Why Occupational Therapy?
Occupational Therapists work with people of all ages to
develop the skills they need to meaningfully engage in daily life activities.
Clients participate in therapeutic intervention to build
their physical, cognitive, and emotional abilities.
Occupational therapists support mental health by
considering the person's environment,
their network of support and their family dynamics.
Occupational Therapists focus on strengths
and encourage clients to guide the direction of all interventions.
Clients become empowered as the build
their skills, leading to control and personal success.
"Responsive parenting supports development in all domains, but most notably within Social Emotional Functioning, Executive Function and language. Supportive home learning environments are made up of learning activities and routines that are foundational to child’s later success in school. These are not the only parenting practices that are important. However, the literature on child development suggests they are predictive pillars of school readiness."
Ferretti & Bub, 2014; Ferretti & Bub, 2017; Kitsaras et al., 2018; Muniz, Silver, & Stein, 201; Roskos et al., 2010
Philosophical Base of Occupational Therapy
Association in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy
Copyright © 2017 by the American Occupational Therapy Association.
Occupations are activities that bring meaning to the daily lives of individuals, families, communities, and populations and enable them to participate in society.
All individuals have an innate need and right to engage in meaningful occupations throughout their lives. Participation in these occupations influences their development, health, and well-being across the lifespan.
Thus, participation in meaningful occupations is a determinant of health and leads to adaptation. Occupations occur within diverse social, physical, cultural, personal, temporal, and virtual contexts.
The quality of occupational performance and the experience of each occupation are unique in each situation because of the dynamic relationship among factors intrinsic to the individual, the environment and contexts in which the occupation occurs, and the characteristics of the occupation.
The focus and outcome of occupational therapy are clients’ engagement in meaningful occupations that support their participation in life situations.
Occupational therapy practitioners conceptualize occupations as both a means and an end in therapy. That is, there is therapeutic value in occupational engagement as a change agent, and engagement in occupations is also the ultimate goal of therapy.
Occupational therapy is based on the belief that occupations are fundamental to health promotion and wellness, remediation or restoration, health maintenance, disease and injury prevention, and compensation and adaptation.
The use of occupation to promote individual, family, community, and population health is the core of occupational therapy practice, education, research, and advocacy.
Authors
The Commission on Education Steven Taff, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA, Chairperson (2016–2019) Temor Amin-Arsala
Nancy Carson, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTATina DeAngelis, EdD, OTR/L
Deborah FitzCharles, MSHS, COTALenin C. Grajo, PhD, EdM, OTR
Susan Higgins, OTD, OTR/L,Douglene Jackson, PhD, OTR/L, LMT
Julie McLaughlin Gray, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA Maureen S. Nardella, MS, OTR/L, FAOTA Michele Stoll, BS, COTA, CMT
Neil Harvison, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, AOTA Staff Liaison
Adopted by the Representative Assembly Coordinating Council for the Representative Assembly