What do young school‐age children know about occupational therapy? An evaluation study

Abstract

AbstractOccupational therapy is a poorly understood profession. In response to this fact, the American Occupational Therapy Association has launched a national campaign to increase awareness of occupational therapy among adults. Little is known, however, about children's perceptions of occupational therapy. The current evaluation study reports on the assessment of children's perceptions of occupational therapy prior to, and following, an interactive demonstration on occupational therapy as part of a larger neuroscience exposition. One hundred and three elementary school‐aged children (55 boys and 48 girls) from local schools attended a one‐day neuroscience exposition held at the Boys & Girls Clubs of Omaha. At three of 18 booths at the exposition, occupational therapy faculty and students explained what occupational therapists do, and demonstrated the link between brain function and occupational performance. Children completed pre and post questionnaires. Results revealed that on pre‐test, the vast majority of participants could not answer the question or had no idea of what occupational therapists do. On post‐test, 75% reported that they had knowledge of what occupational therapists do. These preliminary findings suggest that a campaign of public awareness about occupational therapy for children would be highly effective and beneficial, and that a neuroscience exposition including occupational therapy is one effective intervention to promote such awareness. Copyright © 2001 Whurr Publishers Ltd.