OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

What is Occupational Therapy? ● Goal: end toward which effort is directed.

● AOTA’s Definition of Occupational ● Activity: state or condition of being
Therapy for the Model Practice Act involved.
The therapeutic use of everyday life ● Independence: state/condition of being
activities (occupations) with individuals or self-reliant.
groups for the purpose of participation in
● Function: action for which a person is
roles and situations in home, school,
specifically fitted
workplace, community, and other settings.
OT is simply...
Occupational therapy services are
provided for the purpose of promoting health ● Is a practice that uses goal-directed activity
and wellness and to those who have or are to promote independence in function.
at risk for developing an illness, injury,
disease, disorder, condition, impairment, Important terms to OT
disability, activity limitation, or participation ● Occupation – various life activities
restriction. Occupational therapy addresses including:
the physical, cognitive, psychosocial,
sensory, and other aspects of performance in ○ Activities of daily living (ADLs)
a variety of contexts to support engagement
○ Instrumental activities of daily living
in everyday life activities that affect health,
(IADLs)
well-being, and quality of life. (AOTA, 2004b)
○ Health management
● World Federation of Occupational
Therapist (WFOT): ○ Rest and sleep
Is a client-centered health profession ○ Education
concerned with promoting health and well-
being through occupation. Primary Goal: ○ Work
Enable people to participate in the activities ○ Play
of everyday life. Outcomes: Client-driven,
diverse and measured in terms of ○ Leisure
participation, satisfaction derived from
○ Social participation
occupational performance and/or
improvement in occupational performance ● Occupational performance – ability to carry
out activities of daily life
What is Occupational Therapy?
● Purposeful activity – an activity used during
Is the art of and science of helping people
intervention that is goal-directed and may or
do the day to day activities that are important
may not be viewed as meaningful to the
and meaningful to their health and well-being
client. Typically involved an end product and
through engagement in valued occupations
are goal-directed
(Crepeau, Cohn, Schell, 2009)
The OT Goal
What is OT in 6 words?
● Increase the ability of the client to
● Occupation: activity in which one engages.
participate in everyday activities (feeding,
● Therapy: treatment of an illness or dressing, bathing, leisure, work, education &
disability. social participation.
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

How OTs achieve goals? ○ to facilitate the performance of

everyday tasks and adaptation of settings in
Work with people and communities to
which the person works, lives and socializes.
enhance their abilities to engage in the
occupations they want to, need to, or are ● Cooperation
expected to do or by modifying the
○ Cooperation and coordination with
occupation or the environment to better
other professionals, families, caregivers and
support their occupational engagement.
volunteers are important in the realisation of
How OTs achieve goals? the holistic approach.
● Assess existing performance ○ Team work
● Set therapeutic goals
● Develop a plan
● Implement an intervention to enable the
client to function better in his or her world.
○ Advocate for the clients
○ Make or modify equipment
○ Provide hands-on experiences (for
teenager)
● Records progress
● Communicates intervention to others
The work of OTs can simply be…
● Assessment
○ Assessment includes the use of
standardized procedures, interviews,
observations in a variety of settings and
consultation with significant people in the
person's life.
● Planning
○ The plan should be relevant to the
person's development stage, habits, roles,
life-style preferences and the environment.
● Intervention
○ person oriented and environmental.
OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy
Different Levels of Occupational Therapy
Practitioner
● Occupational Therapy Practitioners:
○ Occupational Therapist
○ Occupational Therapy Assistant
■ Occupational Therapy Technician
An occupational therapist...
● Guides the person to actively participate in
intervention
● Establish rapport / relationship of mutual
trust
Do OT practitioner help people get jobs?
● Occupation – jobs get paid
● Occupation – encompasses the many
things people do that are meaningful to them.
● Occupation - have meaning and give
people identity
An OT practitioner help clients
ENGAGE in OCCUPATIONS.
Occupation, Activity, Task
Patient vs Client
Personality Characteristics Best Suited for
OT practice
● Desire to help others
● Genuinely like people
● Relate to individual and small groups
● Appreciate diversity
● Value people’s ability to change
● Creative thinkers
● Skilled problem solvers
● Enjoys hands-on work
● Demonstrate the ability to handle their own
personal problems and feelings before trying
to help others
● Empathizes with clients yet expects &
demands efforts from them.
Personality Characteristics Best Suited
for OT practice
● An interest in teaching (educate & instruct
clients)
● Uses creative problem solving (find new
ways of doing things)
● Lifelong profession = lifelong education
● Commitment & dedication
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

Occupational Therapy Educational

Program
● Biological and behavioral sciences
● Sociology
● Anthropology
● Medicine
● Normal human development
● Pathological conditions that affect normal
development and function. Education of occupational therapists:
Revised Minimum Standards for the
● Attitude and awareness that enable the Education of Occupational Therapist
new professional to be sensitive to the
various needs of those seeking treatment
● Clinical skills and clinical reasoning
● Problem solving approach
● Clinical training/ fieldwork
Occupational Therapy Educational
Program
● Programs are designed to conform to a
series of guidelines called standards of
practice. Who do OTs serve?
● Course study features: general theory, ● People who have problems that
skills training and foundation for clinical INTERFERE with their ABILITY TO
thinking. ENGAGE IN EVERYDAY LIFE.
● Strong science base and include focus on ● Genetic, neurological, orthopedic,
human development across the life span. musculoskeletal, immunological, cardiac
● Professionalism and engagement in dysfunctions
occupation through holistic approach to ● Psychological, social, behavioral and
practice emotional disorders
● Holistic approach: psychological, ● Clients of all ages
neurological and musculoskeletal aspects of
occupations Clients with physical, cognitive,
psychological and or psychosocial
impairments which may be the result of an
accident/ trauma, disease, conflict or stress,
social deprivation, genetics or congenital
anomalies
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

