Presenter Bios
Jean E. Polichino, MS, OTR, FAOTA, is director of the Therapy Services Division of the Harris County (Texas) Department of Education. She holds a BS in occupational therapy and an MS in health care administration from Texas Woman’s University and has more than 20 years of experience working in special education. Polichino is immediate past chairperson of the School System Special Interest Section for AOTA. She co-authored AOTA’s official statement Occupational Therapy in Early Intervention and School-Based Programs (2004) and was a contributing author for the third edition of AOTA’s Occupational Therapy Services for Children and Youth Under the Individuals With Disabilities Education Act (2007). Polichino is a member of the Texas Education Agency (TEA) Steering Committee for the Texas Continuous Improvement Process and is a representative to TEA’s Comprehensive System of Personnel Development Leadership Council. She served on the Texas Board of Occupational Therapy Examiners from 1995 to 2008 and was presiding officer of that board for nine of those years.
Kathlyn L. Reed, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, MLIS, is associate professor in the School of Occupational Therapy at the Houston campus of Texas Women’s University. She completed her basic education in occupational therapy at the University of Kansas, received a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University, obtained a doctorate in special education from the University of Washington, and was awarded a master’s degree in information and library studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has been active in occupational therapy for more than 40 years as a practitioner, educator, and consultant. Reed has authored several textbooks in occupational therapy and co-authored textbooks in physical therapy and speech–language pathology. She is a fellow of AOTA, presented the Eleanor Clarke Slagle honorary lecture in 1986, and is a recipient of the AOTA Award of Merit. She has served as the Texas representative to the AOTA Representative Assembly and is the chair of the AOTA Ethics Commission. Her interests include tracking assessment instruments developed by occupational therapists, models of practice in occupational therapy, and philosophy and history of the profession.