Occupational Therapy

Occupational therapy is a healthcare branch that assists people of all ages with physical, sensory, or cognitive problems. It involves the use of assessment and intervention to develop, restore or maintain skills in meaningful activities, or occupations, for individuals, groups, or communities to improve their independence in daily activities.

Targeted population:

These services are provided to clients who have or are at risk of developing a disease, injury, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation or restriction. The Occupational Therapist may work with a wide range of impairments including:

Physical and neurological conditions:
– Stroke

– Cerebral palsy

– Multiple sclerosis

– Traumatic brain injury

– Dementia and Alzheimer’s disease

– Parkinson’s disease

Neurodevelopmental conditions:

– Autism Spectrum Disorder

– Developmental delay

– Learning Disabilities

– Mental Retardation

– ADD/ADHD

– Down Syndrome

– Sensory Processing Disorder

Psychological and behavioral disorders:

– Depression

– OCD

– Bipolar

– Mental Health

– Chronic illness and pain management

Interventions:

Occupational therapy practitioner uses clinical reasoning and professional judgment to assess, analyze and diagnose occupational challenges and provides occupation-based interventions to resolve them.

Occupational therapy services include enabling, rehabilitating, as well as promoting physical and mental health and well-being for clients with needs related to all ability levels.

Occupational therapy practices include the following:

1. Assessment of factors affecting activities of daily living (ADLs), instrumental activities of daily living (IADLs), health management, rest and sleep, education, work, play, leisure, and social participation, including:

– Context (environmental and personal factors), work and activity demand that affect performance.

– Performance skills, including motor skills (e.g., moving themselves or moving and interacting with objects), process skills (e.g., actions related to selecting, interacting with, and using tangible task objects), and social interaction skills (e.g., using verbal and nonverbal skills to communicate).

– Client factors, including body functions: fine and gross motor skills (balance, motor planning, and writing), visual and cognitive skills (attention, memory, problem solving, executive function, sensory skills), body structures (e.g., cardiovascular, digestive, nervous, integumentary, and genitourinary systems; movement-related structures), values, beliefs, and spirituality.

2. Establishment, remediation, or restoration of a skill or ability that has not yet been developed, or is impaired or in decline.

3. Compensation, modification, or adjustment of occupations, activities, and settings to improve or enhance performance (home management, community/vocational integration, school activities, and work performance).

4. Assessment, design, construction, application, fitting and training in seating and positioning, assistive technology, adaptive devices and orthotics, and training in the use of prosthetics.

5. Assessment, recommendation, and training in functional mobility, enhancement techniques, including the adaptation and management of wheelchairs and other mobility devices.

Occupational Therapy