Occupational Therapy Defined

Welcome to whatsoccupationaltherapy.blogspot.com! This website is designed to offer you information about what occupational therapists do and the settings they work in. Above are tabs that explain the major areas OTs work in. Click on whatever area you are interested in and read up on what OTs do. If you have more questions and would like to get specific questions answered please comment on this post and we will have experts in the field answer your questions. Thanks for visiting!

5 Common Misconceptions about Occupational Therapy:
(The following 5 statements are false, but often believed by many who are unfamiliar
with occupational therapist's scope of practice.)
1. Occupational therapists’ main role is to help people find jobs.
2. Occupational therapy is basically the same as physical therapy.
3. Occupational therapists just deal with the upper body and hands.
4. Occupational therapists only help people after injuries.
5. Occupational therapy can only help adults with physical disabilities.

What Occupational Therapy Truly Is:
In its simplest terms, occupational therapists and occupational therapy assistants help people across the lifespan participate in the things they want and need to do through the therapeutic use of everyday activities (occupations). Common occupational therapy interventions include helping children with disabilities to participate fully in school and social situations, helping people recovering from injury to regain skills, and providing supports for older adults experiencing physical and cognitive changes. Occupational therapy services typically include

• an individualized evaluation, during which the client/family and occupational therapist determine the person’s goals,
• customized intervention to improve the person’s ability to perform daily activities and reach the goals, and
• an outcomes evaluation to ensure that the goals are being met and/or make changes to the intervention plan.

Occupational therapy services may include comprehensive evaluations of the client’s home and other environments (e.g., workplace, school), recommendations for adaptive equipment and training in its use, and guidance and education for family members and caregivers. Occupational therapy practitioners have a holistic perspective, in which the focus is on adapting the environment to fit the person, and the person is an integral part of the therapy team.

Information retrieved from The American Occupational Therapy Association Inc.