Tutorial Five - videos related to Fieldwork

Introduce a chosen topic of interest drawn from your fieldwork experience or an OT practice area. 

• Find five different sources of online video content that help explain, demonstrate, or provide personal experiences of your topic. 

 

Use of switching devices to enable occupation

One of my fieldwork experiences was at a school for children and teenagers with multiple special needs. I was particularly interested in the use of switches by the staff to involve students in a group activity or play that they mightn't have otherwise had the capacity to do. I was also very interested in observing the most able of the 5 students in my classroom use head switches to drive her wheelchair. Finally, I noticed on placement how meaningful and useful it would be if a student could communicate simply by yes and no  answers to closed questions, using switches if necessary.

I have embedded (for ease of reference) 5 You Tube videos in this blog entry. 

The first two clips show different forms of switching devices that can be connected to toys or other equipment. in my fieldwork one student had a noisy colourful plastic toy that he started up by pushing down on the big durable button connected to it. As well, each week my class did "cooking", which was mainly undertaken by the staff due to the high levels of impairment of the students. However, the recipe always involved using a food mixer which each student could start whizzing by pressing or making contact with a large plastic yellow switch connected to it. As one of the video clips says, switching can help teach cause and effect.

More complex switching is shown on the clip in which a group of students make music. 

 

I have also included a clip of a switch which has sensory integration components such as rubber surface and lights and sound that come on when the button is pushed. There were autistic children at my fieldwork setting who may have benefited from this.

Finally, I have included a clip showing a person operating their own wheelchair using head switches.