AOTA has been working hard to get the word out about occupational therapy’s role in mental health at the national level. Whether it’s a bill in Congress or presenting at the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA), we’ve been keeping OT in the spotlight in mental health.

The AOTA mental health bill in Congress is gaining more and more support. Recently the bill gained the support of the Mental Health Liaison Group (MHLG), a leading National mental health coalition. This brings us one step closer in building momentum for the important legislation. Want to help us keep up the momentum? Visit AOTA’s Legislative Action Center to find out how you can support the Occupational Therapy Mental Health Act.  

Some of your colleagues have been attending and presenting at SAMHSA meetings the past couple of months. Your AOTA Vice President Ginny Stoffel recently met with SAMHSA where she and AOTA staff member Laurel Radley were able to share about how occupational therapy prepares practitioners to support recovery. AOTA member Catana Brown is presenting today at a SAMSHA conference.

Occupational therapy was also recently spotlighted in the feature article in SAMHSA’s Recovery to Practice Weekly Highlight newsletter. You can read that article here.  

Despite concerns to the contrary, preliminary results of a study released last week show that the proposed definition of autism might not be as limiting as many first thought it would be. It’s been a hot topic throughout 2012—the proposed definition of autism for the upcoming diagnostic manual (DSM-5) has caused many parents, advocates, and health professionals to wonder whether the new definition would exclude high functioning individuals with autism and result in a loss of autism services. 

Earlier in the year, AOTA talked to our autism experts to get their thoughts and opinions about the proposed definition of autism and although they saw many potential positives from the change (e.g., more clarity, better criteria means better outcomes, etc.), they agreed that it was difficult to anticipate the effects until they were put in practice. Read that article here.  

Because so many people had similar concerns, Autism Speaks announced in March that they would fund a study with a large sample of children with autism recently diagnosed with the DSM-IV criteria and reassess the children with the proposed DSM-5 definition of autism. The scientifically rigorous study was one way to determine the effects of the proposed definition before the American Psychiatric Association finalized and published the DSM-5.

Autism Speaks announced last week that the proposed definition of autism in DSM-5 does not reduce the number of individuals who receive an autism spectrum disorder diagnosis. Not only did the vast majority of children in the study diagnosed with autism by the DSM-IV criteria retain their diagnosis with the DSM-5 criteria, but also some children who did not meet the criteria of DSM-IV were “captured” by the new criteria. This gives credence to those who argued that the clarification in the proposed definition will lead to better diagnoses.   

More than 600 children participated in the field trial study and researchers will review the data and videotapes to ensure accuracy. The head of the work group and senior researcher at the National Institute of Mental Health, Susan Swedo, told the Wall Street Journal that the concern that children who need services for autism will be denied them because of the proposed autism definition is “not true.” We will continue to monitor the discussions and study results to provide updates for our members.  

What is your opinion of the new study results? Do you agree with Autism Speaks that this is encouraging news? Tell us in the comments.

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Amy Berman’s story has been circulating the Web and news for a few weeks now. She’s a health care administrator (educated as a registered nurse) who found out 18 months ago that she had terminal breast cancer with an expected 6 months to live.

Today she says the medical countdown toward the end of her life continues, but she’s made a decision that few people in similar situations make—Amy declined the option of aggressive cancer treatments and opted for palliative care.

As a medical professional, Amy Berman knew that the chemotherapy, surgery, and radiation that her physicians suggested would not make much difference in her survival chances and would actually make her very sick and miserable.

She chose palliative care and Amy wants to make sure people understand that palliative care is not hospice care. She shares her story in detail in the April 2012 issue of Health Affairs with information about the treatment she’s getting and her opinion that patient-centered care is more important than simply healing people. Read it here. 

The Health Affairs blog followed up with a post about the barriers to palliative care and ideas on how to overcome them. The blog post says:

“[Amy] knows a lot more than most people about palliative care.  She knows that it is a form of health care focused on maximizing a patient’s quality of life during serious illness, that it is delivered at the same time as all other beneficial treatments, and that in several studies patients who received it not only lived better but tended to live longer than controls receiving only usual cancer care.” Read the post here.  

Occupational therapy plays an important role on the interdisciplinary team for palliative care. Learn more here.  

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U.S. News & World Report recently listed occupational therapy as one of the top 10 best jobs (again!).

As a follow up, they interviewed two AOTA members to find out what qualities made occupational therapy such a great job—hint, pay isn't one of them! Read about the qualities that your OT colleagues think make OT one of the best jobs.  

We want to know your opinion! Why do you think occupational therapy is a best job? What qualities of your job make it great? Tell us in the comments.

