Occupational Therapy as an Effective and Holistic Treatment Option

Occupational Therapy as an Effective and Holistic Treatment Option

The current thesis is an attempt to show the development, effectiveness, and need for promotion of occupational therapy (OT) as a treatment option for mentally ill and disabled individuals. Chapter one demonstrated how OT has developed from holistic and humanistic theories which helped shift treatment away from simply curing an illness towards empathizing rehabilitation, motivation, humans innate tendences to personally grow, and be successful in society. Theories of Alfred Adler, Adolf Meyer, Abraham Maslow, and Carl Rogers are reviewed and shown to be directly and indirectly involved in the foundations and goals of contemporary OT. Chapter two showed how the holistic approach of OT and the use of sensory integration theory is effective in helping children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD). OT is used to increase function in activities of daily living, such as toileting and feeding, and provides skills for children to be successful in the future, within society, such as having a job and living independently. Chapter three discussed how many children who have disorders do not receive treatment due to parental stigma around diagnoses, treatments, and labeling. Increasing and promoting education for parents on mental illness and the effectiveness of therapies can potentially help more children receive treatment. Chapter four ties these three chapters together and connects the evidence found to a school based-pediatric OT field placement.

Gabriela Diorio

5/1/2022

Drs. Laurence Nolan & Jessica England

Psychology

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2022_Biopsychology_Diorio - Jessica England

Wagner College, Staten Island, NY

Thesis

2022