Occupational therapists work with people across every stage of life, from premature infants in neonatal intensive care units to older adults with dementia. The common thread is helping people do the things that matter to them, whether that’s a toddler learning to eat independently, an adult returning to work after a stroke, or someone with schizophrenia managing daily routines. Here’s a breakdown of the major populations and what occupational therapy looks like for each.
Infants and Children
Pediatric occupational therapy is one of the profession’s largest practice areas. For the youngest patients, premature infants in neonatal intensive care, occupational therapists focus on supporting the baby’s ability to self-regulate and helping parents participate in caregiving routines. They guide families through sensory interactions and help shape early habits during a critical developmental window.
As children grow, the conditions that bring them to occupational therapy vary widely. Common diagnoses include autism spectrum disorder, Down syndrome, cerebral palsy, learning disabilities like dyslexia and dyscalculia, sensory processing disorders, fine motor difficulties, feeding disorders, and even childhood cancer. For infants and toddlers, treatment often centers on feeding ability and reaching developmental milestones. For school-aged children, the focus shifts toward participating in academic activities, developing handwriting and coordination, and building the social and self-care skills needed to function in a classroom.
People Recovering From Stroke and Brain Injury
Stroke rehabilitation is a core area of occupational therapy practice. After a stroke, therapists work to restore motor control and hand function in the affected arm, help the person relearn personal care and household tasks, and teach strategies for managing cognitive, perceptual, and behavioral changes. They assess memory, executive functioning, and visual perception to understand how these changes affect the person’s ability to get through a normal day.
Treatment involves individually selected tasks that retrain motor, sensory, visual, and cognitive skills within the context of real activities. A therapist might have someone practice making a sandwich not as busywork, but because it requires sequencing, coordination, and standing tolerance all at once. They also assess whether it’s safe for someone to return to their previous home or whether modifications are needed, like grab bars, ramps, or rearranged furniture. After discharge, outpatient or home-based therapy often continues with the goal of full independence in daily life. The same principles apply to people recovering from traumatic brain injury or spinal cord injury.
Older Adults and People With Dementia
As the older adult population grows, demand for occupational therapists in geriatric settings is rising. Older adults are more likely to experience disabilities and limitations in everyday tasks, and occupational therapy helps them maintain independence longer.
For people with dementia specifically, occupational therapists work to improve the fit between what a person can still do, the activities they value, and the environment they live in. This might mean simplifying a favorite hobby so someone with moderate dementia can still enjoy it, removing distractions from the kitchen so meal preparation stays safe, or rearranging a bedroom to reduce confusion at night. Therapists typically work with both the person with dementia and their family caregiver, coaching caregivers to problem-solve, simplify tasks, cue appropriately, and modify the home environment. Caregivers also receive support for their own concerns, including stress management and understanding the progression of the disease. Research supports referral to occupational therapy for people with moderate-stage dementia to help sustain their ability to carry out everyday activities and improve quality of life while living at home.
People With Mental Health Conditions
Occupational therapists play a significant role in mental health settings, though this is sometimes the least visible part of the profession. The strongest evidence supports occupational therapy for adults with depression, anxiety, and schizophrenia. For depression and anxiety, interventions have been shown to reduce symptoms and improve function and participation in daily life. For people with schizophrenia, individualized occupational therapy improves social functioning, cognitive performance, executive function, and motivation, while reducing both the length and rate of hospital readmissions.
In practical terms, mental health occupational therapy focuses on building concrete life skills: managing time, using public transportation, doing household chores, budgeting, and maintaining routines. Therapists also work with people dealing with substance use disorders, helping them rebuild daily structure and develop habits that support recovery.
People Living With Cancer
Cancer treatment creates a cascade of functional problems that occupational therapists are uniquely trained to address. Fatigue, cognitive fog (sometimes called “chemo brain”), pain, peripheral neuropathy, and lymphedema can all disrupt a person’s ability to work, care for themselves, or participate in family life.
For cancer-related fatigue, therapists teach energy conservation strategies: practical techniques for pacing activities, prioritizing tasks, and modifying routines so people can keep doing what matters to them without crashing. For cognitive impairment, they work on compensatory strategies to manage memory and attention problems. They also help people adapt to changes in body image, manage anxiety through relaxation techniques, reduce fall risk, and gradually return to their roles at home and work. Goals are always set collaboratively with the patient based on which activities matter most to their quality of life.
People With Chronic Diseases
Occupational therapists work with adults managing a range of chronic conditions, including heart disease, rheumatoid arthritis, osteoarthritis, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), and diabetes. Research across these conditions shows that occupational therapy can improve performance in daily activities, boost functional self-efficacy (a person’s confidence in their ability to manage tasks), enhance social and work function, and improve psychological health and overall quality of life.
The focus isn’t on curing the disease but on helping people live well despite it. For someone with rheumatoid arthritis, that might mean finding new ways to open jars, cook meals, or type at work without triggering a flare. For someone with COPD, it could involve restructuring daily routines to manage breathlessness while staying active. Telehealth delivery of these interventions has strong evidence behind it, making occupational therapy more accessible for people who have difficulty traveling to appointments.
Workers and Workplace Populations
Occupational therapists work in workplace settings to prevent musculoskeletal injuries and help injured workers return to their jobs. On the prevention side, they assess workstations and job tasks for ergonomic risk factors, then recommend changes to reduce strain. This applies across industries from office work and healthcare to construction and food processing.
When someone has been injured on the job, occupational therapists help bridge the gap between medical recovery and functional return to work. They evaluate what a job physically demands, identify which tasks the person can and cannot yet perform, and develop a graded plan to rebuild those capacities. They may also recommend workplace modifications, like adjusted desk heights, different tools, or restructured task rotations, that allow someone to work safely while still recovering.
Women’s Health Populations
Occupational therapists serve several populations within women’s health. They work with postpartum mothers on community-based programs that support the transition to parenthood, addressing both the mother’s recovery and the infant’s development. They also treat pelvic floor dysfunction, including urinary incontinence in older women, using strengthening approaches aimed at improving performance in everyday activities rather than treating the pelvic floor in isolation.
Women recovering from breast cancer surgery and ovarian cancer surgery represent another important group. Research has documented significant disruptions in daily activity participation years after these surgeries, and occupational therapy helps address the distress, uncertainty, and functional limitations that persist long after treatment ends.
People With Developmental and Lifelong Disabilities
Occupational therapists work with people who have permanent disabilities throughout their lives, not just in childhood. Adults with cerebral palsy, intellectual disabilities, and autism spectrum disorder continue to benefit from occupational therapy that addresses evolving challenges, from navigating employment to managing independent living. For someone with a limb loss or amputation, occupational therapy helps with adapting to prosthetics and relearning daily tasks. The goal across all these populations is the same: maximizing a person’s ability to participate in the activities and roles that give their life meaning.