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Find more news articles about occupational therapy on our OT in the News page.

It’s here. The last day of April and the last day of the 2012 OT Month. Although I’m sad to see it go, I have to admit that this has been the most social and successful OT Month ever (or at least in the four OT Months I’ve experienced working at AOTA). Thanks to everyone who has read the daily blog posts about occupational therapy and the numerous Twitter peeps and Facebook fans who have shared the posts with their friends and followers. 

But I’m not just measuring the success of this OT Month based on this blog, there are so many reasons why I think it’s been successful:

1) Twitter: The #OTMonth hashtag on Twitter has been going nonstop since April 1. If you’ve been following the tweets you have seen that so many of your colleagues are on Twitter and tweeting about the profession. Click and see what people are saying today, the last day of OT Month. 

2) Blogs! I’ve seen so many bloggers doing dedicated posts for OT Month. Here is a blog that had daily challenges for occupational therapy practitioners and this blogger wrote A to Z posts about OT.  

3) OT in the News: Our PR superstar, Katie Riley, has been keeping track of all of the articles about occupational therapy that have been featured in the news during OT Month (she does this year round too, you can read those articles here). Articles about OT were featured this month in USA Today, Boston Herald, US News & World Report, Charlotte Observer, Houston Chronicle, CBS Atlanta, and so many more.       

4) Videos show you in action: A few of your colleagues were featured in videos this month—one appeared on Lifetime’s The Balancing Act and another was talking about falls on Guiding Lights.

5) Best job! As if it were planned for release in April to coincide with OT Month, the Wall Street Journal reported earlier this month that OT is one of the 10 best jobs in 2012. Fabulous!  

I want to know what you thought about this year’s OT Month? Why did you think it was so successful? Tell me in the comments

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I can’t believe that April is almost finished, but if you’ve been following Twitter, Facebook, this blog, OT Connections, etc. you will most certainly know that it has been a very social and successful OT Month!

Attendees at AOTA’s Conference won’t want to miss the Slagle lecture today, which is given by Karen Jacobs this year (today at 5:15). Karen will be talking about the ways we can use words, images, and actions to promote occupational therapy.

I hear it’s supposed to be an extremely inspiring lecture! Karen will be discussing different theories of health communication and promotion and analyzing our past promotional efforts as well as coming up with strategies for the future. 

Despite the fact that there are only a few days left in April, there’s still time to promote OT! You can use our top ten tips for promoting OT online. And, of course, promoting OT does not have to be limited to OT Month. It should be a year round habit! 

Once again, if you’re not attending Conference this year, be sure to check out the official Conference blog for coverage of all of the events. Also, follow @AOTAEvents and the hashtag #AOTA12 on Twitter for real time updates on Conference.

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You probably know this, but AOTA is in Indianapolis right now ensuring that the 92nd Annual Conference & Expo goes smoothly for the 4,500+ occupational therapy attendees!

Conference attendees get a special treat this afternoon when the director of MIT’s AgeLab, Joseph. F. Coughlin, gives his keynote address at the Welcome Ceremony (today at 4 p.m.). After the music and dancing die down (yeah, it’s a fun conference!), Coughlin will be talking about how the next generation of occupational therapy professionals will have to be ready to assist the new generation of older Americans—the baby boomers!  

All month we’ve been discussing occupational therapy’s role with a variety of conditions, settings, and populations. I’ve highlighted occupational therapy’s role with older adults in several posts including: driving, dementia, falls prevention, diabetes management, acute care, and home health. 

It’s clear that occupational therapy already plays an important role in caring for older Americans, but as Coughlin will point out in his keynote, the fact that one baby boomer is turning 66 years old nearly every seven seconds means there will be an explosive need of caring for chronic conditions and natural aging.

If you’re not attending Conference this year, be sure to check out the official Conference blog for coverage of Coughlin’s keynote address. Also, follow @AOTAEvents and the hashtag #AOTA12 on Twitter for real time updates on Conference.

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When an individual has a critical medical condition like a heart attack or a spinal cord injury they are taken to acute care. The primary goal of acute care is to stabilize the individual’s situation and address threats to life or loss of function. 

One of the best ways for an individual to recover in acute care is with early mobilization. Despite the fact that a stay in acute care is short, occupational therapy plays an important role in starting the rehabilitation process. With occupational therapy an individual can restore function, prevent future decline, have coordinated care, and get smooth transition and discharge planning.

