CELEBRATING OT MONTH!
We asked OT’s to share their thoughts about being an OT.
Congratulations Rachael, another winner!
| This was Rachael’s patient clinical experience that transformed her professionally | |
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As an occupational therapist, we advocate. I have always advocated for my patients and I do so frequently working as a pediatric outpatient clinician. But one day I got a girl on my caseload who really changed the way I looked at advocacy. It became so much more than just a discussion or a well written letter of medical necessity. Rachael wins a free 2 Day live course of her choosing: $435 value. Education Resources offers many relevant CEU courses for , Occupational Therapists and assistants. Join us to learn creative, effective, evidence-based strategies. PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE TO FIND UPCOMING RELEVANT COURSES IN YOUR AREA |
Zones of Regulation and Learning
GUEST BLOGGER:
Kathryn Biel
I sat in a meeting recently with the entire team and a concerned parent. The student, a very young kindergartener, is struggling. And I mean struggling. He’s a hot mess. No matter what angle you look at, this child is not doing well. And his parents are concerned. Retention is an agreed-upon consensus, except for the team members who think he should be moved directly to a self-contained classroom. These are never the meetings you want to have.
I watched this parent on the verge of tears with frustration about his son’s difficulties. His explosive temper, his behavioral outbursts, his attention difficulties. They’re exploring some pretty serious things, including some pretty serious pharmacologics for a little guy.The parents just want to know, “What’s wrong with him?”
The truth is, none of us knows.
But here’s what I do know, and what I shared with the parent. The student can’t learn right now. His benchmarks indicate that, but there’s a reason for it. This student is so poorly regulated. He’s got all the classic signs—emotional outbursts, anxiety, shutting down, aggressive behavior, refusals, toe walking, inattention. This student, for whatever reason, is in a constant hightened state of arousal. He’s always in that fight or flight state. His body is ever on the lookout for that primitive threat—that saber-tooth tiger—to attack. Learning letters and decoding isn’t going to help him survive. Add to this sensory regulation difficulties and very poor motor planning, and this kid is at serious risk for being eaten by a dinosaur. Not really, but that’s probably how he feels. He’s a complex kiddo for sure.
The parent looked at me and said, “Of everything we’ve heard about our son, that makes the most sense.”
Kids today are presenting with an ever-challenging host of not only sensory but emotional regulatory needs. Many simply cannot regulate, because they don’t know how. They’re not being disruptive for the sake of being disruptive. They do not know how to modulate, how to regulate.
You can think about regulation in terms of a stop light. Red, yellow, green. We all know the red kids. Emotionally and physically volatile, that heightened state of alertness and arousal. Intense. No control over one’s self.
Yellow is working it’s way up to being worked up. When in the yellow state, emotions and arousal are heightened, but some self-control is still present.
Green is the state in which learning can occur. It’s the ready state, with optimal levels of arousal, attention, and regulation. This state is calm and focused.
There is also what can be called a blue level, which is understimulated. Again, this is a difficult state for learning to occur, as the appropriate level of attention and emotional connection is not present.
The next time you are struggling with a child, try to assess what color he or she may be functioning at.
If you’re interested in learning more about these Zones of Regulation and cognitive behavioral strategies to help children learn and regulate their own zones, check out the 17th Annual Therapies in the School PRE-CONFERENCE: The Zones of Regulation: A Framework to Foster Self-Regulation and Emotional Control.
Please Click Here for Course Information, To Download a Brochure, or to Register
~Kathryn Biel, PT, DPT
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Winner – Celebrating OT Month Competition
CELEBRATING OT MONTH!
We asked OT’s to share their thoughts about being an OT. We received an outstanding number of responses, all so wonderful to read.We struggled to come up with a winner so we decided to announce two winners!!
Congratulations Michelle, our first winner!
