Developmental stages of occupational therapy and the feminist movement.

Developmental stages characterize the growth of both the feminist movement and the field of occupational therapy. The human development stages described by Erik Erikson are used to compare the growth stages of these two groups to the human sequence. It is hypothesized that both female-dominated groups began with an "infancy" period in the early 1900s characterized by the beginnings of identity and confidence in their respective groups. Both continued to develop through stages corresponding to the childhood stages characterized by Erikson and into the adolescent acting out stages as characterized by the demonstrations of the 1960s. Present and future trends are explored in relation to developmental stages, as well as to implications for the field of occupational therapy in education, theory, and practice.

Ocular pursuit in mentally retarded, cerebral-palsied, and learning-disabled children.

We tested the following groups for visual pursuit abilities: 54 mentally retarded, 46 cerebral-palsied, and 131 learning-disabled children, 3 to 10 years of age. The resulting five behavioral scores, six directions, and total scores were analyzed for age trends. Comparisons were made between the handicapped groups and between the handicapped and normative samples. The scores were also correlated with other visual and postural abilities. All three handicapped groups scored lower than the normative group and also showed patterns different from the normative group and different from each other. The learning-disabled group most closely approximated the normative group's development patterns. Educational data were not able to be used, and we suggest that future research examine the correlations (both in handicapped and nonhandicapped children) of ocular pursuits and educational achievement, and also obtain more complete data on cerebral-palsied children. Therapists may find the visual pursuits test useful particularly when they want to evaluate a number of aspects of ocular pursuit functioning or when they desire more precision than what is usually available by simple observation.

Measurement of ocular pursuits in normal children.

Ocular pursuits have been evaluated by occupational therapists (OTRs) in many settings, but normative information has been lacking. In this study, a standardized method of testing and recording ocular pursuits was developed and pilot tested on both normal and handicapped children. Normative data were then collected by using a cooperative research method in which 28 OTRs in the state of Colorado were trained, in a one-day workshop, to administer and score the test, achieving .98 inter-rater reliability for total test score. Each qualified tester evaluated approximately l5 normal children between 3 and ll years of age. The total sample was 489 subjects. There were some age-related trends, and most behaviors demonstrated a ceiling effect, particularly with older children. The results imply that many normal children have some immaturity in ocular pursuit skills until 6 or 7 years of age.