Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G)

good night im falling apart augh

2008-07-27T00:59:00.001-05:00

Today was not a good day health wise! I had the Coke incident which I am pretty sure means I'll end up with ASPIRATION PNEUMONIA ::gasp:: and then while i love my new bed, I'm also a sensitive old soul and it will take me a while to get used to it, as I currently have a really bad headache/neckache/back issue from being unused to it...I'm going to try to go back to bed now that I've swallowed a muscle relaxant....and then tomorrow I want to make some blogging layout changes, hold some babies, see some friends, blah blah blah :)

AUGHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHHH

2008-07-25T20:09:00.003-05:00

Handwriting is hard to teach to three year olds whose name is (only letters changed - apostrophe, dash, and capitalizations intact):

B'My-tieL

Yeah. Not gonna happen.

this is my life, some days

2008-07-25T07:32:00.001-05:00

hopping into shower! back to blog when i eat my breakfast with wet hair!!!

more cat pictures

Okay Thursday is over phew

2008-07-24T22:31:00.001-05:00

I have more stuff to post/share and I STILL haven't gotten to Facebook because I suck, but I'm just going to do the quick version of today - and wait on yesterday - cuz I'm about to fall asleep

Today was awesome because I got to sleep in ridiculously late (although forgot to take my meds and have had a headache all night because of it)...and then I had my little girl with visual perceptual issues....I got several smiles out of her today...she is so cute. We worked some on her writing her address, and her handwriting is sooo atrocious, LOL...we also did some worksheets on VP from edhelper.com, some of the C D B book, a new Peeps puzzle, etc...

Almost every kid in the world cancelled today which is crazy and rarely happens - so I only had one other kid - one I haven't seen before - a little boy who needs a lot of basic help and probably has autism - Christy my OT says he has good days and bad days, and apparently i got him on a good day, because after a few minutes in the ball pit and with the tunnel, I managed to keep him strapped in at the table for the next like 40 minutes, with the busy bugs - we walked them back and forth on the table a while talking about colors, then we would put them away, tell them good night and turn off the light...wait a minute or two, say good morning, turn on the light, dump them out.....repeat...lol...then we added in some variation where I dumped the bugs out in the night and then we'd turn on the lights and find them out of bed, put them in time-out for one minute, etc. LOL....I was in a sing-ey mood and he seemed to like it so I would sing things like "Grasshopper jumps in the air, grasshopper jumps into your hair.....ahahahhaha. Who wants to sponsor my voice lessons so I stop shattering eardrums?!!!

Then Haley, the really way wonderful speech aid who will kick graduate school butt, came in for co-treat, and we worked with him on finding certain colored bugs and then certain colored "food" for the bugs, to work on coloring and counting and stuff...she is awesome. She just Facebooked me to tell me to put on more pictures but the problem is that I can't include kid's faces - I think I may start taking two types of pictures - not just website-worthy-picture-form-release worthy ones, but also blog-worthy ones from the back or sides so that the kid isn't recognizable but the activity is. :O

The only other kid we saw was a kid who has a lot of difficulty with self-expression and emotions labelling, so really his OT session involves a lot of psychology...my OT did an art therapy session with him where she would draw a line then he had to make something of it, taking turns, and then at the end they labelled it as well as discussed things about it...she wanted to work on SCARY things with him and to discuss what is scary and how to deal with it, and we ended up with a list of things that are scary for me, Christy, and him (mine included loose teeth, storms, water, and rollercoasters)....it was a neat session to watch as Christy extracted things from him. I tried to lay low in this session, at least for the first part, so that I would not be a distraction.