Here are a few ways that an OT can help in acute care:

• In critical care, perform bedside evaluations to determine safety in eating and swallowing.
• In surgical situations, provide wheelchair assessment and management to promote mobility and endurance
• In psychiatry, teach stress managements techniques and develop coping skills
• In pediatrics, evaluate and facilitate developmental milestones.

The unique aspect of occupational therapy is our holistic view. Occupational therapy practitioners understand that many factors influence the success of an individual’s recovery and rehabilitation. OT goes beyond just being able to regain function (like walking again), and focuses on how the individual will engage and participate in the activities they find meaningful.

Find out more about how occupational therapy helps individuals in acute care here.

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Success in school is not just about getting A’s in class, it is also about successful social participation. Children are expected to manage the demands of the classroom as well as behave properly at recess, lunch, and throughout the school day.

How can a parent ensure that their child is ready to be successful in school? Occupational therapy practitioners can help students succeed in school in all activities helping with learning, making friends, and play. We’ve put together some tips for parents to use to help their child be poised and ready to be as successful as possible in school.

Does your child need help completing homework effectively? Parents can help by setting up an area for homework that is TV-free, has good lighting, and minimal distractions. If your child needs more help with homework, an occupational therapy practitioner can make it easier for your child to learn by modifying assignments, changing the desk and chair height, addressing sensory challenges that might be interfering with learning, and working with the child’s teacher to modify the way he or she presents materials. 

Want more tips? Check out our tip sheet that will help your child use computer time effectively, use school materials properly, and develop appropriate social skills and behavior.

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We’re always trying to enhance the information and resources we provide members, and we want to make sure that our biweekly e-newsletter, the 1-Minute Update, is engaging and useful. In the last issue, we asked readers to tell us what they would like to read in the 1-Minute Update and the top three things you wanted to see were specific practice tips to use with clients, tech news such as apps recommendations, and quick and easy to understand evidence and research information. 

About 2 years ago we created three separate versions of the 1-Minute Update so that we can provide more specific news to our members. Readers of all three versions agreed that they would like to see the three things mentioned above, but differed on a few things. General version readers would like to see AOTA’s response or resources on current events; Children and Youth version readers would like to read news about what AOTA is working on; and Productive Aging version readers would like links to news articles that highlight occupational therapy. 

General version results:

Children & Youth version results:

Productive Aging version results:

We’ll use these results when developing the content for future issues of the 1-Minute Update. In the mean time, if you have any suggestions, ideas, or thoughts about the 1-Minute Update, shoot me an e-mail—I’m the editor of the 1-Minute Update and would love to hear your feedback. 

Don’t get the 1-Minute Update in your inbox every other week? You’re missing out! All AOTA members get the 1-Minute Update, and if you’re not yet a member, check out all of these benefits of being an AOTA member. 

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We know that community mobility is an important part of well-being (that’s why we have an entire week devoted to older driver safety), and when an individual cannot access the community it can lead to depression, isolation, decreased participation in meaningful activities, diminished wellness, and decreased ability to care for one’s self. 

In most communities in the U.S., the easiest and most efficient way to get around is in a car. When older adults have cognitive, visual, perceptual, psychosocial, and motor changes and declines, it can affect their safe driving. Because driving is often associated with an individual’s independence, many older adults worry about the day they may no longer be able to drive.

Fortunately, occupational therapy practitioners can help older adults with driving in many ways:

• Can assess an older adult’s driving ability (taking into account range of motion for reaching and steering, making quick decisions in response to situations that arise on the road, etc.)
• Determining appropriate adaptations and education to allow the older adult to continue driving safely
• Assist in exploring alternative community mobility options to anticipate and prepare for potential future changes in driving ability
• Recommend behavioral changes to limit risks to driving
• Plan trips in the car for well-known routes and during off-peak hours
• Provide resources for grocery stores and places of worship that offer transportation

Read our updated fact sheet about occupational therapy’s role with driving and community mobility here for more information.  

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It’s Friday, which means it is a great time to declare just how great recess is. Remember recess? Running around the playground. Telling your friends from other classes all about your morning. Competing in pretty high stakes basketball games with the boys (What? That was just me? In my high top black sneakers?). Tether ball. Swings. Slides. Four square. Hopscotch.

Good times.

Of course kids love recess (break from schoolwork, yippee!), but it’s also a very important part of their school day. Did you know that only 36% of children get the recommended amount of daily activity? Letting children have active, free play with classmates gives them the time to dedicate to physical activity, allows them to engage in social participation, and can “recharge” the body and mind.

Unfortunately many school districts are decreasing the amount of recess time to increase instruction time. Often these decisions are also made because of behavior problems that occur during recess such as bullying and discipline problems.  

