The Lotus Model: The Impact of Poverty on Early Child Development and Future Occupational Performance

This presentation is on the Lotus Model.The Lotus Model is a preventative approach to the problem of childhood poverty. It focuses on the impact that exposure to poverty has on early child development. The Lotus Model can be used to help OTs as well as other therapists and early childhood educators understand the impact that the adverse experiences present in the lives of young children living in poverty can have on their development and future occupational performance. This model also emphasizes the importance of play for early child development and how therapists can intervene to create more opportunities for these children to participate in high quality play. By focusing on the development of young children who live in poverty it is possible to impact their future occupational performance.