So basically instead of 9 kids we only had THREE...which is crazy. Nice though too, although spread out enough that I still didn't get to leave early really :( Oh well LOL

Then I went to the grocery store, made dinner, and have been sitting around at home ever since...cleaning, organizing, chilling...very tired. ....I bought some chicken pieces, some reduced-price-old (?) rosemary potato bread, then shredded up the chicken andbread, crushed in some baked lays potato chips, and sprinkled some corn on top...it was yum...a chicken-corn-chips-bread collage....too bad bread doesn't start with a C or that would be an awesome name. I guess I could lie and call it crust so I could have chicken-corns-chips-crust-collages, or 5C for short. Just kidding, I'm delirious. ANYWAY....I usually eat peanut butter crackers, frozen cherries, or some other random assortment of food for dinner, if left to my own devices, so having real food - including protein - is like miraculous. Woot woot.

Okay anyway. I'm TIRED. Will blog on Wednesday + newest emails + Facebook stuff later...plus I so badly want to catch up on OT blogs and share a bunch, and well, ugh, there is not enough hours in a day.

Friday makes FOUR weeks....1/3 of the way through first fieldwork...which is crazy.

Tomorrow we start with a home visit, then I have three hours of kids, from 1030 to 130...well really Christy is scheduled for those kids but that means they are mine....I hope the last kid doesn't show up, I have not heard of him before but I hear he usually doesn't show up!! The home visit kid and the first clinic kid I know, but the second kid I've only heard the name of.... Then I meet a friend around 3ish and then I hang with Kerri & Brent and then I might be joining some of the MOT Class of 2009 for an outing....it starts with the South Main trolley tours of downtown memphis but we'll see, I may be too tired for that, and may just join them for seeing a movie at the drive-in, since I've never gone before!!

This weekend I want to hit the Alzheimer's Daycare center on Saturday for a few hours to chill with old people, hit LeBonheur to hold babies a few hours on Sunday, do some belly-dancing practice, and see a ton of friends. Plus try and rest some in preparation for another week. Oh, and I need to go with my landlord to go pick up some stuff. And my landlord's friend is going to fix my leaking air conditioner, etc. Yay. Woot. Okay. Did I mention I'm going to sleep. Yeah. Good night luviepoos. Don't let the busy bad bed bugs bite. Alliteration is awesome.

Awwww Baby Mooses in a Sprinkler

2008-07-24T22:03:00.001-05:00

One last non-OT post for the night. It's soo cute, I want baby meeses in my sprinklers!!!

http://www.maniacworld.com/twin-baby-moose-in-sprinkler.html

Some random tidbits and now for my journal

2008-07-24T21:57:00.001-05:00

From Runner's World Magazine:

Oscar Pistorius is a double amputee from South Africa who wanted to be in the Olympics but the IAAF says his prosthetic legs give him an advantage....well maybe in some ways (like independent studies showed he has to expend less energy overall) but the pain tolerance needed to run on those legs, has to be STAGGERING....I personally think the DISadvantages of running with prosthetic legs are enough that it counter-attacks any advantages, but I dunno. Just thought it was interesting to think about...

-----------------
Random observation:

I picked up a sample of Chewy Tubes - "Oral Motor Device to develop biting" - while at AOTA conference. The other day the SLP (speech therapist) put some rice cereal on it to allow our little baby that is deaf/blind, start working on real food, as well as lose some of her oral motor defensiveness. It was neat to watch the baby experiment with this pliable thing in her mouth. She tolerated it very well.

---------
I have a book I stole from Mom called "C D B" that is really more geared at adults, but I think it can be helpful in OT, and I in fact used it with my visual perceptual girl today, on some of the easier pieces...just to see how quickly she could recognize/read the letters. I even got a few smiles from her :) It's a book using just major letters - like, for example, the first page shows a person looking at a bumble bee, saying,

C D B - D B S A B-Z B.

Here is my friend's country version of C D B, lol, he had to read it to me with a thick accent the other day and I already forget how to interpret some of it:
C M R DUX
M 8 DUX
M R 2 DUX
C M R WANGS
L I 8
M R 2 DUX

------
Animalia is another awesome book for visual perception but it's again more geared at older kids or adults....each page has its own letter of the alphabet, and the pages are breathtakingly done, filled with HUNDREDS AND HUNDREDS of items starting with that letter...it ranges from the basics - like a butterfly for B - to very obscure items starting with B that only a really smart person would even know the name of. It's pretty awesome....I love it.

