Children and Youth
AOTA’s Centennial Vision challenges pediatric occupational therapy professionals to provide excellence in service to infants, toddlers, children, and youth and their families in a variety of settings including schools, clinics, and homes. With the new IDEA regulations, occupational therapy practitioners are also participating in broad new initiatives such as early intervening services and response-to-intervention.
Additional emerging areas of pediatric practice include consultation in technology, wellness promotion, and greater involvement in the rising population of children with mental health disorders such as depression and autism spectrum disorders.
Pediatric occupational therapy practitioners continue to promote function and engagement in meaningful occupations, remediate disability, provide support to families, and collaborate with other disciplines such as special educators, teachers, and medical personnel.
We hope the resources below will help you in your practice. If you have additional questions, try posting them on OTConnections, a community for Occupational Therapy practitioners just like you. If you are an AOTA member, you are already signed up with OTConnections! Just use your member login and password for the AOTA website to access OTConnections.
AOTA Official DocumentsDocuments that clarify and support occupational therapy practice, and are reviewed and updated on an ongoing basis for their applicability Fact Sheets on the Role of OTAn overview of occupational therapy's role in a specific domain or practice environment for both the professional and consumer. Tips for LivingInformative documents to help people cope with a variety of health conditions and explain how occupational therapy can help. Evidence-Based Practice and ResearchInformation on what is known about the effectiveness of interventions used in occupational therapy practice. Evidence-based practice and research information are for AOTA members only. You must login first to view the section.