Peggy Wittman, EdD, OT/L, FAOTA
Professor, OT Department
Eastern Kentucky University
ASD. April 25. 2012

 Understand the basic constructs of the Lifestyle
Performance Model
 Explore how you might use the LPM as a tool for your professional and personal growth and development

 Developed by Fidler (AJOT, 1996) and Velde
(1998-2002)
 Used clinically and to measure outcomes by
Wittman and Velde (1998-present)








The LPM describes and examines the interacting, multiple dimensions of doing and living from an organized, holistic framework
Based on a philosophy of social construction (a person’s perceptions of his/her occupational performance and satisfaction)
Related to Object Relations and Wellness theories
Performance and quality of life are essential constructs
Useful for Occupational Science and Occupational Therapy
A Top-Down Approach
Meets the four criteria for successful practice (client-centered, occupation-based, evidence-incorporated, and outcomes-oriented)

 Each person over time, develops a configuration of activity patterns that can be described as a life-style. These patterns of doing, of being engaged, emerge through the interplay of a person’s intrinsic needs, desires, and capacities and unique expectation of the environmental context of the person’s living.

 Integrally related to the LPM as a phenomenological construct
 Can be evaluated within each domain and overall

 Intrinsic Gratification
 Reciprocal Interpersonal Relatedness
 Societal Contribution
 Self Care/Self Maintenance




The Lifestyle Performance Inventory (LPI) is used to gather data from the client or significant other(s)
A semi-structured interview (questions with probes)
Combined with other information (from chart, other evaluations: ROM, Sensory Profile, Burns
Depression Scale, etc.) to form a Lifestyle
Performance Profile (LPP)

 Physical – personal space, natural and manmade
 Societal – legal, political, economic
 Interpersonal – self and significant others, objects, home
 Temporal – personal or inner time, mechanical time, natural and social time
 Virtual – digitally created world (space and time)

 Identify 5 or 6 occupations you spend most of your time doing
 Identify 5 or 6 occupations you most enjoy doing
 How are they alike and different?

Personally referenced pleasure, engagement for the joy of it, activity repertoire regarding fun, personal interests

Developing reciprocal relationships, sustaining reciprocal relationships, mutually satisfying, all aspects of living, friendships, intimacy, peer affiliations, family

Contributing to the fulfillment and welfare of others, productive member of society, filling societal roles, reciprocity is not expected

Expression of self, self reliance, dressing, grooming, maintenance of living spaces, eating, cooking, etc. (ADLs and
IADLs)

 In which domains would you place the occupations you identified?
 Is there overlap?
 Are there any domains with no occupations?
 The “Biggest Bang for the Buck” hypothesis

 Professional and Personal Goal Setting
 What are you looking for?
 What occupations are most important to you?
 How do you prioritize these?
 How can you have harmony? Quality of Life?
Wellness? Life satisfaction?

Intrinsic Gratification
Reciprocal Interpersonal
Relatedness
Social Contribution
Self Care/Self
Maintenance
PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL

 Intrinsic Gratification
 Reciprocal Interpersonal Relatedness
 Societal Contribution
 Self Care/Self Maintenance

 24 hours/day/7 days/week = 168 hours/week =
672 hours/month
 WORK: 40 hours/week/5 days/week = 160 hours/month
 SLEEP: 8 hours/day = 56 hours/week = 224 hours/month
 OTHER: (Work + Sleep = 384 hours/month) deducted from Total = 288 hours/month!

PROFESSIONAL PERSONAL
Intrinsic Gratification
Reciprocal Interpersonal Relatedness
Social Contribution
Self Care/Self Maintenance
Opportunity to read autobiographies, biographies, novels, etc. about medical diagnoses, disabilities, and/or occupational therapy to advance knowledge of field and compassion for clients without only reading from textbook or peer-reviewed articles
Commute to work, possibly with reimbursed driving time
Freedom to make care client-centered—time to interview, evaluate, and talk with clients (not too much of a fast-paced setting where you never get to truly know any of the clients)
Job setting that allows paperwork to be done during office hours so my personal time can be spent on RIR
Holidays off to be spent with family and friends
Sundays off to invest time into RIR with family, friends, and church members
No more than 50hrs/wk
Team model of practice that allows me to work with other professionals to achieve goals of the client—to not work completely alone but rather to cover the full, transdisciplinary needs of the client
Have access to a mentor during entry level years of the profession—someone to ask questions, challenge me, and keep me accountable for practice as a new clinician
Volunteer pro-bono hours at a free clinic or homeless shelter.
Coordinate teams of therapists for medical mission trips.
Non- “desk job” environment so I can be moving around
Freedom to promote health, wellness, and prevention to clients—not just remediation
Time to explore leisure occupation of reading
(interested in novels, stories, etc. rather than textbook material)
Valued occupation of driving
Don’t give up too many leisure or intrinsically gratifying occupations for the sake of school—I don’t have to get all A’s all the time!
Personal time to invest in marriage as a newlywed
Time to invest into the lives of my siblings, nephew, and niece
Maintain close relationships with members of my church
Attend church groups on a weekly basis
Continue volunteer work at residential recovery center and with church youth group.
Continue annual mission trips.
Eat healthier foods, pack lunches to school.
Occupational harmony between school and schedule for exercise—don’t skip it just because I have too many assignments!
Adequate amount of rest
















