Heidi’s Entries

I gave my backpack presentation to the am and pm classes that I have been in this quarter.  The kids really enjoyed it!  The teachers in the in the upstairs classroom thought that it was such a great idea that they asked me if I would present it to their classes as well.  The children had their graduation last Wednesday, but their last day was on Friday.  I was there all day Friday and it was sad to know that I would not be in the classroom with them anymore.  I have to say that I learned alot from each child and that each child is definately their own individual.  I really enjoyed my time spent with these children and have learned several different techniques in which  I feel WILL help me in the future as an OTA. I would like to work with the same population in the future.  Unfortuntely the sad part is that I became attached to several of the kids and will miss seeing thier smiling faces

progress note:

I have ten more hours to complete this coming week.  Although the children will not be there, I am going to assist the teachers in organizing the classroom for the next year. 

Heidi Hardbarger S/OTA

This has been a pretty exciting week.  I am really impressed with the sensory table in the classroom.  So far it has contained water, ice, sand, and the latest was actually potting soil.  The kids really enjoyed the potting soil because they could simulate planting flowers.  They had plastic pots for the kids to plant artificial flowers in.  Even the boys in the class enjoyed participating in the activity.  In the weeks that I have been in the classroom I have noticed an improvement in their social skills.  The teachers in the clasroom are doing an excellent job.  I think this program is a great stepping stone for children entering the public school system.

progress note:

I wil be in the classroom on Thursday and Friday this week.  I am excited about the upcoming graduation of the children moving on to Kindergarten.  I will be giving my backpack safety presentation to the other preschool class this Friday.  I hope the children and their parents find it to be useful information.

I had alot of fun with the children this week.  We tie-dyed t-shirts with them and on Friday I helped all of the kids make a flower arrangement by tracing their hands for the actual flower itself.  I was preety amazed with the morning and afternoon students.  All but one of the children did excellent manipulating the scissors while cutting out their hands.  The same child that had difficulty with the scissors also does not grasp their pencil correctly, or hold their silverware correctly.  The teachers said they have been working with him as much as possible.  This week I am going to give the children a presentation on backpack safety.  Alot of the kids will be going to Kindergarten next year which means the beginning of years of lugging around a heavy backpack so I thought that it would give them as well as the parents some insight on the safest type of backpack, how to wear it, how to pack it, and the safest weight to carry according to the child’s body weight.

progress note: I will be in the classroom this Tuesday, Thursday, and Friday.  I am planning on giving a presentation to both the morning and afternoon classes on Friday.  I am hoping that the kids find it interesting.

I read about the disease spinal muscular atrophy.  The little girl in the preschool class that I am in has what is called type 3 spinal muscular atrophy.  SMA is diagnosed through a blood test which looks for the presence of an smn1 gene.  Normally people have two genes called survival motor neuron one and two.  In people with SMA, there is an absence or mutation of the SMN gene sequence.  SMA is an autosomal recessive genetic disease. Both parents must be carriers of the abnormal gene and both passed it down to the child.  In type 3 SMA, The age of onset is typically diagnosed by age three.  This type allows a person to be able to stand or sit alone, but may show difficulty walking at some point.  these individuals tend to fall more frequently, and also have difficulty getting up from a sitting position on a floor as well as a bent over position.  With type 3 a mild tremor can  be seen in using fingers.  In observing this little girl, I have seen all of these symptoms.  Other than observing difficulty with mobility, this little girl is as bright and outgoing as the rest of the children.

progress note:

  I have been in the classroom for four weeks now and I have to say that every day is different.  I am really starting to get to know the children and they are becoming more comfortable with me.  This week I will be in the classroom on tuesday, thursday, and friday.  I really enjoy every minute with the kids.

Well, I have spent the week in the classroom and I must say that I am very impressed with the activities in the classroom.  I have seen a total of thirty-one different children and they all have different personalities.  The children range in age from three to five years.  Some will be beginning kindergarten and the younger ones will remain there for another year or until they are of age for public schools.

I have noticed that there are many children with speech delays, but no other deficits.  Then there are a few children that one may notice may have a slight delay for their age with social skills.  There is a child that has been diagnosed with spinal muscular atrophy which I will read up on a little more and describe more next journal.  The head teacher did explain to me that it has to do with the electric signals and how they get to her muscles.  She also told me a disturbing fact that this diagnosis has a life expectancy of thirty years old.  This child appears to be perfectly typical other than observing her during mobility.  You notice a stiffness about her when she walks.  I am guessing that this is a neuromusculoskeletal disease, but I want to find out for sure.  There is also another child diagnosed with cerebral palsy.  I did get to observe him with a speech therapist in which there also seemed to be behavioral issues as well.

I am looking forward to spending more time in the classroom.

Unfortunately, I did not get to participate in the classroom this week either because the children were on spring break all week.  However, while I was at the faculty meeting the previous week I recieved alot of information about the discussions during the meeting.  The information is actually really useful.  It gives several tips on smooth transitioning for childrens’ activities, acknowledging childrens feelings, and conflict mediation.  All of these encourage children to be more skilled.  By being in the classroom I will be able to see how these skills are affected by different deficits with different children.

I have yet to actually be in the classroom at Muskingum County Head Start, but I am extremely anxious and excited about it.  I have sat through a faculty meeting for six hours and learned a lot of neat information about the program.  I did observation at Muskingum County Starlight and loved working with the children so I am enthusiastic to get back into that type of atmosphere.