Occupational Performance Model (Australia)

  • The Occupational Performance Model (Australia) is a model proposing that people fulfill their occupational performance roles by engaging in routines, tasks and activities, in the domains of self-maintenance, productivity, leisure and rest, in the process responding to internal and/or external demands of the environment. This model assumes that engagement in occupations provides the sense of competence, autonomy, temporal organization, and meaning of existence to individuals. It focuses on activation of person-environment relationship through participation in occupations. The internal environment is the condition and component within the individual that influence occupational performance, such as occupational performance components, core elements of occupational performance etc. The external environment is the structure and condition outside the internal environment, and it is within the environment where occupations are performed that influence occupational performance; they are sensory, physical, social, cultural dimensions that exist in specific time and space. The foundation of occupational performance roles has three dimensions: knowing, doing, and being. Persons with disabilities may have deficits in any of the above dimensions, which cause them to miss that dimension of role performance. For example, a person with severe physical disability may miss the doing dimension of his/her role performance as a self-maintainer. Each role has its own role demands such as expected tasks and routines of a role. Occupational performance for each role requires skills of the some or all of following performance components: bio-mechanical, sensory-motor, cognitive, intra-personal, and inter-personal. In evaluation, therapists can analyze and identify deficits in performance components in these domains for individuals who have affected occupational performance. Interviews using various strategies (cognitive, biomechanical and motor, sensory, intra-personal and interpersonal) further assist therapists in enabling individuals to acquire occupational performance skills and eventually to perform their desired occupational performance role.

Summarized by

  • Macey Cho

Type

  • Model (conceptual)

Population

  • Child
  • Adolescent
  • Adult
  • Elderly

Disability

  • All

Domain of occupation

  • ADL
  • Work
  • Education
  • Leisure
  • Rest and sleep

Application Note

  • Both space and time dimensions are important in considering occupational performance

Key Reference

  • Chapparo, C., & Ranka, J. (1997). The Occupational Performance Model (Australia): A description of constructs and structure. In C. Chapparo & J. Ranka (Eds.), Occupational Performance Model (Australia). Monograph 1. Sydney: Occupational Performance Network.

Year Published

  • 1997

Primary Developer

  • Christine Chapparo

Primary Developer Email

  • chris.chapparo@sydney.edu.au

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Model Type

Population

Disability

Domain of Occupation

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