Vaught, E. & Wittman, P. (2011). A phenomenological study of the occupational choices of individuals who self-identify as adult children of alcoholics. Journal of Occupational Science, 18(4), 356-365.
Wittman, P.P. & Bundy, MB. (September, 2008). The Use of the Lifestyle Performance Model in a Group for Children with
Autism Spectrum Disorders. Developmental Disabilities Special Interest Newsletter, 1-4.
Velde, B.P., Wittman, P.P., & Mott, V. W. (2007). Hands-on learning in Tillery. Journal of Transformative Education, (5), 78-92.
Barnard, S.; Dunn, S.; Reddic, E.; Rhodes, K.; Russell, J.; Tuitt, T.; Velde, Beth P.; Wittman, P.P. (April-June 2004). Wellness in
Tillery: A community-built program. Family and Community Health. 27, 151-157.
Carter, C., Meckes, L., Pritchard, L., Swensen, S., Wittman, P.P., & Velde, B.P. (April-June 2004). The Friendship Club: An after-school program for children with Asperger Syndrome. Family and Community Health, 27. 143-150.
Kampa, A., Kennedy, J., Velde, B., & Wittman, P. (2003, October 20). In the clinic. The Friendship Club: developing reciprocal relationships in children with Asperger's syndrome. OT Practice, 8(19), 25-27.
Velde, B. P., Wittman, P.P., Lee, H., Lee, C., Broadhurst, E., Caines, M. (2003). Quality of life of older African American women in rural North Carolina. Journal of Women and Aging, 15 (4), 69-82.
Elliott, S. J., Velde, B.P., & Wittman, P. P. (2002). The use of theory in everyday practice: An exploratory study. Occupational
Therapy in Health Care, 16, 45-62.

The use of the Lifestyle Performance Model in a Social Skills Group for children with ASD. Walker, B. & Stoffer, K.
Kentucky Occupational Therapy Association, Prestonburg, KY, September, 2009.
The use of the Lifestyle Performance Model and Animal Assisted Therapy to enhance social Skills: An
interdisciplinary project. Poster presented with Bundy, MB., Tackett, K., & Miller, K. Network of Autism
Training and Technical Assistance Programs, Columbus, Ohio. November, 2008.
The evolution of a community-built practice in Tillery, North Carolina. Paper presented with Velde, B. & Phillips,
D. at the 2006 Annual American Occupational Therapy Conference, Long Beach, CA, April, 2006.
Using an occupational therapy model of practice to engage the power of occupation.. Velde, B. P. & Wittman, P. P.
(2002, June 24). Paper presented at the World Federation of Occupational Therapy, Stockholm, Sweden.
Comin Home: Using knowledge of occupation to emancipate participants. Velde, B.P.
& Wittman, P. P. (2002, June 26). Paper Presented at the World Federation of Occupational Therapy,
Stockholm, Sweden.
Quality of life in Tillery, North Carolina. Paper presented with Velde, B. at the 2001 North Carolina Summer
Symposium on Aging, Wilmington, NC, July, 2001.

Velde, B., Wittman, P. (2002) The use of the Lifestyle Performance
Model in a forensic setting and in the community beyond. In G.
Fidler and B. Velde (Eds), Life-style performance: A model for
engagement in human existence. Thorofare, NJ: Slack Publishers.
Velde,B. & Wittman, P. (2002). The use of the Lifestyle Performance
Model in community built health services. In G. Fidler and B. Velde
(Eds). Life-style performance: A model for engagement in human
existence, Thorofare, NJ: Slack Publishers.

 Peggy.wittman@eku.edu