Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Early Childhood


Book Description

Currently in the United States, 20% of children ages 6 years or younger live in poverty. Poor children have fewer opportunities than their peers to resources that are important for child development. At the same time, the prevalence of developmental disabilities has increased to 1 in every 6 children. Early identification of developmental delays is critical, and more than half of all American parents do not know the warning signs. Occupational therapy professionals in early intervention and preschool practice can provide the necessary services to support children's health in early childhood. This Practice Guideline explains the occupational therapy process for young children--and their families, caregivers, and teachers--which includes evaluation, intervention, and outcomes planning to enhance a child's occupational performance, adaptation, health and wellness, community participation, role competence, and self-advocacy. Topics include social-emotional development; feeding, eating, and swallowing; cognitive and motor development; service delivery; autism; obesity, cerebral palsy; and parent training. This work can help occupational therapy practitioners, as well as those who manage, reimburse, or set policy regarding occupational therapy services, understand the contribution of occupational therapy in evaluating and serving young children. This guideline can also serve as a resource for parents, school administrators, educators, and other early childhood staff.




Best Practice Occupational Therapy


Book Description

Best Practice is a way of thinking about problems in imaginative ways and applying knowledge creatively to solve performance problems. Providing services in community based settings is vital to the best application of occupational therapy principles and beliefs. Best Practice Occupational Therapy: In Community Service with Children and Families applies theoretical and evidence based knowledge to best practice with emphasis on children and families in community settings. It emphasizes best practice, and incorporates clinical reasoning and practice models into the material. Students are provided with methods for working through the problem solving processes as they learn the material. The text introduces core principles and demonstrates how, along with OT knowledge, they can be applied to the best interests of children and families. Included throughout the book are worksheets, space for writing notes, and 10 detailed case studies illustrating the core principles and knowledge application in practice.




The Occupational Therapist's Handbook for Inclusive School Practices


Book Description

The friendly, down-to-earth survival guide OTs need to deliver their important services effectively as part of an inclusive school team.




Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process


Book Description

As occupational therapy celebrates its centennial in 2017, attention returns to the profession's founding belief in the value of therapeutic occupations as a way to remediate illness and maintain health. The founders emphasized the importance of establishing a therapeutic relationship with each client and designing an intervention plan based on the knowledge about a client's context and environment, values, goals, and needs. Using today's lexicon, the profession's founders proposed a vision for the profession that was occupation based, client centered, and evidence based--the vision articulated in the third edition of the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process. The Framework is a must-have official document from the American Occupational Therapy Association. Intended for occupational therapy practitioners and students, other health care professionals, educators, researchers, payers, and consumers, the Framework summarizes the interrelated constructs that describe occupational therapy practice. In addition to the creation of a new preface to set the tone for the work, this new edition includes the following highlights: a redefinition of the overarching statement describing occupational therapy's domain; a new definition of clients that includes persons, groups, and populations; further delineation of the profession's relationship to organizations; inclusion of activity demands as part of the process; and even more up-to-date analysis and guidance for today's occupational therapy practitioners. Achieving health, well-being, and participation in life through engagement in occupation is the overarching statement that describes the domain and process of occupational therapy in the fullest sense. The Framework can provide the structure and guidance that practitioners can use to meet this important goal.




Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Environments


Book Description

Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Environments covers the major issues involved in providing lawful, team-oriented, and effective occupational and physical therapy services for students with disabilities in public schools. For those involved with students with disabilities, this book helps them make sound decisions about services that will make a meaningful difference in the lives of these children. Since the 1975 enactment of Public Law 94--142, which mandated that occupational and physical therapy be provided “as may be required by a handicapped child to benefit from special education,” this required link between therapy and education has continued to lead to confusion and controversy about which students should receive therapy in school and what types of services should be provided. The purpose of Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Environments is to clarify the major issues surrounding occupational and physical therapy in public schools, and to provide a framework for delivery of team- and family-oriented services that meet individual needs of students with disabilities. For those unsure of current regulations regarding handicapped students, or those who need clarification on the law, the book begins with a review of legislation and regulations. This begins to guide and shape schools’provision of therapy services. The following chapters assist occupational and physical therapists and important members of the educational teams of disabled students to make sound decisions about which students need school-based therapy services: Laws that Shape Therapy Services in Educational Environments: summarizes the major statutory law, federal regulations, and case law interpretation in which school-based practice is grounded. Pediatric Therapy in the 1990s: reviews contemporary theories of motor development, motor control, and motor learning that have had major impact on therapy for school-age children with disabilities. Related Services Decision-Making: describes a strong team approach to determining a student’s need for occupational and physical therapy services, which takes into account the unique characteristics of both the student and the educational team. Assessment and Intervention in School-Based Practice: describes an approach to assessment and intervention in schools that clearly illustrates a relationship between therapy and educational programs that result in meaningful outcomes for students. Challenges of Interagency Collaboration: reports on a qualitative study that points out that schools are not the only settings in which many students with disabilities receive services, so coordination between various agencies is essential to avoid gaps, overlaps, and cross purposes. Those who can benefit from Occupational and Physical Therapy in Educational Environments include occupational and physical therapists who work in public schools, school administrators, teachers, and even parents of disabled children.







The Essential Guide to Occupational Therapy Fieldwork Education


Book Description

Fieldwork provides a valuable opportunity in occupational therapy to mentor and learn from students, promote the profession and contribute to its growth, document best practices, and increase professional development. This comprehensive, user-friendly manual provides the latest information, policies, and concepts affecting occupational therapy fieldwork education today. Each section begins with an introduction that succinctly ties together the knowledge presented. Experienced practitioners will find the updated materials useful for resolving challenging fieldwork situations. Those taking a student for the first time will see the big picture of preparing the profession’s next practitioners. Clinical department managers and student coordinators will learn how to prepare a student fieldwork manual for clinical sites and educate staff about recent changes in education. Academic fieldwork coordinators, whose job it is to pull the entire fieldwork experience together and make it work, will find new ideas to try and resources to share with colleagues. Newly appointed or hired academic fieldwork coordinators can use this guide to quickly get up to speed. Includes a flash drive with sample fieldwork and orientation manuals.




Collaborating for Student Success


Book Description

It is widely accepted by occupational therapists working in diverse settings that collaboration is a valuable part of teamwork. But what collaboration actually looks like in education--and how to do it effectively to promote student performance--can be vastly different depending on one's perspectives and experiences. This practical work highlights how occupational therapists can collaborate effectively with family and education partners in the schools. The editors and contributors--experts in school-based practice--have collected evidence from the occupational therapy, school psychology, and education literature as well as reflected on their own experiences to describe the successes and challenges school-based occupational therapists encounter daily when providing collaborative services and supports to students, teams, and school systems.Each chapter includes Voices--perspectives of students, parents, educators, administrators, and occupational therapy students and rofessionals; Collaboration in Action--vignettes from practice; Remember This--key points to keep in mind; Resources--print and electronic; and Reflections--questions that apply the chapter's content to specific situations. A collection of blank forms and worksheets is included in the appendix as well as on a CD-ROM for ease of use in the classroom and in practice.




Occupational Therapy Practice Guidelines for Children and Adolescents with Challenges in Sensory Processing and Sensory Integration


Book Description

Occupational therapy is steeped in the sciences that provide knowledge and understanding of human development and function and the variables that influence these aspects of human life. The registration, processing, and integration of sensory information can both support and inhibit the ability for children and adolescents to function in their environment. Up to 15% of school-age children are believed to have sensory challenges, and at least 40% of individuals with developmental disabilities and 80% of those with autism are affected. Using an evidence-based perspective and key concepts from the Occupational Therapy Practice Framework: Domain and Process, this new AOTA Practice Guideline provides an overview and insight into occupational therapy evaluation and intervention for youth that experience sensory information difficulties. Designed primarily for clinical practitioners, this important practice guideline from AOTA Press is a vital reference for occupational therapy students and educators and provides a clear definition on the role of occupational therapy services for policymakers and other health care professionals who work with children and adolescents that face these challenges.