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...
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 manage...
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...
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