Dialogue and Change

Last week I had the opportunity to finally sit down with Seno Lizeth, the principle of the school, and Maureen, the director of Los Gozosos, to discuss my observations, interactions and ideas with them. It could not have been a better meeting. The two hours of dialogue covered all of the basics of occupational therapy and its role in the school system, observations of beneficial techniques already being implemented throughout the school, as well as possible changes and interventions which may further the success of the children. It is difficult to explain an occupational therapist’s function, position and responsibility in a school system, since that role is fairly obsolete in this country; however, I tried to explain that my (our) job as occupational therapists is to arm children with tools that allow them to function within the school system to their maximum ability. Because most classrooms in the United States are integrated this many times includes specialized compensatory instruments and techniques which the child uses within the classroom rather than being pulled out to receive one-on-one, school-based OT services. However, this school is different in that it only serves a population of students with disabilities, and each child has special and very individual needs. In a typical U.S. classroom OTs usually have 1-3 students for which they create individualized education plans which are implemented and carried out for the most part by teachers and paraprofessionals. It is more difficult for the teachers of Los Gozosos to offer such individualized care when each child requires this one-on-one attention and they have no paraprofessionals or aids available. However, we’ve discussed a lot of techniques which should make the teacher’s jobs less stressful and allow for more time devoted to learning and teaching. I had the opportunity to discuss with  both of them sensory integration and sensory processing disorders, which many of the children at Los Gozosos display. These disorders can many times mask themselves and rather go incognito as behavioral disorders or what the teachers say is “bad parenting”. Sometimes this is the case, and more often than not, it’s a mix of the two… but treating and paying attention to the sensory processing disorder will allow distinction of how much is actually behavioral. (Now that I’m writing this after the meeting and have had the opportunity to integrate some of the changes, its obvious that a large majority of the issues are sensory-related, as all “behavioral” symptoms disappear when the child’s sensory system is better regulated.)

It was so encouraging to be able to praise the teachers for all of their patience, hard-work and dedication, as well as to be able to point out instances in which they are using evidence-based techniques throughout their classroom which are beneficial for the students. They are OTs, and they didn’t even know it :) Teachers are so incredibly resourceful! I have always thought that the problem-solving associated with OT is fascinating and thrilling, so it’s fun to know that other professionals such as teachers get to do the same. I worked to give the teachers multiple, tangible strategies which are easily implemented in the classroom and will allow for more structure and achievement throughout their school day. I touched on topics of verbal instruction, handwriting, feeding, sequencing, positioning and behavioral modification. I also was able to outline a basic treatment plan for each student which included evaluation/observation results and interventions. It was such an incredible meeting… I spent the rest of the day on cloud nine just thinking about the gains the children will continue to make when given the appropriate amount and type of support. Seno Lizeth and Maureen were just as excited and are roaring and ready to implement the changes ASAP. This has truly been a give and take experience, and I’m excited to see what the next three weeks have in store!