OT Area of Interest

I worked in both the acute and acute inpatient settings. I really enjoyed this setting, but the setting I think I find most interesting is home-health with an emphasis in early intervention or sensory integration. This "community" based setting is very flexible and allows for the OT's to travel, which is something I enjoy. It also allows the OT to have some control over their schedule and hours. Early intervention is very intriguing to me now a days because one of my nieces, Vivien, is receiving all three disciplines of OT, PT, and Speech Therapy three times a week. She is 90% deaf in both ears and is a little developmentally delayed. The progress she has made over the last three months has been amazing to watch. Our field has started to see the importance and need for tummy time, early engagement, and social skills for children before they start school. Since Vivien is missing one of her five senses right now, she is engaging in the world completely different then other children her age. Her body feels and sees the world right now. This makes tummy time more difficult because she loses the ability to see everything she wants to. The other speciality I find intriguing is "sensory integration", which is described processes in the brain that allow us to take information we receive from our 5 senses, organize it, and respond appropriately. This can include treating children with ADHD, autism, or even children with an intellectual disability or even just vision problems. This field is so cool to me because everyday could be different. Being able to see many different diagnoses each week is a way to broaden our horizons and grow in our field of OT. These two fields would also help keep my interest peaked so I am not getting complaince or bored in my field of practice.