Dr. Kathlyn Reed - 2016

Pioneering OT and OS: Ideas & Practitioners before 1917

The concept of using occupation with patients or clients was well established by the time the founders met in Clifton Springs in 1917. The questions are: (1) When did occupation first become viewed as a medium that could have a positive influence on personal health, well-being and participation? (2) Who were the people that first advanced the notion of occupation as a potential positive agent and (3) What were their ideas about how occupation could be used?

The answers were found by searching the journal literature using multiple terms, about 25, related to the concept of occupation since the term “occupational therapy” did not appear in print until 1915. Ninety-five articles were located published between 1897 and 1916. Six early practice models were identified by terms used in the authors publications: institutional occupation, diversional occupation, work cure, habit training, workshops and invalid occupation. The authors of the articles were organized into four professional groups: physicians, other professionals (psychologists, nurses, and artists), occupation workers, and occupational therapy personnel. Selected individuals from each group were reviewed along with a sample of their work. The earliest identified published example among the authors was the occupation of gardening initiated in 1896 but not published until 1917. The author was a physician who worked with the psychiatrist, Adolf Meyer, at Kankakee State Hospital in Kankakee, Illinois.

Presenter Biography:

Kathlyn Louise Reed, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, MLIS, is associate professor emeritus in the School of Occupational Therapy at Texas Woman’s University. She completed her basic education in occupational therapy at the University of Kansas, received a master’s degree in occupational therapy from Western Michigan University, obtained a doctorate in special education from the University of Washington, and was awarded a second master’s in information and library studies from the University of Oklahoma. She has been active in occupational therapy for more than 45 years as a practitioner, educator, and consultant. Reed has authored several textbooks in occupational therapy and co-authored textbooks in physical therapy and speech-language pathology. She is a fellow of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), presented the Eleanor Clarke Slagle lectureship at the AOTA annual conference in 1986, and is a recipient of the AOTA Award of Merit. She has served in the AOTA Representative Assembly and as chair of the AOTA Ethics Commission. She is a member of the Texas Occupational Therapy Association and the World Federation of Occupational Therapists. Her interests include tracking assessments developed by occupational therapists, models of practice in occupational therapy, and the philosophy and history of the profession.