The history of public school certification for occupational and physical therapists is reviewed. The process used to develop the current standards for certification of public school occupational therapists in Wisconsin and the standards that resulted are described. The implications of school certification requirements are discussed in terms of basic professional education in occupational therap...

This paper documents the extent to which occupational therapists use groups in practice. A questionnaire was mailed to 300 occupational therapists nationwide. Questions included the types of groups occupational therapists lead, the facilities in which the groups take place, the patients included, the activities presented, and individual and groups goals. Results were tabulated based on the resp...

As occupational therapists, we provide an essential service to society. We assist people to lead productive, healthful, and creative lives. We remind the greater culture that every human has inherent value and worth and deserves the caring attention necessary to flourish. We understand the central importance of meaningful occupation to the physical, mental, and spiritual well-heing of all peopl...

BACKGROUND The largest proportion of children seen within school-based occupational therapy is referred for handwriting difficulties. Many of these children have Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD), a disorder that often goes undiagnosed, making if difficult for children, parents, and teachers to access resources. PURPOSE The purpose of this article is to outline the important role of o...

ABSTRACT A study was conducted to explore occupational therapists' perceptions of rehabilitation environments and the influence of these perceptions on practice and occupational interventions. Traditionally, inpatient occupational therapists have a choice of intervention environments, ranging from a gym-like to a more home-like setting. Choosing to provide interventions in these different envir...

Participation is often the comprehensive objective of treatment but also an indication of the extent to which the process of occupational therapy is client-centred. The purpose of this study was to explore levels of participation during occupational therapy among clients in the area of mental health from the occupational therapists' perspectives. Additionally the authors sought to identify fact...

This paper reviews literature on mouth sticks and presents information from a survey of occupational therapists specializing in the treatment of persons with spinal cord injuries. The review discusses the standards of mouth-stick design that have been established by dentists, but the survey suggests that occupational therapy practice is widely discrepant from these standards. The author suggest...

Background/Aim Internationally, mental health policy requires clinicians to shift from a medical to a recovery-oriented approach. However, there is a significant lag in the translation of policy into practice. Occupational therapists have been identified as ideally situated to be recovery-oriented yet limited research exploring how they do this exists. This study aimed to explore Australian occ...

From my personal experience as a therapist employed in a nontraditional setting, I have identified the skills and abilities of experienced occupational therapists that are germane to work in nontraditional settings or beyond the clinic walls. Our profession can benefit from therapists working in nontraditional settings by gaining recognition and influencing decision makers in ways that will ben...

Introduction To develop occupational therapy's evidence base and improve its clinical outcomes, occupational therapists must increase their research involvement. Barriers to research consumption and leadership are well documented, but those relating to delivering research interventions, less so. Yet, interventions need to be researched within practice to demonstrate their clinical effectiveness...