The History of Occupational Therapy Assistants
Under the supervision of registered occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants provide creative solutions and therapeutic aid. They assist people experiencing mental and physical challenges with improving skills for independence, relative to activities of daily living through involvement in meaningful activities.
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Early History
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During the early 1900s, a nurse named Susan Tracy began using the term "occupational nurse" to describe nurses who treated mentally ill patients through the use of occupation, or therapeutic activity. Tracy also trained nursing students in this specialty.
Expansion
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Architect George Edward Barton made contact with Dr. William R. Dunton, Jr. in 1914 to discuss the formal establishment of an association for people interested in learning more about "occupational work," the term occupational therapy was known by at the time.
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Organization
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Three years later, the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy (NSPOT) was founded. Susan Tracy and George E. Barton were among the charter members. The name was changed to American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) in 1921; accreditation of educational curriculum for occupational therapists formalized in 1923.
Certification
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Because of increased demand for trained occupational therapists, in 1958 AOTA began approving formal certification processes for occupational therapy assistants.
Degrees
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During the 1960s, St. Catherine University (formerly the College of St. Catherine) in St. Paul, Minn., became the first school in the United States to formally establish a two-year associate's degree program for occupational therapy assistants. There are approximately 150 schools nationwide offering accredited occupational therapy assistant curriculum at the associate's level.
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References
- Sensory Processing Disorder: The History of Occupational Therapy Where Did We Come From? How Did We Get Here?
- St. Catherine University: Occupational Therapy Assistant: Why St. Kate's
- American Occupational Therapy Association: Your Career in Occupational Therapy: Consider Becoming an Occupational Therapy Assistant
- Bureau of Labor Statistics: Occupational Outlook Handbook 2010-2011: Occupational Therapy Assistants and Aides
- American Occupational Therapy Association: History of AOTA Accreditation
- Photo Credit tailleur de pierres image by Didier Sibourg from Fotolia.com
