The common problems that I have observed from the patients that I have handled in the Philippine Cerebral Palsy, Inc. are the following: age – inappropriate work behaviors, fluctuating muscle tone, bilateral equinovalgus deformity, delayed hand functions, delayed cognitive skills, and ADL dependence, specifically feeding. I think I did well on the gentle passive stretching to assist relaxation and in preparation of the patient for other procedures or activities. The three patients that I have handled are diagnosed with CP spastic quadriplegia and the other one even has mild hydrocephalus which I think is fragile and is difficult to manage.

I was also given the chance to position the patients in different developmental positions such as prone – on – elbows, supported short – sitting, and weight bearing on hands and elbows. It was such a good thing to prepare myself for the upcoming actual treatment session. Although I was not able to handle the three of them for a longer period of time, I was able to make good use of the time allotted to assist and observe. I think I will be able to be more prepared for the next fieldwork, the evaluation part, because we were assigned to a specific case. At least, we can review the case background and on what specific intervention/strategies to apply.

Observing an actual OT treatment session is like putting myself one step closer to being an intern. It’s nerve wracking because I can already feel the pressure of having to not just pass my subjects but also to internalize what it is like to be a real occupational therapist. While I was visualizing myself conducting an actual treatment session, I can’t help but wonder what frames of reference and intervention strategies will use? Will I be able to extract from my memory the appropriate intervention technique to be used?