Examples of considerations for best performance
There are a variety of factors that influence the infant's best performance, these can be divided into three categories: child factors, environmental factors, and occupation factors. There factors are presented in the columns below.
Child factors
Temperament
Attention
Previous experiences
Medical considerations (eg. oxygen, IV cannula, nasogastric tube, central line)
Is child well enough to be assessed?
Attachment with caregiver – Does baby feel safe?
Can baby separate from parent?
Parental Responses and involvement with assessment
Who is primary Caregiver?
Alert State?
Equipment required to support best position required for occupation?
Environmental factors
Seating/Positioning including restrictions.
Lighting and lighting variations
Noise/Distractions
Smells
People: who else is in the room? Distracting siblings? Unfamiliar faces?
Context of the assessment (review at home vs in clinic/ward setting)
Time of the day (what the baby normally be doing at this time?)
Does the environment support the infant’s sensory preferences?
Are there any limitations to the infants environment impacting on opportunities for them to engage in occupation?
Occupation factors
What activity are you asking the child to do?
Are they motivated and engaged in this task?
Is the task achievable and realistic for the child?
Is your toy choice suitable for the child?
Have they had a negative experience with this task before (ie vomit after feeding)?
Best timing for this engagement based on cues, alert states. How does this fit with existing routines of child and family?
