2 sides of the spectrum!!

As I was getting ready for fieldwork this morning I was very realistic. Since we are in the school systems, doing some writing assessments and such, I wondered if the child I would be paired with could even write yet. Are they going to be off the walls with ADHD, be scared of new people, or be very content and listen to every word I said. Well, I got a mixture of the two.

The first child I saw was in kindergarden and was very mild tempered. But, she loved to make up what she was doing. Very imaginative play. We played with play dough, and a few other things, but it struck me that she was using both hands to create everything she made. She wouldn't or couldn't manipulate the materials in one hand. I will see how this affects her as we work together. I am also very interested in her gait pattern. I noticed that when she walked down the steps she would plant both feet on one step before proceeding to the next step. However, on the way back up she took the steps one by one, as most individuals do. I would like to know more as to why she had the difference in step patterns, or if she was just playing around.

My second child I worked with today, I don't think I was as prepared for. It has been a while since I have worked with a hyperactive child with a wild imagination. No, I do not have a diagnosis on any of these children, but I believe he will be a handful either way. It was very hard to get his attention, or keep it for very long. He wanted to make his own rules to the game, instead of playing like the others, even when the rules where explained to him. But, all of this made me wonder, if like children with ADHD, he had a lot of physical activity before sitting down would he be able to concentrate better? So, I am hoping to get the chance to try this out. As we learned in class, some people crave that joint stimulation of jumping, running, and any other form of energy withdraw possible, which can help them concentrate as they sit down to do an activity.

Something that I truly learned today more than any other fieldwork, is that I am going to have to do some physical activities with some children and some quieter slower activities with others. I will be bringing a lot more activities to the site, just to better help the kids I am working with. They may not have all of the abilities that they need for school yet, but hopefully we can start them on the right direction and see where that leads. I know we won't have much time with them, but hopefully the information we get will be useful for the teachers and caregivers that want them to succeed.

If you are wondering what Occupational Therapy can do for children, or why OT's work with kids check out this video about Sylvie. This clip if very informative, and I hope you will enjoy learning what OT can do for children of all ages.