During the early 1800s, there was a change of thinking that brought

about an awareness of social conscious that emphasized providing a

good life to all. This thinking later developed into the concept of moral
treatment, which paved the way for providing better treatment and
care to individuals suffering from mental illness in hospitals and
asylums (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 14). Philippe Pinel and William
Tuke are thought to have created the moral treatment movement and
came up with the idea of work treatment as a way to improve the lives
of individuals who were residing in insane asylums. Work treatment
was found to improve the quality of life of these individuals by
decrease mental disturbances as well as improving their skills (OBrien
& Hussey, 2011, p. 14).
After Pinel and Tuke published their findings of the successes
associated with work treatment, many hospitals and institutions began
implementing ideas associated with work treatment and moral
treatment of all patients. It was found that the participation in
organized activities and the reestablishment of order and routine in an
individuals life were significant in improving the lives of those residing
in insane asylums. The use of moral treatment and work treatment
promoted better health and helped simulate a more normal life for
these individuals residing in asylums (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 14).
William Rush Dunton Jr., the founder of occupational therapy, originally
created the term occupational therapy in the early 1900s(OBrien &
Hussey, 2011, p. 15). Also during this time, it was discovered that arts
and crafts could be used to improve the health and well being of
patients declared handicapped and many others residing in treatment
facilities for various health-related illnesses. Occupational therapy was
continually used and explored throughout the early 1900s in mental
institutions and hospitals. A physician named Herbert Hall is credited
for adapting the use of arts and crafts as a treatment for medical
purposes and called this idea the work cure (OBrien & Hussey, 2011,
p. 15).
Eleanor Slagle is credited for the idea of habit training, which was an
education program that taught patients to fix broken habits, modify,
and create new habits in an effort to restore the patients health and
maintain it in the future (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 16). One of the
essential components of occupational therapy, the idea that patients
should be treated holistically, was also developed in the early 1900s.
Dr. Adolf Meyer advocated for the idea that all people should be viewed
as whole beings and not just an assortment of components that need
to be treated individually as well as highlighted the importance of
meaningful activity (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 17).

In the year 1921, the name for the society of occupational officially
changed to the American Occupational Therapy Association (OBrien &
Hussey, 2011, p. 18). Later in the 1920s, the first minimum standards
for courses used to train occupational therapists were developed for
the occupational therapy schools around the country. This was a
tremendous change from the emergency training schools used for
training occupational therapy aids during World War I. This
implementation of minimum standards helped to progress the
profession by demanding a higher skill set and knowledge base from
practicing therapists.
Later in the 1950s, the client base of occupational therapists
drastically changed after the enactment of the national
deinstitutionalization plan. This plan resulted in the countrywide
release of patients from mental institutions and the creation of
community mental health programs to replace these institutions
(OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 19). Along with going away from
institutions, the development of new medical technologies and drugs
led occupational therapy practitioners to undergo additional training to
begin using these innovations in their practice.
Between the 1950s to the present day, there were many events that
have shaped the field of occupational therapy. The enactment of
Medicare in 1965 greatly increased the demand of occupational
therapists by paying for the healthcare of individuals over the age of
65 and also individuals who suffer from long-term and permanent
disabilities (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 22). Two additional events that
greatly changed the health care field was the enactment of the
Americans with Disabilities Act in 1990 and the Individuals with
Disabilities Education Act in 1991. The ADA act provided equal access
and civil rights to disabled individuals and the IDEA act required school
districts to provide education to students with disabilities in the least
restrictive environment as well as required schools to provide assisted
technology services and related services to needing individuals
(OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p. 23). Lastly, in May of 2008, the AOTA
accepted a modified framework of practice that reflects a return to the
founding principles of occupational by focusing on the use of
occupation to support participation in life (OBrien & Hussey, 2011, p.
23).

Works Cited
OBrien, J. C. & Hussey, S. M. (2012). Introduction to occupational
therapy. (4th ed.). Saint Louis, MO. Elsevier: Mosby.