OCTH 646: Practicum in Children's Services
Prerequisite: Successful completion of OCTH 630, 632 and 634 or permission of the
Chair
Credit Hours: (2)
Students work in groups with a faculty mentor to provide occupation-based services
to children, collect and analyze data about the outcomes of the services provided,
and reflect on their experiences.
Detailed Description of Content of the Course
Students will provide occupation-based services to children, with on-site faculty
supervision.
Detailed Description of Conduct of Course
Occupational therapy faculty will initiate programming for children with special needs
who do not currently receive OT services. Target groups may include the children
who attend the Speech and Hearing Clinic in the WCHHS, and/or children served by local
community agencies. Students will be assigned in teams to accompany and work with
faculty once each week. Each team will plan an occupation-based program, carry the
program out with children, and collect data about outcomes. Discussion and journal-writing
may be used to encourage students to reflect upon their experiences.
Goals and Objectives of the Course
Students will:
- Promote occupational therapy by educating others about the profession;
- Apply theoretical constructs to occupation-based evaluation and intervention with
children;
- Work with a faculty mentor to evaluate the child's occupational performance using
standardized and nonstandardized assessment tools;
- Provide therapeutic use of occupation and activities for children;
- Work with a faculty mentor to provide developmental, remedial and compensatory activities
to address sensory-motor, cognitive and/or behavioral skills;
- Articulate principles of and be able to design, fabricate, apply, fit and train children
and families in assistive technologies and devices used to enhance occupational performance;
- With a faculty mentor, modify home, school and/or community environments and adapt
processes for children with special needs;
- Demonstrate the ability to educate the child and caregiver to facilitate skills in
areas of occupation as well as prevention, health maintenance and safety;
- Work with a faculty mentor to refer children and families to specialists (both internal
and external to the profession) for consultation and intervention;
- Collaborate with a faculty mentor and the child and family to monitor the effect of
occupational therapy intervention and the need for continued or modified intervention;
- Collect, organize, analyze and report data in a systematic manner for evaluation of
program outcomes.
- Interact through written, oral and nonverbal communication with the client and family,
colleagues and other health-care providers and the public in a professionally acceptable
manner;
- Terminate occupational therapy services at the end of the semester by developing and
discussing with parents and appropriate others a summary of outcomes and recommendations
for the future.
Assessment Measures
A Professional Development Assessment will be used by the student to evaluate his/
her own skills, and by the faculty mentor to assign a grade for the Practicum.
Other Course Information
Review and Approval
February, 2009