The Treatment Of Speech And Communication Disorders

Sensory therapy uses everyday objects to arouse one or more of the five-senses (hearing, smell, taste, and touch) in order to evoke positive outcomes of feelings (Gilbert, 2001). The use of sensory stimulation can improve an

The therapist may choose to focus on children who struggle with fine-motor activities, such as holding a pencil or tying shoelaces. Other pediatric occupational therapists specialize in sensory integration therapy. The role of the occupational therapist is to help patients improve or maintain skills for day-to-day activities and well-being, but more importantly, to provide hope and support in a time of

Sensory integration is a condition that can be found in young children. This condition is defined as the difficulty of developing motor and cognitive skills at a typical rate(book). If the parent of a child with this condition is fully aware, most likely they will take the steps they need to better their child’s life. With that being said, the child will need an occupational therapist. The researcher has gathered information on the steps and guidelines of what an occupational therapist needs to follow for early intervention, the benefits it has for the child in need, and also the roles of an occupational therapist that will be further discussed. One of the most important role that an occupational therapist can do for a child with sensory integration is early intervention. The earlier you acknowledge the condition, the better outcome the child has at improving his/her physical and mental capabilities. Early intervention helps these children strive towards a path that improves their abilities and skills that are developed during these crucial years.

Occupational Therapy is a vital segment of the health care field. Individuals in this profession make a difference in the lives of others by helping their patients function effectively despite their disability, illness, or injury. They help by teaching patients many activities of daily living tasks which can include, grooming, toileting, dressing, eating, mobility, and much more! Along with the daily living tasks, Occupational Therapy helps individuals to be productive and successful in ways they want to be, like going school, taking care of others, managing their homes, preparing meals. Most importantly, they help their patients adapt to their environments and increase their independent function by helping them perform tasks with as little help from others as possible. Without Occupational Therapy, some patients with temporary disabilities could have a permanent disability. If individuals receive the Occupational treatments, they can prevent the loss of function.

W.C., a 26 year 11 month old woman, was brought to the Florida Atlantic University-Communication Disorders Clinic (FAU-CDC) by her boyfriend for a Speech-Language Evaluation. She was referred to the FAU-CDC by her neurologist for word finding difficulties and a possible articulation disorder after a left hemisphere hemorrhagic stroke one month ago. According to her boyfriend, W.C.’s symptoms began immediately following her stroke and are characterized by word finding difficulties, slowed and choppy speech, and mispronunciation of certain consonants that is affecting intelligibility along with a strained voice.

Occupational therapists help children make of sensory experiences involving sights, smells, touch, sounds, tastes and movement. Children with learning disabilities or autism may experience serious difficulties processing, understanding and reacting to sensory stimulation. The ability of these children to process sensory information may impacted by either hypersensitivity or hyposensitivity to stimulation. Many children who engage in problematic behaviors or anti-social tendencies may actually be experiencing difficulties processing and understanding sensory information and their environment. Occupational therapists use observation and data collection to create a plan that addresses and rectify specific behaviors.

The scope of practice and responsibilities of an occupational therapist include many aspects of helping someone recover from a variety of health issues. As an occupational therapist you treat injured, ill, and disabled patients through the therapeutic use of everyday activities. The activities help patients recover and improve to be able to function for daily living. Therapists show patients how to use adaptive equipment such as leg braces, wheelchairs, and eating aids (Occupational Outlook Handbook, 2015). As an occupational therapist there are a variety of fields you can be certified in. This can include pediatrics, geriatrics, acute care, home health, and rehabilitation. The qualities one must have in order to be a successful occupational therapist include but are not limited to having communication skills, compassion, flexibility, interpersonal skills, patience, and writing skills

This is important because these sensory deficits present occupational barriers for both child and caregiver's ability to engage in meaningful activities. There is mixed empirical research regarding the effectiveness of sensory based interventions due to the variability in the symptomatology of children with sensory deficits. However and in spite of the sparse supporting evidence it is used in many occupational therapy settings because it has been shown to be effective in individualized clinical treatment plan and in less rigorous studies. AOTA has launched an initiative across all occupational therapy domains to increase the use of evidence based practice. The triangulation process used in this qualitative inquiry is designed to make the data collection process more robust (Portney & Watkins, 2009). Thus adding to the growing base of evidence supporting the use of sensory based interventions in occupational therapy

Occupational therapists help all ages improve their daily activities. This specific therapy helps rehabilitate people who need “specialized assistance to lead independent, productive, and satisfying lives due to physical, developmental, social, or emotional problems” (Ithaca College). The therapists create different exercises for each individual patient to help them develop their skills or learn how to decrease future injury.

