ABC Therapeutics Occupational Therapy Weblog

When I bought a vintage Narragansett beer tray on eBay, I thought I was just adding to my collection. But when the seller sent me a heartfelt note about how his mother kept that tray on her mantle for many years, I realized I had done something more—I had brought a piece of someone's past back home. That moment reinforced a deeper truth: collecting isn’t just about the things. It’s about the stories, the connections, and the shared history that comes with them. A similar thing happened with a Schreiber’s Manru Beer tray—a beautiful piece of Buffalo brewing history. The seller reached out, telling me that his father had kept it in his workshop down in Texas, and it had always been a meaningful part of his space. The seller was so happy to send it back to the Buffalo area, knowing that it was going to someone who would appreciate its history. That sense of belonging, of an object being right where it should be, is something I’ve seen time and again in collecting. Then, today, I had a...

Lately, the conversation around gender in athletics, education, and therapy has gotten a lot more complicated. Questions about fairness, biology, and statistical interpretation are at the heart of some heated debates—whether it's about competitive advantage in sports or access to essential services like therapy. While these issues might seem separate, they both hinge on a common problem: how statistics are used (or misused) to justify decisions. I recently came across a post from an athlete who was assigned male at birth but is now competing in women’s sports. This issue connects directly to occupational therapy because it highlights how statistical reasoning—whether in competition or clinical settings—can shape real-world opportunities. The athlete argued that their transition had led to an ‘equitable’ change in performance by comparing their high school results in men’s competitions to their current college results in women’s competitions. The key claim? Their relative standing w...

New York’s Bill A.5474 proposes expanding the role of occupational therapy in schools by requiring the state commissioner to issue a guidance memorandum on OT services, particularly in early intervention and mental health support. Additionally, it calls for regulatory changes to formally include OTs within pupil personnel services and establish qualifications for a “school occupational therapist.” On the surface, this appears to be a step forward in recognizing the value of OT beyond special education, but a closer examination reveals significant gaps. With no attached funding, no mandate for service expansion, and a reliance on bureaucratic implementation, this bill risks being more symbolic than substantive. Given the political climate of shifting federal education funding to the states, it’s worth asking: Is this bill a real investment in student services, or is it just another unfunded directive that leaves schools scrambling? One of the biggest blind spots in A.5474—and in occu...

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE) Standards have evolved over time, with the 2023 updates reflecting a continuation of a broader ideological trend in the profession. Specifically, these updates prioritize Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) in ways that raise fundamental questions about the balance between professional accreditation requirements and academic freedom.  The 2018 Standards recognized diversity as an important foundation for occupational therapy education. While encouraging awareness of diversity issues, these standards avoided prescribing specific ideological frameworks. This approach respected the autonomy of educational institutions, allowing them to incorporate diversity as they deemed appropriate while maintaining space for academic freedom and intellectual diversity. In contrast, the 2023 Standards explicitly embed DEI principles, including equity and justice, as requirements for occupational therapy programs. Faculty are now...

I read the ACOTE Director's Update - January 2025 with interest as it reported new Vision, Mission, and Values statements for ACOTE as follows: VISION : Lead, innovate, and advance occupational therapy education in a global environment. MISSION : Support quality, inclusion, and innovation to advance entry-level occupational therapy education. VALUES : Quality; Innovation; Collaboration; Inclusion; Integrity. For reference, the previous ACOTE statements were: VISION : Committed to the establishment, promotion, and evaluation of standards of quality in occupational therapy education. To this end, ACOTE will lead in the development of effective collaborative partnerships with the communities of interest, both internal and external to the profession of occupational therapy, which are affected by its activities. MISSION : Ensures quality occupational therapy education by developing accreditation standards and verifying implementation to support the preparation of competent occupational...

I saw several re-posts today of someone's meme that occupational therapy was a "quiet rebellion against the reductionistic view of health..." etc.  Is the idea of holism in health care a rebellion?  In concept I agree that the occupational therapy profession has historically positioned itself in a 'holistic' light, although I don't know how well it does to practice what it preaches.  This tension between reductionistic and holistic practice probably contributes to discontent among young occupational therapy practitioners because the health care system does not comport with the holistic platitudes that are sold in many university training programs. That is an unfortunate and sad reality. Occupational therapy talks a good game about holism.  Talks. That got me thinking a little - does the occupational therapy profession represent any kind of rebellion in real terms?  I am not convinced that it does - and to any degree that it does, it has not always been generat...

I've struggled to find models that help me understand the challenges facing my private practice. I have never really been strongly interested in pop-thought conceptual non-fiction books because they tend to be overly simplistic and repetitive. 'Who Moved My Cheese' is a classic example, even if it did resonate with a lot of people in its time. Anyway, I have been thinking about change and adaptation because I have been trying to pump figurative bullets into our private practice for a couple years now and it just won't die. A global pandemic didn't kill our private practice - we were propped up by a generous governmental solution to keep our employees.  Then there was an increasing demand for therapy since the pandemic created a whole new generation of developmental and mental health problems for the pediatric population. Selling the office building didn't kill the private practice either - demand for in home and community services took the place of the outpatien...