Occupational therapy (OT) is a health profession focused on helping people across the lifespan participate in the daily activities, or “occupations,” that are meaningful to them. The primary goal of an occupational therapist is to enable people to achieve independence and satisfaction in these life activities despite physical, cognitive, or sensory challenges. By addressing barriers and focusing on a person’s ability to “do,” OT promotes health, well-being, and overall quality of life.
Mastering Everyday Self-Care and Domestic Tasks
Occupational therapists address the tangible skills required for daily living, categorized into Activities of Daily Living (ADLs) and Instrumental Activities of Daily Living (IADLs). ADLs are foundational self-care tasks essential for survival and hygiene, including dressing, bathing, feeding oneself, toileting, and personal grooming. Functional mobility, such as moving from a bed to a chair, is also considered an ADL.
Building upon these core functions are IADLs, which are more complex tasks supporting independent living within the home and community. These tasks require a higher level of cognitive and physical skill than ADLs. Examples include managing personal finances, preparing meals, managing medications, using transportation, and caring for others or maintaining the home.
Therapy involves systematically breaking down complex tasks into smaller, manageable steps to identify where a person is struggling. OTs then teach new techniques or provide adaptations. For instance, an OT might focus on regaining the ability to eat (an ADL) before progressing to the more complex IADL of preparing a meal. This structured approach ensures a person builds confidence and competence toward full community participation.
Developing Physical Coordination and Movement
Occupational therapy focuses on the underlying physical capacity required to execute activities smoothly and safely, addressing both fine and gross motor skills. Fine motor skills involve the precise, small-muscle movements, typically in the hands and wrists, necessary for tasks like buttoning a shirt, writing, or grasping small objects.
Gross motor skills involve the larger muscles of the torso, arms, and legs, needed for actions such as walking, maintaining balance, and overall body coordination. Therapists use activities to improve range of motion, muscle strength, and endurance, which are the physical foundations for sustained activity. For example, play-based activities like obstacle courses improve motor planning and bilateral coordination.
Coordination is a major focus, relying on the nervous system to execute smooth, efficient, and purposeful movement using multiple body parts in sync. This includes dynamic balance for movement and static balance for holding a posture. Improving these capacities allows an individual to perform daily tasks with greater ease and less fatigue, supporting overall independence.
Enhancing Thinking and Processing Abilities
Occupational therapy addresses the mental and cognitive skills necessary for successfully navigating a complex world. These skills fall under functional cognition, including processes like memory, attention, and concentration. Of particular focus are the executive functions, which act as the brain’s management system controlling goal-directed behavior.
Executive functions include the ability to plan, organize, sequence tasks, and initiate an activity without prompting. A person with challenges in this area might struggle to follow the steps of a recipe or organize their workspace effectively. OTs work on these skills using structured activities, such as problem-solving games, which require strategic thinking and task initiation.
Another component is perceptual skill, which involves interpreting sensory information, such as spatial awareness and visual perception. Difficulties with perception can make simple tasks, like judging distance or correctly orienting clothing, very difficult. Occupational therapists teach specific cognitive strategies to compensate for deficits and improve daily routines.
Adapting Environments for Independence
When a person’s physical or cognitive skills cannot be fully restored, occupational therapy shifts focus to modifying the external environment and using assistive tools. This approach recognizes that independence is achieved through the optimal match between a person’s abilities and their surroundings. Adaptive equipment is a practical way to bridge the gap between a person’s capacity and the demands of an activity.
Adaptive equipment ranges from simple, low-tech items like long-handled reachers, to weighted utensils that help stabilize a tremor during eating. Therapists recommend items such as shower chairs, grab bars, or raised toilet seats to enhance safety and independence in the bathroom. They also provide training on how to use these devices effectively.
Environmental modifications involve making changes to the home or workplace to improve accessibility and reduce the risk of injury. This includes installing ramps, widening doorways, or using technology such as voice-activated controls for lighting and appliances. The goal of these external adaptations is to create a safe and functional space that maximizes a person’s ability to perform desired activities without constant assistance.