Why did Occupational Therapy start with arts and crafts?



How did the Arts and Crafts Movement influence occupational therapy?

OCCUPATIONAL THERAPY

OT’s used arts and crafts as a therapeutic treatment. The goal was to move successful performs back into the workforce. Crafts have several therapeutic functions: motor control, sensory and perceptual stimulation, cognitive challenges, and enhanced self-esteem and sense of efficacy.

Who created the Arts and Crafts Movement for occupational therapy?





George Bar- ton, one of the founders of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), served as Secretary of the Boston Arts and Crafts Society in 1904, embraced the ideals of the Arts and Crafts Movement, and worked at Kelmscott Press in London, where Morris did much of his bookbinding and calligraphy work.

When was the arts and crafts movement OT?

The first Arts and Crafts Society in North America was founded in Boston in 1897 by Charles Eliot Norton, a close friend of Ruskin and Morris, and a professor of fine art at Harvard.

What is craft in occupational therapy?

Abstract. Aim: Craft was the first therapeutic occupation of occupational therapy. Since the early days of the profession, the value of craft in practice is a topic that has been discussed with fluctuating interest.

What major social influences gave rise to the field of occupational therapy?

The Civil war which eliminated slavery in America. The practice of Moral Treatment which emphasized compassion towards all people. Being consciously aware of ending slavery and advocating for women rights. Improving the conditions for those injured in World War 1 as well as the demand for practitioners in World War II.