Senior Occupational Therapist
Overview
Department: OT
Report To: Senior Director, OT
Location: Toronto
Job Type & Duration: Full Time, Temporary 12-month Contract
Salary: $80 000 – $85 000
Start Date: May 2026
About SAAAC Autism Centre
The SAAAC Autism Centre is a Toronto based charity whose mission is to make autism services equitable for all Canadians. The Centre provides culturally responsive autism services targeting culturally and linguistically diverse families. Using a multi-disciplinary approach, our Centre offers a dynamic range of services that support the development of individuals on the autism spectrum at all life stages, along with their caregivers.
Your Role on Our Team
We are seeking a senior, licensed Occupational Therapist for a temporary one-year full-time position. The Occupational Therapist will be part of a collaborative team of allied health professionals and will provide direct services to children on the autism spectrum and their families.
The successful candidate will apply occupational therapy best-practice guidelines, evidence-based treatment approaches, and established practice frameworks during therapy sessions. In addition, the role includes facilitating biweekly mentorship meetings with a junior therapist.
This position emphasizes a strong interdisciplinary approach, including consultation and collaboration with other professionals such as speech-language pathologists, behaviour analysts, educators, and healthcare providers to support coordinated, high-quality care.
Main Responsibilities
Client Assessment and Intervention:
- Provide 1:1 occupational therapy assessment, intervention, and evaluation focused on supporting clients’ participation in meaningful daily activities (e.g., self-care, play, school, and routines).
- Intervention may address social and environmental factors, as well as underlying domains that impact occupational engagement, including sensory processing, fine and gross motor skills, attention, emotional regulation, and cognition, as appropriate.
Consultation and Collaboration:
- All services are provided from the clinic setting; however, the therapist gathers information about and considers the child’s functioning across home, school, and community environments.
- Provide families with practical resources and strategies to implement at home to support skill development and carryover across environments.
- Assess functional challenges and identify supports related to home, school, and community participation through caregiver report, discussion, and available documentation.
- Collaborate with other professionals, including therapists and teachers, to recommend task adaptations, environmental modifications, and adaptive equipment that support participation in meaningful daily activities.
- Identify and connect families to relevant community resources, programs, and support services that promote functional participation.
Administrative and Clinic Responsibilities:
- Complete timely and accurate clinical documentation, including assessment reports, progress notes, and discharge summaries.
- Track client attendance, coordinate and schedule make-up sessions, and manage invoicing and billing using client management software.
Safety and Risk Management:
- Conduct environmental scans to ensure client and staff safety and assist with maintaining and organizing therapy equipment and materials.
Mentorship:
- Provide clinical mentorship in a temporary 1-year capacity, ensuring continuity of clinical oversight, team support, and quality of care within the OT department.
- Facilitate regular (biweekly or monthly) consultation meetings with a team of two junior Occupational Therapists to review caseloads, support clinical reasoning, and provide guidance, case consultation, and collaborative problem-solving to enhance intervention planning and service delivery.
- Complete mid-point and final performance evaluations for a junior Occupational Therapist, contributing to formal performance feedback and professional development planning.
Compliance and Ethical Practice:
- Practice independently in accordance with professional standards and best-practice guidelines.
- Use evidence-based resources and interventions to deliver high-quality, occupation-focused therapy tailored to each client’s needs.
- Ensuring practice aligns with regulatory, ethical, and professional standards (licensure, confidentiality, reporting requirements).
Minimum Qualifications
- Master’s degree in Occupational Therapy.
- Current registration in good standing with the College of Occupational Therapists of Ontario.
- Up-to-date knowledge of evidence-based practices in pediatric and autism-focused neuro-affirming occupational therapy.
- Minimum 3-5 years of experience in pediatrics and autism, with demonstrated ability to practice independently.
- Strong clinical reasoning and assessment skills, including the ability to develop and implement individualized treatment plans.
- Excellent written and verbal communication skills, including collaboration with families and interdisciplinary teams.
- Ability to adapt interventions to meet the needs of clients with diverse personalities and abilities.
- Motivated to apply evidence-based interventions and maintain high-quality, client-centered care.
The SAAAC Autism Centre welcomes and encourages applications from individuals with disabilities. We are committed to providing accommodations upon request to candidates participating in all stages of the selection process. If you require accommodation, please contact Sandrine Theva at
[email protected].
