Education and Work

Education and Work

superKAT:)And

OTstick

EDUCATIONEDUCATION

Education

• According to OTPF: “activities needed for being a student and participating in

a learning environment”

• Includes the following:1. Formal education participation2. Educational exploration3. Informal education participation

Common problems• Deficits in executive functioning• Difficulties with multitasking and following

multistep directions• Unhealthy habits and lifestyle practices, such as

poor nutrition and lack of environment in fitness or hobbies

• Problems with attention span, memory and coping

• Inadequate or ineffective nonverbal behaviors and communication generally

SUPPORT AND DEVELOP READINESS

Primary and secondary school• Skill development and acquisition of habits• OT task groups can reinforce basic task skills and

study habits– Task groups: highly structured wherein they learn

basic task skills• IEP: psychosocial or emotional needs may be

addressed clearly but are intended to be covered– IEP: individualized education program

• Mainstreaming: pull-out (effort to put a child in a regular class) or push-in (resource room teacher will go to a different classroom)

• Outside the classroom– Structuring the environment– Working with parents

• Address sensory registration problems

Communication skills

• Provide tasks student can be successful• Respond realistically and constructively• Help students explore the consequences of

their actions

Supported education

• Self-contained classroom– Appropriate model for people who are not yet in

school, and who need to acquire skills, habits and confidence before entering the college environment

– Modules of instruction may include time management, stress management, study skills, reading skills, use of internet, computer skills, library skills, communication and public speaking, writing skills and college exploration

Supported education

• On-site support model– Professionals on the college campus help the students

use services already available at the college and help the student interface with the faculty and administration to obtain necessary supports

– Examples of supports:• A quiet room environment in which to take examinations• Extra time on examinations• Extended time to complete assignments

Supported education

• Mobile support model– Peer counselors provide support on and off

campus tailored to the needs of the individual student

WORK

Categories of Occupation

• Employment interests and pursuits• Employment seeking and acquisition• Job performance• Retirement preparation and adjustment• Volunteer exploration• Volunteer participation

Employment Interests and Pursuits

• “identifying and selecting work opportunities based on personal assets, limitations, likes and dislikes relative to work”

• Match client’s abilities and demands of work

Work Potential Evaluation

• Designed to assess the individuals present work skills and to estimate potential for work

• Areas evaluated include the following:– Attendance, punctuality and productivity– Work attitudes and social and interpersonal

behaviors– Cognitive behaviors (memory, sequencing)– Physical factors (fine motor skills, strength)

Work Potential Evaluation

• Evaluation methods:– Aptitude tests (written exams)– Job samples– Work simulation (client performs specific work,

maybe in a hospital setting/sheltered work shop or in the community)

Vocational Evaluation and Training• Assess the individuals potential for and interest in

various kinds of work, to explore there through discussion, and to select an area for future training

• Asses what is realistic• Last step is to arrange the client to enter training

program• Examples of assessment tools:– Career assessment inventory– Minnesota paper-form board test– Wide range achievement test

Employment Seeking and Acquisition

• “identifying job opportunities, completing and submitting appropriate application materials, preparing for interviews and following up afterward, discussing job benefits, and finalizing negotiations”

• Teach clients:– Communication skills– Dressing– Where and how to identify jobs– Knowing right amount of salary– Asking proper questions (benefits, rights and tax)

Job Performance

• “ includes work habits, such as attendance, punctuality, appropriate relationship with co-workers and supervisors, completion of assigned work, and compliance with the norms of the work setting”

Job Performance

• Task Groups– Highly structure group in which low functioning

clients learn basic task skills– Used as setting for development of work behaviors

and for work adjustment– Examples of basic skills:

• Attend to a task long enough to complete it• Use tools and materials safely and without waste• Work at a consistent and productive rate• Recognize errors and problems• Work neatly and with attention to detail

• Work Groups– Designed to simulate a work environment– Actually produce a product or provide a service– Eligibility: 1) parallel-level group interaction skills

2) some basic task skills– Participants are assigned specific tasks and various

levels of responsibility– Behavior appropriate in a work setting is expected

Work Group Types• Production Line– Factory– Assembly line duties

• Clerical Groups– Office work– Database and encoding

• Service Concessions– Food and beverage services– Food preparation– Hospitals, Charitable institutions

Work Adjustment Programs

• Helps clients acquire basic work habits, work attitudes and social skills

• Directed toward the functionally impaired client who needs to reach a socially acceptable level of performance before competitive employment can be a realistic option

Sheltered Work Program

• Provide a work-like experience for persons whose disabilities are so limiting that they will never be able to enter competitive employment

• Help clients achieve a sense of direction, purpose and productivity by performing simple tasks in a stress-free environment (lower expectations from them)

Trial Employment and Transitional Employment

• Placing client temporarily in a job within the treatment setting or in a volunteer job in the community

Job Sharing

• Several clients share the same job, possibly a transitional employment program– Done in preparation for competitive employment

Supported Employment

• Individual Placement and Support (IPS)• The client is placed directly into competitive

employment and the services and accommodations are built around the client and the job

• OTs are trained to analyze the transactions among the person, the work environment and the task

Volunteer Positions

• Provides many of the benefits of competitive employment while permitting significantly greater flexibility

• Advantages:– Volunteers can set their own schedules– Volunteers are always appreciated– Volunteers have more flexibility to respond to the

changing symptoms of their psychiatric disability

Role Maintenance

• Help the client identify which responsibilities can be continued during hospitalization and to assist the client in communicating and negotiating with the employer and family

• Gradual transition later