OTA Students Bring Calmness to the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin's A-Team Annual Walk

Occupational Therapy Assistant (OTA) students from the Wauwatosa Campus were able to put their OT skills to use at the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin’s A-Team Annual Walk. Occupational therapy assistants help individuals in several ways, including assisting those with sensory processing disorders, such as people on the autism spectrum, to learn ways to calm and self-regulate their bodies when they are feeling overwhelmed, anxious, or overstimulated.

A fundraising walk provided a great opportunity for the OTA student volunteers to set up a “Quiet Area” tent for individuals who were feeling overstimulated with the festivities and event crowds. The tent featured alternative seating such as beanbags, bungee chairs, and rocking chairs for guests to chill out in. Student volunteers also worked with the guests by using sensory fidgets and activities to help the guests relax.

Angie Schubert, Med, OTR/L, Academic Fieldwork Coordinator/Instructor, Occupational Therapy Assistant Program, Wauwatosa Campus, said, “We work with many organizations for fieldwork opportunities, which sometimes leads to collaboration on other projects as well. I enjoy being a community liaison for the Autism Society of Southeastern Wisconsin, and the walk was a great way for our students to get hands-on experience with the Autism Walk participants.”

The Fall 2022 cohort of students has increased more than 50 percent over the prior cohort size, which will help enable more community volunteer projects. The Wauwatosa Campus now offers a unique hybrid, blended OTA program that offers students a flexible path to earning their OTA degree in as little as 20 months with an online and on-campus curriculum. This enables students to more easily juggle work, home life, and other obligations while attending school. Students are required to come to the Wauwatosa Campus one weekend per month, per term, while all other coursework can be completed online. The OTA associate degree also features 45 hours of lab work to be completed through a blended online and on-campus curriculum.

Dr. Amanda Maas, MS, OTR/L, CLT, MSEd Cert. Program Director, Occupational Therapy Assistant, said, “Many of Bryant & Stratton College’s Wauwatosa OTA students come from a wide variety of fields. Some have come from within the healthcare industry, but a few had decided to go back to school and truly start over in a brand-new career field. This is an exciting time to get into healthcare, as supported by a recent article in U.S. News & World Report.”

According to U.S. News & World Report, Occupational Therapy Assistant jobs rank number two in its “Best Health Care Support Jobs” list and number 30 in its “100 Best Jobs” rankings.

To learn more about Bryant & Stratton College’s Occupational Therapy Assistant Associate Degree Program, please visit the website.