My reflection on the SIM encounter

First, I would just like to say that learning experiences like the SIM encounter are, to me, fantastic. Actually performing an assessment really helps us as a class to better understand them!  So, how do I think I did? I would describe my administration of the test as good, but not very good; I'll explain. I think that I did well being friendly and comforting- that's probably what I'm most proud of. I would say that my lack of nervousness was also a plus, albeit a surprising one. My main downfalls, or struggles, were three-fold. I didn't remember to apply germ x before beginning, my verbal and non-verbal communication gave away whether she got questions correctly, and I did not ask her if she had any questions/requests for me as I left. If I could do this assignment over I would make sure to apply germ x, be more neutral in my feedback to her responses, and ensure that I asked her if she had any questions or needed anything before leaving. As for surprises or things that triggered my curiosity, my client's chasing of rabbit trails was funny and presented a surprising challenge! Being a talker myself I had to make sure I didn't follow her to far down; I am well-versed in the world of rabbit trails!

As a whole, this experience taught me a lot, and there are several things I can hang on to from this. Two of those things are: prepare, but be yourself. You can learn the playbook cover to cover, but you have to be adaptable once it is game time- I think I did a decent job at that. Second, be encouraging, but not so much so that they feel patronized and/or your feedback gives answers away. I could have definitely done a better job at that. I look forward to future SIM opportunities.

Takeaways from May 24th

Caroline's grandmother Ruby started experiencing the symptoms of Alzheimer's in her early 70's, was  soon diagnosed, and lived around another 7 years. What makes Alzheimer's so exceptionally hard is that the individual's  loved ones not only watch the progression of their family member's disease, but  also have to experience their spouse, mother, father, etc., forgetting who they are. Caroline's grandmother was no exception. Though an OT would certainly help with ADLs  and optimize the fleeting executive function of their client, I think a BIG role for the therapist is family education. Therapists must help their client's family achieve the impossible of not taking things personally when  their loved one  genuinely seems to lose the memory of their lifelong relationships.. It's so sinister that relationships are forgotten in old age, when those relationships have had time to become so deeply rooted and produce so much beautiful fruit. Alzheimer's stinks.

Neuronote 4

A couple weeks back, I attended the RKS art show and got to see the artwork of dozens of individuals. One of my favorites was called (I think,) "Dinosaurs Rock." Yes, yes they do! The artist used plastic gold stars for the spikes of their stegosaurus. Another painting was done entirely with someone's nose, and it was incredibly detailed with symmetry between strokes and leaves that took a very calculated effort. Another picture, which spoke to me the most, illustrated the process of someone deciding to rid themselves of their wheelchair and run freely away from their prior mode of transportation. You can't help but wonder how often thoughts like those run through people's minds when they are in a wheelchair. As someone who loves and participates in different types of art, I can't help but smile when I think about the opportunities that art affords us. Though some physical and neurological conditions may impede our human abilities,  art always finds an alternate route. Our pens, paintings, and perceptions will find alternate paths, and the outcomes, like the paintings at this art show, are beautiful. I look forward to encouraging and implementing art of various types in the therapy of my clients one day, and I hope to find ways to, like the RKS art show did, share that art with the rest of the world.    

Takeaways from class (May 22nd)

As a man who grew up with 4 brothers, Jonah and Emory's story was extra special to me. Though they may never get to experience the brotherly fights, the collective running away from home, and  other brotherly mischief, they will get their own unique experiences. Most importantly, they'll get to do it together. The innately strong brotherly bond will be emboldened by the connection they share through their M.S. No one will understand their struggles more than each other, and I think they will be a huge support to each other.

My takeaways

From doing this case study I learned about Hungtinton's disease including its etiology, symptoms, prognosis, etc. The devastating 50/50 heritability statistic makes Huntington's especially lethal. What makes it so hard is the decision of whether not to get tested. Do you wait it out or do you find out and  stress more? I would certainly choose the latter so I could be proactive about preparing. That's what Heather (ficitiously) decided to do. I'm kind of surprised that 90 percent of people elect not to find out-not that there's anything wrong with them for that. My mind, as with most all of these diseases, goes toward finding a cure. If I could have a hand in that one day, I would love to.

Takeaways from foundations

First off, you have done an awesome job. I thoroughly enjoy your classes and the climate(s) that you create within them.