And now for a completely un OT related post...

2008-07-24T21:45:00.000-05:00

Well except in the sense that sometimes part of your therapy may include getting a kid to laugh and not be so shy, in which case jokes are a good thing, not that these are good ones for a kid, but you get my point, or maybe you don't.

I got these from Reader's Digest and they all struck me as exceptionally funny so I'm sharing....

"I have CDO. It's like OCD but with the letters in alphabetical order, like they're supposed to be."

Q: What did the airhead name her pet zebra? (maybe the airhead has visual perceptual issues)
A: Spot

Q: How many ameobas does it take to change a light bulb?
A: One, no two! No, four, no eight...

Cartoon: A hermit crab with no shell to a hermit crab with a shell, on a beach littered with crab shells: "I forgot where I parked."

AHAHAHAHA

Ok time for my OT-related posts then bed-time. Early night. Tired.

la la la la la sorry this isn't real yet

2008-07-24T00:17:00.001-05:00

Too tired to blog. Going to bed. But notes to self so can pick up tomorrow.

830am - 915 to clinic...saw 1, 2, 3 + baby
1, 2, 3 kid counting - boy
House/groceries/colors/restaurant/at service , after lunch - boy + bro
Communication breakdowns = in general lol
hip rotation/knee hyperextension - girl
meeting other karen , lunch

eval - come to house, borrow truck - balls - visual perception - cherry bomb x 3 - done 530pm - need to write notes though for 1.5 days now AUGH - - friends house for dinner and kerri/brent's, med stuff, stories hmm, tomorrow until 1pm, chiro shearing forces lol, groceries, blah blah blah blah whatev

Tummyyyy-time...ok so I'm spent + 1. Now I'm seriously done.

2008-07-22T23:54:00.001-05:00

Any advice for the awesomely awesome Libby who starts OT school soon? :D :D :D

I am enjoying reading about your ped's fieldwork! It got me thinking about OT and infancy. Before I start school in a month and a half--so super scary to think about, I am currently nannying for a wonderful family. One of the kiddos is eight months old. While "BOB" sits, rolls and thrashes his little body around, he generally hates "tummy-time".

As I was reading your post about a home visit you went on, I wondered if you had any words of advice for helping "BOB" achieve some more movement and strength? During tummy time, I sometimes prop his tummy on a boppy pillow and use a toy to motivate him to try and raise his lower and upper body. He has been more comfortable with tummy time, but I keep telling him his adorable, edible rolls on his legs (heck, even his ankles) are no excuse to continue to be a lazy guy.

So ms. fancy-pants 2nd yr, do you have any advice on exercises that we can do together to help him get mobile?

And I'm spent.

2008-07-22T23:51:00.001-05:00

Ok...I responded to the girl from Argentina, and the guy from India. I responded to the two passionate future potential OTs asking to do a phone call this weekend instead of spend hours writing e-mails. I posted and/or responded to a bunch of great comments/helpful tips left by people. I'm still working on the cultural diversity/disability as form of diversity paper with Kuma, and am working on final um, what's the word, revisions, to the OT Practice Article...I also want to check out the newest ADVANCE e-newsletter (I want to get it in paper but so far I haven't even though I thought I signed up, hmmm), I sadly deleted a bunch of gero special interest list-servs without reading in-depth just because of time priority although it hurts me to do so, and now I just need to respond to one more OT student and then I'm DONE. Phew. It's almost midnight, I'm going to bed!!!!!!!!

PS: I love getting e-mails, I'm just slow to respond and end up having to write short responses, I am sorry....
PS2: Facebook responses will be tomorrow's much easier goal :)

Another OT letter...any helpers?