This is her story on what inspired her to choose Occupational Therapy as a career and how it has been important to her:
My mother’s resilience and determination to fight unbelief and strive for independence inspired me to become an occupational therapist. She, along with two of her siblings acquired a retinal disorder that left them legally blind since childhood. Her experiences and inner strength inspired me to want to try to help others find ways to counter societal stereotypes and environmental barriers while facilitating inner strength, hope, and the ability to live life to the fullest. She helped me see the importance that independence and productivity play in a human’s physical, cognitive, and emotional health. I wanted to help others be able to live their life according to their dreams and aspirations no matter the barriers. I enjoy problem solving with my patients and families in finding solutions to barriers, success in daily activities, and self-esteem and belief in themselves to continue their life as they dream possible! It has been a gift to discover and participate in the occupation of occupational therapy. I am continually learning from my patients, co-workers, and mentors. from my experiences with my patients I have learned to look at possibilities over struggles, even in my own life struggles, which is truly a gift I attempt to give back. It has been an honor to be part of this incredible occupation and life passion and I thank my mother, patients, and all who have helped me along this journey thus far.
Michelle wins a free 2 Day live course of her choosing: $435 value.
Education Resources offers many relevant CEU courses for , Occupational Therapists and assistants. Join us to learn creative, effective, evidence-based strategies.
PLEASE VISIT OUR WEBPAGE TO FIND UPCOMING RELEVANT COURSES IN YOUR AREA
Clinical Question: Movement to Help Stuttering
GUEST BLOGGER:
Kathryn Biel
I received this clinical question, and am hoping that other have insight to share:
I am working with an 8 year-old boy with one of the most difficult presentations. He was initially diagnosed with ADHD and a tic disorder. He was put on stimulant medication around age 6, and subsequently developed a severe stutter. He has become terribly dysfluent, and is barely able to verbally communicate. His stimulant has been changed several times. When he’s off his medication, his school function plummets, but his fluency improves. His tics and OCD are becoming worse and worse, and are impacting every aspect of his life. He’s recently been diagnosed with Autism, and has just started attending a speech clinic outside of school. His vocal tics and stutter, as well as dysfluency continue to grow worse. His attention, while better on the medication, is still poor. While working with his PT, she noticed that if he jumps from one foot to another (like jogging in place with a little more lateral movement), his fluency improves. It takes him about 1/3 of the time to say a sentence while “wiggling” as it does while standing still. His tics diminish as well. Walking does not seem to have this effect. Tapping his hand while speaking helps, but not as much as this. Does anyone have any input or strategies to try? Any idea as to WHY this might be helping?
This seems like a pretty complex situation. Any ideas? Thanks in advance!
~Kathryn Biel, PT, DPT
]]>School Based DPT Struggling to Move past Bachelors plus 36 – Needs Your Input
DEAR ERI COMMUNITY
We received this question from one of the school therapists in our community, she would like to hear your thoughts and experiences:
I am a PT in the school system in Foxborough , Ma. I got my BSPT in 1982 and went back and got my DPT in 2005 thru a transitional DPT program at MGH Institute. The transitional DPT program was 8 classes but only 15 credits. They keep credits low to encourage enrollment. I went on to take 21 more credits of graduate courses. In my district this moved me to the bachelors plus 36/masters salary scale. However, I can not move past that level since I did not get my masters. Since there is no longer a master’s program in PT, I am trying to have my district look at my unique situation. It seems unfair I can not move past the bachelors plus 36 level when I have my DPT, the preferred degree in my field. It is a contractual year and I have asked my superintendant and union rep to look into this. They asked if I could reach out to other districts to see how other towns are handing the situation. I spoke with a college friend who is an OT with the Boston Public Schools and she said the entry level DPTs there are on the doctorate sale. I have gotten emails from your organization where therapists are trying to get ideas from other therapists. I wonder if there is a way to send this to a school therapist distribution list if you have one.
I am particularly interested if there are any BSPTs who went on to get their DPT through a transitional DPT program to see where they are paid on the salary scale. It is tricky since the entry level DPTs have many more credits than I do. Could forward this email to anyone who may have insight into this situation. Thanks in advance for your help. Lisa MacDonnell
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