Patients with Orthopedic Conditions ● Cerebral Palsy

1. Torticollis ● Chromosomal Aberrations
2. Klippel-Feil syndrome ● Congenital limb deficiency
3. Low-back pain ● Spinal Dysraphism
4. Scoliosis ● Spinal Muscular Atrophies, myopathies &
dystrophies
5. Conditions affecting the shoulder joint
complex, elbow & forearm, wrist & hand. ● Talipes Equinus
6. Bursitis ● Metabolic Conditions (e.g. rickets)
7. Rheumatologic conditions ● Autism Spectrum Disorder
a. Rheumatoid Arthritis ● ADHD
b. Juvenile RA ● Global Developmental Delay
c. Osteoarthritis ● Visual Impairment
d. Lupus (SLE) Other conditions:
e. Scleroderma ● Alzheimer’s Disease
f.Seronegative ● Burn
spondyloarthropathies
● Pulmonary and Cardiovascular diseases
8. Orthopedic Surgical Conditions Other Psychosocial Conditions:
Patients with Neurologic Dysfunctions ● Schizophrenia
● Cerebrovascular Accident ● Brief Psychotic Disorder
● Spinal Cord Injury ● Bipolar Disorder
● Traumatic Brain Injury ● Clinical Depression
● Multiple Sclerosis ● Personality Disorders
● Guillain-Barre Syndrome Practice Setting
● Parkinson’s & other movement disorders ● Public, Private and Voluntary sector
● Cranial Nerve Injuries ● Home
● Peripheral Nerve Injuries ● Schools
● Peripheral Neuropathies ● Workplace
● Upper & Lower Motor Neuron Lesions ● Community settings
● Neuromuscular Junction Disorders ● Prison
● Bladder dysfunction ● Clinics
Pediatrics ● Health centers
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

● Supported accommodation The OT treatment session: Intervention

Types
● Rehabilitation centers
I. Occupations and Activities
● Assistive technology centers
A. Occupations
● Hospitals (in patient/outpatient)
B. Activities
● Forensic services
II. Interventions to Support Occupations
OTs as collaborative team members
A. PAMs and mechanical modalities
● Physicians
B. Orthotics and prosthetics
● Physical therapists
C. Assistive technology and
● Speech therapists/ Speech-language
environmental modifications
pathologists
D. Wheeled mobility
● Social workers
E. Self-regulation
● Nutritionists
III. Education and Training
● Case managers
A. Education
● Nurses
B. Training
● Educators
IV. Advocacy
● Family members
V. Group
The OT Evaluation session
VI. Virtual
● Evaluate client’s abilities and areas of
weakness to develop an intervention plan Occupation, Activity, Task
based on client’s interests, motivations &
goals.
● Analyze the desired occupations and
determine skills and abilities necessary for
successful performance
● Evaluate client’s goals
Evaluation of factors affecting areas of
occupation
1. Client factors
2. Habits, routines, roles, and behavior
patterns. 3. Cultural, physical,
environmental, social, and spiritual contexts
4. Activity demands that affect performance.
5. Performance skills
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

PAMs Methods or strategies selected to direct

the process of interventions

❏ Create, Promote (Health Promotion)

❏ Establishment, restore (remediation, or

restoration)

❏ Modify (Compensation, adaptation)

❏ Maintain

❏ Prevention (disability prevention)

Interventions and procedures to promote

Orthotics and Prosthetics or enhance safety and performance
1. Therapeutic use of occupations,
exercises, and activities.
2. Training in self-care, self-management,
home management, and community/work
reintegration.
3. Development, remediation, or
compensation of physical, cognitive,
neuromuscular, sensory functions, and
behavioral skills.
4. Therapeutic use of self, including one’s
personality, insights, perceptions, and
Outcomes judgments, as part of the therapeutic
process.
❏ Occupational Performance
5. Education and training of individuals,
❏ Improvement including family members, caregivers, and
others.
❏ Enhancement
6. Care coordination, case management,
❏ Prevention and transition services.
❏ Health and Wellness 7. Consultative services to groups,
programs, organizations, or communities.
❏ Quality of life
8. Modification of environments
❏ Participation
9. Assessment, design, fabrication,
❏ Role Competence application, fitting, and training in assistive
technology, adaptive
❏ Well-being
10. devices, and orthotic devices, and
❏ Occupational Justice training in the use of prosthetic devices.
 OT 101: Introduction to Occupational Therapy

11. Assessment, recommendation, and

training in techniques to enhance functional
mobility (e.g. wheelchair management)
12. Driver rehabilitation and community
mobility.
13. Management of feeding, eating, and
swallowing
14. Application of physical agent modalities
and use of a range of specific therapeutic
procedures