Sensory integration theory and intervention techniques were originally developed by A. Jean Ayres, PhD, OTR, beginning in the late 1960s. Her pioneering work integrated scientific information from neuroscience, psychology, occupational therapy, and human development in an effort to help explain the relationship among experience, brain development, and function. Ayres’s theory of sensory integra...

7his article was accepted for publica/ion December 18. 1994 ThiS case repon describes a task-oriented approach to the rehabilitation of a 34-year-old woman with left hemiplegia. The task-oriented aprroach is based on a systems model of motor control and contemporary mowr learning theories. Systems models propose that occupational or functional performance emerge,s from the interaction and coope...

People with spinal cord injuries secondary to gunshot wounds present with many unique occupational challenges in terms of their overall health and well-being, and often live in violent cultures that limit occupational performance. Further awareness and understanding of this subgroup can enable occupational therapists to develop appropriate strategies needed to address the many challenges faced ...

Musculoskeletal conditions are the second greatest cause of disability worldwide, and chronic musculoskeletal conditions affect nearly the same percentage of the general population as chronic circulatory and respiratory conditions combined. Moreover, people with musculoskeletal conditions experience a significant decline in independence with daily activities and occupational performance, key ar...

Cases of occupational disease, solvent encephalopathy and occupational asthma are used to exemplify failings of the workers' compensation system in South Africa, that include delays in processing claims, non-response to requests for information, and inadequate assessment of disability. These and other systemic deficiencies in administration of the Compensation for Occupational Injuries and Dise...

For occupational therapy to provide a holistic view of meaningful activity, we must understand the relationship between physical, psychological, and social variables, especially as they affect our psychosocial evaluations and treatment. Existing definitions of psychosocial variables are unclear and, for occupational therapy practice, must be linked to activity and occupational performance. Occu...

T he development of a science of occupation is one of the goals of the profession of occupational therapy. Disagreement exists, however, as ro the definition of occupational science and therefore as to what is considered legitimate cx:cupational therapy research. An overly restrictive interpretation of the term occupational science wiU affect the funding and publication of research studies, res...

Much of the socioeconomic life in the United States occurs in its urban areas. While an urban economy is defined to a large extent by its network of occupational specializations, an examination of this important network is absent from the considerable body of work on the determinants of urban economic performance. Here we develop a structure-based analysis addressing how the network of interdep...

Family-centered occupational therapy services are based on a collaborative relationship that does not always come easily. Role performance in parenting a child with special needs and being a consumer of occupational therapy services can be partially understood in terms of environmental context. Although occupational therapists recognize the need to adjust services to the cultural and economic b...