2008-07-22T23:47:00.001-05:00

Anybody want to help me answer this? This girl sounds great :)

hello. i've been maniacally researching OT websites, degrees, schools and blogs ever since i decided that this field of psychology intrigues me the most (which was today). at first i thought i would do my own research, but i feel that researching degrees and schools and internet information in general are all so generic that i would much prefer advice from a fully involved OT professional... or student like yourself. i choose you not by flip of a coin or magic eight ball decision, but because firstly: after reading 3 blogs you are the most passionate, second: you seem to be studying the field i am interested in (pediatrics), and thirdly: i can see you love this field of study (which means positive and hopefully helpful response). after taking a break from school for 3 years, and by school i mean high school, 4 months ago i decided that psychology suited me best. now which field, i had no idea. research most definitely. then today, by magical dust floating in the air, i realised that OT was probably the most logical place for me to feel comfortable, helpful and excited.

i work currently as a nanny for four adopted children, 3 of which have disabilities (which i wouldnt really call them that but i cant think of another word to fill the slot). one has ADHD, one has Mosaic down syndrome and the baby (of which i can thank for my recent revelation) has a sensory disorder. perfect case study, eh? anyway, the sensory disorder baby visits OT twice a week. it was today when his mom was telling me he has gone from being in the 25% to the 95% that i became curious in what kind of testing his therapists were doing to deduce these numbers. then i heard myself say: 'i would be really interested in observing what kind of testing they do'. and then, ta-daa!! i chose OT... pedeatric OT specifically. for the longest time i knew that psyc was my field, i just didnt want to spend the time getting my PhD. i knew there must be a way around it. then i found out today that exactly the type of study i want to do only requires a masters degree. im excited to have this all figured out. now that i have pinpointed my field specifically, the next thing i need to do is find out about the schools and the degree. big open ended and probably very detailed questions.

i know you must be busy being a student and all, but im wondering if you would mind helping me understand the degree program a little bit better and with your experience if you can give me any sort of suggestions regarding where and what. and maybe tips on some more helpful things. maybe you know of a good place to study particularly, or a good classes to start with, or maybe you could just point me in some general direction of where i should even start. im also going to talk to a career counsellor, but would be grateful of some more insightful information from some who has experience. im actually kind of wondering if studying child psychology or child development would be useful or a waste of time. or maybe those types of courses are integrated in with this degree...

im just in a general state of unknowingness.

glad to see that you thoroughly enjoy your job. i cant wait to get started.

PT-OT rivalry confirmed ;)

2008-07-22T23:42:00.001-05:00

http://vcuotstudent.blogspot.com/....love it. LOL

Tuesday, July 8, 2008

Gross Cadaver Anatomy

We are about 2/3rds of the way through our 6 week intensive cadaver anatomy course. It is 5 credits and jammed packed with so much information. We were recently joined by the physical therapy students after our first test. It is harder with them because they are not as inviting, and they definitely are holding true to the pt-ot rivalry, even early on (I won't rant about them any longer).

Our first unit covered the thorax, the neck, the face, the head, the cranium, the abdomen, the abdominal contents and the posterior wall. I thought that was a lot of information but it is no where near compared to the amount we have to study right now. My suggestion is the go to the lab when you can, in reasonable increments. Don't spend hour upon hours in there because you will definitely go crazy. A little bit a day is the easiest way to do it without being really overwhelmed.

The unit we are on and about to take a test on this next Monday is the back and the upper extremity. This unit is way more intensive and many of us are at our braking points. There are so many origins, insertions, innervations, and functions to memorize it is nearly impossible in the short time that we have. This unit has really been a struggle and most classes in the past have done the worst grade wise on it. I just want it to be over with so we can move on to the lower extremity, which will be the last and final area we touch.

I don't want to be sued... a direct quote from AOTA 1 minute update...YAYm

2008-07-22T23:41:00.001-05:00

AOTA Victorious in Medicare Fight
On July 15, Congress voted to override the President's veto and enact legislation that will extend the therapy cap exceptions process through December 2009, avoid cuts to the physician fee schedule, and make other significant improvements to Medicare.

