Special Interest Sections
AOTA's Special Interest Sections (SISs) support your practice-specific connections in multiple ways. Connecting with SISs is included in your AOTA membership. When you join or renew, select 1 to 3 sections that relate to your professional interests, and connect with all 9 sections on the CommunOT online forum.
Join an SIS for formal and informal professional learning opportunities
Check out the programs organized by the SISs.
Practice chats
Beginning in 2020, AOTA's SISs began offering these informal opportunities to connect about practice-specific topics. Often featuring special guests and speakers, practice chats are planned and led by SIS volunteers. Check out the events page for information on upcoming practice chats.
Meet the sections
Academic Education SIS
AESIS members are interested in OT education and include fieldwork educators and coordinators, faculty, and students.
Children & Youth SIS
CYSIS members work in programs under Parts B and C of the Individuals with Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) and with infants, preschoolers, children, and adolescents. CYSIS also has a focus on early intervention and school programs.
Developmental Disabilities SIS
DDSIS members help facilitate the inclusion of individuals with developmental disabilities in home, school, work, and community life.
Home & Community Health SIS
HCHSIS members practice in home health, adult day services, senior housing, wellness programs, community mental health centers, home modification, and accessibility consultation.
Mental Health SIS
MHSIS members support individuals, groups, or populations across the lifespan who are at risk for or are currently diagnosed with a mental health challenge.
Productive Aging SIS
PASIS members work with the occupational needs of older adults and relate to the full continuum of care for the aged.
Rehabilitation & Disability SIS
RDSIS members support individuals with physical dysfunction resulting from a wide range of conditions, including hand rehab and driving rehab.
Sensory Integration & Processing SIS
SIPSIS members focus on the neurobiological, sensory, and praxis foundations of occupation and play for individuals with disabilities, across the lifespan.
Work & Industry SIS
WISIS members assist individuals to engage and reengage in work across the lifespan, understanding the relationship of work to human development, motivation, and performance.
SIS volunteerism builds your network
Each SIS provides a broad home for practitioners and students to exchange information about evidence-based practice, legislative issues, and research. The SISs allow you to leverage your common practice setting towards building or re-solidifying your professional networks.
SIS volunteers come from elections, appointments, and micro-volunteering opportunities. SIS volunteers on standing committees or in council roles are elected or appointed into their positions. All other volunteer opportunities within the SISs are categorized as micro-volunteering opportunities.
Let's connect
As a member, you can interact with all 9 SISs on CommunOT. Whether you're interested in networking with peers in your practice area, connecting about cross-setting research, or exploring a new career, CommunOT enables you to maximize your membership.
Meet the SIS Council chairperson
The nine SIS chairpersons hold dual roles—they lead their individual SIS and together, support the overall direction for the SIS program. The Council is chaired by Patricia Laverdure, OTD, OTR/L, BCP, FAOTA, Assistant Professor and Program Director of Occupational Therapy at Old Dominion University, School of Rehabilitation Sciences.
Previously the chairperson for the Children & Youth SIS, Patty has extensive experience and expertise in the field of pediatric clinical practice, client and occupation-focused school therapy, mentorship and clinical practice change, and the development of expert practitioner career trajectories. The SIS Council chairperson is an elected role that begins with a 1-year term as chairperson-elect followed by a 3-year term as chairperson. Patty's chairperson term runs 2020-2023.
Meet the SIS Council
The SIS Council (SISC), informed by each individual SIS and in partnership with AOTA staff, leads the direction of all of the SISs. The SISC is comprised of the 9 SIS chairpersons and is led by the SISC chairperson. In some cases, CoPs may be housed with the SISC instead of a particular SIS.
Patty Laverdure
Bridgett Piernik-Yoder
Jessica J. McHugh
Rondalyn Varney Whitney
Ashley Halle
Carol Lambdin-Pattavina
Julie Ann Nastasi
Katie M. Polo
Aimee Piller
Supriya Sen
Special interest section student internship program
The Special Interest Sections (SISs) student internship provides a venue for students to learn the inner-workings of these hallmark networking groups, better enabling students to become future professional leaders. This is a remote, unpaid internship and no travel is required.
Responsibilities
Student interns will participate in monthly SIS virtual meetings and engage with members of their SIS Standing Committee on various projects. Student interns will also have the opportunity to continue and expand upon the SIS Student Intern Collaborative, focused on building clinical reasoning, advocacy, leadership, and communication skills by interacting and educating one another about occupational therapy’s distinct value in each SIS.
Previous interns have collaborated on articles, created materials and presented during a session at the AOTA Annual Conference & Expo, developed resources for AOTA members, collaborated with the Young Professionals Coordinators, and more.
Who Can Apply
Applicants must be currently enrolled in an occupational therapy or occupational therapy assistant program and must maintain AOTA membership throughout the internship program. They must be students at the time the term begins on July 1, and have at least 1 year remaining in their educational program at that time. Applicants should have a strong desire to be leaders in state or national occupational therapy associations.
How to Apply
Please email your completed application*, résumé, and AOTA membership number to sis@aota.org. The SIS Standing Committees will review applications and select interns based on preferences and established scoring criteria.
*Applications and an application schedule will become available in 2022. For reference, applications are typically due via email in late spring with notifications being made in early-mid June. All terms run from July 1 to June 30.
Questions about the SISs?
Do you have a question about the SISs or are you looking for additional information? Email sis@aota.org.