IPHREHAB : MOTOR LEARNING , FUNCTION AND DYSFUNCTION AND CHANGE WITH MOTIVATION

IPHREHAB


FUNCTION & DYSFUNCTION

• Gentile (1992): early & late stages of learning
• Fitts & Posner (1967):

1. Cognitive stage of motor learning (understanding of task, experimentation)
2. Associative stage: refined practice
3. Autonomous stage: skill relatively automatic
4. Example: child learning to climb stairs

Function 

• Degrees of freedom: refers to gradual increase in smoothness of performance of skilled movement. Example: using a hammer.
• Specific definitions for function & dysfunction have not been defined in occupational therapy (Kaplan & Bedell, 1999). 
• Definition of dysfunction in OT must include all three components: person, environment, & occupation.

CHANGE & MOTIVATION

• Holistic approach: OT ALWAYS incorporates practice of perception and movement within the context of SPECIFIC TASKS. 
• Client centered: Motivation comes naturally when clients and/or families set priorities for tasks to be accomplished & goals to be achieved. 
• Systems approach begins with role performance, considering the best combination of remediation, adaptation, & compensation in order to promote client-identified level of functioning to fulfill desired roles.

Change

• Change occurs through learning process.
• Recovery may be:

1. Spontaneous, without benefit of intervention
2. Forced recovery, function gained through therapeutic intervention, such as – example?
3. Adapted or functional recovery, attained through altering methods or contexts within which client accomplishes a task

Postulates of Change, cont.

• Defined in Pediatrics by Kaplan & Bedell. Motor skills more likely to improve when:

1. Match between child’s ability, task, & context.
2. Child understands expectation & receives clear guidance
3. Independent problem-solving encouraged
4. Just right challenge (zone of proximal development).