Margaret S. Rood

Introduction

Margaret Sigrid Rood was an American physical and occupational therapist who lived from November 6, 1908, to September 11, 1984. She created what are now referred to as Rood procedures or Rood’s approach, which are methods for treating disorders of the central nervous system.

Early life and education

Rood, the daughter of Sophus Y. Rood and Maria Erickson Rood, was born in Marinette, Wisconsin. Norway is the birthplace of both of her parents. She completed her studies at Rochester High School, Milwaukee-Downer College, where she finished with a bachelor’s degree in 1932 and an occupational therapy certificate in 1933. She attended Stanford University to obtain a master’s degree later in life.

Career of Margaret S. Rood

From 1933 until 1936, Rood worked as a therapist at a Wauwatosa, Wisconsin, county hospital. From 1937 to 1943, she worked as an occupational therapist at the Indiana University Medical Complex’s James Whitcomb Riley Hospital’s Cerebral Palsy Clinic, located in Indianapolis.

Rood organized and served as chair of the University of Southern California (USC) occupational therapy department from 1943 to 1952 and from 1959 to 1966. Under her direction, USC launched the nation’s first master’s-level vocational training program.

In 1944, she told The Los Angeles Times, “The need for trained therapists to assist the war wounded in mental and physical rehabilitation is critical.” She conducted research on post-polio patients at Rancho Los Amigos Hospital from 1956 to 1957. In 1972, she announced her retirement.

Rood created a series of methods that are now referred to as Rood techniques or Rood’s approach, which are used to treat patients with central nervous system disorders in both adults and children.

She taught these skills around the country. In 1958, the American Occupational Therapy Association awarded her the Eleanor Clarke Slagle Lectureship. In 1969, she was designated as the Sixth Mary McMillan Lecturer.

“Despite some controversy about the efficacy of Rood’s techniques,” according to a field textbook published in 2021, “current neuroscience research continues to support the importance of sensory stimulation.”

Publications

• “Project for Treatment of Cerebral Palsy” (1938)
• “A program for paraplegics” (1947)
• “Occupational Therapy in the CP” (1952)
• “Neurophysiological Reactions for Physiotherapy” (1954)

Personal life and legacy

At the age of 75, she passed away in Torrance, California, in 1984. Her materials are housed in a modest collection in the USC University Archives.

The American Occupational Therapy Association named Rood one of the 100 individuals who had a significant impact on occupational therapy throughout its 100-year existence in 2017.

References

Margaret S. Rood. (2023, February 4). In Wikipedia. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Margaret_S._Rood