Historical Timeline from recreationtherapy.com

Source: http://www.recreationtherapy.com/history/rthistory4.htm

EVENTS:
400 B.C. to present Mental Illness
1854 Crimean War
1900 Tuberculosis: In 1906 it killed 1 in every 500 people in the U.S. It continues to kill 3 million worldwide annually.
1917 The US enters WWI, ends 1918 (official period of medical emergency April 16, 1917 to July 2, 1921)
1929 Wall Street Crashes
1940-1959 (26,635 killed by nationwide polio epidemic)
1941 The US enters WWII, ends 1945
1950 Korean War, ends 1953
1965 The US sends troops to Vietnam, withdraws 1973
1982-1989 (63,159 killed by AIDS)
2010-2030 Baby boomers reach old-age (65)

Fact Sheets

More extensive background information on the different populations that recreation therapists work with is presented in the word documents that are linked below.

• Corrections and Forensics
• Eating Disorders
• Autism and Intellectual Disability
• Traumatic Brain Injuries 
•  Schizophrenia
• Cerebral Palsy, Muscular Dystrophy, and Multiple Sclerosis 
• Adolescent Psychology 
• Aging and Associated Disease 
• Depression 
• Spina Bifida 
• Spinal Cord Injury 
• Substance Use
• Convulsive Disorders, Cardiac Disease, and Stroke  

Activity Participation in Forensic Treatment Facilities Article Critique

A Critique of Activity Participation in Forensic Treatment Facilities

            The article I chose to critique dealt with forensics, a population I have not paid much attention to as of yet. The research done had the purpose of measuring participation in activities in forensic mental health facilities and its effects on the residents. Throughout the course of this paper, I will outline the research done, pinpoint a few of its strengths and weaknesses, and touch on implications that the research can have on the field of therapeutic recreation.

"Therapeutic Camps as Respite Care Providers" Article Critique

Critique of “Therapeutic Camps as Respite Care Providers”

            In the 2011 Therapeutic Recreation Journal, I found an interesting article discussing the potential benefits of therapeutic camps on family life and decided to delve deeper into the research behind it. As a result of this study, both the therapeutic recreation field and families of those with disabilities can be positively impacted. In this paper, I explore these possible implications as well as the strengths and weaknesses of the research design.

"Inclusive Recreation for Transition-Age Youth" article critique

Critique of “Inclusive Recreation for Transition-Age Youth”

            The article I chose to critique addresses the outcomes of a program that helped youth with developmental disabilities from the ages of fifteen to eighteen. My purpose in critiquing this article was to look for its strengths and weaknesses as well as how it can be applied to the field of Recreation Therapy. I then looked at how the research presented can be useful to the field of therapeutic recreation.

Glossary

Check out this link for Dr. David R. Ausin's glossary of recreation and occupational therapy!!!

Historical Timeline-Events I found interesting

Timeline of Historical Events in Therapeutic Recreation

 

·         Early History: Ancient cultures used games, gardening, and music along with other modalities to help those who struggled with mental disabilities.

·         Middle Ages: Those with disabilities were maltreated because they were seen as being possessed or used as entertainment for the wealthy.

·         1700s: Phillippe Pinel supported recreational activities to help those who were mentally ill, and Jean Itard developed recreational training techniques for those with mental disabilities. This was the beginning of the moral treatment method.

Related Professional Fields

Listing and Definitions of Related Fields

• Occupational Therapy: Occupational therapy uses purposeful activity and adaptive equipment to help clients better participate in their occupations. These occupations include activities of daily living, work, and even play and recreation.

• Physical Therapy: Physical therapy uses the modalities of stretches, massage, heat treatment, exercise, and other physical methods to treat injury or disease.

• Nurse: A nurse is an expert in caring for others in a wide variety of health conditions, whether they are injured, struggling with an illness or disability, or a myriad of other problems.

•  Psychiatrist: A psychiatrist is a scholar of human behavior and the mind as well as a practitioner who diagnoses and treats mental illness.

• Social Worker: A social worker provides social services to people, especially those who are disadvantaged. These services can include help in navigating the job market, child protective services, assistance in foster care and adoption situations, as well as advocating for rights for disadvantaged clients in different situations.

• Speech and Language Pathologist: The speech pathologist focuses on problems and barriers to communication. The pathologist can work with those who have problems speaking or understanding language as well as the Deaf in helping them to better communicate with others.

•  Special Education Teacher: A special education teacher works in the classroom with students with learning or mental disabilities. These teachers can work in exclusive or inclusive classrooms.

• Rehabilitation Counselor: A rehabilitation counselor helps those with disabilities, whether they have lived with them for a long time or have recently acquired them as a result of an accident, to adjust and be prepared for life in their community. This is accomplished mainly by learning about available resources and work skills.