Another blog to check out...

2008-07-22T23:38:00.001-05:00

Hi Karen,
I somehow happened upon your blog. Enjoyed reading some of your entries. Its
very interesting to hear of your studies.

I noticed you had a link for some visual perception exercises.

I maintain a simple blog at www.creativespectrum.blogspot.com. I am a mom to
an amazing little boy with Autism and I am also an artist and eventually
thinking of studying Art Therapy. We are also working on a coffee product
called yummycoffee.org (for Autism). Check it out -if you drink coffee!

So I keep this blog on creative ideas for those on the spectrum. I often
include links to other articles and info that I can share for others. I just
like to post anything I think is relevant or interesting to share.

I want to include your info about the visual perception link, and thought
maybe since you are "studying" that you might know of more resources that
you happen across that could be available to parents. And/or if you wanted
to write something - I would be happy to link to your site.

Well thanks again for sharing.
Jacquie Chachitz

--
Jacqueline Chachitz
Yummy Coffee
256 6th Avenue
Brooklyn, New York 11215
347 342 8838

www yummycoffee.org
jax@yummycoffee.org

Www.creativespectrum.blogspot.com
Www.atelierjax.blogspot.com
Www.atelierjax.com

Quick Reference Guide

2008-07-22T23:35:00.001-05:00

Do you think the definition "FRIKKEN AMAZING" would work?

The 5th edition of Quick Reference Dictionary for Occupational Therapy (SLACK, Inc.) edited by Karen Jacobs and Laela Jacobs is coming! For this latest edition, I have been asked to develop an appendix to help answer the question, "What is Occupational Therapy?" Every student and practitioner has been asked this very question countless times. This appendix provides both professional and practitioner/student definitions of the profession and are designed to serve as a tool for readers to assist those not familiar with occupational therapy understand what we do!
I am in the process of collecting one-sentence definitions of occupational therapy and you can help! This is your opportunity to share your knowledge about the profession and if your definition is selected, be cited as author for that definition in the newest Quick Reference Dictionary!

Please forward your responses to the following email address smcneil AT bu.edu no later than Friday July 25th at 6pm!
Thank you in advance!

Scott D. McNeil, MS, OTR/L
OTD Student - Boston University, Sargent College

wheelchair prescription forms?

2008-07-22T23:33:00.001-05:00

Nadine asks,

"

"Hello, I was wondering if you knew of a site that provides wheelchair prescription forms. Thanks."

Uh, no idea. Anybody????

Kim has some good ideas for items....

2008-07-22T23:31:00.003-05:00

Kim Greenblatt has left a new comment on your post "Edhelper.com":

I probably should have posted to the other link but a post is a post. The Dollar Tree or 99 cent store is a great place to find tactile little tsotkes and if you can take the time to wash them, things at garage sales work as well. Just make sure that you sterlize them!

Also, make sure they aren't TOO small that kids can't put them in their mouths. Er, and make sure there isn't any lead in it either... I think that covers it. Thanks again for the shout out for my book, "Your Daughter Has Been Diagnosed With Rett Syndrome" a few months back. Good luck with your career and definitely don't go broke!

otnow.com

2008-07-22T23:31:00.001-05:00

I need to check out www.otnow.com when I get a chance! The owner of the site, Ron, mentions:

==========
The OTnow.com site has two wheelchair-specific resources:

1. The FEW (Functioning Everyday with a Wheelchair)

2. Wheelchair Evaluation (created by myself)

Most of the resources, but not the
FEW, require a password.

Please go to the following page: www.otnow.com/resources.html. If you
need a password, follow the directions on the page.

Mark wants to know more...

2008-07-22T23:25:00.001-05:00

Mark gave me permission to post this :) A typical e-mail letter from future potential OT students..