The main info I picked up in this class are: the history and origin of OT, the skeleton of the OTPF, and what it means to be an OT. The OTPF was a bit daunting at first, but you did a great job explaining it all. If the info wasn't retained, it wasn't because you didn't deliver it correctly. Regardless of what we covered, it was always placed in the context of who we are as OTs, and it was never presented info for rote memorization. This class was an excellent first class to have to acclimate us to what exactly we're going to be doing in a couple years.

You can tell that you care about each student deeper than a grade book level, and it comes out in every class that you teach. Thank you.

P.S your clothes DO match

Neuronote 3

In March, I volunteered for a special needs event at Hope church. It was a St. Patrick's day party (for which I could not find the name online,) specifically for adults with clogging, bingo, food, etc.; it was awesome. One question that I had when I left is: Why is there little cultural focus on adults with special needs? Much of the programs and events in our culture for those with special needs are tailored to kids. Though I definitely think those programs should continue and ideally grow, there needs to be a relatively equal amount of programs for adults. Regardless of age, people thrive on relationships and interactions. I saw that first-hand at this event. The adults that came in shy were engaged and joy-filled by the end of the event. Kudos to Hope for putting on events for the adults. More programs like that are certainly needed. I can't fathom the loneliness that a lot of those awesome adults must feel when their social interaction activities are limited so much, and that's the passion that prompted me to choose this for my neuronote assignment. It would be awesome to be involved in planning and facilitating events like that.

Kristen Graham

A sad irony is the combination of Kristen's profession and the effects of her illness. Fine motor deficits and being a hair dresser do not mix. It's also sad how young she was when it started. It's hard to hear news like that when you have so much of your life ahead of you. I think the bright side is that she has so much time to find new passions. For OT, relaxation techniques could definitely be enjoyable and beneficial. I would also spend time trying to help her find new passions that she can still perform despite her MG

Characteristics of a good OT 4

Too often, we listen just to respond, or we don't listen at all because our minds are on 2940 other things at any given moment. Guilty as charged.
Good listening is crucial, though. Being a good listener might be a more important quality than being a skilled conversationalist, or an absolute genius. Being able to listen, really listen, to our clients will not only help us build the trust necessary for the therapeutic relationship, but also help us figure out what treatments are or aren't working for them; they will tell us if we ask the right questions and really listen to them. The same thing goes for our superiors and co-workers. If the physical therapist tells us that they really worked a client hard in their therapy session, we probably should take it easier on the client when we see him or her. We wouldn't know that, however, if we were distracted and not listening. In the world of unlimited distraction, we have the focus on our clients, and to do that we must be intentional.

My thoughts on the article "What Does Disability Really Mean?"

One quote that I loved from this article was: "Because at a fundamental level, what makes something a disability is dependent on nobody else but the person who has it. At the core of me, at the basic essence of who I am, there is no “abled” or “disabled.” There is only me."

The author absolutely nails it. No one chooses to sustain a stroke or spinal cord injury, or in case, to be depressed, but they do choose what it means to them, and what they do with it. Normal is just the most common abnormality, but that doesn't make the smaller pieces of the pie chart abnormal.

Now, this isn't to say that the aforementioned ailments shouldn't be dealt with, but rather to say that they, rather than society, gets to place a name tag on it.

Health Literacy

Professor Jami Flick's lecture highlighted just how big of a problem health literacy is- even in the U.S. Because of my educational background, I often forget that words like hypertension, hypertrophy, and hyperglycemia aren't part of people's common vernacular. This makes most people susceptible to whatever the hottest snake oil on the market is. "Lose 10 lbs a week safely by drinking this smoothie," may sound unrealistic to me, but how can I fault the everyday customer for believing that? Who wouldn't want to do that if it was safe?

This absence of health literacy, I believe, puts the responsibility of educating on my, and other healthcare professional's, shoulders. Answering the questions of your clients, friends, family members, and using patient-friendly terms can go a long way if we all shoulder the responsibility of the people within our circles and our practices.

We wear the mask

In his poem "We Wear the Mask," the great Paul Laurence Dunbar writes:

"We wear the mask that grins and lies,

It hides our cheeks and shades our eyes,—

This debt we pay to human guile;

With torn and bleeding hearts we smile,

And mouth with myriad subtleties."

