What is Occupational Therapy?
- Occupational therapy is a science-driven, evidence-based profession that enables people of all ages to live life to its fullest by helping them promote health and prevent — or live better with — illness, injury or disability (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2010).
- "Occupational therapy is therapy based on meaningful activities of daily life (self-care skills, education, work, or social interaction), especially to enable or encourage participation in such activities despite impairments or limitations in physical or mental functioning." (11th edition of Merriam Webster's Collegiate Dictionary, 2003, as developed with AOTA)
- "Occupations" are activities of everyday life, named, organized, and given value and meaning by individuals and a culture. Occupation is everything people do to occupy themselves, including looking after themselves, enjoying life, and contributing to the social and economic fabric of communities. (Law, M., Polatajko, H., Baptiste, W., & Townsend, E., 1997)
To learn more about occupational therapy, visit the website of The American Occupational Therapy Association or follow the links on the right.
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