Motor control and the role of occupational therapy: past, present, and future

Human motor behavior continues to evolve and, therefore, may never be fully understood. Still, occupational therapy treatment approaches that are based on neurophysiological principles are fairly well accepted, and there is much potential for the development of treatments that will facilitate recovery of function. Occupational therapy must face and confront its roles in relation to the field of motor control; a health care profession involved with performance and motor control issues cannot afford to ignore the rapid advances in neuroscience information and the parallel developments in the field of motor control. Rood (1980) stated that many people want a "womb with a view," so that they remain protected and yet passively observe the outside world. However, if occupational therapy is to remain current with new developments in the field of motor control, it cannot afford to be passive.