Vocational therapy in

mentally retarded persons

Instructor: Sir Touqeer Ahmed

Group Members
 Sania Azhar
 Hafsa Matloob
 Abdul Awal
 Asif Nawaz
 Kashif Mehmood
 Tufail Shah
 M Yaseen
 Aqib Aziz
 After this presentation ,learners will be able to:
Define vocational therapy
Know about the aims of vocational therapy
Describe the principles of vocational therapy

Learning Know about the nature and classification of mentally retarded persons
Discuss about the potential of mentally retarded persons

objective Rule out the prevalence of vocation therapy services and mental
retardation in Pakistan

s Demonstrate the model of vocational therapy

Explain the process of vocational therapy in mentally retarded persons
Understand the old and new perspectives of vocational therapy
Relate the role of nurses in vocational training in mentally retarded
persons
 Vocational Therapy

It Promotes
Vocational therapy is
the subfield of Mental skills
occupational therapy
where it is used as Social and communicative skills
means of therapy
under conditions that Job related key qualification
are close to reality. It
promotes Personality related abilities
 Aims of vocational therapy

To facilitate the development of

performance components of the
clients thus minimize the  Promotion of recovery
dysfunction.  Mobilization of total
Performance components are:
assets of patients
neuromuscular  Prevention of
Sensory integrative hospitalization
 Creation of good habits
social
of work and leisure
psychological  Enhance the patients to
regain self-confidence
cognitive
 Principles of vocational therapy

Vocational rehabilitation proceed in conjunction with medical treatment and physical rehabilitation
It is provided to overcome the immediate and long-term impacts of disabilities
Successful vocational rehabilitation requires that workers be motivated to take an active interest and
initiatives in their own rehabilitation
Different approaches should be used in response to the unique needs of each individual
It is a collaborative process which requires involvement and commitment of all concerned participants
The gravity of the injury and residual disability is a relevant factor in determining the nature and extent of
the vocational rehabilitation assistance provided.
 NATURE OF MENTAL RETARDED PERSONS

According to American All three of these conditions must be met to

association on mental identify an individual as mentally retarded:
retardation( AMMR), mental
retardation is:
“ Significantly sub average AN IQ BELOW 70
general intellectual functioning
resulting in or associated with
IMPAIREMENT IN ADAPTIVE BEHAVIOUR
concurrent impairments in
adopted behavior and
manifested during the OCCURANCE BEFORE 18 YEARS
developmental period
 .Normal •IQ
•Between 84-85 & 115-116

Borderline
•IQ
•Between 68-70 & 83-84

Mild mental •IQ

Classification
•Between 50-55 & 67-69
retardation
of mentally . Moderate mental •IQ
retarded retardation
•Between 35-40 & 49-54

persons
Severe mental •IQ
•Between 20-25 & 34-39
retardation
Profound mental •IQ
•Less than 20-25
retardation
 Potentials of mentally retarded persons

1 Independent living
2
Feeds self, may spill some , Physical Abilities
puts on clothing but needs
help with small buttons and
zippers, tries to bath self but May hop or skip, may climb with
needs help; can wash and dry alternating feet; rides tricycles,
hands but not very effectively, may climb jungle gym
partially toilet trained but may
have accidents
 Potentials of mentally retarded persons

3 4
Communication: Social
Use non verbal gestures to
communicate needs, Participates in group
understand and speak activities and simple group
simple verbal
communication including
games.
direction and questions.
PREVALENCE OF DISABLED PERSONS
IN PAKISTAN

BLIND (8.06)
BLIND

DEAF AND MUTE(7.43)

DEAF/MUTE

CRIPPLED (18.93)
CRIPPLED

MENTALLY RETARDED
MENTALLY RETARDED(7.6)

MULTIPULE DISABILITIES
MULTIPLE DISABILITIES(8.23)

OTHERS
OTHERS(43.37)
Model of vocational therapy
Process of vocational therapy in mentally
retarded

Vocational
assessment

Prevocational training of
mentally handicap

Vocational training and

types of employment
 Vocational Assessment
Process of obtaining
information about a
client skill and
performance in order to
make appropriate
training decisions.
(Bellamay, Horner and inamn)
Aims of vocational assessment:
 Eligibility for services
 Vocational potential which involve
intellectual and academic achievements
 Social adaption and level of
psychological and emotional functioning
 Evidence of problem that requires
treatment
 Approaches of vocational
assessment

•
Traditional • It It mainly includes psychological measurement approach
approach assessment of psychomotor skills and work sample

• it includes three newly developed areas to vocational

Contemporary assessment of mentally handicap persons .
approach • these are adaptive behavior, survival skills and process
assessment approach
 Pre-vocational Training

