NBCOT COTA key terms

A structured interview summary of the client's roles, routines, values, interests, and goals that explains why services are sought and which occupations matter most to the person.

Breaking an occupation into its steps, required body functions, and contextual demands so the practitioner can pinpoint where performance breaks down and which parts to modify or practice.

A test or measure with fixed administration and scoring procedures plus established reliability and validity, so results can be compared across time or against normative data.

A client-centered interview in which the person names problem occupations and rates performance and satisfaction from one to ten; repeating it later documents change over time.

A tool that rates 18 motor and cognitive tasks of daily living from total assistance to complete independence, producing a score that reflects the burden of care.

A graded strength test in which the practitioner positions a limb and applies manual resistance to judge whether specific muscles can move against gravity and added load.

Use of a goniometer to record the degrees a joint moves, actively or passively, establishing a baseline and tracking change over the course of therapy.

A brief check of a client's function or risk that decides whether a full occupational therapy evaluation is warranted and whether a referral should be made.

Observing and scoring self-care tasks such as bathing and dressing, plus complex tasks such as cooking, shopping, and money management, noting how much assistance the person needs.

Deliberately raising or lowering the demands of an occupation, such as time, weight, complexity, or amount of help, so the challenge matches current ability while still pushing progress.

Changing the tools, materials, environment, or steps of a task so the client can complete it successfully despite a limitation that is unlikely to change.

Repeated practice of the actual occupation the client needs to do, based on evidence that skills transfer best when practice closely resembles the real task and setting.

Purposeful use of the practitioner's personality, communication style, and relationship to build trust, sustain motivation, and help the client manage the emotional side of disability.

A handling-based approach for people with central nervous system damage that guides movement and posture during functional tasks to encourage more typical, efficient movement patterns.

Restraining the less affected arm while the client does intensive, repeated practice with the more affected arm, aiming to overcome learned nonuse and improve real-world use.

Teaching pacing, rest breaks, task alternation, and setup changes so a client with limited endurance can finish necessary daily activities without excessive fatigue or shortness of breath.

Techniques such as spreading loads over larger joints, avoiding tight gripping and prolonged static positions, and honoring pain signals to reduce stress on fragile joints.

Providing custom or prefabricated devices that support, position, immobilize, or stretch a body part to protect tissue, prevent deformity, or improve function in daily tasks.

Structured sensory-rich activity, especially vestibular and proprioceptive input, that helps a client organize sensations and produce adaptive responses so participation in daily life improves.

Teaching family or paid helpers the techniques, equipment use, and safety precautions needed to assist the client with daily tasks while protecting the helper's own body.

Practice in moving safely between surfaces such as bed, chair, toilet, and car, including body mechanics, equipment choice, and how much assistance the client needs.

Any device or system, from adapted utensils to powered mobility and communication aids, that maintains or improves function; selection includes fitting, training, and follow-up.

Altering layout, lighting, surfaces, or fixtures in a home or work setting to remove barriers and hazards so the client can perform occupations safely and independently.

A collaborative process started early in care that identifies needs after services end and arranges equipment, caregiver support, and follow-up for a safe transition.

Reviewing the residence, including entrances, stairs, bathroom, kitchen, and lighting, to find hazards and recommend modifications, equipment, or strategies that support safe performance at home.

Helping a client resume participation outside the home, such as shopping, transportation, work, and recreation, after injury, illness, or a long hospital stay.

Agreed, measurable benchmarks of independence and occupational performance showing the client has met goals, so therapy can end or shift to a maintenance plan.

Repeat administration of selected measures at planned intervals or before discharge to confirm progress, revise goals, and justify continuing or ending services.

Coordinated sharing of information and responsibility among providers, the client, and caregivers as care moves between settings, so gains from treatment are preserved.

The duties an occupational therapy assistant may legally perform, typically implementing the intervention plan, contributing evaluation data, and carrying out assigned discharge activities under supervision.

Rules stating the type and frequency of oversight, such as close, routine, or general, that the supervising occupational therapist must give an assistant based on law, setting, and client needs.

A progress note format recording the client's Subjective reports, Objective data and observations, Assessment of progress toward goals, and the Plan for upcoming visits.

The client's voluntary agreement to evaluation or treatment after being told the purpose, expected benefits, risks, alternatives, and the right to decline or withdraw.

The requirement that services be specific to the client's condition, reasonable in amount, and expected to improve or maintain function, which payers use to approve and continue therapy.

A published set of principles and standards, including beneficence, nonmaleficence, autonomy, justice, and veracity, that guides the conduct of occupational therapy practitioners.

Combining the best available research, the practitioner's clinical expertise, and the client's values and circumstances when deciding how to evaluate and treat.

Working with other disciplines such as nursing, physical therapy, speech therapy, medicine, and social work by sharing information and coordinating goals so the client receives consistent care.

Recognizing one's own biases and adapting communication, assessment, and intervention to the client's culture, language, beliefs, and preferences so services are meaningful and acceptable.

The legal duty to report suspected abuse, neglect, or exploitation of a child, older adult, or dependent adult to the designated protective agency, usually within a set time limit.

Federal insurance for people 65 and older and some younger adults with disabilities; therapy is covered only when skilled, medically necessary, and documented according to program rules.