Recreational Therapy for Specific Diagnoses and Conditions

Recreational Therapy for Specific Diagnoses and Conditions offers detailed descriptions of 39 diagnoses and conditions that are treated by recreational therapists. Each diagnosis chapter has a description of the diagnosis or condition, including the incidence or prevalence and the ages most affected. This is followed by the causes of the condition; social, emotional, and bodily systems affected; secondary problems that may be found; and information about the patient's prognosis. The next section of the chapter is devoted to the assessment process for the whole treatment team and, in more detail, what the recreational therapist must do to assess the status of the patient. Specific assessment tools and connections to the categories of the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health are provided. The final sections of each chapter describe team and recreational therapy treatment and how the treatment can be tied to information documented during the assessment process. Efficacy information about each treatment is provided to demonstrate the use of best practice. Each chapter also provides resources for therapists, patients, and families.

Dr. Heather Porter, Ph.D., is a faculty member in the Rehabilitation Sciences Department at Temple University. She has a strong clinical background in physical rehabilitation and has been teaching recreational therapy in higher education for over 18 years. She is committed to strengthening recreational therapy research and disseminating research information to practitioners, consumers, payers, legislators, and the general public. Most notably, she maintains an open-access database for recreational therapy research and resources that has been utilized by over 60 countries (www.rtwiseowls.com). Dr. Porter also provides consultations to recreational therapy academic programs on how to integrate evidence-based research into coursework and is recognized as a leader in the community seeking to integrate the World Health Organization's International Classification of Functioning, Disability, and Health into healthcare practice.