Occupational Therapy: Developing Skills for the Job of Living

Introduction

Occupational therapy is the only profession that helps people do the things they want and need to do using everyday activities to gain their independence (American Occupational Therapy Association [AOTA], 2021a). Occupational therapy professionals help individuals with an injury, disease, or disability either learn or relearn how to brush their teeth, get dressed, cook a meal, take care of their children, participate in sports or social events, go back to work or school, and participate in a variety of other daily activities. They use the objects that are in the client’s environment to help them regain the ability to function independently and find value and meaning in their lives (AOTA, 2021a).

The recovery phase of an illness, injury, or disability challenges physically, emotionally, and mentally as one attempts to reintegrate into their premorbid lives. Many people find it difficult to adjust to their “new normal” as they suddenly experience significant limitations in performing their basic activities of daily living. Occupational therapy practitioners help people of all ages, from birth to older adults, develop, recover, improve, and maintain the skills they need to live life to its fullest by helping them live better with injury, illness, or disability (AOTA, 2021a).

After reading this chapter, the reader will:

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  Understand the tenets of the occupational therapy profession;

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  Understand how professionals evaluate, plan, and provide treatment, and engage in discharge planning with their patients and the different populations that they work with and treat;

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  Understand the different treatment approaches and practices that they use and their common work environments;

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  Learn about the difference between an occupational therapist and occupational therapy assistant, as well as the educational and licensure requirements for both;

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  Learn about the difference between an occupational therapy professional and a physical therapist;

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  Learn about the job outlook and salaries; and

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  Learn about the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA).

Background

There were several historical events that served as a catalyst for the development of the profession of occupational therapy. In 1917 the United States War Department hired reconstruction aides, civilian women who served in military hospitals, to provide treatment to WWI veterans injured in the war. The primary purpose for occupational therapy at the time was to increase morale, to give the veterans something to do to “occupy” their time using handicrafts, and to engage the veterans in vocational training. Moreover, the 19^th Century was influenced by the Moral Treatment and Arts and Crafts Era that utilized occupations and art and crafts to engage patients, improve self-esteem, prevent degeneration, and increase employability (AOTA, 2017). With the advent of WWII, the demand for Army occupational therapy practitioners increased; hence, 12-month war emergency courses were introduced to fill the need. This led to the inception of the occupational therapy assistant (OTA) in 1944 who was primarily responsible for leisure-based and recreation programs, primarily working in Army hospitals (AOTA, 2017).

In 1917 six individuals founded the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT): a physician, William Rush Dunton (association president), Isobel Newton (secretary and Dunton’s wife), Susan Cox (an arts and crafts teacher), Thomas Kidner (creator of a program to re-engage bedridden soldiers), and Eleanor Clarke Slagle (vice president) who became the director of the first professional school of occupational therapy (AOTA, 2017). In 1923, NSPOT changed its name to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) and started a journal called Occupational Therapy and Rehabilitation (AOTA, 2017).