- Ergotherapy and early childhood
Among all the professions making up the team at a CAMSP (Centre d’action médico-sociale précoce, Center for Medico-Social Early Intervention), ergotherapists occupy a very particular place: their main vocation, the reintegration of people in difficulty into a medical, social, educational, and professional environment by means of activity (“ergon” in Greek), was originally (at least in France) pursued largely in the psychiatric milieu, and only on adults. Since the 1960s, though, ergotherapists have found a place in centers for the rehabilitation of children with cerebral palsy, and then in CAMSPs. In CAMSPs, ergotherapists participate with other team members in the evaluation of the abilities and impairments of children. They analyze needs, life habits, environmental factors, and situations of disability, so as to give an ergotherapeutic diagnosis. Utilizing the activities of everyday life, working individually or in a group, ergotherapists provide therapy that aims to better employ the child’s skills and to improve their capacities to act, and which therefore helps develop, restore, or maintain their autonomy, their independence, and their future social inclusion.This issue traces the history of ergotherapists’ entry into CAMSPs, analyzes their role as a part of the team, and demonstrates the significance of these professionals’ still somewhat misunderstood approach. Different models for understanding and organizing their interventions are presented and illustrated by the testimonies of adults and children.
- Uploaded on Cairn-int.info on 27/04/2017
- ISBN 9782749254999
