Occupational Therapy Fundamentals

Introduction to Occupational Therapy

• Occupational therapy is the therapeutic use of everyday life activities (occupations) with individuals.

Activity vs Occupation

• Activity: actions designed and selected to support the development of performance skills and performance patterns to enhance occupational engagement.
• Occupation: daily life activities in which people engage, involving the execution of multiple activities for completion.

Features of Activity

• Therapeutic values of an activity include:
  • Increasing motivation
  • Enhancing learning
  • Promoting emotional resilience
  • Coping with chronic illness
  • Increasing satisfaction and self-esteem
  • Enabling self-expression
  • Facilitating projection
  • Providing opportunities of sublimation (time-out)

Activities Health Model

• A state of well-being in which the individual is able to carry out the activities of daily living with satisfaction and comfort, in patterns and configurations that reflect sociocultural norms and idiosyncratic variation in number, variety, balance, and context of activities.

Characteristics of Activities for OT Practice

• Specific characteristics of activities that are appropriate for OT practice.

Learning Outcomes

• Students will demonstrate in-depth knowledge and understanding of Activity and Occupations.
• Students will be able to identify the specific characteristics of activities that are appropriate for OT practice.
• Students will be able to apply the Activities Health Model into practice.

Course Structure

• OT 6109 Activity Analysis
• Continuous Assessments:
  • Presentation (20%)
  • Quiz (10%)
  • Written Assignments (Case studies and Activity analysis) (70%)