SOllle Illlplications of a Science of Adaptive Rc ~ sponses (

The concept of occupationalther­ apy as a "science of adaptive responses," as proposed by King in her 7978 Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lecture, is explored and expanded on in this article. The authors pos­ tulate an adaptation continuum consIsting of homeostatzc reac­ tions, adaptive responses, adaptIVe skills, and adaptive patterns-a continuum that places the adap­ tive response in a sequential and interdependent relationship to other human responses that serve an adaptive function. Assuming that authentIc occupational ther­ apy practIce IS "ellcitzng adaptive responses" (1), the authors use the continuum to delineate the domain of occupatIOnal therapy as compared to the primary concerns of other health discIplines and to indIcate the nature of collabora­ tion between them in areas that overlap. Finally, they draw atten­ tion to some of the issues and questions that emerge from the analysis. Bewl L. Bulkley