Episode Transcript
[00:00:00] Speaker A: Hi, I'm Maggie.
[00:00:01] Speaker B: And I'm Nicole. Welcome to the DAC Dyslexia and Coffee Podcast. We're so happy you could join us. We are both moms and dyslexia interventionists who want to talk about our students and children. What dyslexia is, how it affects our kids, strategies to help and topics related to other learning disabilities will also be covered in this podcast. Parents are not alone, and we want to give voice to the concerns and struggles we are all having. This is a safe place to learn more about how to help our children grow and succeed and in school, in the world. Grab a cup of coffee and enjoy the conversation.
[00:00:33] Speaker A: Hi, everybody. We're going to start our episode like we always do with the concept of the week. So the concept of the week is our opportunity as practitioners to kind of pull back the curtain a little bit and let you all into an intervention session. So we like to teach about topics that we would be talking about with our students.
Today's concept of the week is a little bit of a special one. It is occupational therapy. So occupational therapy is a healthcare profession that incorporates wellness to help people live their everyday lives.
So special episode today because we have an occupational therapy student who's been with us all summer, Ms. Lauren with us today. Yay. Welcome, Lauren.
[00:01:25] Speaker C: Hi, everyone.
[00:01:26] Speaker A: Yay.
[00:01:27] Speaker C: Thank you guys for having me.
[00:01:29] Speaker A: Yeah, we're so excited to have Lauren with us.
And since she's wrapping up her summer field experience, we thought it would be really fun to have her on the show today to talk about her experience and occupational therapy in general.
And this will be extra fun for me because I am not an occupational therapist.
Lauren is studying to be an occupational therapist. And Nicole, Dr. Nicole Boynton is an occupational therapist.
So I get to ask silly questions.
And I love that about today.
So I want to start with. Okay, so the definition of occupational therapy, what the heck does that mean? What is occupational therapy, Lauren?
[00:02:17] Speaker C: I think of it as a very, like, personalized intervention experience, so you get the opportunity to really get to know your clients and tailor their interventions for whatever deficits or issues that they're having towards their interests and helping them to be successful.
[00:02:33] Speaker A: Okay, I like that definition much better.
[00:02:43] Speaker B: So, Lauren, let's talk about what were your responsibilities for this fieldwork?
[00:02:47] Speaker C: My responsibilities included evaluations for people with dysgraphia as well as developing occupation based intervention plans for children who show signs of dysgraphia and dyslexia.
Most of my intervention plans helped with deficits in handwriting and executive functioning. Awesome.
[00:03:07] Speaker A: I think that's really helpful to kind of know. Right.
So how does someone like an occupational therapy person. Right. How do they also work with with our students?
What were those responsibilities that you really enjoyed?
[00:03:28] Speaker C: I thoroughly enjoyed everything throughout this fieldwork experience.
I really enjoyed getting to know all the students and being able to tailor their interventions plans to their interests. For example, a lot of my students liked more popular video games like Minecraft or Pokemon. So I would always find ways to work on their letter formation through writing letters that coincided with their favorite characters.
I'd also create games focused on those characters to help with emotional identification and executive functioning.
I would do the same for students who had favorite animals or favorite singers and provide anything that could incorporate their interests into their learning and encourage participation with the things they're familiar with.
As far as what was a challenge, I found it hard providing variety in my interventions. In the beginning of this experience.
I wanted to be able to switch things up for sessions so it was less redundant for the students. And after a few interventions of trial and error and I think I found a pretty good group of fun and functional interventions.
[00:04:29] Speaker A: That's awesome.
And I will say from my observations of you, you did such an awesome job with that.
[00:04:39] Speaker C: Thank you.
[00:04:40] Speaker A: That was really, really cool to see.
My gosh, I'm going to get emotional because you're leaving. I don't want to talk about that now.
[00:04:56] Speaker B: So thinking back to the beginning, what did you think this field work would be like?
[00:05:01] Speaker C: Honestly, I wasn't really sure what to expect with this experience.
When I found out I was going to be coming here. I had to do a little bit of initial research before I started.
I've never had experience with school based interventions or even really much experience with children before.
I thought it was going to be very high energy and maybe sometimes chaotic. I also thought it was just going to be teaching writing, but I wasn't sure what capacity that it would be in or how that could be made fun for clients.
[00:05:28] Speaker A: Yeah, that's fair.
So what was your fieldwork actually like?
[00:05:36] Speaker C: It's been so fun.
It's turned out to be a lot more fun than I expected it to be in the beginning.
Like I just mentioned, I've never worked with kids before, so I was a little nervous, but also excited for the opportunity to learn a new client population.
