Amy OT

Ok, so you try your best not to bring work home, right? But in different ways it follows you regardless.. My Speech. We spend our days saying repetitive and kind of odd things.. often in threes.. Mind you, moving and talking go together in baby development, so lots of the kids we see for motor delays have speech delays.. so we are mindful of their speech goals while we're playing with them.. "Up, up, up" Down, down, down. "Ready. Setttttt.... GO!" (can't count the times we say this each day) Doggie... woof woof... Kitty... meowwww... meowww.... "Cow... mooooooooo!" "One, two, three!" "Push! Push it in. Go pushhhhh" "Yel-low" "Purr-pllll" "Blue. It's blue" "You can do it!" "You're ok" "Keep trying!" "Wiggle wiggle" (when the puzzle piece doesn't fit right yet) "Turn, turn, turn" X is allllllll done. Time to do Y.... First ...

It's crazy how much you can learn and adapt in a few weeks. Like in anything. A new semester. A new job. New roommate.. (ok it depends on the roommate).  BUT, for this internship, it's been a whirlwind in some ways and very routine day in and day out.. all at the same time. Current thoughts on it all: Documentation is an art. And also, don't over think it. In some ways, you're just writing what happened. But it's not a novel, and it takes some thought to put into words what skills the child worked on and what was important. Also anything important the caregiver said and any bruises/scratches on caregiver or child and where they were said to come from - just so it's all in the record.. Things we often write: tolerated tummy time (better than last week, or while reaching for toys, or lifting head up taller, or while pushing up with arms) played in sidelying, on tummy, and on back worked on using both hands practiced reaching overhead, and to the left a...

Hello there. If you haven't seen my previous posts, this may seem like I'm ragging on innocent little babies... no no no :) I'm just sharing my experience and observations during an early intervention internship. (week 6! Halfway through!) Crazy Head Shapes But really, can I just tell you how many odd-shaped heads I see in a day? These peanuts are so cute, but their heads are sometimes so strange.. flat spots, bulging spots, asymmetrical, odd shapes...  and I check out adults more closely now, to try and see what things stay with people and what things kind of even out at the end of the day. Try it: Next time you're in line at the store, check out the person's head in front of you. Or in the aisle, look at the way someone is walking. Is it symmetrical? Do their arms swing evenly? Are their steps even, smooth, and the same distance apart?.. I digress... So there's really only been a few instances in my life I can think of where I remember thinking s...

One third of the way through this experience (4 weeks out of 12).. that is shocking and nerve racking because I still feel like such a newbie. Is 12 weeks enough time to learn the skills I need to be an OT in any setting? Warming Up It takes time for children and parents to warm up to a student. In an adult setting, I imagine the clients are more goal-driven and willing to participate in tricky tasks, even with a stranger, if they believe it will help their independence. Trust building is a huge part of therapy - being client centered, having empathy, bringing yourself into the client's world. No doubt about it. You will get more out of your patient's if they trust you. Regardless of practice setting or population. But adults can communicate their concerns, their doubts, their frustrations.. you can talk it out and reason with them (sometimes..).. you can explain why it is important to do x, y, z.. Kids don't care about your schooling, your treatment goals, or why you...