Occupational Therapy Essay Example

the psychodynamic elements of activities. Over the years she expanded this idea to include motor, Sensory integrative, psychological, cognitive, sociocultural, and Interpersonal skills (Miller & Walker, 1993) Jean Ayres As a therapist, Ayres worked with children... She devoted her career to developing a theory explaining relationships among neural functioning, sensory motor behavior, and early academic learning.

Sensory Integration theory identified special specific subtypes or patterns of sensory motor dysfunction and developed specific intervention strategies for them. She was the first to identify and describe sensory integration dysfunction, previously thought to be a broad spectrum of unrelated and unexplained cognitive and perceptual-motor problems. She developed standardized tests, as non standardized observations to better understand children’s problems. She combined theory, research, and practice, developing tools to apply her theory in practice and conducting research to test the theory and its application.

Her development of sensory integration was the first well-developed example of what is termed a conceptual practice model. Her sensory integration theory enlightened Occupational Therapist to deal the clients with the correct intervention process and the fitted activities to those who have sensory integration problems, her proven theorist to meet the needs of children make the OT equipped with full knowledge in dealing clients with special needs. Mary Reilly Reilly proclaimed occupational therapy to be one of the greatest ideas of the 20th century medicine.

She stated that the field’s bold hypothesis was that man through the use of hands as they are energized by mind and will, can influence the state of his own health. Reilly envisioned occupational behavior as the therapeutic framework for practice and education. Through her won writings she

was able to provide the field with a broad and scholarly understanding of the complex phenomena with which occupational therapists work. Her contributions of the field place her as one of the most influential scholars in modern occupational therapy history. Henry James Hall

His studies of mental illness helps Occupational therapists deal with the clients needs. One of his intervention theories, He used arts and crafts as its primary therapeutic approach. His artistic crafts such as hand weaving, pottery making, and cement working for therapeutic used to present the just-right level of physical and mental stimulation to engage patients, allowing them to avoid the idleness and isolation, while preventing discouragement of the disabilities. Hall believed that neither rest nor strenuous work was effective in relieving the symptoms of mental illnesses.

He used progressively demanding occupations to eventually achieve a routine of alternating periods of work, play, and rest; He also developed a classification system for the crafts, grading them based on the demands of the task. He also espoused the idea that occupation was a useful tool in diverting a patient’s thoughts away from illness.

He also proposed that patients experienced the success of creation through crafts that eventually replaced their sense of failure William Rush Denton, Jar He was the first to conceive of and originally use the term “occupational therapy” the work-related treatment or healing and he become one of the original founders of the national Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy in 1917. Denton was an important influence in the early development of the field. He introduced moral treatment principles that served as an important basis for the emerging

profession. He developed early principles and approaches to practice. His important works and contributions help Occupational therapist to be oriented to help build moral stability of the clients.

Eleanor Clarke Slagle She developed programs of habit and moral training. These programs were designed for patients with chronic and severe mental illness, including a 24- hour regimen of self- care, occupational classes, and walks. She joined meals in small groups, recreational, and physical activity. She developed new approaches to practice, especially habit training. His interventions activities focus self help activities, walking with the groups, socializing with their peers and identifying people around them.

Through her works she was considered as one of the most influential leaders in developing the professional association and mechanisms for ensuring education and credentialing of occupational therapists. Occupational Therapy targets child’s performance in the educational setting and is defined as a related service or designated instruction and services among those children who are eligible for special education may need to benefit from the education program. It includes improving the ability to perform tasks for independent functioning when functions are impaired or lost, and can be prevented through early intervention.

According to Miller & Walker, the relationships of theory to practice and research in occupational therapy stated that theory rules and ideas of some aspect of human behavior or performance are organized, and thus it enables us to make predictions about that behavior. Its major structural components of theory has a general idea derived or inferred from specific instances or occurrences and a rule or law concerning the functioning of natural phenomena or mechanical processes (www. ictionary. com) The relationships

of theory to its concepts and clinical reasoning an idea formed by speculation help us understand or explain what’s going on around us and it helps occupational therapist to predict future events. A theory is a related set of principles basing on the rules and principles that applies to a particular case, each principle being a statement that ties two or more concepts together, usually in a correlation or casual way.

