Oscar Mayer Wehner

OTPF stands for Occupational Therapy Practice Framework .  Its title essentially tells you what it is right off the bat.  It is a guide for all occupational therapy practitioners to use on a daily basis to ensure that there is a common ground for our profession in every aspect.  It establishes our scope of practice as occupational therapists, which means it states the procedures, actions, and processes we are allowed to address within our job.  It also establishes a common language that all occupational therapists can use when collaborating or relaying information.  So helpful, right??  Otherwise we would be using all kinds of words coming from every direction with no set definition or understanding and expecting other OTs or professions to just get it.  Thank goodness for the OTPF so that occupational therapists can carry out our jobs effectively and meet all the standards we are held to each day! 

      The evolution of television was discussed during many of the era presentations.  From its beginnings to its current role as a leisure outlet, watching TV has remained a very prominent pastime for much of our society.  Beginning in the late 1940s, the number of households with televisions began to grow continuing into the 1950s and 1960s.  The amount of time spent watching television in the United States also began to grow.  Now into the late 2010s, the amount of time Americans spend watching TV each day has increased beyond a healthy amount.  Children no longer value time spent outdoors or interacting with others due to the inability to get out from in front of the television screen.  What began as a new technology fad turned into an addiction for many consumers.  While numerous advances have been made involving television, like the creation of Smart TVs, Netflix, Hulu, DVR, etc, it is important that we strongly encourage the American population to become more active and l

When reviewing the list of specialty and board certifications available for occupational therapists, the option to become a Certified Autism Specialist (CAS) stood out most to me.  During my time in undergrad, we were required to participate in numerous camps held for individuals with multiple disabilities.  For these camps, we were assigned a camper that we were responsible for throughout the long weekend or week depending on which camp it was.  Considering how close we would become with our campers during the camp, we were encouraged to establish relationships with them before and even after the camp had ended.   For Camp Koinonia, the week-long camp UT Knoxville holds for individuals with multiple disabilities, I was assigned to a camper with autism.  Our cabin group had 3 other campers with autism, as well.  This opportunity taught me so much about Autism Spectrum Disorder.  It truly is such a unique disorder that affects each individual in many different ways.  One of my