It was also really cool that I could tailor each intervention to the student's personal interests so I could better connect with them. I felt this was especially important because kids with dyslexia, dysgraphia and dyscalculia are all working on skills that they find really hard to do. So why not design my interventions around things that make them happy and keep them engaged?
[00:06:11] Speaker A: I love that.
[00:06:12] Speaker B: That is ot completely.
[00:06:16] Speaker A: I really love that. I mean, and I think kind of, for those of you listening that are not familiar with occupational therapy, which I think a lot of people really aren't, I think you're the majority.
[00:06:27] Speaker B: I agree.
[00:06:28] Speaker A: You know, one of the things that threw me a little bit for a loop when I was first, by training and background, I'm a special education teacher. And so there is a lot of alignment in the philosophy of a special education teacher and an occupational therapist. That is also my training and background is tailoring the instruction to the individual in front of me, which includes pulling in interests and really making it special for whoever I'm working with.
And what something that threw me for a loop initially, in my.
When I first started working and I was in a high school, my understanding of occupational therapy prior to working in a school was basically like if you were injured and you needed to relearn a certain way of doing, like, a physical task. And I really had no idea how much overlap there really was with the education piece, specifically that special education piece. And so watching you learn has been such a pleasure for me. And it's also why I think it's really important that we have these conversations and pull in different kinds of professionals that work in similar fields, because there's a wealth of knowledge that occupational therapists have that maybe a special education teacher doesn't have.
But if we have that open line of communication now, we can. Now we can cross that bridge.
You know, now it's like, oh, I have this idea, and you have this idea. How. How is that going to work?
Which is what we know leads to the best outcomes for kids.
So that's been really fun for me to watch.
[00:08:26] Speaker B: So let's talk about a little bit. What did you learn about literacy that you never would have thought of before this fieldwork?
[00:08:36] Speaker C: One thing I learned about literacy is that you really don't realize how important it actually is.
It's one of those things that you sort of take for granted once you learn those skills. And when I first started this fieldwork experience, Nicole and I were talking about literacy and how it truly affects all parts of your life in one way or another.
It impacts a person's ability to live independently, it impacts their ability to have a job, and it also impacts their ability to participate in their education.
I mean, just think about all the different ways we communicate and how Important. Literacy is for making your way through life. It's important for reading signs, maps, reading contracts, budgeting, and managing your finances, too.
It even impacts a person's access to health care. For me, it was noticing all of those types of things we take for granted. Once we are proficient in reading and writing, you kind of stop and think, oh, yeah, that would be hard for someone who doesn't know how to read or even has the ability to sound that words.
[00:09:30] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh.
[00:09:31] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:09:32] Speaker A: I think I. I'm gonna cry.
[00:09:35] Speaker B: That's exactly what. Yeah.
[00:09:38] Speaker A: You nailed it.
[00:09:39] Speaker B: You nailed it. Yep.
[00:09:41] Speaker A: That's why we do what we do.
[00:09:42] Speaker B: Yep.
[00:09:43] Speaker A: Oh, my gosh. Amazing.
[00:09:47] Speaker B: Oh, my goodness.
[00:09:48] Speaker A: Okay, what did you learn about Nicole? Needs a minute.
What did you learn about dyslexia, dysgraphia, or dyscalculia?
[00:10:00] Speaker C: One thing I learned about dyslexia is that it's not a vision problem and that it is a deficit in their abilities to process language.
I also learned about how common it is for people to have more than one neurodevelopmental disorder.
Many of the people we see at DIC have dyslexia and adhd, or dysgraphia and adhd, so on and so forth. I also learned that it is common for people with autism to also have dyslexia and other co diagnoses.
One thing I found interesting with dysgraphia is that it affects a person's ability to organize their thoughts, plan writing tasks, and write their thoughts in coherent sentences.
Coming into this fieldwork experience, I knew that people with dysgraphia struggled with handwriting, but did not yet understand the neurological piece of how everything translates from the brain to paper.
For people with dyscalculia, I figured the diagnosis had some sort of correlation with numbers, but I learned about it being that sequencing and working memory are common problems with that population as well.
[00:10:58] Speaker A: Awesome.
[00:10:59] Speaker B: Wow.
[00:10:59] Speaker A: Yeah. You?
[00:11:01] Speaker B: Yep. Mm.
I'm just gonna sit over here.
[00:11:08] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness.
[00:11:09] Speaker B: It's amazing that she picked all that up. I know.
[00:11:13] Speaker A: I mean, really, it's like a total of 12 weeks that you spend here, and so you're not quite. Quite done with us, but you're close. You're close.
I think it's really special that you picked up on all of that.
Yeah, that's very cool.
[00:11:36] Speaker B: So what did you learn about executive functioning skills while you were here?
[00:11:40] Speaker C: A lot of my interventions all were centered around executive functioning skills, so I learned a lot during this experience.
