Foundations of Occupational Science Course Podcast

This core content lecture reviews the benefits of developing Occupational Science Literacy at the Individual, Micro, Mezzo, and Macro Levels.

This lecture also provides an overview of the integration of Occupational Science with Occupational Therapy's National and International professional regulatory commitments with AOTA,SSO:USA, and WFOT.

This lecture is an overview of currently available strategies for field clinicians to access scholarly publications without a university log in. 

This video/podcast includes a discussion and acknowledgment of many of the systemic forces that sustain a system of exclusive control of scholarly publication that limits accessibility and engagement for people outside of academia and elite institutions in particular. Supplementary learning is included to offer historic context, the scale of the challenge, and active movements seeking to address access barriers and open up science internationally. The solutions to this complex challenge will require partnerships within and outside the system and will require challenging the system and traditions. After completing the lecture and engaging with the supplementary learning materials please reflect on your own barriers to accessing scholarly work and discussion with others possible solutions to these barriers over time.

Walk through on how to engage in personal, professional, and group occupational profile exercises informed by engagement with occupational science concepts.

This Podcast explores several tools to begin relating to occupational science as a lens for relating to human beings in a broader scientific context than the one traditionally offered within the mechanistic paradigm. 

This podcast provides and overview of Kielhofner’s Framing of Occupational Therapy’s Key Knowledge Paradigms

-Pre-pardigm the Moral Treament Movement

-The Occupation Paradigm

-The Mechanistic Paradigm

-The Contemporary Paradigm where Occupational Science is Situated

This video provides an overview of various course disclaimers that are important to note before going into the course to ensure everyone has the a shared understanding of the agreements, limitations, and risks involved in engaging in an online course and learning community together.

Topics explored include:

Something I forgot to mention in the video above is that I do not have an exhaustive foundation in the depth and breadth of OS (I am truly learning along with everyone) Its possible that I do not properly recognize and credit all contributors to the field due to my limited exposure to full depth and breadth of literature. If I find later that I have not properly cited my presentation or described concepts, I will issue a correction and let you all know via email or messenger. Thank you for your grace in my possibly limited understanding as I learn along with you all and the support of the OS community.

This lecture explores basic definitions of Occupational Science and how occupational science enhances our understanding of the construct of "Occupation" by exploring its influence on various formal definitions of occupation that have evolved along with developments in Occupational Science over time. This video also acknowledges limitations in defining occupation accurately across diverse cultural contexts internationally. This video is meant to inspire curiosity rather than conclusive clarity of the definition of Occupational Science and the phenomena and threshold concept of Occupation and what it means to explore it scientifically with accuracy and holism and how it can be leveraged therapeutically and constructively in our practice settings.

John White, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA

John White talks about how he reconciles the history of occupational therapy with the present day, and how occupational science can be used to connect with and understand the traditions and practices of occupational therapy.

John White shares his experience of becoming an occupational therapist, and how he has positioned himself as an occupational scientist in relation to occupational therapy history and occupational science history. He discusses the opportunities that clinicians have to develop their science-based practice from a position of clinical experience.

John White discusses how the occupational therapy field has changed over time, specifically in regards to mental health. He describes how the field has become more medicalized and how this has impacted the way that occupational therapists work with clients. He also talks about how the field has shifted away from more craft-based and occupation-based approaches to care.

John White had a long and successful career as an occupational therapist, but he found himself drawn to teaching and academia later in his career. He ended up going to graduate school at USC, where he was exposed to occupational science for the first time. He found the concepts and ideas around occupational science to be very exciting and transformative, and he has been a key figure in the development of the field ever since.

John White's experience as a student at USC was shaped by his privilege, which gave him access to opportunities that he wouldn't have had otherwise. He was able to take advantage of these opportunities to learn about occupational science and its potential to improve the lives of people with disabilities.

John White talks about the importance of occupational science in shaping occupational therapy practice, and how it can provide a transformative educational experience for students. He also reflects on the need to democratize and make some of this terminology more accessible so that we can actually take advantage too, of all the work that we have done.

Occupational science is the study of humans as occupational beings, and it is an interdisciplinary field that encompasses aspects of biology, psychology, sociology, anthropology, and other disciplines. The goal of occupational science is to understand the relationship between humans and their occupation

Occupational science provides a way to understand human behavior and human interest in connecting with people. It can help therapists understand the occupational needs and goals of other professionals and build collaborative relationships. The field of occupational therapy has evolved over time, and occupational science can help therapists understand the changing context of practice.

Occupational therapists have a long and rich history of working to help people engage in meaningful occupations, and this history can provide a great deal of inspiration and hope for those working in the field today. There are many opportunities for occupational therapists to advocate for and promote occupational justice, and this can be done by working to ensure that all people have access to the occupations they need and want.

Occupational science is the study of occupation and how it affects people's lives. It can be used to improve society and help people understand the importance of occupation in their lives.

One of the core themes of this module is contextualizing the inseparable connection we have as OTs to the history of the United States and the opportunity we have today to author our legacy and to expand and repattern the legacies of our past foundation to be an active part of constructive change and multilayered intergenerational healing. This discussion highlights how the Arts and Crafts movement can be connected to navigating contemporary social challenges and how OTs can practically build partnerships with community stakeholders such as the Social Justice Sewing Academy and use artistic expression and occupation as a medium to build connections across differences and repair divisions, and harm brought about through system injustice and marginalization. Today we as OTPs have the opportunity to connect to, build off of, and expand the legacy of resistance, resilience, and repair we have inherited in response to current challenges. 

Social Justice Sewing Academy:

https://www.sjsacademy.org/

Social Justice Sewing Academy Free Antiracist Guidebook

https://www.sjsacademy.org/antiracist-guidebook

Recent Book Published on the Social Justice Sewing Academy Remembrance Quilt Project

Stitching Stolen Lives: Amplifying Voices, Empowering Youth & Building Empathy Through Quilts

https://www.amazon.com/gp/product/B09F2XWCKY/ref=dbs_a_def_rwt_hsch_vapi_tkin_p1_i0

Trail, S., & Wong, T. D. (2021, September 25). Stitching stolen lives: Amplifying voices, empowering youth & building empathy through quilts. C&T Publishing.