Reading recommendations...

I have been absent for a couple weeks - immersed in important tasks that precluded my writing. While 'away' I did quite a bit of reading and so want to share some of my recent perusal.

1. A great blog post was brought to my attention recently. This should be required reading for all OTs... Emily writes in 'A life less ordinary' about "To OT or not to OT." Don't stop at that one entry - keep reading. This blog is so full of excellent writing and parent perspective that it will keep you busy for a very long time.

2. Connor Gifford is a young man who has Down Syndrome and he co-wrote a book entitled "America according to Connor Gifford." This book has a clarity to it that is difficult to find in writing about historical events. Go buy it. Today.

3. Ori and Rom Brafman wrote the book "Sway: The irresistible pull of irrational behavior." This entire book is fascinating, but OTs will be particularly interested in the chapter on 'the bipolar epidemic and the chameleon effect." When you read this chapter you can't avoid the questions that will enter your mind about self-perpetuating circle that drives away science in the diagnostic process. Sensory integration, anyone?

4. Siddhartha by Herman Hesse. I read this once every few years because I enjoy the process of the protagonist's development. Siddhartha achieves his goals and does so by his own unique path. It is an interesting allegory for an occupational therapy process of client-centeredness and self-direction in occupational choice.

There was a lot more - but these were the most interesting.

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

On retained primitive reflexes

Each year I receive several emails from colleagues about 'retained primitive reflexes.'  I am also seeing an increased number of reports from local 'health care' providers who are documenting these alleged problems so I thought I would write a summary of my opinion on this topic.   Predatory 'health care' providers including some OTs, PTs, chiropractors, and behavioral optometrists are creating a new 'market' for treating this alleged 'problem.'  Parents should be very wary of these practitioners and other professionals should challenge these practices whenever they are seen. The following is the kind of information that causes concern and was provided to me by a colleague as a sample from a student's IEP: The student continues to demonstrate the following retained primitive reflexes that at times interfere with his ability to demonstrate appropriate adaptive responses: Fear Paralysis Reflex, Moro Reflex, Palmer Reflex, Tonic Labyri...
Read more

Deconstructing the myth of clothing sensitivity as a 'sensory processing disorder'

Please note first that there is no formally recognized clinical designation of  'sensory processing disorder.'   It is a term constructed by occupational therapists that has not been formally recognized by the larger medical community. In our clinic we receive many referrals from local pediatricians when parents have concerns about children being overly sensitive to their clothing.  Most often the children referred are from four to seven years old and the families are severely disrupted by the children's behaviors and responses to clothing issues.  Commonly, children will have severely constricted tolerance for certain outfits, want to wear the same clothes repeatedly, complain that clothing is itchy/scratch/bumpy/wiggly/ouchie, and this all leads to disruption of daily dressing routines.  There is no doubt that the behavioral concerns are very real. The pediatricians tend to be appropriately conservative and provide families with good behavioral manage...
Read more

Occupational therapy education: How to navigate in a Perfect Storm

Image
Please click on and read all of the links - they include critical information that is required for this analysis.   A little over four years ago I stated that there are too many occupational therapy educational programs in New York State .  At the NYSOTA conference legislative information session in 2023 I stood up and suggested that we should all stop taking jobs at these institutions that were seeking to develop new programs.  I thought that if we did not take those jobs that the problem would be solved.  That was not realistic or correct, even if the intention was good. Well karma tends to strike when you make public pronouncements, so I thought I should expand on my perspectives on this topic. At current count there are still ~22 occupational therapy programs and ~11 occupational therapy assistant programs in NY.  Most of the programs are delivered at the master's level.  There are a very small number of entry level doctoral programs, but some of t...
Read more