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Hannah Denney
Ron Christiansen
ENGL-1010-F16
11/30/16
Style or Substance:
Choosing Recreational Therapy or Occupational Therapy as a Career
Research Question: Is Occupational Therapy or Recreational Therapy a more effective
career path for treating Autism?
Like most students I needed to decide what I want to do after college. I already knew that
I wanted to work in the field of therapy, and that I wanted to specialize in the treatment of
autistic children. And after careful research, I narrowed down the possibilities to either
Recreational Therapy or Occupational Therapy as the two fields I would most enjoy doing. Now
to find out which is the better career path!
There are multiple ways to view this complex question. As a family member or loved one
of someone with Autism it would be vital to know what form of therapy would be the most
effective at mitigating the effects of ASD. Medical professionals would also have a stake in the
outcome of this question, as they would want to recommend the best treatment option for their
patients. Meanwhile, I am sure that there are other students out there who want to know which
career will be more viable in the long run.
Family and friends play an important role in the lives of people with ASD. I myself have
several members of my family that are on the autism spectrum, and Ive had the benefit of
watching the effect that different forms of therapy have on a persons life. My brother Gabriel
has been diagnosed with autism since he was a baby. It was easy to see that the way he acted and

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thought were different from me and my other siblings. Laurie Jake CTRS put it the best way
when she stated, Imagine a world where you did not see, hear, smell, feel and taste the way
everyone else does. Imagine a world where lights and sounds bombard your senses and frighten
you. This is often the world that children with autism live in (Jake).
I knew from a very young age that this was the world my brother lived in. My brother was then
enrolled in occupational and recreational therapy.
From a family members perspective, I was able to witness the effect that both forms of
therapy had on our lives and Gabes in particular. With occupational therapy he was able to learn
to take care of himself. Things that had been difficult for him to learn, such as dressing himself,
were made easier with the help of occupational therapy, as it focuses on a persons ability to be
independent throughout their lives and teaching them the skills necessary to do so. Gabe is still
participating in occupational therapy to this day. His therapist is like a member of our family,
which is not uncommon because, occupational therapists work as part of a team that includes
parents, teachers, and other professionals. says other medical professionals (Hirsch), and thats
a sentiment I wholeheartedly agree with. Occupational therapy is a team effort. As a family you
notice what issues are occurring and keep the OT updated, then that OT sets goals to help their
patient overcome said issues. It honestly takes a village but it is more than worth the effort.
Meanwhile recreational therapy focused exclusively on Gabe and any goals he might
want to accomplish. To me it is a more personal form of therapy, as it was between Gabe and the
recreational therapist what the decided to work on together and what activities they would do.
therapeutic recreation(TR) is filled with fun activities, you can do everything from learning to
ride horses to skiing and beyond! Its extremely exciting to do as it involves a wide range of
activities, besides that, who wouldnt want to spend all day playing with kids as a form of

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therapy? But its important to remember that while its incredibly fun, Recreational therapy can
play a primary role in enhancing the quality of life and productivity of a child with Autism
(Jake). I noticed with Gabe that over time he was much more vocal with other people besides
family, he socialized and completed tasks much more often, and He was also a much happier
person.
As a family we could see the effects these therapies had on Gabriel, But I still wondered
what view medical professionals would have on this question. As a whole medical professionals
agree that both forms of therapy are beneficial in the treatment of ASD. A study done by D.
Garca-Villamisar and J. Dattilo proved that those who participated in TR were significantly less
stressed out and had a much higher quality of life then those with ASD who did not. However,
the study showed that this effect only happened with those who were involved in therapeutic
recreation for a significant amount of time (Garca-Villamisar and Dattilo 611-619). So
according to this study, those who participated in TR for less than a year showed no decrease in
stress levels or improvement in quality of life. This means that those with ASD would need to be
involved in therapeutic recreation for a while in order for it to have any positive effects, while
the same is not true for occupational therapy. In fact, occupational therapy is often used as part
of the treatment plan for babies with ASD, meaning it can be used earlier and has a faster effect
on its patients.
While occupational therapy can be used earlier and is effective faster, a study was done
by Jill Ashburner, Sylvia Rodger, Jenny Ziviani, and Judy Jones that proved that there needs to
be more information available to occupational therapists about the treatment of ASD and better
training for occupational therapists to be more effective at treating those with the disorder

