Ruth Alice Robinson's service to the occupational therapy profession is marked by five noteworthy events. She was president of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) when the motion was adopted that created the certified occupational therapy assistant (COTA) practitioners and membership category. Her administrative, organizational, and documentation skills contributed to the reclassification of occupational therapy in the United States Civil Service code from subprofessional to professional. She started the occupational therapy educational program in the Army during the Korean War and was the first occupational therapist to be promoted to chief of the Army Medical Specialist Corps (AMSC). Finally, she was the first person to be promoted to the permanent rank of colonel in the AMSC (Editorial, 1962).
PURPOSE:Anxiety sensitivity is defined as the fear of anxiety-related sensations and is linked to the top three preventable causes of disease and death in the US. Interoception is related to anxiety sensitivity and can be addressed by occupational therapists. Interoception encompasses sensing/feeling/noticing, understanding/interpreting, and acting upon one's internal bodily sensations. Interoceptive-based interventions are starting to be used to decrease adult anxiety sensitivity. This review examines the effectiveness of interoceptive-based interventions on adult anxiety sensitivity that can be used by occupational therapists. METHODS:Sources: Ovid, CINAHL (EBSCOhost), PsycInfo (Ovid), SCOPUS. Inclusion criteria: interoceptive interventions, persons over age 17 years with anxiety symptoms, level 4 or higher studies, minimum of 14 participants. Exclusion criteria: written before 1999, qualitative, non-peer-reviewed, not available in English, comorbidities or subtypes of anxiety. RESULTS:Sixteen articles were reviewed, 10 level II studies, one level III-1 study, and four level III-2 studies examining the effect of interoceptive-based interventions on adult anxiety sensitivity. Interventions examined were mindfulness, interoceptive exposure, cognitive behavioral therapy (CBT), and combinations of those. All studies showed significant anxiety sensitivity reduction for participants identified with high anxiety sensitivity. Strong evidence supports the use of mindfulness alone and interoceptive exposure with CBT. Moderate evidence supports interoceptive exposure alone. Insufficient evidence currently supports the use of combinations of interoceptive exposure with mindfulness and of interoceptive exposure with CBT. CONCLUSION:Findings support certain interoceptive-based interventions as effective in reducing elevated anxiety sensitivity. More research is needed to examine the less studied combinations, dosages and types of exposures, inclusion of neurophysiological outcome measures, and assessment of long-term effects, and to explore the mechanisms behind this association and its impact on occupational performance and participation.
Avascular necrosis (AVN) is a musculoskeletal condition characterized by pain, mobility limitations, and functional decline, that may restrict daily participation. This cross-sectional study investigated occupational balance, activity performance and satisfaction, and quality of life in 32 individuals with AVN and 31 healthy controls. Participants completed the Occupational Balance Questionnaire, Canadian Occupational Performance Measure (COPM), and World Health Organization Quality of Life-BREF. Individuals with AVN showed significantly lower occupational balance, COPM performance and satisfaction, and quality of life across general, physical, psychological, social, and total quality of life (p<.001), whereas the environmental domain did not differ. These findings underscore the need for occupation-centered rehabilitation in AVN.
Susan Cox Johnson was one of six people present in Clifton Springs, New York in March 1917 for the founding of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy, now the American Occupational Therapy Association. In the official photograph of the meeting, she is seated on the left side. This article examines and describes information about her life and work, both before and after her participation in the founding meeting, as she remains the least documented of the founders.
This article examines the life, work and contributions of Jerry Ann Johnson, who was president of the American Occupational Therapy Association from 1973-78 during a pivotal time of Association reorganization. Specifically, for the first time, all fifty states had functioning occupational therapy associations as well as Puerto Rico and the District of Columbia. Johnson addressed issues that included professionalism versus semi-professionalism, characteristics of a profession and leadership, credentialing processes including licensure and continued competency, community and private practice, and the need for graduate education and research. Over her career, her prolific writing offers profession historical knowledge during the growth of occupational therapy in the 1970's and1980's.
While the link between occupational therapy and reconstruction aides may be known to occupational therapy, there is little known about what happened to the reconstruction aides after the end of World War I. Thus, the purpose of this paper is to describe what happened to the reconstruction aides after the war. Named as the Superintendent of the Reconstruction Aides after the war, Mariam Morriss Beattie is missing link to the history of the reconstruction aides and their continuing service to the government and the occupational therapy profession. As a capable leader after World War I and through World War II, her story outlines the changes in management the reconstruction aides experienced including leadership responsibility and the government agencies responsible for employment. This is her story and those who continued to provide occupational therapy through various governmental agencies.
The purpose of the paper is to describe the life and work of occupational therapist Jennie K. Allen, a pioneer practitioner and educator who developed one of the first occupational therapy education programs at the University of Iowa before accreditation standards were developed. To provide a frame of reference for her significance to the profession, a brief review of the history of occupational therapy education is provided. Allen's contributions to the early education of practitioners and practice of occupational therapy, especially in pediatrics, is also discussed.
