Having a holistic approach to a person's care is the lens through which an occupational therapist (OT) operates from. When collaborating with other health care providers, it serves to work towards the OT goals that have been identified by the client. By collaborating with a team of nurses, physicians, physiotherapists (PT), speech language pathologists (SLP), recreation therapists, dieticians, and social workers (to name a few), who all have a unique role in working with each person, it helps to provide the most optimal care for them. The ultimate goal an OT aims to achieve is to enhance a client's quality of life which can look different for each person. For example, if a person is working with a PT to improve their ability to walk to the therapy gym, however are not yet safe to do so, an OT would provide a wheelchair to give them another form of mobility and help them achieve their goal of attending their therapy sessions. Or if a person has limitations with their communication (i.e. speech or hearing), an OT would collaborate with the SLP to gain a better understanding of the specific impairments that make it challenging for the individual to complete a cognitive assessment or be able to follow instructions in their therapy sessions. Finally, OTs can also work closely with social workers when planning for discharge from a hospital setting. The OT identifies a person's level of function with their daily activities and informs the social worker who will assist with connecting the individual with resources in the community to help them return home safely with possible supports in place. While OT's can work individually, there are immense benefits to having a collaborative approach not only for the client but for the OT themselves as they learn from the expertise of others and increase their own knowledge.
Requesting a consult from an OT when a child is demonstrating a delay in fine motor skills, sensory processing concerns, or feeding difficulties. I often discuss shared children's cases to learn strategies to incorporate OT activities into sessions especially play skills. We will sometimes co-treat with OT's for kids with global delay.
I work in an ABA setting so I am regularly communicating with Speech Language Pathologists (SLPs) and Board Certified Behavior Analysts (BCBAs). For example, I have 1:1 monthly meetings which each BCBA in the center. During this time, I review OT related goals and the BCBA and I will discuss strategies on how the OT goals can be targeted during ABA sessions. Because of this collaboration, clients have more opportunities to practice OT related activities and therefore can make progress at a faster rate!