Occupational Therapy Case Study

1338 Words6 Pages

Disability service users come in contact with a variety of therapies and services which help enable them to become more self-reliant. The role of these therapy practices is not only to treat the disability that the clients present with, but also treat the individual as a whole to enable them to participate in their required and desired activities. Occupational therapy by definition enhances individuals’ ability to “…engage in the occupations they want to, or need to, or are expected to do, or by modifying the occupation or the environment to better support their occupational engagement” (World Federation of Occupational Therapists, 2017). It therefore provides a way for individuals to feel empowered through choices and adaptations they make …show more content…

Nevertheless the UNICEF World Report on Disability (2011) very truthfully states that “[a]lmost everyone will be temporarily or permanently impaired at some point in life, and those who survive to old age will experience increasing difficulties in functioning.”
Another point that should be kept in mind is that whilst some disabilities are clearly visible for one to appreciate a person’s difficulties (e.g. physical), there are many conditions which are not (e.g. cognitive, auditory or visually impaired, pertaining to mental health). Thus, it is important to promote awareness of all kinds of disabilities.
As an aspiring health professional, experiencing the struggles these individuals must face in their daily lives is eye-opening, and it is obvious that more must be done to help enable these individuals. It is very often the case that the environment as a whole, such as architecture, social attitudes and lack of social awareness contributes to disabled service users’ deprivation of independence and abilities, rather than the disability itself (World Health Organisation, …show more content…

These children very often show delay in developmental milestones such as sitting down, crawling, walking and talking, whilst also showing some learning difficulties. During therapeutic sessions, the clients cognitive, behavioural and functional capabilities are assessed and tailored therapy is then provided. These children are empowered and enabled to do the most basic activities such as play and communication in the therapeutic setting. The principle objective is for the clients to eventually apply these learnt exercises to more complex day to day scenarios as they