I couldn't agree more. A few weeks ago, my classmates all shared personal stories, and for a moment, no one was wearing their mask. I'm not sure if this is a predominately western hemisphere problem, but people, myself included, wear their mask(s) so often that we never see who they really are underneath. I can't help but think how much better our relationships could be if we took our masks off and allowed ourselves to vulnerable and true to who we are. 

In a day where social media gives us the opportunity to paint whatever picture we want of our lives, it is easy to fool others. We want all of our "followers"  believing that the highlight reels that we choose to share wholly represent us. But do they? Let's, as people, practioners, classmates, as ourselves, take off our masks. Our faces are more beautiful anyway.

Leading

In my leadership class, we delved into what it means to lead.  What does it mean exactly? Are you a leader only if you have followers that obey your every word? Or, is leading something way more sophisticated? I would argue that leading has more to do with the inside of a a person rather than the amount of people behind him. I think one example that often gets misconstrued is the Bible's depiction of a man leading his household. At face value, many could take this as misogynistic and unfair to the woman within the household, but I would say that that isn't the case. In the same passage that Christ tells women to submit to their husbands, he commands men to love their wives, as Christ loved the church (key part coming up) giving himself over for her. Christ gave his life for the church. So, this isn't leadership in a militant sense, but rather in a sacrificial, protective, servant manner. This, I feel is the best way to lead. If people know that you have their best interest at heart and would sacrifice yourself for them, it is much easier for them to be on board with your decision. This manner of leadership, in my opinion, should be evident in the therapeutic relationship.

Characteristics of a good OT 3

Humility is an essential trait for being a good OT. Humility makes it not sting as bad when progress isn't made in your client's intervention, and it instead causes you to make changes. It makes you more open to new interventions, the input of your client, and advice of your colleagues. It helps facilitate the attitude of "I'm never done learning," and consequently causes you to seek out new knowledge and treatment techniques for your practice. Lastly, humility makes you a much more enjoyable teammate to the other professionals you practice with. Very few people like to work with someone who won't take advice.

Characteristics of a good OT 2

Creativity is an integral tool in an OTs tool box. A creative OT can find ways to use the resources available to them to integrate their client's occupations and interests into parts of therapy that could be mundane on their own. Creativity enables OTs to grade and stage intervention techniques to provide the "just-right" challenge. It also helps the therapist suggest ways to modify a client's occupations so that they can continue to do them despite an injury or condition. Moreover, creativity helps the therapist find humor in the midst of difficult situations. Often, clients need to smile more than anything else.

Characteristics of a good OT 1

Humor can make the hardest situations more manageable, mundane but necessary preparatory activities more tolerable, and therapeutic relationship more enjoyable. Though not all funny bones are created equal, we all have one, and I think utilizing them can make us more effective therapists.

Humor doesn't have to be in the form of pre-rehearsed punch lines; it can be simply the ability to laugh at your own shortcomings. Regardless of its form, humor is contagious, and no one has antibodies for it. Use this to your advantage. Humor has the ability to make your client more willing to go to therapy, in fact, they may even enjoy it. As we all know, we are much more productive when we're doing something we enjoy. Clients are no different.

The fortune of fame

Two of the ailments we have covered recently in class, Parkinson's and ALS, happened to high profile celebrities and athletes. Both of these diseases have profound impacts on those that they afflict, and I would never wish them on anyone, but there is a silver lining.

With fame comes a platform.

Those in the public eye can use this platform for good or evil. Michael J Fox and Lou Gehrig facilitated and/or allowed their platform to spread awareness of these diseases, and arguably helped provide the impetus for further research into them.

The more we know, the more of these diseases we can stop, and most importantly, we can save more lives.

Lou Gehrig

Lou Gehrig, a star baseball player born in 1906, found himself diagnosed with ALS on his 36th birthday. Once an elite athlete, Gehrig found himself becoming weaker, dropping things, and losing control of his movement. His doctor gave him 3 years to live, so my focus as an OT would be to optimize the movement and control that he does have, help him adapt the activities he finds important, and be a positive voice to him while he's under such a dark horizon. I would try my best to incorporate baseball or other sports related activities into his treatment protocol to make it as fun as possible to him.

