Thesis: Occupational therapy plays an important role in health care by helping patients with disabilities develop, recover, and improve the skills necessary to daily life and work through the use of professional tools and recreational activities.I. Occupational therapy has a deep history dating back to the development of psychiatry.A. Centuries ago, people believed that mentally disabled people were possessed by evil spirits.1. Zona Weeks describes the treatment: “They were beaten, chained and imprisoned” (Weeks 13).2. In the 1800s, in Spain, France, England, and Germany, they took the mentally handicapped out of isolation and assigned them to specific tasks. They realized they needed people to help them accomplish these tasks.b. Classes were organized to teach them how to carry out the activities.B. In 1917, a small group of people formed the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). (Weeks 13)1. Edward Barton, a founding member, coined the term occupational therapy.2. Dr. HA Pattison gave the first definition of occupational therapy.C. During World War I in 1917, a U.S. Army commander asked overseas occupational therapists to help wounded soldiers fight again.D. In 1922, training standards for occupational therapists were established.1. Occupational therapists were required to complete a three-month course in Boston, Philadelphia and St. Louis.2. In the 1940s, all programs became a bachelor's degree program.3. In 1946, the American Occupational Therapy Association began evaluating people and issuing certificates. (Weeks 16)E. During World War II, occupational therapists helped treat soldiers.1. Around nine hundred occupational therapists distributed between hospitals and the armed forces.2. They learned many new skills and began to specialize. They started working with various injuries.b. They became involved in the manufacturing of orthotics such as splints. (Weeks 17)F. After World War II, expansion continued in this area.1. Occupational therapists began working in the public school system.2. In 1952, the World Federation of Occupational Therapy was established.3. In the 1940s, men began to enter this field.4. In 1964, the American Occupational Therapy Foundation was established for charitable purposes. He supported scientific, literary and educational research.b. In addition, it has awarded grants, conducted surveys and research, and published reports. (Weeks 18)G. The field of occupational therapy has grown significantly over the past forty years.1. In the 1960s, mental health centers were established and Medicaid was created for low-income people.2. In the 1970s, public law mandated education for all disabled people, leading public schools to hire large numbers of occupational therapists.3. It was also in the 1970s that a lot of medical knowledge became available.a. This has led to improved treatment methods.b. Occupational therapists have benefited from manufactured rehabilitation equipment such as feeding aids, wheelchairs and splints. (Weeks 19)H. Overall, the occupational therapy industry has come a long way since its beginnings.