Out Of Sync Child Reflection

Today was my first day in outpatient pediatrics at Cerebral Palsy Inc., (CP center) in Green Bay, Wisconsin. This center has a day care, adult day services, an aquatic center, and outpatient OT, PT, and SLP services. The CP center is also the contracted provider for the Birth to Three services for the area, so several of the outpatient therapists also travel into the community for home therapies. The outpatient occupational therapists generally have 30-40 children on their caseload at any given time, although they are not always seen on a regular basis. The OTs said that they try to stay around 75-80% productivity, which translates to seeing about six clients a day. The clinic operates out of a neurodevelopmental and sensory integration theory, which was very clear even from just my first day of observation. Each appointment began with deep pressure brushing, leg and arm massage with lotion, and some joint compression.

We have discussed NDT and ASI in class this semester, but it has often been in more of a negative or skeptical light. Before this week, I read the book entitled Out of Sync Child recommended by my supervisor and reviewed the text we were provided with in class about NDT and tried to go in with an open mind. I am interested to see how my attitude of these two theories and clinic as the week goes on. From my first day, I thought that the deep pressure brushing and joint compressions, coming out of the ASI theory, were helpful. I am interested to see more NDT has the week goes on, because I know the least about this and I know the evidence behind it is so controversial. Today, the children were very active and working on many different self-care goals, but my supervisor told me there would be some more NDT exercise-based therapy sessions to see later in the