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(Ashburner et al. 110-120). This lack of training and information can have a negative effect on
OTs who are doing their best to provide quality treatment to their patients.
As students its important for us to choose the right career in college so that we know our
money isnt being wasted. I, like a lot of students, am paying for college myself. I want to make
sure that the therapy field I choose will be able to support me financially when I do exit college.
The field of therapy I choose will also need to be a growing field in order to maximize my
earning potential. According to The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics the table below represents a
summary of the expected earnings of an occupational therapist:
Quick Facts: Occupational Therapists
2015 Median Pay

$80,150 per year

$38.54 per hour

Typical Entry-Level Education

Master's degree

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

None

On-the-job Training

None

Number of Jobs, 2014

114,600

Job Outlook, 2014-24

27% (Much faster than average)

Employment Change, 2014-24

30,400

As an occupational therapist I would be more then able to pay off any debt I will incur as a
student while providing for my family. The field is also rapidly growing so there would be no
need to fear that I might be unable to find a job after college, especially as the number of jobs
available is so high. I find it reassuring that the majority of employers for this occupational
therapy do not require work experience or on the job training. It appears to me that they trust that
you know what youre doing as you would be required to have a masters degree to apply for
most jobs, which could be viewed as a downside.

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The U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics also provided me with the following data for
recreational therapy:
Quick Facts: Recreational Therapists
2015 Median Pay

$45,890 per year

$22.06 per hour

Typical Entry-Level Education

Bachelor's degree

Work Experience in a Related Occupation

None

On-the-job Training

None

Number of Jobs, 2014

18,600

Job Outlook, 2014-24

12% (Faster than average)

Employment Change, 2014-24

2,200

You can see here that the median pay is significantly lower for recreational therapists as opposed
to OTs. This can be attributed to the typical entry level education required is a Bachelors degree.
You can also see that recreational therapy is a growing field, but that field is not growing as fast
as occupational therapy, nor does it have as many jobs available though it is faster and higher
than average. As a student I found this data relevant because its important to make sure that you
are choosing a career that will support you if you have no other income available to you. How
would you be effective at your job if you are constantly worried about paying your bills at home?
How can you treat a child at work with autism if youre worried your own kids wont have food
to eat?
I believe that students looking into either of these fields will need to consider the growth
of the field they are trying to enter so that they will be able to look ahead and plan according to
their needs. They will also need to consider which field will capitalize on all that theyve learned
in college. But the question still remains which field will be better at treating autism as a student?

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After looking at all the research Ive accumulated and the knowledge Ive acquired about
each field, Ive decided that Occupational Therapy is the more effective career path for treating
Autism. I have formed this opinion because occupational therapy can be used to treat a patient
throughout their entire life, and the focus of that treatment is the overall independence of the
person with ASD instead of just a focus on their ability to recreate and socialize. I believe that
its important to treat autism as early as possible and occupational therapy provides that option. It
also provides greater financial stability in an ever expanding market for students looking to enter
that field, though additional schooling will be needed I think its well worth it.

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Works Cited
Ashburner, Jill, Sylvia Rodger, Jenny Ziviani, and Judy Jones. "Occupational Therapy Services
for People with Autism Spectrum Disorders: Current State of Play, Use of Evidence and
Future Learning Priorities." Australian Occupational Therapy Journal 61.2 (2013): 11020. Academic Search Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Garca-Villamisar, D. A., and J. Dattilo. "Effects of a Leisure Programme on Quality of Life and
Stress of Individuals with ASD." Journal of Intellectual Disability Research 54.7 (2010):
611-19. Academic Search Premier [EBSCO]. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

Hirsch, David, editor. Benefits of Occupational Therapy for Autism. WebMD, WebMD
Medical Reference, 25 Feb. 2010, http://www.webmd.com/brain/autism/benefits-ofoccupational-therapy-for-autism. Web. 7 Nov. 2016.

Jake, Laurie. "Autism and the Role of Aquatic Therapy in Recreational Therapy Treatment
Services." Therapeutic Recreation Directory. N.p., n.d. Web. 15 Nov. 2016.

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2016. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/Healthcare/Occupational-therapists.htm>.

"Summary." U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics. U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics, n.d. Web. 16 Nov.
2016. <http://www.bls.gov/ooh/healthcare/recreational-therapists.htm>