OCCUPATIONAL-THERAPY AND REHABILITATION - AN AWKWARD ALLIANCE

This article argues that although occupational therapy and rehabilitat ion are often considered synonymous, the latter is but one aspect of t he former. Early influences on occupational therapy are briefly review ed, and some philosophical ideas about activity are described. The rat ionale for the use of occupations as treatment in the early part of th is century, both in Canada and in the United States, is examined and c ontrasted with the development of physical medicine and rehabilitation after World War II. This discussion demonstrates that the origins of occupational therapy and rehabilitation in North America had little in common. As occupational therapy became incorporated into rehabilitati on, the profession's core values eroded, and although current definiti ons of rehabilitation offer a more appropriate fit for occupational th erapy, rehabilitation continues to see engagement in occupations as a separate and subsequent step. The article concludes by considering fut ure directions and the tasks that lie ahead.