I listened to the Glass Half Full podcast about the role of OT in an Au-Some Swimmers program, a program providing swimming lessons to kids on the autism spectrum. A group of OT students approached the Au-Some Swimmers program as a community service learning project. Before I started the podcast I had no idea what to expect or how these students were going to incorporate OT into the swimming lessons. I really liked the way they approached their project because when asked what the objectives were they said they didn't really have any to start out with. They interviewed the stakeholders of the program to find out what they were having difficulties with and developed the objectives from there. This reminded me of the process of the occupational profiles we have been doing in class. The OT students quickly learned the volunteer lifeguards were having trouble communicating with each other and the kids. That is when I instantly saw the value of OT in this particular scenario. The OT students recommended some modifications to be more centered around the kids' needs. They created a student log so the lifeguards could keep track of each child's progress if instructors changed with each swim lesson. This allowed the kids to make more progress each visit. The students also incorporated a social element to the swimming lessons. It is empowering to hear about OT students inserting themselves into a situation like this and bettering it for everyone involved including the kids, the lifeguards, and the parents. After hearing about this example, I can see even more how OT can be incorporated in just about any environment even if it does not seem obvious at first. I am eager to learn and develop the problem solving skills to help others overcome challenges like these OT students did.
" The difference between the right word and the almost right word is the difference between lightning and the lightning bug. " - Mark Twain People with disabilities are just like every other human being. Person-first language puts focus on the individual and not the disability. We should not identify individuals based on their functional or mental limitations. For example, a practitioner should refer to someone as "a man who had a stroke" instead of a "stroke patient." I believe it is important to understand and practice person-first language to be an effective practitioner. First, it allows the client to feel more comfortable, and you will make more progress together if the client feels like an individual and not a disability. Second, occupational therapists are trained to help people as a whole, not just the disability, so it is important for us to look past the disability and focus on the client, as well. There are countless mo...
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