Adapted sport and occupation: role of the occupational therapist

Abstract

Introduction: Adapted sport can be seen as a human occupation, in which rules are created or modified in an accessible way for people with disabilities. The role of occupational therapy (is little visible in recognizing sport as an occupation for people with disabilities, despite the fact that there is a strong relationship between occupational therapy, occupation and disability in other fields of action such as health, education or work. Objective: The aim of the article was to map the available evidence, identifying gaps in research and providing an overview of the role of the occupational therapist in adapted sport. Methods: A search for publications was carried out on the Scopus, Web of Science, SciELO, EBSCO host, OT seeker and Google Scholar databases in the period 2012 to 2022. All scientific and grey literature documents with full text access were considered. Results: 27 articles were selected and five analytical categories were developed in relation to the work of occupational therapy in adapted sport. Considering the analytical categories, three perspectives of professional practice are questioned: the first one focuses on the purpose and use of the occupation of adapted sport in occupational therapy, the second on the practice of occupational therapy with adapted sports and the third on the work procedures of the occupational therapist with adapted sport. Conclusion: It has been shown that the role of occupational therapy in adapted sport not only serves as a fundamental tool for the physical and mental rehabilitation of people with disabilities, but also promotes the dignification of their rights and facilitates their social inclusion.