Occupational Therapy Interventions for Moderate Intellectual Disability

Quality occupational therapy interventions for people with moderate intellectual disabilities require a therapist who can assess the person in their entirety. Interventions will vary among consumers but a quality plan will set priorities, be developed with the assistance of the consumer and be written in a manner which the consumer can understand.

Assessments

• Occupational interventions begin with an assessment of the person's abilities, needs and lifestyle. The complete assessment including these areas will ensure the total person is considered rather than treating only the disability.

  To assess a person's ability, observe him in his natural setting. Make a note of mobility issues, the level of instruction he can comprehend, reading abilities and problem-solving skills as they relate to daily tasks.

  A needs assessment will require the occupational therapist to envision what the consumer could do if they had the skill or assistive technology tools to complete the task. During your natural setting observations, make note of tasks or activities the consumer avoided or did not complete. Lifestyle assessments consider the home and surrounding environments.

  Economic and employment status is a cornerstone in society. The ability to generate income facilitates most other quality-of-life activities. For this reason alone, the occupational therapist should consider what vocational interventions are necessary to assist the person with moderate intellectual disabilities to achieve and maintain employment.

Vocational Assessment

• The vocational assessment will use information about the entire person to help consider what jobs could be a good fit. Talk with the consumer to determine their interests, what job they would choose if they had unlimited choices and why they would choose that job. Determine key elements of the chosen job. The elements which appeal to the consumer in that career may be found in other, more attainable jobs.

Generate Positive Intervention Strategies

• Combining all the assessments with your knowledge and experience with the person, you will be able to develop an intervention plan. Only include skills that will add to the consumer's ability to perform a needed job. Never include useless or "nice to know" skills in your plan and avoid focusing on skills which have little or no value to the targeted job.

  Refer back to your observation lists. Determine if the needed skills should be taught or if they should be accommodated with assistive devices.

  Know the area your consumer will use as a job market. Become familiar with employers in the area so you will be able to maintain positive relationships with them. This will allow you to provide good vocational interventions to the consumer.

The Importance of Occupational Therapy Intervention

• Vocational interventions will strive to achieve skills employers are seeking. Be sure to include interpersonal skills on your skills list. Employers need people able to complete tasks, but will use personal skills as a deciding factor when choosing an employee.