A specially trained individual who evaluates the self-care, work and leisure performance skills of well and disabled clients of all age ranges; and plans and implements programs, and social and interpersonal activities designed to restore, develop and/or maintain the client’s ability to satisfactorily accomplish those daily living tasks required of his specific age and necessary to his particular occupational role. There were 11.200 registered occupational therapists in 1972, an estimated 3,500 of whom were not in practice. About four-fifths of occupational therapists work in hospitals, others are employed in nursing homes and extended or long-term care facilities, rehabilitation centers, schools and camps for handicapped children, community health agencies, and educational and research institutions. Formal educational preparation of an occupational therapist requires at least four academic years of college or university work, leading to a baccalaureate degree, plus a minimum of 6 months’ field work experience. Those persons already having a baccalaureate degree in a field other than occupational therapy may enroll in a post-baccalaureate program leading to a master’s degree in occupational therapy or a certificate of proficiency in occupational therapy.
A qualified health professional who offers patients occupational therapy.
A health professional who evaluates, treats, and counsels people whose physical activity has been limited by illness, injury, developmental disorders, learning dis¬ abilities, or other causes and whose aim is to help such people maximize independence and maintain health. For example, occupational therapists may help people learn or relearn the physical control and coordination necessary to perform independently such everyday tasks as dressing, eating, washing, and going to the toilet and to be able eventually to work at some form of meaningful employment. Working with children, they may also focus on developing perceptual-motor skills and the ability to play or carry out school-related activities, such as sit¬ ting, walking, handling physical objects, drawing and other paper-and-pencil activities, cutting, pasting, and general hand- eye and body-eye coordination. Occupational therapists often work at hospitals and outpatient clinics but may also work in the person’s home.
An allied health professional for whom the American Medical Association’s Committee on Allied Health Education and Accreditation (CAHEA) has accredited education programs.
One who provides assessment and intervention to ameliorate physical and psychological deficits that interfere with the performance of activities and tasks of living.
Occupational therapists assess functioning in activities of everyday living, including dressing, bathing, grooming, meal preparation, writing, and driving, which are essential for independent living. In making treatment recommendations, the OT addresses 1) fatigue management; 2) upper body strength, movement, and coordination; 3) adaptations to the home and work environment, including both structural changes and specialized equipment for particular activities; and 4) compensatory strategies for impairments in thinking, sensation, energy, or vision.