Occupational therapy practitioners working in the school system can help take back recess! Whether it’s developing school-wide programs such as “recess activities of the week” or helping specific children who may be having trouble with social participation and physical activity at recess, your school occupational therapy practitioner can do a lot to try to “save recess.” 

Want more ideas on how occupational therapy can promote recess? Check out our new Recess Promotion information sheet here.

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More than 5 million Americans have Alzheimer’s disease and that number is expected to triple by 2050. The U.S. has recognized the importance of planning for this growth by creating a national plan to combat Alzheimer’s disease. Dementia is a loss of brain function due to damage to the brain, and between 60% to 80% of dementia cases are classified as Alzheimer’s disease. 

Dementia’s onset is gradual and often coincides with decreased short-term memory, decreased problem solving skills, decreased perceptual skills, and personality changes. Occupational therapy practitioners address dementia in clients as a condition affecting occupational performance and help individuals improve function to be able to participate in their preferred activities. 

Occupational therapy also provides support and assistance to care providers (for example the client’s spouse or children) to help them cope with their difficult role. 

Here are a few examples of how occupational therapy can help a person with dementia: 

• In the early stages a client may see an occupational therapy practitioner for driving, work, and a home safety evaluation. 
• In the middle stages, the focus will be on home safety and staying engaged in meaningful tasks. 
• During the later stages, occupational therapy practitioners may switch the focus to decreasing the caregiver’s burden and help with enhancing basic care. 

If you want more information about occupational therapy’s role with dementia, read AOTA’s new fact sheet (which also has a list of problematic behaviors common in people with dementia and how occupational therapy intervention can help).

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We have 1.5 million men and women serving in the military and more than 22 million veterans. Returning to civilian life after the military is a transition that can be difficult for service members especially if they have injuries or mental health issues such as posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD)—they don’t have to do this alone.

Occupational therapy can help service members and veterans with a variety of issues such as transitioning to civilian life, traumatic brain injury, PTSD, driving rehabilitation, community reintegration, and much more. 

Whether occupational therapy practitioners are working for the Department of Defense, Veterans Affairs (VA), or in another setting, the services and interventions they provide can help our wounded service members and veterans have a full life. 

With PTSD, occupational therapy can help a veteran develop coping strategies, focus on stabilizing symptoms, assist in helping the individual participate in meaningful roles, and more. For traumatic brain injuries, occupational therapy is a key rehabilitation profession that helps the veteran reintegrate in their community. 

AOTA has many resources about working with service members and veterans including this fact sheet on PTSD, this fact sheet about community reintegration after a traumatic brain injury, this emerging niche article about rehab for wounded warriors, and this emerging niche article about veteran and service member’s mental health.    

By the way, if you think it would be pretty inspiring to work with wounded warriors and veterans, let me just say you might be on to something. From the emerging niche series:

“It’s an opportunity to serve your country,” says Captain Tammy Phipps, CPT, US Army Reserve, MS, OTR/L, CDRS, an army reservist on active duty. “It’s an absolute honor to be able to be a part of their care and provide them with independence.” Stephanie Johnson, MS, OTR/L, a civilian occupational therapist, believes that wounded warriors are some of the best clients practitioners will ever have. “They are highly motivated, always put forth the maximum effort, and the outcomes you see are just amazing.”

By the way, if you're going to be at AOTA's Conference & Expo next week in Indianapolis, be sure to check out the plenary session on Saturday, April 28 that features Army occupational therapy! There will be some special guests in attendance—Lieutenant Colonel Tammy Duckworth and former POW Jessica Lynch. Watch this video for more info. You won't want to miss it.

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When we say that occupational therapy helps people live life to its fullest across the lifespan, we really mean it! In fact, occupational therapy plays an important role in the lives of infants and toddlers. From birth to 5 years old, occupational therapy practitioners work with children to promote their development and engagement.

Occupational therapy services can start in the Neonatal Intensive Care Unit (NICU) addressing issues with premature birth, low birth weight, prenatal drug exposure, birth defects, and more. With early intervention, occupational therapy practitioners can also help the family or caregiver learn how to provide the best care. 

As the child ages, occupational therapy services can ensure the child is developing properly with their social skills, motor development, emergent literacy, self-care skills, and self-regulatory skills throughout the toddler and preschool-age years. 

Occupational therapists understand the effects of disabilities and illness on a child’s development, ability to learn new skills, and occupational performance and can design interventions to help children develop in a healthy way. Read more about occupational therapy’s role with children from birth to 5 years old here.

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