Helene J. Polatajko is an occupational therapy scholar, and Professor Emerita in the department of occupational science and occupational therapy at the University of Toronto's Temerty Faculty of Medicine.
[1] [2] Polatajko completed a Bachelor of Occupational Therapy at McGill University, and a master's and a PhD at the University of Toronto's Ontario Institute for Studies in Education (OISE).
[1][3] Polatajko's research explored the role of cognition in motor-based performance, and led to the development of a daily treatment to enable children with Developmental Coordination Disorder reach occupational therapy goals (titled the Cognitive Orientation to daily Occupational Performance approach).
[3] In 2021, Polatajko was appointed as an Officer of the Order of Canada for "significantly advancing the understanding of developmental coordination disorder in children.
"[1][3][4][5] Polatajko is a fellow of the Canadian Academy of Health Sciences.