Hi Karen, my name's Mark. I'm 17 at the moment and im currently in my final year of studies before hopefully going to University of Queensland, in Australia. Basically, for a long time during almost all of high school i couldn't decide at all on any career path whatsoever that i wanted to take, which was pretty depressing LOL. Until eventually my girlfriend's mother set me up with one of those occupational tests that tells you what sort of jobs match your personality and interests the best, and Occupational Therapy came way above anything else for me which was pretty suprising (seeing as i had no idea what OT was) but pleasing once i found out :P.

Ughhh so basically I've done a little bit of research on the courses and so forth and I'm taking quite an interest so far, and then i stumbled across your blog which was exactly what i was looking for, i thought it was an awesome idea for you to talk about your experiences in the field and during your studies because that's exactly the opinion people inspiring to undertake these courses needs to see, so they don't waste their time haha :p Anyway I haven't managed to get through the whole blog yet, but I was wondering if you could possibly reply to this email and tell me a little bit about the course and whatnot, like the Ups and Downs of studying, how full-on the studying was? if that makes sense :S what sort of jobs you've had sent your way and so on.

ANYWAY yeah I just dont feel like all the technical ramble on the internet about OT does it justice, so I figured I'd set out and try and find someone who could give me a brief rundown on what to expect, i know I can get the grades, i just need the motivation :) haha, so thanks for reading if you got this far I hope you manage to reply to this and keep adding to your blog :) i'll be checking it regularly ahah.

Advice on free stuff - freecycle

2008-07-22T23:17:00.001-05:00

Loved your blog. Hey check if you have freecycle in your area. We have it here in Tucson AZ and its great. You list what you need or have to give and people will respond.
====

Carole, a graphologist (sp)

www.handwritingexplained.com

why my head is big

2008-07-22T23:15:00.000-05:00

"sometimes I think rehab corporations fund infertility clinics since so many multiples end up in therapy"

that's quite an observation you've made. i'm proud of you. many people speculate that "big pharma" is who lobbies hardest against natural treatments/cures. watch michael moore's "sicko" with your friends. you are all entering a very challenging field in which to work -- healthcare. resources are scare, prices are high, compassion is low, and ignorance is plentiful. yet, you can and will make a difference. you truly were meant to be an advocate for people who can't advocate for themselves. i still hope you will somehow go on to receive your doctoral degree. in my estimation there is no limit to what you can accomplish. you are a born healer and a born diplomat. :) i am so very proud of you.

More feedback

2008-07-22T23:14:00.001-05:00

Some feedback from an OT on my little girl with shyness and Visual perceptual issues: (Wiki Stix are sticky pliable/flexible small like, line thingies)

Wiki stix are wonderful. Try them to figure out the maze in the Little Pony Book rather than drawing a line.
And instead of purchasing raised line paper, try using the wiki-stix to create the lines on blank paper (or lined paper)...I hate the idea of you spending your private money on your fieldwork patients. It's wonderful and generous but I would recommend that you set boundries for yourself...
Regarding her shyness, perhaps use a "third person"--a little doll, pony, teddy, whatever--that speaks to her and asks her questions, rather than you speaking to her directly and she speaking directly back to you. It is amazing how much easier it is to relate to a puppet..

Comments...

2008-07-22T23:12:00.001-05:00

Cheryl has left a new comment on your post "Week 3, Day 2, Pediatric Fieldwork, my first day o...":

I think I worked about 50 hours/week during my fieldwork placement, plus fieldwork assignments and my research project. It bites, but when people are paid on salary, they often stick around longer than their students would like!

AMEN CHERYL

NYU Grad has left a new comment on your post "Week 3, Day 1, Pediatric Level II Fieldwork Placem...":

The majority of my class want to go into peds, giving the general justification "you get to plop on the floor and play with kids all day." I'm interested in early intervention part-time, only because I don't think I have the energy level to be "upbeat" all day long. lol

Have you noticed burn-out yet?

