Observation

Occupational Therapy
December 8, 2017
A Reflection on the Occupational Therapy Profession
Occupational therapists treat injured, ill, or disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. They help these patients to develop, recover, improve, as well as maintain the skills that are needed for daily living. Pediatric Occupational Therapists (POTs) play a major role in the managing different developmental disorders such as autism spectrum disorders and Rett syndrome. On the other hand, Geriatric Occupational Therapists (GOTs) are entrusted to manage postural stability and impaired daily activities across aged individuals. Since I want to pursue my professional career as an Occupational therapist, a hands-on-experience with professional occupational therapists provided me the opportunity to enhance my skills in these specialties. Although developmental and geriatric disorders are primarily managed by Psychologists or psychiatrists; however, OTs play a supportive and significant role in administering sensory-based interventions. The major goal of OTs across such populations is to ensure sensory integration and improve cognitive functions across concerned stakeholders. The present article portrays my reflection on an internship assignment on Occupational Therapy across challenged populations (Little et al. 1-12).
I visited three healthcare organizations as a part of the internship program; Inspire, Center for Spectrum Services, and Elant. My main role was to observe the role played by professional POTs in ensuring sensory integration in children suffering from ASD.

During my observation, I was given the opportunity to oversee occupational therapists in different working environments. The internship experience helped to identify the challenges in the field of OT that is related to the management of ASD. The internship program would help me to grow and transform into a competent POT. I was able to observe pediatric individuals with ASD at Inspire and individuals with developmental disabilities at the Center for Spectrum Services. However, at Elant, I observed the role played by occupational therapists in managing geriatric individuals. These three experiences helped me to understand the role played by occupational therapists in challenged populations.

At Inspire, I noticed that children were using different types of the swing before their occupational therapy session. Swings help them to relax and gain postural balance. The snug swing was meant to relax and calm the individual, while the platform swing provided a tilting movement that helped to ensure postural balance in the concerned individual. I found that the swings were beneficial for all the children who were admitted at Inspire. I came across a child who was suffering from Rett syndrome. It is a type of rare neurological and developmental disorder that is featured by muscular dysfunction and cognitive impairment. Individuals affected with Rett syndrome often exhibit dominance of one limb and impaired motor functions. This child also exhibited dominance of one hand in comparison to the other. The main goal of OT is to retrieve functional activity in the non-functional muscles. I observed that the visiting OT braced her dominant hand and intervened on the non-dominant hand. The concerned individual was asked to place her non-dominant hand in a ball-pit before the interventions were initiated. Ball pits provide a multi-sensory environment such as tactile and visual stimuli for improving the cognitive perception of the concerned individual. The occupational therapist then moved her to the sensory sink which contained small beads and little toys. The objective of this intervention was to kindle sensory perception in her. Finally, the individual was made to work on a physio-ball for improving her vestibular functions. Such interventions were administered to improve the postural balance, strengthening of the muscles, and cognitive functions in the concerned stakeholder.
My next visit was to the Center for Spectrum Services where I came across children who were suffering from autism spectral disorders. According to the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual for Mental Disorders (DSM-V), Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are defined as a range of pervasive developmental disorders that might lead to cognitive deficits in the respective individual (American Psychiatric Association). The increase in the prevalence of ASD over the past four decades has raised concerns among parents and healthcare professionals all across the globe. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) highlighted that the prevalence of ASD has increased by 10-fold in the last 40 years. In fact, one out of every 88 children born in the United States suffers from some form of ASD. The major symptoms of such disorders include deficits in sensory integration, maladaptive behavior, reduced participation in academic and social activities. It is contended that sensory integration helps to overcome maladaptive behaviors by remediating cognitive dysfunction and developing coping strategies (Little et al. 1-12).
At the Center for Spectrum Services, I again observed that the children were undertaking different types of swing. The purpose of the swings was to ensure a calming and relaxing effect on them. I closely observed the process of occupational therapy in a child who exhibited mania and hyperactivity. The child started off with a platform swing and was seated with a weighted blanket. While on the swing, the occupational therapist implemented different interventions to improve his motor skills, upper body strength, and visual skills. The therapist placed close pins on the swing so that the child could hold their arms up against gravity. Such activities were meant to improve his writing and holding skills. These activities were planned to improve the child’s cognitive and sensory-motor functions that helped in the development of muscle tone. Muscle tone is the ability for the muscle to respond to a stretch and is involuntary which a lot of children with special needs experience. For example, there was an autistic child that needed a lot of sensory integration. So he started off with the snug swing which provided him with deep pressure. The deep pressure noticeably calmed him down so he could focus on therapy. Next, the therapist used the peanut ball to help with his body awareness. The therapist rolled the peanut ball all over his body to help him get a sense of his own body.
At Elant, I observed how occupation therapists interact with geriatric individuals. The major of occupational therapy was to help the affected individuals to perform their daily activities with minimal assistance such as getting and in and out of a wheelchair or a bed. The major goal of occupational therapy is to improve their upper body strength, coordination, and endurance. The individuals worked on a hand bike which helped to improve their upper body strength. He individuals were also exposed to colored cues and visual patterns that improved their eye coordination and cognitive thinking.
Occupational therapists play a major role in improving sensory integration and ensuring postural stabilization across affected individuals. Their role is to enable the brain to integrate sensory inputs from the environment and to coordinate and exhibit an appropriate adaptive response. My experiences in the field of occupational therapy have inclined me towards this profession. I have understood the importance of occupational therapist both across children and the elderly. My background in Radiology helped me to realize the importance of personalized therapy across challenged individuals. The outcomes of personalized therapy are both rewarding and challenging. Hence, I have always nurtured a passion to manage individuals who are either physically or mentally challenged. I strongly believe that I could deliver person-centric and competent care to such individuals. This is because I always enjoy learning and thrive to develop new skills.
Works Cited
Little LM, Dean E, Tomchek S, Dunn W. HYPERLINK “https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/29240517” Sensory Processing Patterns in Autism, Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder, and Typical Development. Phys Occup Ther Pediatr . 2017: pp.1-12