Peds SIM Lab

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Overall, I think the SIM encounter went a lot better than it has in the past. I felt more confident and not as nervous this time around. I also felt like I have finally nailed down a solid elevator speech to explain what occupational therapy is, which is always a confident booster. I went into the SIM lab with a script in hand but ended up veering from the script because I noticed how overwhelmed and upset Ms. Farris was. I thought that would throw me off by taking a step back, asking how she felt, and reassuring her but it did not. Like we learned in class it is much more important to be an empathetic listener rather than making sure we "check" off all the boxes of information to give them. I tried to explain what sensory processing disorder is in layman's terms but also realized those terms still may not be everyone's layman's terms so I made sure to ask if she needed more explanation and try to do so if necessary. 

If I had the opportunity for a do-ver I think I would've tried to tie in more of John's behaviors from the evaluation into our conversation to relate back to characteristics of a sensory seeker. I felt like I gave a "good enough" explanation of SPD and sensation seeking but I wish I would've gone above and beyond and to connect it back to John to make it more personal.

One example of how an attitude of caring can be communicated would be through empathetic listening, which includes eye contact, nodding and responding when appropriate, and good body language - like not crossing arms. Just by doing those things it can show we are listening to them and what they have to say is important. Another example of how an attitude of caring can be communicated to the caregiver would be repeating back their concerns to validate their feelings. This shows that you are hearing what they are saying and it helps if they can also hear their words. 

This lab has really helped me understand what sensory processing disorder is, the 4 patterns, and the types of sensory input. Since the objective was to explain it to the parent I did a lot of reading notes and research to understand it first myself. I feel like this will help me in future experiences with the knowledge of SPD and how to fully prepare for future encounters with my clients. This also has helped me use and practice my clinical reasoning in the fact that my client was visibly upset and I knew to pause and talk with her about her feelings instead of to her. I believe every chance we get to practice empathetic listening and therapeutic use of self we improve. 

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