People who say you plop on a floor and play with kids all day have no idea what they are talking about!
Working with kids DOES require energy!
I haven't noticed burn-out but it does exist just like anywhere else :)

Doc says:

Pay no attention to the anonymous Jack*%$! He's a coward who has nothing better to do than criticize someone who is trying to help others students.

He needs a beat down followed by OT intervention to restore him to full jack#@^edness!

AHAAAHAHAHAHHA

Mind Body Shop has left a new comment on your post "Week 3, Day 2, Pediatric Fieldwork, my first day o...":

Nothing is more important than the person inside. Therapy exits for the person inside; it has no other purpose.

AMEN MIND BODY :)

Time to clean out e-mail box....

2008-07-22T23:04:00.001-05:00

I have about 35 OT e-mails to respond to or deal with in some way.

I want to write about two awesome case studies that Level II fieldwork students presented on their low vision rehab rotation, because it was really neat, but I lost my one page of notes and I don't have the Powerpoints, so until I get access, um, I'm unable to talk about it!

La la la

2008-07-22T21:52:00.001-05:00

My two stories of the day:

1) I saw a little girl (like six-ish?) with SEVERE adhd today...I wore her out with some "heavy" joint compression work like pushing me in the office chair in the carpeted halls, then we worked on tracing letters and basic writing skills, while prone on the floor on tummy with slanted surface....she kind of freaked me out because she always wanted the doors closed and kept asking about locking it, and she kept pushing herself at me wanting hugs, but was really aggressive about it. I know a lot of kids have sensory needs and she needs a lot of input, but there was something off about her. Which was confirmed when we were drawing and she said, clear as day "Draw a stripper!" I said "I don't know that word" and she said "STRIPPER!" And I repeated deliberately, "I don't know that word. How about I draw a bubble". I really emphasized the word bubble (we were working on circles)... AHAHAHAHAAHAHA. She looked at me like I was the biggest dumbass on earth, but let it go.

2) I saw my shy little girl with visual perceptual issues and severe sensory processing deficits...we did a word code thing where you match like numbers and letters to read a code...and we wrote a letter, I need to put a stamp on it...but I pushed her today. We have a big hammock swing in the doorway only a few feet off the ground but of course being off the ground period, if you have gravitational insecurity, is a huge deal. I encouraged her to get in it and helped her, and she was almost frozen with fear. I was at eye level with her, holding her, promising her she was okay and making sure she was okay and all that, and I had to put a chair in the doorway so that she was LITERALLY sitting in the chair, in the swing...I had her throw these little farm animals she loves, down into the tunnel (I'm telling you, tunnels are magic OT tools)...she liked this and had a hint of a smile on her face doing this, but was very much tense, even with the chair underneath her. I didn't even bother trying to swing her that's how scared she was...and I wanted her to not be deathly afraid of ever getting back in. I eventually kind of moved the chair away but kept my hands around her body, like literally wrapped around her, and she tolerated this for only a few seconds...she clearly wanted out so of course I agreed, but the getting out part was the most traumatic. She was truly petrified. She was 100% safe within this hammock swing, a few feet off the floor and not moving, but scared out of her mind at the idea of me letting go of her at all to adjust to be able to pull her out, or even be able to re-grab the chair...luckily Haley, the speech aide, has an office right by the room, and so I said Miss Haley, can you please come here and help me with Taylor, she is safe but really frightened, and I'd like you to put your arms around her in the swing so she feels safe, while I move this chair back under her...so with Haley's arms around her I moved the chair back underneath her and she was SHAKING in fear even though both of us had her arms around her. I didn't push her again and let her just play with the animals on the ground, although I did get her grandma to show her how brave she was (the session was up), and then encouraged her to get on the rollerboard for the walk back to the waiting room...which she did with no problem, so she wasn't too traumatized.

