Fundamentals

“The practice of occupational therapy means the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals or groups for the purpose of participation in roles and situations in home, school, workplace, community, and other settings. Occupational therapy services are provided for the purpose of promoting health and wellness and to those who have or are at risk for developing an illness, injury, disease, disorder, condition, impairment, disability, activity limitation, or participation restriction. Occupational Therapy addresses the physical, cognitive, psychosocial, sensory, and other aspects of performance in a variety of contexts to support engagement in everyday life activities that affect health, well-being, and quality of life.”

–The American Occupational Therapy Association, 2004

The Occupational Therapy Practice Framework guides and defines occupational therapy practice. Learn about the practice framework and how it describes both the domain and process of occupational therapy. 

The occupational therapy process covers the entire interaction between client and therapist. Learn about each step in the process from evaluation to intervention to outcomes.

Frames of reference provide a perspective through which occupational therapists view a client and their therapeutic needs. Learn some of the common frames of reference used in occupational therapy practice.

Clinical Reasoning is the interpretation and discernment of situations faced by occupational therapists in daily practice. Learn about each of the different types of clinical reasoning.

An activity analysis is a systematic evaluation of an activity to determine its suitability for a particular client or intervention. View a sample activity analysis to learn more about this evaluation technique.

Occupational therapists work in a variety of practice settings treating clients with a wide range of diagnoses. Learn some of the common practice settings and how occupational therapy practice varies from setting to setting.

Vital signs provide a glimpse of what might be going on inside the human body. Learn some of the vital signs that occupational therapists monitor to detect potential concerns and avoid injury to the client.

As with any profession, there are a wide variety of acronyms and abbreviations that are used by occupational therapists. Learn some of the common acronyms and abbreviations and what they stand for.