When I first learned about what executive functioning is, I just knew it had to do with, like, organizational skills, but it really is so much deeper than that. It's a process of developing working memory, cognitive flexibility, and inhibitory control.
These skills help a person break down complex tasks by prioritizing and managing their time effectively.
They also help with maintaining concentration and filtering distractions.
Executive functioning is also important for setting and completing goals and problem solving when things change or go wrong. It is also very important for emotional regulation so that people can respond appropriately to situations that may arise.
[00:12:26] Speaker A: Wow.
[00:12:27] Speaker B: Yep, that's exactly what it is.
[00:12:32] Speaker A: So, you know, for those of you listening, you are. You're moving on to, I mean, a different field placement. Quite different field placement, you know, and eventually.
Right. Your specific practice. How do you think you will apply what you've learned here to your future placements and your future practice?
[00:12:57] Speaker C: I mean, I now have a much deeper understanding of dyslexia, dysgraphia, dyscalculia, and, you know, executive functioning skills. And, I mean, if you think about it like the kids that we're seeing as clients, they all grow up to be adults. And those are, you know, people that seek occupational therapy services in other settings as well.
So I have a better understanding of how to provide successful interventions that are unique to each person.
And in my future practice, all these skills will be helpful when coming into contact with my future clients.
It will help to provide more competent care for people with neurobiological disorders.
And this experience has taught me and provided me with a unique skill set for interacting with and providing more specialized intervention plans for future clients.
[00:13:44] Speaker A: That's awesome.
I love that.
From a special education perspective, I just have to really applaud that because, yes, I mean, careers are long and yes, the content of what we do here may not be where you end up, but that knowledge and the skill set absolutely is applicable to anywhere outside of here. So I think that's awesome.
What was one surprising thing that you learned during your field book or surprising thing that happened?
[00:14:33] Speaker C: One thing I learned was just how broad the space of community based OT can be.
With community based ot, it really is just about providing a wide variety of services for clients. There are so many people with different educational backgrounds too, who we collaborate with that all provide such great perspective through the lens of their respective practices that help us to develop these great interprofessional relationships. So working with people like Maggie who are in special education, they also provide a different perspective with the skillset that they have. So it kind of helps us to analyze our clients and our interventions a little bit differently than we would if we didn't have that perspective.
I didn't realize just how much I've learned from other disciplines through this experience, so it's been amazing.
Oh, my gosh.
Oh, I'm gonna cry.
[00:15:26] Speaker A: I wasn't expecting this podcast to get emotional.
Not today, anyway.
[00:15:36] Speaker B: So what would you like our listeners to know more about either our center about literacy, about occupational therapy, executive functioning, or anything else you learned while at?
[00:15:49] Speaker C: I would just like everyone to know how unique and special DAC is. Their services go above and beyond by providing exceptional interventions to anyone that seeks learning. I really appreciate it and see the value in offering services to people of all ages and all diagnoses. It has been such a great experience learning about community based occupational therapy here and the broad spectrum of services that we can offer here at dac. You can really think outside the box and provide effective research based interventions that are effective as well as fun and engaging for the clients.
There's a lot of flexibility within this setting and especially at dac. It really is about what is best for the client and what will help them to be the most successful.
[00:16:27] Speaker B: Oh, my gosh.
[00:16:29] Speaker A: Lauren, thank you so much for saying that.
You know, Nicole and I put a lot of our, you know, heart, soul, time, effort, all of, all of the things into the way we do things here. And so to hear that someone who's really only been here a short amount of time takes that right and.
[00:16:57] Speaker B: Gets what we're trying to do.
[00:16:58] Speaker A: Gets what we're trying to do. I mean, at the heart of everything I have always done is what is best for this student in front of me.
And that is the pair of glasses I wear to every intervention and decisions that we make. From a business perspective.
[00:17:19] Speaker C: Correct.
[00:17:19] Speaker A: What is actually the best for the people that we serve.
So I just thank you so much for jumping in and doing something that you were not expecting to do this summer. This was a little bit of a kind of last minute situation for you in an unexpected way.
And I just, I think you have really, you have brought a lot to dac and we have really benefited from a student perspective.
I'm gonna really miss the questions you ask and I've noticed a lot about it because that is the mission and vision here.
[00:18:07] Speaker C: Correct.
[00:18:08] Speaker A: And I think I am just so happy that you were here this summer. We really, really appreciate your time and your effort and your perspective.
My own personal children will miss you a lot.
[00:18:25] Speaker C: Mine also.
[00:18:30] Speaker A: Thank you so much.
Yes, we like to end our episodes. Lauren, if you're game for what is going outside, going in our lives. Wow. Outside of. Just like Maggie, you did. You threw me. You threw me way off my game.
