Occupational therapy
Also called: OT, occupational therapist
How occupational therapy helps people do the everyday activities that matter - washing, dressing, cooking, work - after stroke or brain injury, and what the evidence shows.
Good evidence it improves independence in daily activities after stroke. Practical, goal-led, and focused on the tasks you actually want back.
Consistent evidence from randomised trials / systematic reviews that it helps.
Occupational therapy (OT) helps people do the everyday “occupations” of life - self-care, home tasks, hobbies, and work - by rebuilding skills, adapting tasks, and changing the environment.
What the evidence says
A Cochrane review found that occupational therapy targeting activities of daily living improves personal independence and reduces the risk of deterioration after stroke [Legg LA 2017] . Like physiotherapy, OT works best when it is task-specific and practised - focused on the exact activities a person wants to regain [Todhunter-Brown A 2025] .
Where it helps
- Washing, dressing, cooking, and other self-care.
- Adapting the home and using aids for safety and independence.
- Upper-limb use, hand skills, and fatigue management.
- Getting back to work, driving, hobbies, and routines.
- Thinking skills for daily life (planning, sequencing, attention).
Honest limits
- OT supports independence and adaptation; it does not reverse the underlying injury.
- Benefits depend on practising the real tasks and following through at home.
How this site helps
The everyday, sorting, and planning activities and games below give light practice for the thinking and sequencing skills daily tasks rely on - alongside an OT’s tailored plan.
Types & approaches
Explore the main approaches within Occupational therapy.
- Daily-living retrainingRelearning everyday self-care - washing, dressing, cooking - so life runs more independently. Open
- Upper-limb rehabilitationRebuilding arm and hand use for reaching, grasping, and everyday tasks. Open
- Cognitive rehabilitationPractical strategies for memory, attention, and planning in everyday life. Open
- Home & equipmentAdapting the home and adding equipment so daily life is safer and easier. Open
- Return to work & studyPlanning a graded, supported return to work, study, or valued roles. Open
Conditions this helps
Explore the recovery guides where occupational therapy plays a part.
Read about it
Browse all →Plain-language guides and cited research on this therapy.
- ResearchCognitive rehabilitation in MSMany people with MS notice slower thinking or memory changes. What the research says about cognitive rehabilitation - training plus practical strategies - and what helps.
- ResearchVisual scanning training for neglect after strokeWhat systematic eye and attention training can achieve for people with visual neglect - the evidence from controlled trials.
- ResearchFatigue management programmesStructured education and pacing programmes for the persistent fatigue that follows many neuro conditions.
- LearnCerebral palsy explainedA plain-language guide to cerebral palsy: what it is, the main types, how it is described, and the therapies and supports that help children and adults thrive.
- LearnEnergy conservation and pacingPractical techniques for managing fatigue after neurological illness - pacing your day so you can do more of what matters without paying for it later.
- LearnLiving with a spinal cord injuryAn introduction to spinal cord injury (SCI): how the level and completeness of injury shape daily life, and the rehab, equipment, and health habits that help.
Practise it
Do-it-on-the-page activities and quizzes that support this therapy.
- Sort into GroupsStartExecutive functionLogic & reasoning
- Goes TogetherBuildLogic & reasoningLanguage & speech
- The Shopping ListAdvanceMemory
- What Time Is It?BuildOrientation & daily livingNumeracy
- Dress for the WeatherStartOrientation & daily livingLogic & reasoning
- Daily Routine OrderBuildOrientation & daily livingExecutive function
Play it
Calm, no-fail games that give extra practice - they open in the separate games player.
References (2)
- 1. Legg LA, Lewis SR, Schofield-Robinson OJ, Drummond A, Langhorne P (2017). Occupational therapy for adults with problems in activities of daily living after stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD003585. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD003585.pub3
- 2. Todhunter-Brown A, Baer G, Campbell P, et al. (2025). Physical rehabilitation approaches for the recovery of function and mobility following stroke. Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews, CD001920. doi:10.1002/14651858.CD001920.pub4
This is general education, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before starting, stopping, or changing any treatment.