Question

An individual with chronic mental illness is moving into a group home and would like to learn to take a bus to a friend's home three stops away. In the first training session, the OT accompanies the client to the bus stop and onto the bus, demonstrates how to pay, points out when they have arrived at their destination and walks with the client from the bus stop to the friend's home. Using the scaffolding approach, which one of the following should the OT do differently during the next training session?

Answer 1

For the second training session using the scaffolding approach, the OT should encourage the client to pay for the bus fare and recognize the destination stop themselves, with the OT providing verbal guidance and feedback instead of direct demonstration.

Step-by-step explanation:

When an individual with chronic mental illness is learning to take a bus using the scaffolding approach, the occupational therapist (OT) should gradually reduce the level of assistance provided in subsequent training sessions to promote independence. In the next training session, instead of demonstrating and walking with the client throughout the process, the OT might suggest the client try to pay for the bus themselves while still under supervision, and then verbally guide them on when to get off the bus, rather than pointing it out. The ultimate goal would be for the client to perform these tasks independently, with the OT only observing and providing feedback as necessary.