Haley was shocked at how scared my little girl was at the swing...I was surprised a little bit at the intensity, but could understand it, and I'm not sure exactly if her intense fear is such that I shouldn't even try it again, or if I should encourage it, or if there are better steps before doing the swing. I don't know. I think I'm going to encourage it and if she is adamant, I'll back off, but I get the feeling she'll try again relatively soon...and I'll try a few other gravitational challenges of a lower degree, in the meantime.

I was proud though that I could stay calm and not get panicked/anxious that she was so scared, cuz I could have been like AUGH she's freaking out AUGH get her out, quickly trying to pull her out..which would have escalated the situation and scared her more.....if you watch physical therapy on someone who is in a lot of pain, the physical therapist has to learn the slow controlled movements and the poker face....even though the PT may be like OMG this is freaking me out, the PT can't just let go or look panicked at the screams of a client...the PT has to look as if nothing is wrong. I used to watch the PTs at St. Jude work with kids with osteosarcoma who had limb-sparing surgeries, and the kids would be screaming and crying, and the PT just had to keep slowly pushing...wow. Intense. Not that this compares physically, but mentally, whoah.

Okay anyway.

My random day:

Today I left my house at 8am and got home at 9pm :) I got a text at 8:30ish asking me to start my OT's 9am kid because her daughter was sick and she would be running late. Luckily, her 9am client and my two 930am clients, are all one family - triplets - and they didn't show up - so that gave me a little extra time to start the day, since I started with Christy's 930am kid, an adorable young boy we'll call Bob. He has horrible body schematics -(jumping jacks are very revealing tools), and visual perceptual issues etc....it took him about 10 minutes to do a basic 24 piece ocean puzzle.

Saw a little bit of little girl with autism who always says "Whooooah" and she reminds me of one of my favorite people because she says things like "Fish?! i LOVE fish!" LOL....saw a little bit of a little boy with various issues including major lack of safety awareness and impulsivity and is quick to apologize then repeat the incident. Saw my kid with severe autism and we did a mixture of SpongeBob + various activities like matching, puzzles, blocks, etc...

Did some worksheets/puzzles with a little boy with delayed skills...saw a kid with Down syndrome who makes me feel like I suck as an OT because it's like he slips through my fingers and never gets any "work done", saw a little boy with severe ADHD and did a lot of trapeze swinging/hitting balls with his feet...saw a little boy with autism who seemed extra calm today and his parents reported they had just started him on fish oil...he normally wants to spend all his time in the balls but today was better about not being in them...BTW, he and several of the other children with autism we see, seem to do remarkably well, social interaction/eye contact wise, when using a tunnel...the kind you crawl through....like the kid sits in the ball pit and the other person is on the other end of the tunnel, and i dunno, somehow it helps the kid focus...I guess since the tunnel is kind of like blinders...and extra fun...

Okay a few other random tidbits...I had to dispose of a decomposing bird the other day at the clinic...which included my OT and speech aid shrieking and hiding AHAHAHAHAHAAHAHA ....it was sooooo gross.

Also, my friend Virginia who is working with a TBI who loves KISS, printed out some pictures of KISS, and today he tracked with his eyes for the first time, with that picture...and they have a few KISS mp3s to play for him now...one of which is thanks to one of my blog readers, who is really sweet and thank you so much!

I left work around 7:20pm after seeing a total of a thousand bazillion children...I still have a few notes to write but I was like dude, I've been here 11 hours, I'm going home...and crap, I forgot to get my medication refilled, I just remembered. Oh well.

Oh, and I have no idea what tomorrow will bring, but I do know it involves a visit to our new clinic, so it probably involves about 4 kids in the morning plus two kids in the afternoon plus a few evals, I guess. I don't know exactly.

I went straight to UT dorms to visit my OT friend Allison and we went walking on the track with her DPT student roommate....who talks about "spondylos" and "vertebral body fractures" and "shearing forces" nonchalantly, LOL.

I had a piece of cheese, frozen cherries, and Baked Lay Chips for dinner and I'm about to go jump in the shower, then answer OT e-mails while my hair dries, woot woot.