Neuronote 2

I watched a Tedtalk called "How Autism Freed Me to be Myself," by a young girl named Rosie King. She started her talk making fun of herself, saying her monotone voice prevents her from getting jobs, but that she makes a great GPS. Though I would never condone making fun of others, I think being able to make fun of yourself is a sign of confidence. Her talk centered around how her "disability" in many ways is an ability. The unique wiring of her mind enabled her to do things I am not remotely capable of doing. For example, her senior term paper was written in one night- in her sleep. She got an A on it. Her take home message was that because social awareness was not that of most of her peers, she was able to truly show the world who she is. She could show this without fear of rejection or being labeled weird. I think that's something we could all learn from. Too often, we allow our creativity, talents, and souls to remain diluted or even hidden; what would happen if we just let go?
The creativity of humanity would flourish even more.

Citation: King, R. (2014, November 21) Rosie King: How Autism Freed Me to Be Myself [Video file] Retrieved From https://youtu.be/jQ95xlZeHo8

Music is good for the soul... and the brain

We all know music can take us somewhere, help us heal, and make us dance, but music can also help our cognition. A documentary I watched on Netflix highlighted the effects of music on a group of men and women with Alzheimer's disease. Individuals who didn't recognize their family or remember much about their lives were able to access those memories after hearing a song from those periods of their lives. Not only that, they were able to remember the lyrics from songs that they hadn't heard in decades. As a musician, I know that my fascination is a little biased, but I think music can be the key to memory and cognition doors that Alzheimer's, autism, or other ailments have locked away. Research into this area is still lacking, but more has been done in recent years. I would love to be involved in any way that I can.

What happens next?

Much of the OT intervention in the realm of autism focuses on individuals who have not celebrated their 18th birthday, but why? Autism does not vanish when an individual reaches adulthood, and one could even argue that its impact becomes more prominent as one tries to enter the workforce, seek marriage, and take on more responsibilities. The lack of OT for this important group of individuals seems counter- intuitive. With an estimated 300000 people with autism at the age of 22 or older, and the 1.5 million Americans with autism aging as well, the distinct role of OT is as important as ever. OTs can help adults with autism seek and maintain healthy relationships, employment, and fulfillment as they enter into and live through their adult years.

Back to a better future

My main takeaways from our discussion on Michael J Fox are three-fold. First, the age of onset for his Parkinson's disease was 26. 26! That's half of the age of the typical onset. I have to wonder what caused this outlier. Second, though I would never wish Parkinson's on anyone, because of who he is, Michael is able to use his platform to raise money and raise awareness for the disease. Lastly, as an OT, I would want to encourage him to log his thoughts and emotions as an outlet because he is very much walled up when it comes to his personal experiences. Humans aren't meant to keep these things bottled up.

Chucky Mullins

A single football tackle delivered by Chucky Mullins produced enough force to severely damage his spinal cord and cause him to become paraplegic. At age 20, he was unable to use any of his extremities and had difficulty swallowing. Though he was no longer able to cover a slant route or jam a receiver at the line of scrimmage, Chucky stayed positive and focused his tenacity on finishing his degree and making the most of his situation. Maximizing his independence and utilizing switches triggered by his nose, head, or tongue, we felt, could be the focus of his OT intervention. Additionally, though feeding and speaking are usually within the wheelhouse of speech therapists, we felt that Chucky could have benefited from additional time spent on those who things with an OT.

Neuro-Note #1: Ted Talk on Possible Causes of Autism

ASD diagnoses have skyrocketed in recent decades, but why is this? There are many who thought vaccinations could be the cause, but the current consensus of research does not support that. In geneticist Wendy Chung's Ted Talk: "Autism - what we know (and what we don't know yet), " she seeks to delineate questions like the aforementioned one and others. She offers some possible explanation for the perceived increase in ASD diagnoses, citing broader diagnostic criteria, as well as greater professional and public knowledge of the spectrum. I certainly think that those things could have contributed to the increase in diagnosis of Autism. Next, she addresses the things that have shown a strong association with increasing the risk of Autism. Advanced paternal age, exposure to certain agents or medications in fetal life like valproic acid (a medication used to treat epilepsy,) as well as genes show a strong association with the development of autism.