Work
Emotional related
skills skills
Cognitive
It is systematic skills
training by which an Physical
individual acquires and
sensory
such skills and Social
behavior which are motor
skills skills
necessary for a
particular vocation Personal Life
skills survival
and safety
skills
 Vocational Training
The clients who inter
in this phase of
program has less
psychosocial and
behavioral problems.
they have more stable
relationship with their
supervisors and co
worker.
Now emphasis becomes
Making them good
workers
To meet normal work
demands
Work independently with
minimum supervision
Maintain quality of work
 Stage 1:
Psychosocial adequacy
stage 2:
Work readiness
Stages Of Stage 3:
Vocational vocational choice
Training: Stage 4:
job placement
Stage 5:
occupational upgrading
 Employment Of Persons With Mental
Retardation:
There are three main areas where mentally retarded individuals
can be employed:

A sheltered workshop trains a

mentally retarded person in an
occupation and employs him or her
Sheltered in a workshop itself. Moderate and
Employment mildly retarded individuals also
benefit from it. Examples are
assembling and packing units in
workshops ,carpentry units and
spray training
 There are certain routine repetitive jobs in
the market which can be successfully
Open performed by the mentally retarded
Employment individuals once they are trained . E.g.:
office boys, helper in canteens , helper in
stationary and grocery shops.

There are certain families of mentally retarded

individuals with resources for ensuing self
employment. If they have been appropriate
Self training in the particular job task that the family
has in mind and when the family has ready to
employment supervise their work and support them , self
employment can be very successful. This
includes envelop making and candle making .
 Old And New Perspectives
Old Perspectives
it includes :
1) craft activities
2) sheltered workshop
Limitations of old perspective:
1) These vocational trainings have no
relationship with employment
2) Vocational trades taught at such centers
are often complex and takes long time to
master them
3) Training is given in protected
environment , employment outside these
conditions are difficult for them
4) Sheltered workshop rarely makes profit
5) Sheltered workshop are capital intensive
and organizations rarely have resources
to start such projects
 Many new concepts have been
reported inn recent literature to find
new employment opportunities for
persons with mental retardation .
New
perspectives These are:
1) open competitive employment
2) self employment
 Role Of Vocational Therapy In Mentally
Retarded Persons
I‌n the case of children, the focus will be on enabling participation in childhood occupations
such as play and school and supporting development and emerging independence skills.

v‌ ocational therapy in psychiatry focuses on helping individuals manage mental health

challenges by enhancing their ability to engage in meaningful daily activities.

‌ ocational Therapy Role is to support individuals to overcome the effects of decreased

V
functioning caused by illness, ageing and/or accident so that they can carry out everyday
tasks or occupations, be it physical, psychological, social and environmental.

‌This could involve activities aimed at improving self-care, productivity, and social
participation while considering the unique challenges within the military context.

‌In an enlisted context, occupational therapists work with military personnel dealing
with psychiatric conditions like PTSD or anxiety
 Role Of Nurses In Vocational Therapy Of Mentally
Retarded Persons

 Difficulty in performing daily activities

 Individual’s work abilities
 Recognize any vocational problem at early
stage
Nursing  Severity of metal retardation
 Any risk of harm and injury of person at
assessment work setting
 Assessment of cognitive, behavioral and
social skills
 Identify interests, motives and potential of
patient.
Nurses help to address the problems through the activities listed
below:

Creating and following a productive daily schedule

Navigating the community and using public transportation

Taking care of personal hygiene

Organizing and following a medication regimen

Personality-related abilities such as self-esteem, self-awareness and self-confidence

Job-related key qualifications such as self-initiative, persistence, control of criticalness,

frustration tolerance, orderliness, punctuality, independence, diligence and sense of
responsibility
Social and communicative skills such as assertiveness and adaptability, interpersonal skills,
being critical, teamwork and leadership
 Mental Health Vocational Therapy
Interventions

Nurses to create lead groups in areas that focus on:

Lead Life skills, Job readiness, Money and time management,

Wellness recovery action plans (WRAPs), Therapeutic leisure
Groups
Nutrition, Independent living

Apply Nurses use activities of daily living (ADLs) or occupations to

aid in optimal mental health and welfare. They may also help
Calming you use coping mechanisms like listening to music, playing
Strategies cards, writing, drawing, cooking, or cleaning.
 Educating people about sensory exploration and
implementing sensory approaches for self-regulation.
Teaching coping
and self- Utilizing CBT approaches to support your participation
in desired activities.
regulation skills
Identifying and implementing healthy, positive habits,
and structure into daily routines

 Self-awareness and skills development

 Developing attainable goals

Life tasks  Modifying your environment for optimal fit.

 Promoting the use of self-regulation and sensory
strategies.
 Educating an interdisciplinary team on prevention
techniques
 Summary
 Vocational therapy
 Aims of vocational therapy
 Principles of vocational therapy
 Model of vocational therapy
 Vocational training
 Role of vocational therapy
 Role of nurse in vocational therapy in mentally retarded
person
Thank You.