OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
M.ARUN KUMAR., B.O.T.,
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
MERF Institute of Speech and Hearing
Take a moment to think of some of
the things (occupations) you have
done today...
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have you had a shower,
had lunch with friends,
or gone to work?
HOW WOULD YOU…
HAVE A SHOWER IF…
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You had poor balance?
You couldn’t reach your arms
up to your hair?
HOW WOULD YOU…
HAVE LUNCH WITH FRIENDS IF…
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You couldn’t hold a fork?
You couldn’t remember where to
meet them?
You just couldn’t cope with
getting out of bed?
HOW WOULD YOU…
GO TO WORK IF…
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You had pain in your back?
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You heard voices in your
head?
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You had arthritis in your
hands?
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
Is the assessment and treatment of
physical and psychiatric conditions, using
specific purposeful activity to prevent
disability and promote independent function
in all aspect of daily life.
Who do Occupational Therapists
work with?
Children
Seniors
Adolescents
Adults
Where do Occupational
Therapists work?
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Hospitals
Schools
Mental Health
Facilities
Home Care
Personal Care
Homes
Private Clinics
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Rehabilitation
Centers
Community Health
Centers
Insurance
Companies
Client Homes
Client Work Places
Occupational Therapists are
concerned with:
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Person,
Environment
Occupation
Interactions
OP
HUMANS AS OCCUPATIONAL BEINGS – PEOP MODEL
Social Support
Physiological
Cognitive
PERSON
(Intrinsic Factors)
Spiritual
Neurobehavioral
Psychological
WELL BEING
OCCUPATION
Occupational
Performance &
Participation
PERFORMANCE
Social & Economic
Systems
ENVIRONMENT
(Extrinsic Factors)
Culture & Values
Built Environments &
Technology
Natural Environments
QUALITY OF LIFE
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY
SERVICES FOR INFANTS AND
CHILDREN
Pediatric occupational therapy is
skilled treatment aimed to enable the child
to be as physically psychologically and
socially independent as possible.
HOW DO THEY WORK
Occupational therapists works in close
partnership with….
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Medical Team
Educational Team
Community Team
Family
Together they have a shared responsibility for
meeting children’s needs.
MULTIPLE DISABILITY
When child has several different
disabilities we say, that He/She has multiple
disability
 Multiplication of disability
 50% cerebral palsy – visual deficit
 13% cerebral palsy – auditory deficit
 Mental retardation
SOME EXAMPLES OF MULTIPLE
DISABILITIES ARE:
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Deafblind (Visual impairment + hearing
impairment)
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Visual impairment + hearing impairment +
mental retardation.
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Visual impairment + mental retardation.
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Cerebral palsy + mental retardation / hearing /
speech / visual problems.
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Hearing / Listening
Vision / Looking
Touch
Smell
Taste
Movement
Sensory integration
Cognitive
Social
GROSS MOTOR SKILLS:
Movement of the large muscles in the arms, and legs.
Abilities like
 Rolling
 Crawling
 Walking
 Running
 Jumping
 Hopping
 Skipping
FINE MOTOR SKILLS:
Movement and dexterity of the small muscles in
the hand and fingers. Abilities like
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In-hand manipulation
Reaching
Carrying
Shifting small objects
SENSORY INTEGRATION
Sensory processing Ability like
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Vestibular
Proprioceptive
Tactile
Visual
Auditory
Gustatory
Olfactory skills
CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM
COGNITIVE PERCEPTUAL
SKILLS:
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Abilities like
Attention
Concentration
Memory
Thinking
Reasoning
Problem solving
Concept of shape
Size and color
VISUAL MOTOR SKILLS:
Perception of visual information
Abilities like copying
MOTOR PLANNING SKILLS:
Ability to
Plan
Implement
Sequence motor tasks.
ORAL MOTOR SKILLS:
Movement of muscles in the
 Mouth
 Lips
 Tongue
 Jaw
 Sucking
 Biting
 Chewing
 Blowing
 Licking
PLAY SKILLS:
Age appropriate purposeful play skills
SOCIO-EMOTIONAL SKILLS:
Ability to interact with peers and others.
ACTIVITIES OF DAILY LIVING:
Self – care skills like daily
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Dressing
Feeding
Bathing
Grooming
Toilet tasks
ENVIRONMENT MANIPULATION
Like handling
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Switches
Door knobs
Phones
TV remote
HUMANS AS OCCUPATIONAL BEINGS – PEOP MODEL
Social Support
Physiological
Cognitive
CHILD
(Intrinsic Factors)
Spiritual
Neurobehavioral
Psychological
WELL BEING
OCCUPATION
Occupational
Performance &
Participation
PERFORMANCE
Social & Economic
Systems
ENVIRONMENT
(Extrinsic Factors)
Culture & Values
Built Environments &
Technology
Natural Environments
QUALITY OF LIFE
Case Example
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Profoundly deaf, identified at 11 months
Developmental history of hypotonia, tactile
defensiveness, motor overflow, poor eye
contact. Slow learning rate, limited social
interaction with peers
Referred by preschool teacher
On observation
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Reduced proprioceptive perception
Weak bilateral coordination and motor
planning
Reduce proximal trunk stability
Avoidance of crossing midline
Therapy Implementation
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Successive approximation based on motor
complexity
Increase visual and perceptual skill
Model matching side by side
Facilitate midline crossing
Guidance and support of motor plan
Influence of sensory integration procedures on
language development.
Ayres AJ, Mailloux Z. Am J Occup Ther. 1981
Jun;35(6):383-90
The relationship between language development and
sensory integration was explored through single case
experimental studies of one female and three male
aphasic children ranging in age from 4 years, 0 months
to 5 years, 3 months. Three of the four children had
received either speech therapy, special education
specific to aphasia, or both, before starting
occupational therapy. Inspection of rate of language
growth before and after starting occupational therapy
showed a consistent increase in rate of growth in
language comprehensive concomitant with occupational
therapy compared to previous growth rate.
Thank you
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Comments and Questions?