N.M. Stat. § 61-12A-4 — NM Code / Chapter 61 / Article 12A / Section 61-12A-4
§ 61-12A-4. Occupational therapy services
Status: in_force

The practice of occupational therapy includes the following processes and services:

A. evaluation of factors affecting all areas of occupation, including activities of daily living, instrumental activities of daily living, rest and sleep, education, work, productivity, play, leisure and social participation; including:

(1) client factors, including neuromuscular, sensory, visual, mental, cognitive and pain factors and body structures, including cardiovascular, digestive, integumentary and genitourinary systems and structures related to movement;

(2) habits, routines, roles and behavior patterns;

(3) cultural, physical, environmental, social and spiritual contexts and activity demands that affect performance; and

(4) performance skills, including motor process and communication and interaction skills;

B. activity analysis to determine activity demands of occupations performed;

C. design, implementation and modification of therapeutic interventions, including the following activities related to selection of intervention strategies to direct the process of interventions:

(1) establishment, remediation or restoration of a skill or ability that has not yet developed, is impaired or is in decline;

(2) compensation, modification or adaptation of activity or environment to enhance performance or to prevent injuries, disorders or other conditions;

(3) retention, maintenance and enhancement of skills and capabilities without which performance in everyday life activities would decline;

(4) promotion of health and wellness, including the use of self-management strategies to enable or enhance performance in everyday life activities;

(5) prevention of barriers to performance, including injury and disability prevention; and

(6) interventions and procedures to promote or enhance safety and performance in areas of occupation, including:

(a) therapeutic use of occupations, exercises and activities;

(b) training in self-care, self-management, health management and maintenance, home management, community-work reintegration, school activities and work performance;

(c) development, remediation or compensation of neuromusculoskeletal, sensory-perceptual, sensory-integrative and modulation, visual, mental and cognitive functions, pain tolerance and management, developmental skills and behavioral skills;

(d) therapeutic use of self, including one's personality, insights, perceptions and judgments, as part of the therapeutic process;

(e) education and training of persons, including family members, caregivers, groups, populations and others;

(f) care coordination, case management and transition services;

(g) consultative services to groups, programs, organizations or communities;

(h) modification of home, work, school and community environments and adaptation of processes, including the application of ergonomic principles;

(i) assessment, design, fabrication, application, fitting and training in seating and positioning, assistive technology, adaptive devices and orthotic devices and training in the use of prosthetic devices;

(j) assessment, recommendation and training in techniques to enhance functional mobility, including management of wheelchairs and other mobility devices;

(k) low-vision rehabilitation;

(l) driver rehabilitation and community mobility;

(m) management of feeding, eating and swallowing;

(n) application of physical agent modalities and use of a range of specific therapeutic procedures such as wound care management; techniques to enhance sensory, perceptual and cognitive processing; and manual therapy techniques to enhance performance skills;

(o) facilitating the occupational performance of groups, populations or organizations; and

(p) management of a client's mental health, functioning and performance; and

D. use of means to measure the outcomes and effects of interventions to reflect the attainment of treatment goals, including:

(1) improved quality of life;

(2) the degree of participation;

(3) role competence;

(4) well-being;

(5) improved life function;

(6) enhanced performance; and

(7) prevention criteria.