Friday, October 14, 2011

Pediatric Client : parent interview + eval

This semester I'm in a Pediatric OT class. For this class this is a clinical component and we are actually seeing REAL clients, in pairs and under the supervision of our professor. I have clinic on Thursdays for an hour, and we'll see them until the end of November. The child I'm seeing is 6 1/2 years old and is in the first grade!
Two weeks ago we interviewed his mom for an hour and got to meet him. Kate (my classmate/partner) and I split up the questions and each talked to her for about 30 minutes. This was my second time interviewing a parent and I thought it went pretty well. It was about how I expected it but the mom had been through this process before so she knew what types of questions I may ask and the kind of information I was looking for. Asking the questions didn't go exactly how I planned bc she just talked and talked (which is good- the whole narrative thing) but I was so scattered with my interview notes that it made analyzing it a little difficult.
Yesterday we had G come back in for the evaluation. Kate and I chose to use the BOT-2- a test of motor proficiency, and we only did 2 of the subtests that covered Fine Motor abilities. It was my first time administering an evaluation to a real child. I had administered the Peabody twice to my professor, but it's different with an actual child. It went okay, it was pretty easy to administer and the items self-explanatory.
After that we had a clinical observation planned. It was an obstacle course with stations that had different activities. The stations were:
1. "treasure hunt" we had a big tub of rice with large foam beads of different shapes and sizes buried in it and had him find the beads and then lace them onto a string
2. we hid beads in play-doh and had him try and pick them all out.
3. Simon says
4. building with toothpicks and fruit snacks (idea from : http://www.pediastaff.com/blog/therapy-activity-building-with-toothpicks-and-gumdrops-3729)
5. finger painting/stamping. I printed out this tree and looked at finger isolation, then he tried to stamp with mini marshmallows (idea from: http://therapyfunzone.com/blog/2011/01/marshmallow-painting-for-fine-motor-skills/ )

Between the stations we set up things like a balance beam, a tunnel, scooter boards and textured circle steps.
Overall it went really well! we have to write up our eval report, a reflection paper for the interview/eval process and come up with goals and activities for next thursday when we start treating!

Wednesday, October 12, 2011

First Practicum Experience

We had our first practicum experiences in our second semester of classes (spring '11).
I was placed at a local elementary school with 3 of my classmates and one of our professors. We helped out with an after school program called Beans and Rice. We went once a week and worked with kids kindergarten to second grade and we each took turns leading the group. Our group- the OT Zone-was 30 min every Thursday and we focused on things such as writing, telling time, coin values, and fine/gross motor skills. I learned a lot about working with children in a structured setting, dealing with difficult behaviors, planning sessions and documentation...

Tuesday, October 11, 2011

Disability for a day

Last Fall, our teacher assigned each of us a disability/condition and we had to pretend like we had that disability for an entire day.  Some had to use slings, some ear plugs (Deafness), some crutches and some of us were in wheelchairs.

I had to be in a wheelchair for the whole day! and let me know you- it was HARD! and I definitely underestimated how difficult it would be. My arms were sore the next day. The part I remember most was getting to work and actually having to work. The ramp to the building where I work was SO steep I couldn't make it up on my own, I had to grab onto the handrail and inch myself up...while people were watching me struggle. I also had a hard time at work in the library, some of the shelves were way to high for me to reach, and the isles too narrow. Oh and I had to go all the way across campus to the bigger library and had to use the elevator, a man was on there with me and was just staring at my legs, I really thought he was going to ask me why I had to be in a wheelchair.

Overall it was definitely a great experience and I have a whole new respect for those needing to use a wheelchair everyday.  Public places think they are doing such a great job at making their building "handicap accessible" but really, they aren't, ramps are too steep, doorways are too narrow, and entrances with the automatic doors are inconvenient... I'm very thankful I do not really have to rely on a wheelchair everyday.

Saturday, October 8, 2011

First Year Recap- Tool kit

As part of one of my classes in my first semester (Fall '10)- we had a 'Tool Kit' assignment. We were each given a performance skill and had to come up with 5 activities to work on that skill that could fit into a medium sized container. My skill was balance.
I had a few ideas right off the bat but had to consult with on the of OT's that I had shadowed for some more ideas (gotta collaborate :) ) 
I can't find the picture of my tool kit but here are the items that I chose and why

1. Sidewalk Chalk/Red Duck Tape to make a Hopscotch board- play activities- going from a wide base of support (2 feet) to a narrow base of support (1 foot) challenges balance. Plus its fun, and children would enjoy this and may not view it as "work"

2. Stability Ball- I included this in my kit because while the client is sitting on the ball, they are required to maintain balance as their center of gravity and base of support are constantly changing and shifting

3. Pants (one for adults, one for a child)- Activity of Daily Living: dressing. Dressing the lower body requires balance whether you are doing it from a seated or a standing position. I also included an exercise band tied in a circle to simulate dressing if you were, for example, working in an outpatient clinic where the client would already be dressed.

4. Simon Says cards- play activity- The commands include “lean to the right side”, “lean to the left side”,and “lean forward and touch your toes”. Could also have them close their eyes to take the visual component out and really look at the vestibular system.  

5. Hanging Shelves (from my closet) and a couple common kitchen items: This would require the client to reach up and stand on their tip toes, or bend down toward the ground which requires the client to maintain balance in each of these positions.  I chose this because it is practical; most kitchens have high and low cabinets that the client would need to reach