[00:18:48] Speaker B: Totally.
[00:18:51] Speaker A: What is going on in our lives outside of dyslexia?
So what is going on outside of your field work for you right now, Lauren?
[00:19:03] Speaker C: I'm really just kind of focusing on getting ready for my next setting that I'll be in. So that's taking up some of my time.
But I work on the weekends at another job and I have a lot of fun. It's in retail. And I know sometimes for people that's not super enjoyable, but I have a really good time with it. It's one of my favorite. It's like my fun job.
So that's usually where I spend my time.
Otherwise hanging out with my family. And we're doing a lot of that right now. So yeah, it's a lot of fun. It's been good summer wise, having the nice weather and being able to be outside and just kind of relax.
[00:19:41] Speaker A: Yeah, that's big. That's.
[00:19:44] Speaker B: That is really big. Yes.
[00:19:46] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:19:47] Speaker B: So, Maggie, what's happening outside of dyslexia for you?
[00:19:50] Speaker A: Oh, my goodness. Yeah, we are really in the throes of back to school.
I need to actually bite the bullet and go back to school shopping. I hate it so much.
This is not a popular teacher perspective.
Most teachers I know are like, I can't wait to buy school supplies and this is so exciting. And I get to label everything. That is just not my life. It's just not my life. I do not like parting with the amount of money that I'm going to need to part with for things that are gonna end up in the trash bin.
[00:20:29] Speaker B: Probably. Yes.
[00:20:32] Speaker A: It is.
Oh, I hate it so much.
And that is something I will need to do very promptly. Yuck.
[00:20:47] Speaker B: You might not find anymore.
A lot of it is now Halloween decorations.
[00:20:52] Speaker C: Well.
[00:20:54] Speaker A: Yes. Their new favorite colors are orange and purple.
Oh, well. And if they don't, I am also the mom that.
No, I don't send everything the first day of school. You can let me know when you need it. I know I will get the things that I needed on the first day of school and we will go from there because no, I have been on the other side and I know darn well you don't need all the things that you say you need on day one. Get out of here.
I've been on the other side of the curve.
Hot take.
What's going on with you, Nicole?
[00:21:37] Speaker B: Well, outside dyslexia, we're obviously getting ready for school too.
But I'M also getting ready for when Lauren leaves and trying to figure out what to do with all the caseload we just built up for her.
So, yeah, trying to figure out what.
[00:21:53] Speaker C: To do with all our new students.
[00:21:54] Speaker B: And figure out where they're gonna go and who they're gonna be with.
[00:21:58] Speaker A: Secret twin sister who's also in.
We can send the secret twin sister to the next field placement and keep Lauren. Okay.
[00:22:14] Speaker C: That's what sounds perfect.
[00:22:15] Speaker A: That would be fun.
That's what I'm thinking should happen here.
Oh, my gosh.
[00:22:22] Speaker B: And I think, honestly, Lauren got to see a lot of business side of things, too.
[00:22:26] Speaker C: I did. Yes.
[00:22:27] Speaker B: Which may have given her some either thoughts on. Oh, yeah, this is cooler. Oh, no, not even close.
She got to see a lot of different things, so I think that's pretty cool that she got to see a.
[00:22:41] Speaker A: Variety of things while she was here.
[00:22:43] Speaker C: Yeah.
[00:22:44] Speaker A: We will genuinely miss you very much.
[00:22:48] Speaker B: Yes.
[00:22:48] Speaker A: So thank you for being here and rolling with it. And by the way, listeners, we told Lauren this morning that we were gonna make her come on our podcast.
So that should just tell you a lot about who she is and why she will be an amazing occupational therapist. You will bring you will you will. You have already made a difference in the students that you have seen here.
[00:23:16] Speaker B: Yes.
So much so that they don't want to leave anymore.
[00:23:23] Speaker A: In the quotes of our one mom, right? We are loving ot, so this is.
[00:23:29] Speaker C: And we can never leave now.
[00:23:33] Speaker A: Yeah.
It's just been a real pleasure.
[00:23:37] Speaker B: It has.
[00:23:37] Speaker A: Yes.
[00:23:38] Speaker B: We really appreciate you last minutely deciding to join us on our podcast too.
[00:23:44] Speaker C: I've had the best time and I've learned so much. So it's been just such a great experience all the way around.
[00:23:49] Speaker A: I'm so glad.
Well, thank you everybody for listening. Please follow us on social media and reach out if you have any questions or would like us to discuss. Discuss the topic. If you do like our show, please follow us and rate us on your favorite podcast player. That's how we reach more listeners and we get to help more families. Thank you, everybody.
[00:24:08] Speaker B: Thank you.
