Thought exercise for occupational therapists 



Thought exercise:


Take special note of the 'Service to society' section 


[my emphasis added].  Are we still providing this service? 


Or are we now chasing some other objectives that are out of 


sync with this original intent? 












REPRINTED FROM:


CAREERS FOR WOMEN 
EDITED BY CATHERINE FILENE 

THE OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST 

MARJORIE B. GREENE 

Registrar, Boston School of Occupational Therapy 




Boston, 1920.


 


 


Description of occupation 

Occupational therapy is one of the new professions for 
young women. The necessity and importance of this work 
was firmly established in military hospitals during the late 
war and its future success is secure. The civilian hospitals 
are waiting for trained workers, and we believe that it is but 
a short time before every hospital and institution will employ 
at least one aide. 

The training is designed to develop not only artistic and 
mechanical skill and dexterity, but also ability to cooperate 
with every branch of the hospital service in order that there 
may result the highest standard of efficiency. This latter 
ability is quite as important as the former. 

Among the crafts used for their special therapeutic value 
are: Applied design, basketry, block printing, bookbinding, 
chair-seating, jewelry, leather work, modeling, rug-making, 
textiles, tin-can work, typewriting, weaving, wood-carving, 
woodwork and whittling. Also minor curative occupations; 
bead work, colonial mats, cord work, crocheting, knitting, 
netting. The work is carried on in hospital wards and shops 
and, when possible, with private cases. 

Preparation or training necessary 

General education, equivalent at least to high-school educa- 
tion. 

Previous training in any of the following subjects with satis- 
factory credentials will be credited the student upon entrance 
to the schools of Occupational Therapy: nursing, social 
service, physical education, mechanical drawing, psychology, 
arts and crafts. 


 


 


Training may be secured at the following schools: 

Boston School of Occupational Therapy, 7 Harcourt Street, 
Boston. 

Teachers College, Occupational Therapy Department, New 
York City. 

Flavell School, Chicago, Illinois. 

Philadelphia School of Occupational Therapy, Philadel- 
phia. 

Downing College, Milwaukee, Wisconsin. 

School of Occupational Therapy, St. Louis, Missouri. 


 


 


Qualifications necessary for success 

Strong physique, understanding of human nature, common 

sense, initiative and adaptability. 


 


 


Financial return 

Average, from $1200 to $1800 per year. 


 


 


Extent of occupation 

Occupational therapists are in demand in institutions such 
as State hospitals, private hospitals, Army and Navy hospi- 
tals, dispensaries. Government public health departments, 
work with private patients both in hospitals and at home. 
The demand for well-trained aides far exceeds the supply. 


 


 


Service to society 

To restore a patient's courage and his, or her, maximum men- 
tal, nervous, and physical ability is to add an asset to the 
community where there might have been a liability. To bring 
work out of idleness has economic value in time, morality, 
production, health, and happiness, and is elevating to the 
individual and to the entire world. 


 


 


Suggested reading 

"Ward Occupation in Hospitals," Bulletin No. 25. Issued by 
Federal Board of Vocational Training, Washington, D.C., 1918. 
"Handicrafts for the Handicapped" — Dr. Herbert J. Hall. 
"The Work of Our Hands" — Dr. Herbert J. Hall. 
"Teaching the Sick" — George Edward Barton. 
"Invalid Occupations" — Susan Tracy. 












































Comments








Post a Comment













Popular posts from this blog









On retained primitive reflexes





















 Each year I receive several emails from colleagues about 'retained primitive reflexes.'  I am also seeing an increased number of reports from local 'health care' providers who are documenting these alleged problems so I thought I would write a summary of my opinion on this topic.       Predatory 'health care' providers including some OTs, PTs, chiropractors, and behavioral optometrists are creating a new 'market' for treating this alleged 'problem.'  Parents should be very wary of these practitioners and other professionals should challenge these practices whenever they are seen.    The following is the kind of information that causes concern and was provided to me by a colleague as a sample from a student's IEP:   The student continues to demonstrate the following retained primitive reflexes that at times interfere with his ability to demonstrate appropriate adaptive responses: Fear Paralysis Reflex, Moro Reflex, Palmer Reflex, Tonic Labyri








Read more










Deconstructing the myth of clothing sensitivity as a 'sensory processing disorder'





















Please note first that there is no formally recognized clinical designation of  'sensory processing disorder.'   It is a term constructed by occupational therapists that has not been formally recognized by the larger medical community.   In our clinic we receive many referrals from local pediatricians when parents have concerns about children being overly sensitive to their clothing.  Most often the children referred are from four to seven years old and the families are severely disrupted by the children's behaviors and responses to clothing issues.  Commonly, children will have severely constricted tolerance for certain outfits, want to wear the same clothes repeatedly, complain that clothing is itchy/scratch/bumpy/wiggly/ouchie, and this all leads to disruption of daily dressing routines.  There is no doubt that the behavioral concerns are very real.   The pediatricians tend to be appropriately conservative and provide families with good behavioral management suggestions 








Read more










A Critical Appraisal of Therapeutic Listening




















Image







 History: According to Frick (2002, p. 358), auditory training has been used in Europe since the mid-1900s to address sensory processing disorders and these techniques have been recently popularized in the United States. Frick has based her Therapeutic Listening program on the work of Dr. Alfred Tomatis and Dr. Guy Berard, both of whom are French physicians. Both the Tomatis and Berard programs are delivered by specific machines using earphones but these devices do not have FDA approval and have been banned in the United States (Barrett, 2003). Frick (2001) states “With the advent of new technology, similar altered music has become available on compact disc. The discs do not replace either the Tomatis Method or the Berard Method. The compact discs do provide a less intense way to access both the auditory and vestibular systems to impact neural function and integration and are easily available to clinicians in a variety of practice arenas.” The CDs referenced on Frick’s webpages are ass








Read more