Something that she said  that struck me is the 4:1 ratio of men to women in those that have autism. This difference is significant, yet we still don't know why. Another similarly intriguing fact is the concordance rate within autism. For identical twins, the concordance rate is a staggering 77 percent. Though not as high, the concordance rate for fraternal twins and siblings, which are 31 and 20 percent respectively, are still quite high compared to the estimated 1.4 percent prevalence rate that applies to the general population.

Clearly there is still a lot that we don't know about autism, and that's why I chose this Ted Talk. I know many people on the spectrum, and I am always seeking to learn more about it. This talk taught me about the concordance rate for autism, which emboldens the proposition that autism and genetics are strongly related. I thought that this video did a good job of presenting many of the patterns that have emerged in those that have been diagnosed with ASD, as well as stating what has yet to be discovered. I think anyone could benefit from watching this, given that we are all likely to know someone with autism.

References:
Chung, W. (2014, April 28). Autism - what we know (and what we don't know yet)[Video file].    Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wKlMcLTqRLs&t=428s

Family

Something I've really enjoyed about being in OT school is the family atmosphere. There have been several tragedies in only the past 4 months, and I have seen us as a class rally around each other like family. Last week we had an opportunity to share about our "problems" in our pathology class and the responses were profound. The comfort level that exists within our class that allows us to share things like that is remarkable. Though there are naturally occurring subgroups in our class, as there are in arguably all larger groups, everyone seems to genuinely care for everyone else. I definitely feel like I've made life-long friends.

Air on the side of empathy

Medical professionals see horrific things seemingly on a daily basis. Not only that, but they are often the ones charged with the job of relaying that bad news to the tear-filled eyes of their clients and their client's loved ones. One can certainly understand the temptation to "turn off the cancer channel," as Professor Lancaster put it, but in my opinion, we simply can't. Now, we can't keep this channel on every moment of every day in every room of our families home, thus impeding our ability to give our loved ones their deserved headspace, but we can't turn it off. The moment we turn this off and allow ourselves to be indifferent to the afflictions and troubles of our clients is the moment we become little more than mechanics who work in repair shops for human machines. Our empathy is what drives us to, by any means necessary, to improve or save the lives of the people that families, loved-ones, and God has entrusted in our hands. They are not just problems to fix or hours to bill. They  are people with the capacity to love and create and give something unique to the world. As clinicians we can't allow the myriad of tragedy around us to create tragedy in our own lives, but we certainly can't build a wall around our hearts and minds while outside this varied things are burning. We must air on the side of empathy.

The Bible tells us that "life and death are in the power of the tongue." The Ted talk today highlighted the truth in this statement. Though Merriam-Webster probably had no intent in damaging Aimee's view of herself, the words the thesaurus  deemed interchangeable with "disabled" could definitely use some revision. Aimee was correct in choosing to not let those words define her, but I am sure it is a daily battle not to. We as OTs, and really humans in general, must choose our words and adjectives carefully, and we MUST  be aware of our audience. Just a few words can either keep one's hopes down, or provide an impetus for them to pursue their dreams. Words matter, and we are the vehicles for them.

KAWA

I like the KAWA model of OT because it gives visual learners like myself metaphorical examples of a client's life, attributes, and obstacles. The KAWA model puts those aspects of a client's life in relatable terms, while still allowing variability from person to person on what their river, water, rocks, etc. are. In practice, I think the KAWA model would be easy to explain to clients because it uses terms that most everyone understands. This makes it a useful tool for getting info about each of our unique clients. Additionally, I like that it utilizes technology via a phone app; I think more MoPs should follow suit.

How does the OTPF guide occupational therapists?

The OTPF kind of lays the foundation for what I do. It defines what my area of expertise is, and this is called my domain. So for me, my area of expertise will be in helping clients engage in things like ADLs, IADLS, Work, Leisure, etc. Moreover, the OTPF gives a guide on what my process is as an OT practitioner. The OTPF emphasizes the importance of figuring out what is meaningful to the client and using that to guide the therapy process. We don't just look at the individual as an amalgam of problems that need fixing, we look at he or she as a unique and whole person who deserves the best quality of life possible.

1st semester of MOT school.

The first semester of school has been a challenge, but despite its difficulty, it has been my most enjoyable year of school yet. The question I so often asked in undergrad: "when will I use this?" no longer enters my mind. This aids in my motivation to study and do my best. The people here are pretty great too.