2. ACTIVITY ANALYSIS
Shamima Akter
B. Sc (Honors) in Occupational Therapy
& M. Sc in Rehabilitation Science
Assistant Professor,
Department of Occupational Therapy
Bangladesh Health Professions Institute (BHPI)
Centre for the Rehabilitation of the Paralysed (CRP)
Chapain, Savar
3. Activity Analysis
Activity analysis is a fundamental skill of
occupational therapists. A process used to identify
the inherent properties is a given occupation, task,
or activity as well as skills, abilities or capacities
required to complete it. (Trombly, 5th ed.). There
are three different perspectives of activity analysis:
• Activity- Focused Analysis
• Client-Focused Activity Analysis
• Environment-Client-Focused Activity Analysis
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4. • Task- focused activity analysis/ Activity- focused
analysis- Deconstruction of activity itself outside of
the client-specific application to build student’s or
clinician’s repertoire of therapeutic occupations.
• Client- focused activity analysis- Description of the
reasoning used in the therapeutic use of occupation-
as-means for a particular therapeutic goal for a
particular person.
• Client-environment fit analysis- Deconstruction of
the specific activity-environment-person fit to
determine and/or optimize the likelihood of
successful performance of occupation-as-end.
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5. REASON OF USING ACTIVITY ANALYSIS
• To contribute to the clinical reasoning of
Occupational Therapy practitioner.
• To break the activity down to small steps.
• To whether or not a person can perform an
activity.
• Therapist analyses the activity to understand the
functional requirements (performance
components are needed to perform the activity).
Then compares the requirements of the activity
and tries to find out the answer of – Does the
client has the necessary performance components
to perform this activity?TS1_Shamima_2018
6. Continue
• To determine the appropriateness of activity for a
particular client in terms of developmental needs,
age, personal interests, gender, cultural
relevance.
• To determine the potential use of activity as a
treatment tool.
• To identify required resources, both intrinsic
(related to person’s abilities) and extrinsic (cost,
space, environment, time, skills, staffs).
• To identify an activity potential for modification.
• To identify risk, hazards and precautions.TS1_Shamima_2018
7. GUIDELINE FOR ACTIVITY- FOCUSED ANALYSIS
According to Radomoski and Latham 2014, the
steps of activity focused analysis are following:
–Describe the activity
–Describe the task demands
• Objects used: What are the properties of the
utensils, tools, and materials and their
locations relative to the person?
• Environmental Demands: What are the
characteristics of the environment in which the
activity is usually performed, including possible
environmental barriers and enablers?
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8. Continue…
– Social Demands: What is the nature of and
extent to which the activity involves others and
/or holds particular meaning associated with
social roles?
– Contextual demands
– Sequencing and timing
– Required actions: What are the steps of activity?
– Prerequisite capabilities, abilities, and skills
(sensorimotor, visual-perceptual, cognitive, or
psychosocial)
– Safety Precautions
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9. • Identify the primary therapeutic aspects of the
activity/ adapt activity demands to align with
therapy goals
– Sensorimotor (ROM, strength, motor control, postural
control, endurance, or coordination/dexterity). If analysis of
specific muscular requirements is required, complete a
biomechanical activity- focused analysis.
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Motions ROM Primary
Muscles
Gravity Assists,
Resists, No Effect
Minimal Strength
Required
Type of Contraction
10. • Visual-perceptual (visual scanning, perception of
objects in space, and awareness of extrapersonal
space)
• Cognitive (attention, memory, executive functioning,
problem solving, and awareness)
• Emotional/relational (mood, engagement, and
interactions with others)
• Modify the activity demands to calibrate level
– Object used
– Space demands
– Contextual demands
– Sequencing and timing
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17. Analysis
Process
ExampleDescribethetaskdemands
Requiredactions
Stepsthatcomprisetheactivity 1. Retrieve the vacuum cleaner from the closet
2. Unwind the electric cord
3. Plug cord into wall outlet
4. Adjust height of vacuum cleaner for carpet use
5. Turn on vacuum cleaner
6. Push vacuum cleaner back and forth
7. Move vacuum on carpet to complete entire carpet
8. Unplug cord from outlet
9. Wind cord on vacuum cleaner
10.Place vacuum cleaner in closet
18. Identify the primary therapeutic
aspects of the activity/ adapt activity
demands to align with therapy goals
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19. Motions
ROM Primary
Muscles
Gravity Assists, Resists, No
Effect
Minimal Strength Required Type of ContractionVolitionalfunctionofatleastoneupper
extremitytomoveagainstgravitywith
moderateresistance
shoulderflexion/extension,scapular
protraction/retraction,cylindricalgrasp,and
wriststabilization
Trunkflexion/extension
30. Identifytheprimarytherapeuticaspectofthetask;adapttask
demandstoalignwiththerapygoals
Object
used
Weight and size of vacuum cleaner
Type of vacuum cleaner handle and control switches
Low or high pile carpet
Space
demands
Size of space to be vacuumed, e.g. halfway and living room
Social
demands
NA
Contextual
demands
Set personal goal to complete vacuuming activity by a certain time
Sequencingand
timing
Set specific time parameters to vacuum a certain amount of carpet in
a designated amount of time
31. Therapeutic goal for the activity
• Strengthening of upper extremity
musculature
• Developing dynamic standing balance
• Improving grip strength
• Improving endurance
• Learning proper back mechanics
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32. GUIDELINE FOR CLIENT- FOCUSED ACTIVITY ANALYSIS
1. Specify the primary goal that this task is intended to
advance through client performance
2. Specify which primary ability and/or capacity the
task is intended to challenge:
– ROM
– Strength
– Motor behavior
– Praxis
– Sensation
– Vision-visual perception
– Cognition TS1_Shamima_2018
33. Continue…
3. Evaluate the therapeutic value of activity based
on these characteristics:
– Inherently evoke desired response
– Be gradable to progress the patient to higher
function
– Be within patient’s capabilities
– Be meaningful
– Be repetitive
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34. Continue…
4. Specify task parameters to calibrate difficulty level of the task:
• Method of instruction
• Nature and level of cueing
• Objects and their properties (materials and equipment)
• Environment Demands
• Sequence and timing
• Required actions and performance skills
• Required body functions
• Required body structures
• Context or environment
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35. GUIDELINES FOR ENVIRONMENT-CLIENT-FOCUSED ANALYSIS
1. Specify the task that the person wants or needs to perform in a given
environment
2. Specify the performance environments (e.g., environment in which
the client will perform the desired activity or environment in which
the therapy session with occur).
3. Evaluate the barriers or enablers to performance of this activity in
this environment:
– Task
– Environment
– Person
4. Determine solutions that will enable performance:
– Person
– Environment
– Task TS1_Shamima_2018
36. Continue…
5. Specify task and environmental parameters to
calibrate difficulty level
– Method of instruction
– Nature and level of cueing
– Objects and their properties (materials,
equipment)
– Space demands
– Sequence and timing
– Required actions and performance skills
– Required body functions
– Familiar or novel task or environment
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