Our topic for OT 182, Occupational Therapy in Physical Dysfunctions, today is Integration of Intervention and Treatment Considerations for Pediatric Populations. Ooppss… Nose bleed. Hehe.

This was the flow of the discussion:

1. Cerebral Palsy
2. Down Syndrome
3. Muscular Dystrophies
4. Arthrogryposis
5. Spina Bifida
6. Seizure Disorders

We have talked about these conditions a lot that I was sort of desensitized and I just looked at the conditions objectively and distantly. Please note that I emphasized condition. We have always been taught never to look at our clients as mere cases… and falling in the pitfall of managing the condition rather than the person. The client-centered practice has always been drilled to us. Anyway, I remembered that during the first few times we had lectures about these conditions, mostly last sem, I was close to breaking into tears. They are chronic conditions with no known cure. Kids who have them present a whole lot of functional limitations. It is just so hard to imagine how they would be able to live normal lives. Some consider them hopeless… but there are OTs to the rescue! Yehey! I cannot possibly put everything that we can do for these kids here. But in a nutshell, we make sure that each of these kids can have a quality life. Hehe. Can you see my obvious bias in favor of my course?

By the end of the lecture Sir Eric asked if we want to talk about other conditions that are commonly referred to OT but were not tackled during the formal lecture. Ica said that she handled a child with visual impairment (VI) during the evaluation practicum. So we had a bonus lecture about VI kids. VI kids are mostly born blind. Others acquire their visual impairment during the first year of their lives. They practically have no visual memory. But all along I thought blind kids fare better than other kids that we talked about. I was wrong.

One of the questions posted that really struck me and broke my heart for VI kids…
Sir: Do visually impaired kids have dreams?

Class: Yes!

Sir: What do they dream about?

Mumbles from the class: Definitely not images…

Sir: Yes, they dream about sounds and touches.

Sir: Now, how will these kids differentiate being awake from being asleep & dreaming?

Very hard. The main sensations VI kids experience when they are awake are sounds and tactile inputs. It is logical that these are what they dream about because these are the things stored in their memories. But with no concept of day and night, and being in a world of eternal darkness, knowing if the sensations are happening in real time or just a product of a dream would prove to be extremely difficult.

How about if the child has both visual and hearing impairment? The world suddenly becomes too distant…

Senses that we often neglect and forget to be grateful about are not appreciated unless we know of somebody who were deprived of them. Cliche. Yet true.