Occupational Adaptation Practice Model (OA) PDF

1 Kean University Department of Occupational Therapy OT Theoretical Guides to Practice I, 2014 OCCUPATIONAL ADAPTATION PRACTICE MODEL (OA) A few words about occupational adaptation  Occupational adaptation de...

1 Kean University Department of Occupational Therapy OT Theoretical Guides to Practice I, 2014 OCCUPATIONAL ADAPTATION PRACTICE MODEL (OA) A few words about occupational adaptation  Occupational adaptation describes a normal process- so it is present in all human beings at one time or another throughout life.  This process can become disrupted during periods of transition or stress/ a disruption can lead to dysfunction  Restoration of this process is the goal of intervention, skill acquisition is not the focus, but the client’s capacity to engage in preferred life roles is the goal. The differences or uniqueness of this practice model from others is: 1. Occupation and adaptation becomes integrated into a single phenomenon within the person. (They are one in the same – your adapting to the different occupational challenges in your life span) 2. It focuses on the process of the person’s internal adaptation and use of meaningful occupation rather than the outward measures of performance. 3. Occupational adaptation emphasizes the individual’s experience of self in relevant occupational contexts. It gives equal importance to the individual, the environment, and the interaction of the two. Intervention is focused on meeting the needs of the individual so that the person can perform with greater efficiency, effectiveness, and satisfaction. Some Definitions Occupations – activities characterized by 3 properties: active participation, meaning to the person, and the product Adaptation – change in the functional state of the person as a result of movement toward relative mastery over occupational challenges Occupational adaptation (state) – state of competency in occupational functioning which we aspire to Occupational adaptation (process) – process where the person and environment interact when one encounters an occupational challenge Assumptions: Assumption 1: Occupation provides the means by which human beings adapt to changing needs and conditions, and the desire to participate in occupation is the intrinsic motivational force leading to adaptation. Assumption 2: Occupational adaptation is a normative process that is most pronounced in periods of transition, both large and small. The greater the adaptive transitional needs, the greater the importance of  2 the occupational adaptation process and the greater the likelihood that the process will be disrupted. Assumption 3: There are systems present and active in every occupational response. Occupational environments are contexts in which occupations occur. These contexts are work, play and leisure, and self- maintenance. Occupational Environment – 3 Contexts 3 Environment Subsystems 1. Work 1. Physical 2. Play and leisure 2. Social 3. Self-maintenance 3. Cultural Person – 3 systems 1. Sensorimotor 2. Cognitive 3. Psychosocial Assumption 4 Because of the desire for mastery, the person intends to produce a response to the occupational challenge that will be adaptive and therefore will lead to mastery. So now that you have all this information about the person, occupation, and environment – what’s next? Occupational Adaptation Subprocesses 1. Adaptive Response Generation Subprocess-based upon the challenges and perceived role expectations, a response is generated. You generate a response to your occupational challenge.  Adaptation energy – It takes energy for a person to engage in a task. Primary energy Secondary energy  Adaptive response modes- how we attempt to deal with these challenges.  Adaptive response behaviors – the behaviors we use to try and carry these out to master life roles 2. Adaptation Response Evaluation Subprocess-assesses relative mastery experience. Evaluates if your response to the occupational challenge was successful or not. You make this determination based on three things:  Efficiency- how much energy is used (primary/secondary)  Effectiveness – did your response help you to reach your goal or role?  Satisfaction w/self/society – are you happy with the result? Is society happy with the result?  3 3. Adaptation Response integration subprocess-integrates learning into the person systems and modifies those systems accordingly. If it works, then you might want to store it and use it again. You integrate this into your learning.