Beaufort occupational therapist chosen for national leadership program

Beaufort Memorial Hospital occupational therapist Jesse Ausec was chosen by the American Occupational Therapy Association to participate in the organization’s Emerging Leaders Development Program.

The AOTA training program will kick off this month with a two-day leadership institute at the association’s headquarters in Bethesda, Md. During the one-year program, candidates will be paired with a mentor and participate in service-learning activities.

Ausec, a registered occupational therapist with Beaufort Memorial’s HealthLink for Children, also was recently approved by the Institutional Review Board to participate in a national research study working to develop a new pediatric clinical assessment tool.

The study’s aim is to create a set of valid and reliable tests of sensory and motor functions in children ages 3 to 12. Although there are currently tests available that measure these abilities in children, they are expensive and time consuming. As a result, many children who have learning and attention issues are not evaluated fully.

The Evaluation in Ayres Sensory Integration assessment tool will be free and available to trained professionals to evaluate children anywhere in the world.

This story was originally published August 4, 2016 at 3:28 PM with the headline "Beaufort occupational therapist chosen for national leadership program."