ABSTRACT
The goals of the Moving to Make Friends © program (MTMF) program are to facilitate generalization of social participation within the natural settings and promote friendships. The MTMF program utilizes movement-based play activities facilitated by an occupational therapy practitioner. The creation of a social context depends on the concepts of occupational intactness and context. Occupational intactness refers to the extent to which therapeutic use of occupation occurs in the natural context. MTMF focuses on providing occupation-based treatment within the naturally occurring setting of schools. Students are grouped depending on age and identified areas of focus in dyads, triads, and foursomes. In order to successfully implement the MTMF Program, observations of the students should be conducted prior to and after the program. The MTMF program utilizes a blended approach to address social interaction in elementary school-age children. It is informed by concepts from occupational science, principles of Sensory Integration, play, and social learning theories.
