April is Occupational Therapy Month – Inspiring Hope, Changing Lives.

Focus on Participation

Occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) help patients in meaningful activities (occupations) in order to promote physical and mental health and quality of life. Occupational therapists (OT) are referred to as OT practitioners (OTPs). OTPs promote participation in the following areas:

• Education/school work (e.g. attending in class, handwriting, managing classroom materials)
• Play and leisure (e.g. playing during recess; after-school leisure participation)
• Social participation (e.g. making friends, getting along with others, self-regulation)
• Activities of daily living (ADLs; e.g., eating, dressing, hygiene)
• Instrumental ADLs (e.g., preparing meals, shopping, managing money, grocery shopping)
• Sleep and rest (sleep hygiene, making time to relax and refresh)
• Health management (learning about and taking care of one’s mental and physical health)
• Work (e.g. pre-work activities such as helping clean up after activities)