Did you know that occupational therapy was founded in 1917 by a group of people in Clifton Springs, NY, who wanted to provide a more humane environment for folks in mental health hospitals?
These folks (namely George Edward Barton, William Rush Dunton, Susan Cox Johnson, Thomas Bessel Kidner, Isabel Newton, and Eleanor Clarke Slagle) untied mental health patients from their beds, and gave them activities to “occupy” their hands and minds. Activities such as gardening, basketweaving, and painting were taught as a way to give people a purpose, regardless of their perceived abilities.
Our profession has evolved and grown so much in the last 108 years; branching from solely being in the mental health arena, to physical disabilities, to pediatrics, growing into wellness spaces. and so much more. Even within the scope of pediatrics, there is so much diversity! Hospital settings, Early Intervention, outpatient clinics (like AboutPlay), school therapy. And from there, each team has its own unique flavor, as the healing modalities that are available are V A S T.
Our founders were rebels. They went against the norm of restraining people with mental health challenges against their will, by literally untying them, bringing them out to “occupy” their hands and minds, connect with others, while improving their mental health. This was, for the most part, unheard of in these times. Several of our OT pioneers were also rebels, in their own way. We celebrate the work of the late Dr. A. Jean Ayres. With a fascination for neurology, she began to study it while working with children with Learning Differences in the 1960s. Dr. Ayres put together the puzzle pieces and began to notice that there was far more going on with the children that she was working with than just in their minds; there were physical and postural differences, sensory processing differences.
Our field continues to grow, change, and evolve in exciting ways. It is stretching into new areas, and claiming wellness based models instead of disease based models. OT is ultimately about finding what is resonant, purposeful, and meaningful to a person, and then helping that person achieve it. A person’s “occupations” may include many things; we look at needs of a person in the context of home, work or school, and leisure or play. We look to inspire, find the “edge”, create activities based on meaningful goals. We take cultural beliefs, identity, religious and spiritual beliefs into consideration when working with people. We get creative!
At AboutPlay, we consider ourselves as rebels in our own way. We infuse our more traditional modalities (Ayres’ Sensory Integration, Reflex Integration, DIR/Floortime) with holistic Integrative Health practices including aromatherapy, energy medicine (Reiki and other quantum practices), yoga, and reflexology. We work intuitively with the children, and are always learning new things to enrich our practices.
It is likely that you, or someone you love, will benefit from OT support one day, if you haven’t already. We are in schools, hospitals, daycares, skilled nursing facilities, homes, clinics, and more. You may even take an adaptive yoga class, a breath work class, or get coaching from an OT. Our field is growing and changing shape with each year. It’s truly an exciting profession to be a part of!
If you know an awesome OT, give them a shoutout this month.
Kate Drummond, OTR/L
Kate received her degree in Occupational Therapy in January 1997 from Keuka College, New York. Kate has worked in hospitals (adult and pediatric) including Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta at Egleston, outpatient clinics, and in the natural environment. Kate started AboutPlay in 2003. She is an intuitive empath, and has always had a passion for holistic healing. She has trained in a number of holistic clinical modalities including aromatherapy, reflexology, meditation, and yoga.
