At TherapyWorks, we “work wonders in children’s lives” with physical therapy, speech therapy and occupational therapy, along with diet and nutrition therapy. And while most people know about physical therapy and speech therapy and nutrition, a lot of people aren’t quite sure what occupational therapy is.
So, just what is Occupational Therapy???
Occupation can be defined as the way we occupy our time. It includes the daily activities of:
Self-Care: sleeping, eating, grooming, dressing, and toileting
Leisure: free, unoccupied time where you choose to do something enjoyable (i.e., hobby, tv, sports, socializing, read, listen to music, travel, etc.)
Occupation is how we spend our time; whether paid or unpaid, restful or fun, obligation or choice. It is that which fulfills us, gives us purpose, and allows us to interact with, be productive, and function in the world around us to the best of our ability.
If, at any point in our lives from birth to old age, an injury or disability prevents us from effectively or independently functioning in one or more “occupational” areas, then it is the job of the Occupational Therapist to provide treatment. OT helps you learn or regain function, maintain skills, or make accommodations for deficits you may experience. In other words, so that you may live life to the fullest!
Since many people have never heard of OT, they think it is a relatively new profession. Actually it began in the late 1700’s but was not formally named occupational therapy until 1917. In the 1700’s the mentally ill were locked away in insane asylums and treated like prisoners. Phillipe Pinel, a French physician, and William Tuke, an English Quaker, started to challenge this treatment and developed new beliefs about how to improve the lives of the mentally ill. Phillipe Pinel began what he called “Moral Treatment and Occupation”, defining occupation as “man’s goal-directed use of time, energy, interests and attention”. He advocated for treatment based on purposeful daily activities. He used literature, music, physical exercise, and work as a way to “heal” emotional stress and improve the patient’s ability to perform activities of daily living (ADL’s).Tuke’s basic premise, called “moral treatment” was based on the principles of “consideration and kindness”. Tuke felt occupations, religion and purposeful activities should be used to improve function and minimize the symptoms of mental illness. He encouraged patients to participate in a variety of employment or “amusements” (leisure activities) that they enjoyed.
These ideas spread to the US and from 1840-60 many American hospitals began to use these new treatments. Arts and crafts activities were used for both relaxation and feelings of being productive. Many of these concepts were nearly lost during the upheaval of the Civil War. In the late 1890’s, nurse Susan Tracy successfully brought back the use of “occupation” with the mentally ill. She began to specialize in this field and started educating student nurses on the therapeutic use of activities as part of treatment. Tracy coined the term “Occupational Nurse” and called the training “occupation work”.
On March 15, 1917 Susan Tracy, Eleanor Clark Slagle of Johns Hopkins Psychiatric Clinic and 5 others formed the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT), which was later changed to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The founders were dedicated to building a role for occupational therapy in the health care community that incorporated treating mind, body and spirit.
During and after World War I over 5,000 reconstruction aides were hired to provide occupational therapy to the war’s wounded. In the 1920-30’s training programs were established at universities and OT expanded to include health care and hospital based medical treatment. Thousands of returning soldiers with physical injuries and mental problems from WWII, Korea and Vietnam received occupational therapy as part of the “Rehabilitation Movement”. During the 1950-60”s the practice of OT expanded and therapists specialized, providing treatment for the mentally ill in institutions, physically disabled adults and children with cerebral palsy and developmental disabilities. Medicare covered OT services starting in 1965 and in 1975 The Education of the Handicapped Act was passed and Occupational Therapy was included in the public schools as a “Related Service”.
Today Occupational Therapists continue to use purposeful activities. Children occupy their time in play, learning and have a wide choice of “leisure” activities. By creating fun challenges and involving children in functional activities, arts and crafts, OTs help children gain strength, learn to problem solve, become more independent in their own care (dressing, bathing, chores), gain confidence and skills for social interactions, become more independent and ready to learn new skills and handle the challenges of the world they live in.
Suzette Werner Jones, OTR/L
President ,TherapyWorks, Inc.
Information from AOTA, Eleanor Clark Slagle lectures, Sensory Processing Disorder Website