Foundation of Practice
To appreciate the field of occupational therapy it is important to take a look at the foundation or domain of our practice. After reviewing this, you will apply this foundation to the practice of pediatric occupational therapy.
The domain of occupational therapy practice is diagrammed below. Click on the terms in the figure to learn more.
Domain of Occupational Therapy Practice
| Click on each of the following terms: | ||
Occupations |
Performance Skills |
|
Environmental Context |
Client Factors |
Activity Demands |
The domain of occupational therapy is multifaceted. These are key principles to appreciate:
- At the core of occupational therapy is the successful performance
of occupation
A mother wants to be able to prepare meals for her family.
- For any occupation a person needs certain basic skills to ensure
performance
Requires endurance to stand/sit at the kitchen counter, strength and motor skills to reach and lift cookware, manipulation of food packaging and utensils, ability to follow a sequence of steps accurately and safely.
- Occupations have certain inherent demands and requirements
Meal preparation requires certain body functions, there are space demands, safety requirements, and sequencing/timing demands; an occupational therapist performs an analysis of the activity or occupation to appreciate its inherent demands.
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All occupations are conducted within the context of community and culture
Meal preparation is done in the context of the family home, requires community access to get the food, and appreciation of the family’s cultural values around food and mealtime. The mother also has certain internal expectations of herself for being able to provide meals for her family.
NOTE: Need to work on self test answers (above) --- explainations of correct/incorrect answers.
Center on Human Development and Disability,
Clinical Training Unit, University of Washington,
Box 357920, Seattle, WA 98195-7920 lend@u.washington.edu