Occupational Therapy in Pediatric Mental Health

Abstract

A review of the occupational therapy literature was conducted to examine the influence of theory in pediatric mental health practice. Relevant literature was divided into theory and practice literature categories. The review identified that theory themes occurred less often in the practice literature. A very strong relationship was found, however, in the rank ordering of the themes between the theory and practice literature. Further, a strong relationship was found between recent and earlier practice literature. Two practice literature trends were noted: a shift away from the developmental importance of play and adaptation themes, and a shift towards the socialization, assessment of play, and play as primary occupation themes. A discussion of the implications of this review for occupational therapy practice, education and future research are provided.

Key Words:

• Literature review
• pediatric
• mental health