My Background: Bob Thompson, MSE, NBCOT, OTR
I joined the School Distict of the Menomonie Area (SDMA) as a staff occupational therapist in 1992. Prior to that I was contracted into Boyceville School District from 1989 to 1992. Previous experiences to school-based occupational therapy services have included: Faculty O.T. postition at UW-Stout in The Center for Rehabilitation Technology; clinical therapist for MedRehab at the Dunn County Health Care Center, providing occupational therapy interventions for home health, skilled nursing rehab, and programming for the developmentally disabled; and clinical therapist at Eastern Maine Medical Center in Bangor, Maine, providing skilled nursing rehab, inpatient acute rehab, outpatient rehab, and pediatrics occupational therapy intervention. I was raised on a 400 acre dairy farm near Hollandale, Wisconsin. I attended UW-Madison, graduating with my Bachelor's Degree in Occupational Therapy in 1980. I received my Master's Degree in Education from UW-Stout in 1996. My specialty areas include developmental hand therapy, school-based assistive technology, and functional-based approaches to occupational performance needs in a school setting. I have chaired the SDMA Assistive Technology Committee, am a member of the SDMA Autism Team, and am the PK-12 Special Education Representative to the District's Student Achievement Council. I am also on the Northwest Region Wisconsin Assistive Technology Leadership Council. Additional leadership roles in SDMA include WCEA-Menomonie Education Association Co-President and WCEA-Menomonie Education Association Representative to the SDMA Health/Medical Insurance Commmittee overseeing the Menomonie District Self-funded Health Insurance Plan.
I currently serve the Middle School; High School; and Wakanda, Oaklawn, Downsville, and Knapp Elementary Schools. With Early Childhood Special Education Pre-school Options, sites of occupational therapy intervention also include pre-schools and 4K sites in the Menomonie community.
I am married and have 2 adult children (daughter and son) and 2 adult stepchildren (son and daughter) and 1 step granddaughter. My interests include: reading, cooking, gardening, simplicity, biking, walking, and photography.
Certifications for occupational therapy practice include:
Department of Public Instruction (DPI)
National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT)
State of Wisconsin Department of Regulation and Licensing
Memberships for occupational therapy practice include:
The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA)
The Wisconsin Occupational Therapy Association (WOTA)
AOTA School-Based Practice Special Interest Section
AOTA Sensory Integration Special Interest Section
AOTA Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Section
Additional Professional Memberships include:
National Education Association (NEA)
Wisconsin Education Association (WEAC)
West Central Education Association (WCEA)