This study examined how caregiver-reported interoceptive functioning relates to caregiver-reported sensory processing characteristics in typically developing preschool children aged 2-5 years. Interoceptive functioning was assessed using the caregiver-report Dynamic Metacognitive Interoception Measure (DMIM), and sensory processing characteristics were assessed with the caregiver-report Sensory Processing Measure-Preschool (SPM-P). Analyses were based on data from 240 children and included correlation analyses, hierarchical regression models, and a small set of machine-learning methods used for complementary purposes. Across domains, interoceptive functioning and sensory processing characteristics were inversely associated. Moderate negative associations were observed between overall DMIM scores and sensory processing characteristics. Awareness and discrimination showed the clearest associations with tactile processing (ρ = -.41) and social participation (ρ = -.46), with p values below .001. Age-related differences were modest, with older children showing slightly higher interoceptive scores and lower sensory processing difficulty scores. Machine-learning analyses explained a similar proportion of variance (R2 ≈ .31-.41) as the regression models and pointed to the same interoceptive dimensions as most relevant. Overall, the findings provide a descriptive view of how interoceptive and sensory characteristics appear together in early childhood within a community sample.
This paper documents the life history and contributions of Clyde McDowell Myres to the profession of occupational therapy. With three other women, Myres arrived in France to serve patients in the US Army in World War I and set up an occupational therapy department in a Base Hospital. The four women were called Civilian Aides because women, except nurses, were not allowed to serve in the military. With little experience, they set up a workshop in June 1918 and treated patients until April 1919 when the soldiers were returned stateside and the camp (Base Hospital 117) closed following the end of WW1 in Europe The term "Reconstruction Aide" would replace Civilian Aide when the women from the orthopedic department arrived in September 1918 (Myres, 1919b).
Mary Reilly was a major contributor to the education, practice, and research of occupational therapy during the twentieth century. In addition to developing the Occupational Behavior Work-Play model to guide education and practice, she promoted entry-level education at the master's level and encouraged her students to publish their master's thesis research in the professional journal. Her philosophical hypothesis that humans could, through the use of their hands, influence the state of their own health has been cited frequently since she shared the idea in her 1961 Eleanor Clarke Slagle honorary lecture. This paper summarizes her life history and professional contribution to occupational therapy.
BACKGROUND:Sensory overload can worsen communication, cooperation with care, and overall safety and experience, prompting growing interest in staff training to deliver sensory accommodations as routine clinical practice. OBJECTIVE:This scoping review aimed to map the literature on staff training interventions for sensory accommodations in acute and inpatient settings, describing training content and delivery, targeted populations and settings, reported outcomes, and implementation challenges. METHODS:Following PRISMA-ScR guidance, databases were searched from inception to July 2025, supplemented by grey literature. Eligible sources described staff education/training intended to improve sensory-friendly care in emergency, inpatient, or comparable acute care contexts. A total of 2978 records were screened after duplicate removal, with 22 sources included in the final synthesis. RESULTS:Four themes emerged: (1) training emphasized core sensory-friendly competencies, including recognition of sensory triggers, environmental modification, predictability, and communication strategies; (2) multi-component programs integrating training with environmental and operational supports were more commonly recommended than isolated educational approaches; (3) reported outcomes were primarily experiential, with limited evaluation of clinical or safety outcomes; and (4) sustainability depended on systems integration, ongoing training, and co-design with lived experience. CONCLUSIONS:Staff training for sensory accommodations is an increasingly common strategy across acute and inpatient care, but the evidence base is heterogeneous and often under-evaluated. Programs that combine training with practical tools, environmental changes, and implementation infrastructure appear more durable than education alone.
This descriptive qualitative study explored the roles and interventions of occupational therapy practitioners (OTPs) working with high-risk maternal health populations. Seven OTPs from four regions across the U.S. participated in semi-structured interviews, which were analyzed through inductive coding. Five themes emerged: (1) Participation- and Occupation-Focused Practice, (2) Psychosocial Emphasis, (3) Client-Focused Care, (4) Specialized Services, and (5) Navigating the Realities of Healthcare. Findings demonstrate how OTPs support role transitions, mental health, specialized physical needs, and interprofessional collaboration. Results highlight occupational therapy's unique contributions to maternal health, emphasizing occupation-centered, client-driven care while underscoring the need for clearer role definition, education, and research to expand maternal health practice.
Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) leads to high symptom burden, functional decline, and often disability. Combining rehabilitation and palliative care is recommended to address these challenges. However, the position of occupational therapists (OTs) in such interventions remains unclear. The objective of this scoping review was to map organizational roles and tasks of OTs in interventions combining rehabilitation and palliative care for people with COPD. Literature search was conducted in databases PubMed, CINAHL, Embase, and Scopus, in addition to grey literature search (October-November 2024, with an update in October 2025). Sources were included if they described interventions combining rehabilitation and palliative care, involved COPD population, and identified OT's roles or tasks. Data were charted and analyzed. Seventeen papers published between 2008 and 2025 were included.The results showed that OTs were most commonly members of interprofessional teams delivering integrated rehabilitation and palliative care or rehabilitation-focused programs. Thirteen OT's tasks were identified, primarily addressing functional status (e.g. ADL training, home modification, and assistive devices). Tasks related to self-management (e.g. energy conservation techniques) were less frequent, and none addressed body structure and function. Although the OTs are present in interventions combining rehabilitation and palliative care for people with COPD, they mainly contribute through rehabilitation-focused roles, with limited engagement in palliative care. Our finding also suggest that expanding OT's tasks to include activities that support social participation, and a larger focus on self-management strategies, may enhance people's ability to manage everyday life. Future studies should define OTs' responsibilities and evaluate their impact within interventions combining rehabilitation and palliative care for people living with COPD.
The aim of this study was to evaluate if the Vision CoachTM interactive light board improves processing speed reaction time among autistic individuals and if it contributes to improvement in driving performance. Fifty-seven participants with autism received individual intervention one to two times a day over five days using the Vision Coach. Using a paired pre-posttest design, results showed that participants took statistically significant less time to complete each speed trial (p < .001, r = 0.28-0.32) and missed statistically significant fewer number of targets at post-test (p < .001, r = 0.35 and 0.46, respectively) than pretest. Lastly, there were significant, positive relationships between the changes in the number of targets missed and in the time taken to tap the correct targets for the trials in Speeds 2 and 3 (p < .001). Since decreased processing speed is commonly observed among individuals with autism, this study offers evidence to support Vision Coach as an occupational therapy intervention that improves functional performance. In addition, results from improved processing speed reaction time on driving performance is discussed.
This qualitative study explored the challenges faced by family caregivers of individuals with spinal cord injury (fcSCI) and the contributing factors to these challenges. Thirteen field experts, including fcSCI and clinical and professional experts, participated. Ten vignettes showcasing various issues faced by fcSCI were used to facilitate the discussion. Thematic analyses of semi-structured interviews identified two themes: (i) decline in wellbeing: "It just weighs on you," which explained the psychological, social, and physical challenges faced by fcSCI, and (ii) lacking caregiver preparedness:"There's just so many things to know," which describes the diverse responsibilities that fcSCI take. Findings emphasized the negative consequences of providing long-term care and the importance of improving caregiver readiness. Facilitating access to educational resources is an essential step in supporting family caregivers.
A cross-sectional survey of 95 U.S. occupational therapy practitioners examined their attitudes and beliefs about the back and back pain, as well as their confidence in supporting adult clients with back pain. Data were collected using the 34-item Back Pain Attitudes Questionnaire and two 5-point Likert scale items assessing confidence. Results indicate many participants held unhelpful beliefs about the back. However, even those participants with unhelpful beliefs endorsed several evidence-informed strategies, reflecting a mixture of accurate and less-supported perspectives. These findings highlight opportunities for practitioners to critically evaluate and update their beliefs to enhance evidence-informed care for adults with back pain.
Many children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have altered sensory processing - including auditory sensory over-responsivity (SOR). Few treatment options exist for children with ASD and auditory SOR. This study investigated whether music-based auditory stimulation (The Listening Program® SPECTRUM with Waves™ bone conduction headphones), could reduce auditory SOR, sensory dysfunction, and behaviors common to children with ASD and improve adaptive functioning. Six boys between the ages of 5 and 10 with ASD and auditory SOR completed listening sessions at home for 40 wk. Participants had statistically significant improvements in the Hearing construct of the Sensory Processing Measure that were sustained 3 months post-intervention. Participants also had significant improvements across multiple other sensory constructs, social skills, and communication skills. This study provides support for The Listening Program® SPECTRUM with Waves™ bone conduction headphones to improve sensory processing and reduce hypersensitivity to sound, which may lead to better social and communication skills for children with ASD and auditory SOR. Larger, randomized-controlled studies are needed.
This study describes changes in movement self-efficacy following full-weight bearing overground locomotor training (OLT) in individuals with incomplete spinal cord injuries (iSCI). Movement self-efficacy was measured as confidence when completing physical actions as measured by the Outpatient Physical Therapy Improvement in Movement Assessment Log (OPTIMAL). Fifteen individuals with motor iSCI completed the initial 12 wk of training, and 14 after another 12 wk of OLT. The total OPTIMAL showed small effects from baseline to 24 wk of OLT and from 12 wk to 24 wk, with larger effects found in sub-tasks of the OPTIMAL. Post-hoc analysis found significant improvements in movement self-efficacy for squatting and hopping. Findings suggest movement self-efficacy improved with 12 and 24 wk of OLT, and that these changes may be different for those with higher or lower-level SCI. Improvements in movement self-efficacy may have implications for future rehabilitative care, including reduced burden on caregivers for individuals with SCI.
