The philosophy of the Occupational Therapy Assistant Program at Lone Star College–Tomball forms its foundation upon the existentialist view of humanity; that, as human beings we are engaged in an ongoing process of discovering and making sense out of our existence. Integral to the foundation are the basic dimensions of the human condition which include a capacity for self-awareness; the exercising of free agency and responsibility; discovering one's identity and establishing meaningful relationships with others; searching for meaning, purpose, values, and goals; encountering anxiety as a condition of living, and facing an awareness of personal limitations and mortality.
Upon this foundation is built a structural framework for application which reflects the performance of the individual. Performance is dependent on the biological, psychological and environmental influences which surround an individual and is manifested by real and actual demonstration. The vehicle for demonstration comes through an individual's engagement in purposeful activity and occupation.
The principles of the Occupational Adaptation frame of reference are the core of this structural framework wherein occupation is characterized by active participation, meaning to the person, and the formation of a product that is the output of a process. Adaptation is identified as a change in the functional state of the person as a result of movement toward relative mastery over occupational challenges. Thus, occupational adaptation is a state of competency in occupational functioning toward which human beings aspire and is the driving force of intrinsic motivation.
The holistic principles of Occupational Adaptation form a parallel process in the occupational therapy assistant program at Lone Star College–Tomball; wherein occupational therapy is not merely something that a therapist does to/with a patient/client but that the principles can be applied to the self. Actual understanding of the principles will come as the student applies what he learns in order to master and adapt to his own challenges while simultaneously learning methods, principles and skills to assist others in their adaptation process. The student develops a repertoire of experience from which to draw meaningful application of purposeful activity for a particular client. Thus, ultimately, the student can apply knowledge on a continuum of wellness to illness with an understanding of the diverse nature of individuals.
The mechanism for student learning in the North Harris Lone Star College–Montgomery District is shaped by the application of cognitive theory to the educational experience and is reflective of the occupational therapy assistant student learning process at Lone Star College–Tomball. Learning, under this model, is characterized as personally involving; an active rather than a passive process; an interactive process incorporating both the physical and social environment and; an internalization process.
The aims of this model of instruction are to foster and support such capacities as: being able to manage multiple inputs and deal simultaneously with multiple factors and considerations; the ability to transfer previous learning to new situations; the ability to interpret, judge, plan, modify, and create; the ability to understand points of view different from one's own; and the ability to criticize one's own and other perspectives.
The student learning environments display such characteristics as: collaboration among teachers, departments, disciplines, students, school, and community; the exploration of multiple perspectives and sources of knowledge; the opportunity for self-monitoring and self-assessment by the learner; an atmosphere of respect and caring among students and between students and teacher; encouragement of curiosity, exploration and investigation; and, a focus on real-life situations, problems and contexts.
The occupational therapy assistant program ascribes to a process of education which is dynamic and evolving over time to meet the ever changing needs and demands of the profession, technology and the community.