Occupational therapists
(O.T.
s) are
trained in the art and science of helping
disabled individuals to increase function and be as independent as
possible.
Function refers to the ability to perform self care skills such as
dressing and
preparing a meal, a job such as driving a truck, a role such as mother
or
participate in a recreational pursuit such as knitting. O.T.'s address
Activities
of Daily Living (ADL's) such
as these to improve cognitive, motor, emotional and social skills.
Other examples of ADL's include playing during school recess, managing
diabetes injections, preparing a resume and
traveling safely in the
community.
Patients may have lost function
due to an injury, disease or illness or have
been born with a disabling
condition such as a missing limb, cerebral palsy
or a genetic
disorder such as Downs syndrome. One of the major differences
between occupational therapists and other rehabilitation professionals
is that
O.T.'s primarily use activities to
improve function. A therapist might
recommend balance activities
and games so that the the tight rope walker
can get back to
work in the circus. Someone who needs to strengthen the
shoulders
might benefit from painting on an easel. A grandmother who
neglects one arm after a stroke might enjoy taking care of a baby in a
way
which encourages the use of both hands.
Sometimes
O.T.s adapt
activities. Perhaps this construction worker needs to
wear
hand splints that will make it easier to hold onto the drill. Treatment might
involve a
simulation
such
as a steering wheel with a computer generated road
to improve driving
skills,
but often treatment takes place in the natural
environment such
as when a group of troubled teens take a backpacking
trip together.
Pediatric
Occupational Therapy
Occupational
therapists work with children to help them to perform skills
necessary for learning (i.e. discriminating shapes and letters) and
independence (i.e. grasping a spoon or buttoning a sweater) and
since
one of the main "jobs" of young children is to play, therapists often
focus on play activities to teach motor, cognitive and social skills. A
huge role of the therapist is to teach the child's caretakers to
carryover
the treatment so that in she or he benefits all day and even all night.
For example, parents may learn that a heavy, tight fitting sleeping bag
calms a child and promotes a good night's sleep or that using an
angled spoon makes it easier for their child to bring the food inside
the mouth.
Occupational therapists
who work in Early Intervention programs help
clients as young as a few days to age three
years. At age three children
may be eligible for special education services including occupational
therapy through the community's school system. So far all of these
services are free regardless of income. However, some caregivers choose
to supplement therapy provided by the school system with treatment in
a clinic and this is often paid for by insurance companies. The majority
of children who receive O.T. services in the school system
have fine motor delays and
often also have learning disabilities. Some of
these children may have an Attention Deficit Disorder, as well, that interferes
with the abilities to attend to fine-motor tasks such as writing and cutting
shapes. A smaller number of children may have a more complicated disability
such as autism, Downs Syndrome or a severe physical disability. The
current philosophy is that
children with disabilities benefit from being integrated into
a mainstream classroom as
much as possible. However, some parents choose
to place their children in schools
which service only special populations.
Occupational therapists work in these schools, too, where the
children have
intensive therapeutic needs.
We all have Sensory Needs All
human beings need sensory stimulation. The term sensory refers to
our
abilities to take in
information from the environment from our
sense organs-
eyes, ears, nose, skin, taste buds, muscles and inner
ears to sense
movement. A person in a prison, orphanage or other institution
who is
deprived of sensory stimulation may start to provide
her own stimulation
by rocking, biting or
humming. So you can see
how normal sensory
stimulation is critical to our well
being and
development.
Parents
and teachers may notice
that their child reacts differently to sensory
stimulation than other
children do. The child might cry when touched, rock or
spin
excessively, avoid fast
movement, crash into pillows or other
children
more than most, be picky eaters, hate new smells or munch on
their shirt
collar. Some seem to crave certain stimulation or
avoid activities that
most
children enjoy. We adults also
have sensory needs and find ways to fill them perhaps by roller
skating, racing cars, watching action movies, eating spicy
foods,
smoking, chewing gum, swinging
in a hammock, twirling a pencil or
biting one's nails. Most of us are pretty functional despite our
weird habits.
But children whose sensory needs interfere with their abilities to learn,
develop motor skills and socialize may have Dysfunction
in Sensory
Integration
Visit
the
state Occupational Therapy Associations for more information.
