Shadowing Experience #2 (Pediatric Therapy Specialists)
*Completed on November 13, 2006*
This was definitely an interesting experience to say the least. Steve and I went down there for a few hours to watch both an OT and PT in action as they went through therapies with kids ranging from 6 years old up to around 10-11 years old.
The best part of the trip, in my mind, was being able to see the different therapies in action. We were able to visualize certain tools and games that were used to keep the kids attention, but at the same time help develop muscular strength and motor control. This has to be a very difficult thing to do because the kids, for the most part, were relatively unattentive and would rather have bounced off the walls than go through their therapy session without causing a commotion. I have a great deal of respect for the OT's, PT's and ST's that work in an environment with children because it takes a great deal of patience and time to try and get the child focused on the activity. It's a job that one could get easily frustrated but wouldn't be able to show much of it for fear of alienating the kid.
In the last hour, one of the PT's kids rescheduled so we were able to sit around and get specific questions answered about PT and schooling. This was beneficial because it was more of a one on one session and specific to the therapies we were visualizing during our time there. It helped to put into a picture a "typical" day of pediatric therapy and show us what that would entail if we were to pursue that option.
This was definitely an interesting experience to say the least. Steve and I went down there for a few hours to watch both an OT and PT in action as they went through therapies with kids ranging from 6 years old up to around 10-11 years old.
The best part of the trip, in my mind, was being able to see the different therapies in action. We were able to visualize certain tools and games that were used to keep the kids attention, but at the same time help develop muscular strength and motor control. This has to be a very difficult thing to do because the kids, for the most part, were relatively unattentive and would rather have bounced off the walls than go through their therapy session without causing a commotion. I have a great deal of respect for the OT's, PT's and ST's that work in an environment with children because it takes a great deal of patience and time to try and get the child focused on the activity. It's a job that one could get easily frustrated but wouldn't be able to show much of it for fear of alienating the kid.
In the last hour, one of the PT's kids rescheduled so we were able to sit around and get specific questions answered about PT and schooling. This was beneficial because it was more of a one on one session and specific to the therapies we were visualizing during our time there. It helped to put into a picture a "typical" day of pediatric therapy and show us what that would entail if we were to pursue that option.
posted by True at 9:30 PM
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