Every time I write a blog lately I lament that I haven't been as present on this venue. I have been posting tons to Instagram (@Fit4WorkPT) or #Fit4WorkPT which is a lot easier and quicker way to share ideas...I've also been using #yousee but be careful, some others post on this hashtag and its not, well, as clean :(
I have been super busy with several projects in addition to this poster: I am working on publishing the first study on the Home Participation Checklist, a small construct validity study with some very interesting conclusions. Also working on a systematic review brilliant OTD student Emily Nemec and some OT colleagues, more on that later.
Anyway. I am super excited to go to AOTA this month and present my poster: Work Capacity Evaluation: Concepts to Maximize Participation in Vocational Activities for Youth with Disabilities with Dr. Tammy Blake. We are colleagues and partners in crime on this one and what a work it was: I almost feel like it came out a little messy, but our practice can be a little messy, right? It was a struggle to capture all of the landscape within which school based therapists work, the models we work under and the tools we have to objectively gather information on our students so that we can help them have the neuromuscular attributes and job skills they need for competitive, integrated employment (NTACT, 2017). We thankfully had the help of OTD student Emily Nemec to help us with the graphics.
You can view the poster here. If you have take the Fit4Work course or read the book, many of these concepts should be familiar to you. If you take any of my future courses, I will be bringing this poster with me as it clearly articulates what we do when we evaluate youth with disabilities for work readiness.
What is new:
1. An updated infographic on Assessment for PT and OT you can download here. I skipped all the graphics and color to get a version that we all can print and use in black and white
2. We spent a lot of time defining the Person, Environment, Occupation and Performance Model (PEOP) for Participation in Work Activities for Youth with Disabilities (Adapted from Baum & Christiansen, 2005). You can see more details here. I really appreciated this academic exercise because it really helps to define what work means to people and why it is important. There is a lot of conversation about what people with disabilities lack, when they do not transition to adulthood independently or with good health. This model more gracefully articulates this.
3. Some key definitions from the PEOP Model:
Spiritual
Engaging in purposeful and meaningful work is essential to develop self-esteem and personal identity.
Social support
Relationships with families, significant individuals, caregivers, peers, schools, and communities support participation in vocational activities. These interpersonal relationships presume competence that the person has the capacity to engage in meaningful work and that there are available work options for him/her.
Social & Economic systems
Available work opportunities in schools and communities that may be paid, volunteer, or bartered. Work options provide competitive work experiences with clear expectations, accommodations or modifications, and flexibility of work rules or policies to support the individual’s specific needs maximize participation in vocational activities."
Culture & Values Comprises the value of personhood as a member of the community, contributor to work setting, and influencer of society through their work is a right for all people.
I would say that the last one is the one I am most proud of. Our goal of Fit4Work is for our youth to be contributors to their community and influencers of society, and to support them to achieve competitive, integrated employment. Watch Tammy for more publications on this model. We would love any feedback or thoughts you might have on it.
I will have Fit4Work stickers and books at AOTA...I will be giving out 8 free copies of the Fit4Work book; if you see me at anytime just ask and if I have any left you may have! It is my goal to disseminate this work so that we can all help more students.
I will be at the poster sessions on Friday 1:30-3:30 and also at the opening speech and reception 4:15-8:30 on Thursday, as well as in the exhibit hall and around town! See you at AOTA!
References:
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). (2014). Occupational therapy practice framework: Domain and process (3rd ed.). American Journal of Occupational Therapy, 68(Suppl. 1), S1-S48. doi:10.5014.682006.
American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). (2012) Occupational Therapy’s Role in Functional Capacity Evaluation. Retrieved from https://www.aota.org/About-Occupational-Therapy/Professionals/WI/Capacity-Eval.aspx.
American Physical Therapy Association (APTA). (2011). Glossary of Workers’ Compensation Terms. Retrieved from http://www.apta.org/Payment/WorkersCompensation/Glossary/
Baum, C.M. & Christiansen, C.H. (2005). Person-Environment-Occupation-Performance: An occupation-based framework for practice. In C.H. Christiansen, C.M. Baum, & J. Bass-Haugen (Eds.). Occupational Therapy: Performance, Participation, and Well-being (3rd ed). Thorofare, NJ: SLACK, Inc.
Beauscher, A.V.S., Cidav, Z., Knapp, M. & Mandell, D.S. (2014). Costs of Autism Spectrum Disorders in the UK and the US. JAMA Ped, 168(8), 721-8.
Bureau of Labor Statistics (2019). Persons with Disability: Labor Force Characteristics 2014. Retrieved from https://www.bls.gov/news.release/empsit.nr0.htm.
Centers for Disease Control (CDC). (2018). Physical Activity Guidelines. Retrieved from https://health.gov/paguidelines/second-edition/pdf/Physical_Activity_Guidelines.
Gagne R. (2010). Developing a Legally Compliant Job Demands Analysis. Retrieved from http://www.fit2wrk.com/_forms/ARTICLE_Fit2wrk_ClinicalEd_vol1-04.pdf .
Johnson, C. (2018) Fit4work: Fitness for vocational tasks for youth with disabilities. United States: Createspace Independent Publishing Platform.
National Technical Assistance Center on Transition (NTACT). (2017). Competitive Integrated Employment Toolkit, R. Allison, J. Hyatt, L. Owens, K. A. Clark, & D. W. Test.
Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory (PAG) Committee. 2018 Physical Activity Guidelines Advisory Committee Scientific Report. Washington, DC: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services.
World Health Organization. (n.d.) Insufficient physical activity. Retrieved http://www.who.int/mediacentre/factsheets/fs385/en/.