Blog Post Challenge #7

For this post I wanted to discuss adapting and grading an activity in OT intervention. Within occupational therapy there are many ways to analyze and adjust activities. There are three major points to consider when determining whether or not to grade or adapt an activity for an individual client. 1. Meaningful and purposeful activities are much more effective to use as a means of grading or adapting to improve client performance. 2. There is often a choice between fabricating an adaptation and buying a commercial product. 3. In addition to grading and adapting therapeutic activities used in interventions, a therapist also needs to be able to grade and adapt his or her own behavior to meet a clients needs. These three factors are very important to consider and reflect on when grading or adapting an activity.

So what exactly does it mean to grade or adapt an activity? Grading means changing the complexity of what is to be performed. This method is done by the occupational therapist to help a client improve their performance level. It is accomplished by examining how a client will do a task given his or her specific strengths and limitations. The OT could choose to grade up an activity or down. Adapting is modifying or substituting objects used in performing the activity. Adaptation may involve changing the tool or the technique used to complete a task. It is important to remember that with adaptation while you may be changing or altering parts of the activity, the outcome remains the same.