An Exploration of Interventions Used by Occupational Therapists

Among practices in the field of health care, there exists a common understanding of the importance of evidence-based practice. Evidence-based care, combining rigorous empirical research of a treatment with the desires and goals of the patient, focuses on the implementation of treatments that are proven to be effective and can apply to the best interests of all parties involved. These ideas pervade numerous healthcare fields, including the practice of occupational therapy. Unfortunately, although occupational therapy literature suggests that there are evidence-based treatments available for practitioners to utilize, it simultaneously depicts the popular use of interventions that are less substantial in their level of supporting evidence. One population served by occupational therapists that could be particularly affected by this contradiction is children diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. In order to decipher what could be provoking occupational therapists to utilize treatments with lesser empirical support, the current study’s researchers asked practicing occupational therapists about their common interventions as well as their thoughts on evidence-based practice. The results of these interviews provide further evidence that occupational therapists are indeed utilizing treatments with lesser evidential support, suggesting that the contradictions in occupational therapy literature also reflect in its practice.