A theory is defined as a set of interrelated assumptions, concepts and definitions that presents a systematic view of phenomena by specifying relationships among variables, with the purpose of explaining and predicting the phenomena. It is important to be aware of the assumptions underlying a particular theory so that one may evaluate it thoroughly and the occupational therapist can plan interventions techniques basing on the theory applied.

And it is important, to maintain and attitude of flexibility about one’s assumptions and realize that the results of truth seeking might lead one to change an assumption from time to time (Miller & Walker, 1993, p. 4) The relationships of research to theory is a process that allows one to determine whether the principles relating concepts in any particular theory are valid, and therapist who use theoretical principles are the one to make practice decisions and then observe the results and engaging in a process of testing those theories and in so doing, may generate new ones (Miller & Walker, 1993, p. ) The relationship of research to theory and practice are needed for the development of a solid theoretical and concrete knowledge base of the profession requires that occupational therapists become more knowledgeable

about theory and more conscious about the kinds of thinking and problem solving in which they are already engaged, and those they then record and share their findings (Miller & Walker, 1993, p. 5)

It is also the Process of Theory Development plan for an individual to have many facts and then develop a theory to explain relationships among them; a person may have a false of insight that suddenly gives him or her whole new perspective about the relationship of certain concepts. Ayres used both of these processes to develop her theory of Sensory Integration. In the field of Occupational therapy there are levels of theory to be considered such as: A theory that is a conceptual framework used when trying to explain, describe, or predict phenomena of concern to occupational therapy.

And models that are one of a conceptual framework or theory that is broad and complex end of the theory continuum. Theory means, to validate and guide practice, to justify and reimbursement, to clarify specialization issues. To enhance the growth of the profession and the professionalism of its member, to educate competent practitioners According to Mosey. The Scope of Theory as follows: Grand theories or compressive Theories describe sets of phenomena with wide boundaries encompassing a broad range of phenomena

Middle Range Theories describe sets of phenomena that are more limited in scope: including only a small portion of the physical universe. They are... the most frequently used as the foundation for sets of guidelines for practice. Abstract Empiricism describes sets of phenomena that narrow in scope and include a very limited number and range of phenomena often describes

phenomena here and now.

Theory as a unifying foundation means possessing an understanding of the major theories that influence practice in the field is a goal to which each occupational therapist can aspire, not only to be well educated and better able to communicate, but also to be better able to define oneself as an occupational therapist and have confidence that what one is doing with patients, with students, and in the research is well founded (Miller & Walker, 1993. p. 11- 12) Three Types of practice Frameworks: that can help occupational therapist for the intervention planning:

Process Model, is the OT practice framework that provides an overview of the intervention process and describes step by step what therapist should do in general terms when providing intervention. Conceptual Model guides the therapists thinking when assessing what is occurring within the person on a abstract level and helps therapists to make clinical decisions about what the best approaches to take regarding the person’s adaptation, the environment, occupation, functiondysfunction

Treatment Approach is for remediation or to address specific componentsissues Conclusion Occupational Therapy is a program designed to provide practical experience filed work necessary for professional work done by occupational therapist within different fields of health and social problems to help exceptional or special children. Enhance their self-esteem and sense of accomplishment. To help them become a productive citizens in the future.

The field embraced a paradigm of occupation, which incorporated a holistic outlook focused on mind body and person-environment unity. This paradigm recognized that participations influenced mental and physical well being. It envisioned practice as participation in meaningful occupations that had therapeutic effects.

The theorist designed and referenced models help occupational therapists to deal with the exceptional children’s in their individual disabilities.