The Pioneer Schools of Occupation: Reflections for Current Practice

Abstract

The Pioneer Schools of Occupation: Can They Teach Us Anything Today?

This study reviews the development of the pioneer schools of occupation and their curriculum or program design between 1906 and 1923. The purposes are to document the existence of the schools, to explore the issues in establishing the schools, and to compare and contrast concepts stated in early curriculum models with those in current models of practice. The dates were selected to examine ideas before the passage of the Minimum Standards for Courses of Training in Occupational Therapy by the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA) outlining a consensus course of study.

Keywords:

• Curriculum models
• history of occupational therapy
• models of practice
• occupational therapy education

Disclosure statement

The author reports no conflicts of interest. The author alone is responsible for the content and writing of this paper.

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Kathlyn L. Reed

Kathlyn L. Reed, PhD, OTR, FAOTA, MLIS, Self-employed, Houston, Texas, USA.