History of Occupational Therapy Timeline

In 1915, Eleanor Clarke Slagle established the first occupational therapy training program for disabled people at the Henry B. Favill School of Occupations at Hull House in Chicago.

The inaugural meeting of the National Society for the Promotion of Occupational Therapy was held in Clifton Springs, New York, from 15 to 17 March 1917. The meeting marked a foundational moment in professional organization.

Dunton published Reconstruction Therapy in 1919. The book expanded the ideas presented in his earlier article and helped lay a textual foundation for occupational therapy practice.

Eleanor Clarke Slagle proposed a 12-month occupational therapy training course in 1922. The proposal contributed to the profession's move toward standardized educational preparation.

The occupational therapy training standards proposed by Slagle were adopted in 1923. Standardization strengthened professional identity and established clearer expectations for entry into practice.

William Denton published Prescribing Occupational Therapy in 1928. The textbook provided further guidance for selecting and applying occupational activities therapeutically.

In 1929, Elizabeth Casson established Dorset House, a residential clinic in Bristol for women with mental disorders, and served as its medical director. Her earlier work under social reformer Octavia Hill also influenced her approach.

At Dorset House in 1930, Elizabeth Casson founded the first school of occupational therapy in the United Kingdom. The school became an important center for training occupational therapists.

Educational standards were expanded in 1930 to require a total training time of 18 months. The change placed professional-entry requirements more nearly on par with those of other professions.

The Scottish Association of Occupational Therapists was founded in 1932, providing professional organization and representation for occupational therapists in Scotland.

From 1936, the Association of Occupational Therapists served the rest of the United Kingdom. Its formation broadened national professional organization beyond Scotland.

The organization that is now Occupational Therapy Australia began in 1944, marking the establishment of a national professional body for occupational therapy in Australia.

A major occupational therapy textbook was published in the United States in 1947, edited by Helen S. Willard and Clare S. Spackman. It became an important educational resource for the profession.

In 1954, the American Occupational Therapy Association created the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship Award in honor of Eleanor Clarke Slagle. The annual award recognizes creative contributions to the profession's knowledge through research, education, or clinical practice.

As the profession addressed an ongoing shortage of qualified therapists, it assessed the potential use of trained assistants. Educational standards for occupational therapy assistants were implemented in 1960.

The Model of Human Occupation, or MOHO, was first published in 1980. It provided a framework for understanding how motivation, habits, performance, and environment shape occupational participation.

The Occupational Performance Model (Australia), or OPM(A), was conceptualized in 1986. It offered a framework for organizing occupational therapy concepts and practice.

Elizabeth Yerxa founded occupational science in 1989 at the University of Southern California as an academic discipline. The field provided foundational research on occupation and a basic science supporting occupation-based occupational therapy.

The Person–Environment–Occupation–Performance model was originally published in 1991 by Charles Christiansen and M. Carolyn Baum. It describes performance through the interaction of environment, person, performance, and occupation.

The Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists originated the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance in 1997. The framework organized occupational performance around the person, occupation, and environment.

The Occupational Performance Model (Australia) reached its current form in 2006. The model continued the effort to provide a coherent conceptual basis for occupational therapy practice.

In 2007, Palatjko, Townsend, and Craik expanded the Canadian Model of Occupational Performance by adding engagement. The revision highlighted participation and involvement in meaningful occupation.

The Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act, Public Law 111-148, included a habilitation clause in 2010. The clause was passed in large part through the political advocacy efforts of the American Occupational Therapy Association.

Image source: Affordable Care Act

As occupational therapy grew, community-based practice developed from an emerging area into a fundamental part of occupational therapy practice. This expansion emphasized participation in homes, communities, schools, and other real-world environments.

The World Federation of Occupational Therapists revised its minimum standards for occupational therapy education in 2016. The standards support international expectations for preparing occupational therapy practitioners.

As of 2018, more than 500,000 occupational therapists were working worldwide, and 778 academic institutions were providing occupational therapy instruction. Many practitioners worked with children, reflecting the profession's broad lifespan reach.

The American Occupational Therapy Association's 2019 Salary and Workforce Survey reported that occupational therapists worked across hospitals, schools, long-term care, outpatient services, home health, academia, early intervention, mental health, community practice, and other settings.

The Canadian Institute for Health Information reported that in 2020, 46.1% of Canadian occupational therapists worked in hospitals, 43.2% in community health, 3.6% in long-term care, and 7.1% in other settings including government, industry, manufacturing, and commercial workplaces.

In 2021, U.S. News & World Report ranked occupational therapy number 19 on its list of 100 Best Jobs, reflecting the profession's employment prospects and perceived value.