a young occupational therapist

Tonight, my classmates and I had the opportunity to watch the Memphis Rollin' Grizzlies practice. They are the wheelchair basketball team here in Memphis, TN and they compete across the country against different teams. It was probably one of my favorite (and coolest) experiences here in the city. Watching the way those players used their athleticism and abilities was incredible. I cannot even begin to explain the kind of upper body strength and endurance those men had to have to scrimmage for an hour and a half. On top of that, they were kind and generous to us curious OT students. They were completely open to answering any questions we had, along with letting us try out their game chairs. But, I think the best part of the team is the bond I saw the players have with each other. As future therapists we will receive clients who have obtained some sort of neurological disease that prevents a person from being physically active (in the way the previously were active) for whatever reas...

Neuro Course Assignment: During my neuro course, I have had the opportunity to complete many fun and enlightening assignments. The media project, however, might have been the most challenging. We were basically given very little instruction and limitations for the assignment, which can be intimidating. But, it also gave us freedom to use our creative ideas to our best ability to help our specifically assigned client. I really enjoyed getting to think outside the box on this one! Reflection: This media project was challenging. As I was creating a tool that needed to tailor to my client’s specific needs, I thought about how creative Jane seemed to be and how I would want her to be able to continue her creative passions, even if it is in a somewhat different way. This is why I chose to use the tennis ball to create a grip for the paintbrush, so the client can continue to work with her pottery she has completed. During this assignment I had to think about the occupations my client enj...

A few weeks ago, one of my professors asked the class to read a book about Huntington's Disease. It's called, Inside the O'Briens  by author Lisa Genova. Well, right then and there I fell in love with this author and the stories she tells her readers about neurological disorders. Not only did reading the book enhance my knowledge about a particular subject we were studying in class, but it also allowed me to see a disease from a different point of view. So I ordered myself two more of her books. But for now, I am going to tell you about just one book called, Left Neglected . Left Neglected by Genova begins by telling us about the Nickerson family, particularly the mother, Sarah. Sarah is constantly on the go - working up to 80 hours per week, 3 kids, 2 mortgages to pay and a husband to all keep on track. One morning on Sarah's way to work, she is involved in a car accident that resulted in a terrible injury to Sarah's brain - a traumatic brain injury (TBI). Sarah...

For this next assignment of mine, I really wanted to look into a subject we don't get to discuss over in class. As I looked through a list of resources provided by my professor, I came across a video about Tourette Syndrome. This disease is definitely something I knew nothing about before watching Thomas White's TED Talk video, Tourette Does The Talking,  but now, I have a whole new perspective on Tourette. Before watching the video, I decided to head to the Tourette website to gain some additional information about the condition. Tourette Syndrome is considered a neurological disorder where "tics" are present. But, tourette is more than just a slight involuntary tic. It's yelling without meaning, kicking without reason, cursing, even deep grunting randomly in sentences. This is because there are two different kinds of tics: motor and vocal. Both types of tics are present in a person diagnosed with Tourette Syndrome. The cause of this disorder is unknown, howeve...