Basic Tenants of Occupational Adaptation Model (OA)

historical foundations

• 1990s- ADA

• Brain research

• Systems theory

• Learning theory

• Psychology

• Occupational adaptation

• Combines brain research with core concepts & constructs of OT practice

• Created in response to holistic view

historical people

Janet Schkade & Sally Schultz

publication and formalized

published- 1992

formalized- 1997-2000s

focus

• Interactive PROCESS between person & their environment that occurs when we engage in occupations

• To promote a person’s effectiveness in using their own ability to be adaptive

adaptiveness

includes three abilities:

• Predict responses

• Match responses

• Modify responses

occupations

provide natural developmental opportunity for adaptation (innate desire for mastery)

occupational roles

include demands & expectations for performance (internal/person & external/social)

disruption in occupational adaptation

person cannot meet demands of person, task, or environment in a satisfying manner

adaptive capacity

impacted by impairment, physical/emotional disability, & stressful life transitions

successful occupational performance

ability to adapt reaches sufficient mastery of the self & society

person

• internal capacities- sensorimotor or systems, cognitive systems, psychosocial systems

• desire for mastery- internal drive, motivation, quality of performance

• changeable over time; consider energy/cognitive demand

occupations: opportunity for persons to occupy roles & adapt their responses/behaviors according to role obligations

occupational environment

• occupations occur in a context (external)

  • physical

  • cultural

  • social

  • temporal

  • virtual

• demand for mastery: social standards or norms for behavior, particular tasks required for occupations

occupations: occur within a context and/or environment with their own external factors

press for mastery

• Occupational press = desire for mastery + demands for mastery

• Set of demands/expectations for behavior perceived by an individual

• Degree of press = occupational challenge

Occupations: conduit for the intersection of internal & external variables

occupational challenge

• dynamic process

• mastery

• perform at a level that allows survival

roles

Role functioning is a critical determinant in the adaptation process

occupational response

• Demands culminate = challenges

• Expectations: implicit & explicit demands

• Every person has an innate desire for

mastery

adaptiveness

• when a person is able to master their environment in a manner that is satisfying to both self & society

• Ability to predict, match, & modify responses that are congruent to a specific situation with its inherent unique qualities & expectations

adaptive capacity

innate ability; impacted by impairment, environment, &/or social demands

− Recognize need for change

− Refine/modify

− Relative mastery

• Develops/changes over time

• Process of learning

adaptive responses

self-reinforcing & self-preserving

adaptive response generation: stage 1

Mechanisms activated to help get ready for action (cognitive awareness), anticipate solution (use of modes), & consider past solutions (primitive, transitional, mature behaviors)

adaptive response generation: stage 2

• Gestalt (organized whole)

• Mechanisms in stage 1 merge with a person’s internal elements to generate an actual (final) response

• mechanisms + personal elements = adaptive response outcome

adaptive response evaluation

• Quality of response along continuum of dysadaptive to adaptive

Relative mastery: self-assessment of occupational response to task/contextual demand (process, not skill performance)

− Effectiveness

− Efficiency

− Satisfaction (to self & society)

adaptive response integration

Integrate feedback regarding the quality of behavioral response & to incorporate this feedback into a new form

• Alternative actions

• Anticipate, self-initiate, generalize (future)