Occupational therapy is a method of treatment that uses purposeful occupations, those things that we do everyday in life, to return individuals with disability to function. Occupational therapists work with individuals who have been disabled by injury, illness, disease processes, developmental delay, or through the aging process. Disabilities can be physical or mental.
Occupational therapists work with a variety of patients throughout the age spectrum.
In the past, occupational therapy has been ordered through a physician. However, thanks to our efforts in the 1999 Texas Legislative Session, OTs my now accept referrals from all licensed health care providers. For additional information on the expanded referral base for OTs, click here. People in early intervention programs, schools, work sites, and other community sites like sheltered workshops or adult day care may access occupational therapy without a physician referral if there is no acute or active medical situation. These programs may have some other decision-making committee or body that helps determine the need for OT services, but in some cases there is direct access.