Occupational Therapy is a health care designed to treat an individual’s disability and difficulty to improve their performance in their daily life activities. The term occupation does not only refer to the job of an individual but refers to what they do in their everyday lives, which is why any individual, regardless of age, may benefit from occupational therapy. Occupation is everything people do to occupy themselves, which includes work, leisure, and self care (CAOT). An occupational therapy program aims to improve the individual’s performance and engagement because of their physical, sensory, or cognitive disabilities. Because occupational therapy has a wide range of people who may benefit from this treatment, this paper is focused on pediatric …show more content…
There are different types treatments for different types of cases. Rehabilitation is another form of treatment to help clients regain or enhance their daily lives. Acute care is a specialist intervention for various health conditions that focus on the physical needs of the patient. Injury management determines the functional requirements of a patient in order for them to return to work. Mental health care is designed to enhance a client’s independence by strengthening their confidence and self esteem as well as overcoming their mental issues …show more content…
Occupational therapist do not just work with the patient to help them overcome their disability to perform the appropriate way in their occupations, but need the full support of the family and environment of the patient. They work with children to help them achieve their developmental milestones as well as their parents and surrounding adults to facilitate to the child’s learning and development. The most crucial part of the child’s rehabilitation is the family’s support and involvement because even when the best program is provided, if there is no cooperation with the family, there will be no progress (Lady Suarez). The environment of the child is key because the smallest details in the child’s setting, materials, and community can make a very big difference to their development, which is why occupational therapy in the school system is very beneficial to children who need it. As mentioned earlier, the occupation of a child is to learn and play, which is done in school for a very big part of their childhood. Occupational therapists in school are trained to assess and treat the student’s performance in school, in terms of academics, and behavioral and social
This article discusses the basic understanding of what occupational therapy is and what it the Occupation is defined as “activites of everyday life, names, organized and given meaning by individuals and a culture” (Association, 2006). This article also discusses the historical aspects of occupational therapy. Occupational therapy was founded by many different professionals with different backgrounds, that came together to share the same idea about how occupational therapy should be and the importance of activites for a person. This article also talks about different types of services that occupational therapy offers. Occupational therapists and assistances can work in many different settings.
Defined as a set of phenomena and relationships (Sladyk, 2015), a theory is the foundation of various concepts. Many of today’s inventions, companies, and practices all have one thing in common. They all a theory behind its purpose. A statement or idea of how a particular envisioned concept is supposed to be guided. There a theories about everything imaginable, such as, life on Earth, the Solar System, even religion. However, occupational therapy is no different. The theoretical foundation for occupational therapy comes from sciences like anatomy and physiology, for example (Sladyk, 2015). When working with a client a practitioner will likely use a Frame of Reference model, but to successfully cater to the individual in need
This essay will first introduce the history of the Occupational Therapy profession and the different theories that guide the practises of Occupational Therapists. The essay will then go onto explain certain terms used within the Occupational Therapy profession and how they relate to occupation, health and well-being; as well as the importance of occupation in the occupational therapy profession and how occupation relates to health and well-being.
"Occupational Therapy." KidsHealth. Ed. Wendy Harron. The Nemours Foundation, 01 July 2010. Web. 01 Mar. 2014 .
Occupational therapy made its first appearance in a modern-day setting during the 18th century; however, occupational therapy dates back to 100 BC. The United States medical system adopted occupational therapy in the 19th century. In 1910, occupational therapy became a realized profession. Then, the main focus was working with individuals to get them to a fully functional state. Around 1930, standards of practice were developed for occupational therapists (OT’s). The career continues to evolve and change as new illnesses and disabilities arise. Even with all the changes, the main focus remains intact: helping people.
