2nd blog of OT series...
Productivity
Productivity
refers to anything you might do to develop your skills, earn a living, manage a
home or help others.
For adults this
can take the form of paid/unpaid work or
managing a family/home i.e. on the job skills such as conflict resolution,
teamwork, time management or home tasks such as cleaning the dishes, doing
laundry or caring for children.
For children and
adolescents, learning through play and
at school, encompasses their main productivity occupations i.e.
writing/typing, taking turns, creative expression, socializing
People place a
lot of value on productivity occupations as they often make up the fabric of
who we are, or who we may or may not be one day in the future – their self-identity! For this reason, OT
assessment and intervention for productivity type occupations can provide
valuable insight. The process the OT would take is the same as described for
self-care occupations.
...Let’s take a
look at a more in depth example:
Let’s say you child is having difficulties paying attention in class.
An OT would
start by observing the child in the environment they are experiencing
the most difficulties in, which in this case is at school, to gather
information on the specific challenges that child may be experiencing:
· Is there a
specific subject that is more challenging?
· What is the
child doing in the moment where attention is challenging?
· Are other
children experiencing difficulties as well?
· What does their
workspace look like?
· What is their
seating arrangement like?
· Where are they
positioned in relation to the teacher/other students?
· What is the
environment like – lighting? Noise level? Temperature?
In addition to
observation, interviews with the teacher(s) and the parent(s) as well as
the child, would be necessary for the OT to gain a clear picture of the issues
and potential barriers.
...As for solutions:
· Sometimes
frequent movement breaks throughout the day are what a child may need
· Adaptive seating
may also be required, seating that allows for more movement
· The classroom
environment is just to stimulating for some children, so working
collaboratively with the teacher and other school stakeholders to mitigate this
stimulation is sometimes what is needed
Similar to
self-care occupations, each individual presents with their own set of unique
circumstances that may be hindering their performance in productivity type
occupations, so each treatment plan will
vary according to the individual.
If you or a
loved one is experiencing challenges with PRODUCTIVITY type occupations, please
contact your Occupational Therapist today for more information. Stay tuned for
the final week of our OT Month Blog to learn more about the most enjoyable type
of occupations yet: leisure!
Written by:
Rachel Tavares,
OT (Reg.) Ont., Registered Occupational Therapist, Bodiworks Institute
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