioning, utensil use, and mealtime routines as clinically indicated.
• Develop individualized interventions that support functional feeding skills and participation in family meals.
• Use approaches such as Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention when supported by documented training, clinical findings, and the child’s treatment goals.
• Coach caregivers on individualized strategies that support feeding progress and carryover at home.
• Coordinate with the SLP, pediatrician, dietitian, and other providers when indicated, including referrals for swallowing safety concerns or needs outside the clinician’s competence.

Developmental assessment and ATNR

• Evaluate developmental motor patterns, postural control, coordination, and primitive reflex responses—including ATNR—when clinically indicated.
• Distinguish developmentally expected responses from findings relevant to functional difficulties.
• Interpret reflex findings within a comprehensive evaluation and connect any related intervention to measurable goals such as handwriting, dressing, bilateral hand use, or play.

Early development and daily living skills

• Assess age-appropriate play, hand use, adaptive skills, and participation in daily routines.
• Provide developmentally appropriate intervention supporting dressing, grooming, toileting routines, utensil use, and other self-care activities.
• Partner with caregivers of infants and young children to support developmental skills through everyday activities.
• Recommend adaptive equipment and environmental modifications within demonstrated competence.

Care coordination and documentation

• Develop individualized, measurable plans of care based on assessment findings and family priorities.
• Monitor outcomes, complete reassessments, and adjust treatment or discharge recommendations based on clinical findings.
• Collaborate with the clinical director, SLPs, PTs, referring providers, and school teams when appropriate and authorized.
• Complete timely evaluations, treatment notes, progress reports, and discharge summaries supporting medical necessity and accurate billing.
• Coordinate required referrals, prescriptions, and authorizations with clinic staff.
• Recommend consultation or referral for needs outside your current competence or the clinic’s available services.

Preferred areas of expertise

• Formal training or certification in Handwriting Without Tears or a comparable handwriting program.
• Advanced education in pediatric sensory processing assessment and intervention.
• Completion of Beckman Oral Motor Assessment and Intervention training, or comparable documented pediatric oral motor assessment and intervention training.
• Advanced continuing education in pediatric feeding, sensory-related feeding challenges, and caregiver coaching.
• Additional training in pediatric neurodevelopmental assessment, including primitive reflex assessment and its functional application.
• Early intervention and caregiver coaching.
• Experience supporting children with autism, developmental delays, and coordination difficulties.
• Adaptive equipment, keyboarding, and assistive technology supporting school and daily living participation.

Candidates should identify their strongest clinical areas, specific handwriting programs used, relevant sensory and developmental training, pediatric feeding and oral motor experience, and any services outside their current competence.

Contractor requirements

• Maintain professional liability insurance meeting the contractor agreement’s requirements.
• Maintain current healthcare provider CPR/BLS certification that includes infant and child CPR.
• Complete applicable background, child maltreatment, and payer exclusion screening.
• Maintain an individual National Provider Identifier (NPI) and complete required payer enrollment or credentialing before providing covered services.
• Maintain patient confidentiality and comply with applicable professional, clinical, privacy, safety, and payer requirements.

Compensation, service availability, scope of services, and start date will be established by mutual agreement and documented in the independent contractor agreement.

Application materials

Please provide:

• A current resume highlighting relevant pediatric experience.
• Arkansas license number and current NBCOT certification.
• A brief summary of your recent pediatric caseload and primary treatment areas.
• Details of handwriting curricula used and relevant sensory processing, developmental assessment, and ATNR training.
• Details of your pediatric feeding and oral motor experience, relevant training—including Beckman coursework where applicable—and the ages and feeding needs you are competent to assess and treat.
• Your anticipated service availability.