**Abstract**

The occupational therapy management involves the assessment of the individual's specific needs. This kind of assessment facilitates the therapeutic relationship and boosts the person's motivation, as he or she feels valued and heard. Early-stage collection of information about meaningful activities for the individual helps them project themselves outside the context of illness. Collecting occupational need at an early stage, permits "Engagement", which means participating in activities even without actually doing them. An occupational therapy model called "Personal Environment Occupation Model" suggests that already at an early stage we should make the environment and occupations meaningful to the person in order to maximise the patient's performance. An observational study on stroke patients shows how people have personal occupational needs beyond simple self-care, including productive life and leisure time, already in the subacute phase. A further study is underway to demonstrate the effectiveness of early occupational therapy intervention, including complex patients regardless of diagnosis and taking into account their need for care and disability in order to promote their participation and maximise their autonomy.

**Keywords:** occupational therapy, assessment, activity daily log, Canadian occupational performance measure, engagement, personal environment occupation model
