I have been interning at Eros School
which is a school for children with Cerebral Palsy and other disabilities. I have been working with the occupational
therapist there on Monday-Wednesday every week.
I am going to grad school next year for a Masters in Occupational
Therapy program after I graduate from UConn in May. I was not expecting to be able to do so much
hands on work while I was there. I
thought I would be doing more observing but I have been able to get involved
with just about everything. I have been
working with many different groups of children and really experiencing a wide
variety of disabilities to treat.
There is a multi-level class that
varies the most as far as disabilities and skill level goes. This class can be very difficult just because
there is 11 kids all at different levels and all needing assistance. It gets overwhelming at times but it seems to
not matter as much when you see them all having fun while doing the exercises. The other day we played tug of war and did a
relay as warm up and all the kids got so into it. It’s really fun to be a part of.
When I work with grades 1 and 2 our main concentration is fine motor
skills. We start with a calming exercise to get the kids focused then move onto
the real activities. We have used nail
boards that the kids have to follow patterns by stretching the rubber bands
around. We also have these little boards
with holes in them that we have the kids follow different patterns across the
board. It may seem easy and something
that most people would over look but for a child who has very little motor
control it can get pretty challenging.
On Tuesdays I work with the older high
school kids. In the morning I am with a
group of 4 kids who will be turning 18 and will no longer be able to attend
Eros. The occupational therapists are
working with them so they have something to do when they are out of
school. Since jobs that most people
think of are not realistic for mist children at Eros they need guidance into something
else to do. There are workshops around
that specialize in employing disabled people.
We visited one that had the employees package various things, sew, and
some carpentry. These kids were not
prepared for a job like this so they are all hesitant about the workshop. We work with them to either get more
comfortable with a workshop or find something else they may be comfortable
doing once they are done with school.
In the afternoon I am with a group of
15-16 year olds. They are all in a class
together because they all have behavioral issues or just low cognitive
function. This group speaks Afrikaans so
it can get really challenging to know what is happening sometimes but I have
been able to make out some things. The
goal for them is to improve self-esteem so we do a lot of talking exercises
where they have to say things they like about themselves and where they see
themselves in the future.
Overall I have been having a great
experience at Eros. I’m enjoying every
group I have been working with and love that I can get involved with each
session. I have been learning so much
about occupational therapy and myself as far as where I see myself going in the
occupational therapy field. I know I
have found a passion. Some people find it difficult to see a personality in a
child with an extreme disability which isn’t necessarily bad; it takes a
certain kind of patience and understanding to work with disabled kids. At Eros there are language barriers from not
speaking the same language but also just because many kids are non-verbal. Even though many of the kids cannot verbally
communicate with me I can still find a way to understand them. I have come to learn their moods and what
different faces mean and what is going to make them just over the moon happy.
And seeing a child light up with excitement is beyond the best feeling I have
ever had. This one boy in grade 1 who is non-verbal and has very poor motor
control was the goalie as we played crab soccer. Since he couldn’t stay in the “crab” position
he stayed on his knees. When he was able
to block the ball from going into the goal it was the most I have seen him move
and the happiest I had ever seen him.
Watching him play brought a lasting smile to my face. I have also noticed that even though he
struggles a lot physically he is very much there cognitively. When we do projects in the class to work on
fine motor he is in full concentration mode.
He is determined to get the project done by himself regardless of how
long it takes. 
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