Indiana University Department of Occupational Therapy Celebrates Occupational Therapy Month

An Occupational Therapy student interviewing a client.

INDIANAPOLIS – April 2006 has been designated as National Occupational Therapy Month by the American Occupational Therapy Association, occupational therapy practitioners and educators.

Occupational therapy is the health and rehabilitation profession that focuses on maximizing a person’s ability to participate in life independently. With occupational therapy, children and adults facing physical, cognitive, or psychosocial challenges can improve skills that help them perform daily tasks at home, at school, at work, and at play.

Indiana University has a long history of educating occupational therapy students, graduating its first baccalaureate class in 1960. Currently, the Indiana University Department of Occupational Therapy offers an entry-level Master of Science degree program in occupational therapy. For more information about the Indiana University School of Health & Rehabilitation Sciences Department of Occupational Therapy and its graduate program, please visit www.shrs.iupui.edu.

U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics Occupational Outlook Handbook reports that “employment of occupational therapists is expected to increase faster than the average for all occupations through 2012”. See http://stats.bls.gov/oco/ocos078.htm for additional information.

The American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), founded in 1917, represents nearly 40,000 occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students of occupational therapy. As the sole national organization for the profession, AOTA promotes optimum practice through standards of education, publications, continuing education, advocacy, and professional communication. For more information on occupational therapy, visit www.aota.org.