A., de Rijk, A., Van Hoof, E., & Donceel, P. 2011). The therapist has to assess the patient to see if they have a need for splints or supports which may benefit the patient and then step in to help design the specific assistive devices needed. It is the job of the occupational therapist to come up with plans to overcome the inconvenient limitations while still helping the patient to reduce strain and prevent further damage by teaching them techniques that will conserve their energy. There are a variety of different ways to make daily living much easier. The most crucial part of therapy is assessing the patient's environment. All the people, cultural conditions and physical objects that are around them, create their environment. The behavior and development of people is a direct result of the interaction between them and their surroundings. A patient's behavior is greatly affected when they are mismatched with their environment. A person's environment match is present when the person's level of competence matches the demands of the environment. Full participation by the patient is required to make it practicable. “The science and practice of occupational therapy are well suited to develop, refine, and test approaches to translate therapeutic gains into
When the society think about who OT's work with the first thing that comes to mind are not usually children. From the Disabilities Education Act (IDEA) it is said that seven percent of all patients are children. People may wonder why a child might need an OT. While a child doesn’t have an occupation that adults have but children do have an occupation. That occupation is playing and learning with their fellow peers.
OT was founded in 1917(Barker Schwartz, 2003). Since then, the paradigm has shifted twice, resulting in three different paradigms. Kielhofner (2009) describes the first paradigm as paradigm of occupation that prevailed within occupational therapy from its founding until the 1940s. This paradigm views occupation as an essential part of life and health and focuses on the environment and mind rather than body and impairment. Occupation was seen as a therapeutic tool and a way of achieving dignity for the individual. These values arose due to the influences of social and health care movements of pragmatism, Arts and Crafts movement, and moral...
After completing the chart on AOTA’s Specialized Knowledge and Skills in Technology and Environmental Interventions for Occupational Therapy Practice Position Paper, I was able to identify areas of proficiency and weaknesses. I am competent the areas of intervention and resource coordination and advocacy. I am weak in the areas evaluation and evidence-based practice.
Occupational therapists support individuals to participate in daily occupations that they want and need to do. Occupational therapists view participation in occupations necessary for living healthy and satisfactory life. For children, participation in occupations is also necessary for their growth and development. Children with sensory processing disorder show decreased participation in daily occupations. Occupational therapists use several interventions based on the
Pediatrics is one of the most common practice areas for the Twenty-First Century. Pediatric occupational therapist provide assistance to infants, toddlers, children and youth, and their families. Pediatrics is an important field of Occupational Therapy because psychological, social, and environment factors are an essential part of health care for children. (Harron, n.d.)The goal of a pediatric occupational therapists is to help children participate in Activity Daily Life Activities which is considered to be our occupations. ( Baker, n.d.) Children’s occupations include crawling, reaching for toys, eating a snack, or coloring. ( Baker, n.d.)
Occupation therapy profession helps people do things they want and need to do daily. Someone who evaluates the patients and determine they reach their goals. Occupational therapy helps people that has an illness, and disabilities. Occupational therapy give someone hope again and focus on goals that they can accomplish.
In any medical injury or illness, the effects generated by the condition consist more than adverse side effects that come about. Mental issues may arise due to the lack of awareness presented to patients feelings toward their conditions. When asked about the role of an occupational therapist (OT) in a patient’s wellbeing, Sherry Judd, an OT at the rehabilitation center in the St. Michael Medical Center in Arkansas, says that it “offers a more varied approach to trying to help a person get back to independence. (Treadway). Occupational therapy can be defined as the aid of the restoration and development of cognitive and motor skills for the mentally and physically ill. (“Occupational”). With the use of technological and therapeutic techniques,
The goals of occupational therapy are promoting physical, mental health and well-being of individuals with or without disability ( Burson, Fette, Orentlicher, Precin, Roush & Kannenberg, 2017). However, with medical model has become the primary focus in healthcare, Occupational therapists have declined working in the mental health sectors. In recent years, the AOTA has been promoting Occupational Therapists to return to the root of psychiatry (Ikiugu, Nissen, Bellar, Maassen, & Peursem, 2017), with the increase need of mental health care providers, future occupational therapists may consider working in school setting, and become integrated with school-based mental interventions, providing occupational interventions for the children that are
With almost number of things that occupational therapy and its practitioners to offer it is indeed important that these professionals should not be underutilized in a certain school environment. With things or benefits that they could offer to the children of a certain school-based setting the importance of these professionals is beyond their profession. This study would show readers the benefits of OT practitioners therefore realizing their importance in the school