Occupational therapists work with family, relatives, friends and colleagues in order to make the transition less painful and more helpful for the recovering patient. Physical therapist works soon after the injury in the initial recovery course after primary injury while the services of occupational therapists are generally needed in the rehabilitation course when the patient has fully recovered from the initial injury. Provision of physical therapy may improve the situation and mobility of individuals. Physical therapists perform interventive therapies like massage, acupuncture, exercises and manual therapies to improve the functioning of the body. Occupational therapy is performed when the patient has fully recovered and the sole purpose is to improve the quality of life by not letting the disability to affect the life of individuals.

“According to the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), in addition to dealing with someone's physical well-being, [Occupational therapist] practitioners address psychological, social, and environmental factors that can affect functioning in different ways” (Occupational Therapy). Through addressing these factors, an occupational therapist shows how it is important to know the emotional state of the patient to help them progress. This reveals that occupational therapist evaluate a patient’s psychological, social, and environmental health because it can change the process they take in order to improve a patient’s condition. An example of an occupational therapist using these factors is when they “work with kids who have sensory and attentional issues to improve focus and social skills” (Occupational Therapy). The occupational therapist had to evaluate the kids to understand the trouble the child is experiencing.

Throughout her extinguished career, Ayres’ number one priority remained her patients. A majority of her work included one on one, sessions with her patients, so she could evaluate their needs closer, and to build a relationship with her clients (Spdfoundation1, 2010). Her first occupational therapy career began when she treated children out of her home, which was a trailer, at the time (Spdfoundation1, 2010). Later on, Smith, Mailoux, Miller- Kuhaneck & Glennon described her first clinic setting stating, “Ayres Clinic, established in 1977 served children with autism or learning disabilities, and by conducting continuing education courses regionally, nationally, and internationally to educate others about sensory integration” (2009).

Three steps in the occupational therapy process for A. K and her family are evaluation, intervention, and outcomes. Occupational therapy is client-centered so therefore the therapist should pick activities related to the client interest. The evaluation includes viewing A.K. occupational profile that includes an occupational history. The occupational therapy history includes A.K. age and gender, experiences, her daily living patterns, interest, values as well as her needs (American Occupational Therapy Association, 2014). The occupational therapist should interview the parents of why they are seeking out occupational therapy services for their child. An analysis of occupational performance establishment is during the evaluation process (Sames,

When people are unable to participate in the daily activities of their occupation, Brown and Hollis (2013) reported that people can experience a brief pause or disruption in their normal activities, a deprived state of activity that can severely restrict social, cultural, or personal engagements, or create an imbalance when a person becomes “unoccupied, under occupied, or over occupied” (p.1246). Eventually, any of these lapses in functioning can create or intensify other physical or mental issues. Santrock (2012) expressed that occupational therapists “help people regain, develop, and build skills that are important for independent functioning, health, well-being, security, and happiness” (p.45). Perhaps occupational therapy on the whole can be described as utilizing multiple techniques to help different people with one or several distinct impairments that hinder them at various times in their life. Kronenberg and Pollard (2006) stated that “occupational therapy is said to be based

Four year olds are still very much learning through the use of their senses (Blaustein, 2005). As well, some children may have special needs concerning sensory processing and integration (Ayers, 1994). Children with sensory processing disorders range from over-responsive, under-responsive, to sensory craving (Ayers, 1994). Nonetheless, every person encounters a plethora of sensory stimuli each day and must take in information and integrate it with prior knowledge to make meaningful responses (Ayers, 1994). Multisensory centers provide young children with and without special needs with the opportunity to seek out sensory stimulation, acquire sensory integration and motor skills, learn coping skills, and understand basic scientific concepts (Blaustein, 2005).