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Glossary

Occupational Therapy

A healthcare profession that helps people regain independence in daily activities — from dressing and eating to working and going to school.

Occupational therapy (OT) is a healthcare profession focused on enabling people to participate in the activities they need or want to do. OTs work with children with developmental delays, adults recovering from injury or stroke, elderly people with cognitive decline, and workers with repetitive strain problems. The word "occupation" here means any meaningful daily activity — not just paid work. A paediatric OT may work on handwriting and sensory processing; a hand therapist may rehabilitate a post-surgical wrist; a neuro OT helps a stroke survivor button a shirt again.