Semester 1 Reflection
Semester 1 Reflection
Semester 1 Reflection
Semester 1 Reflection
The way my primary education approached the scientific method didn’t allow the idea of
the consent change that occurs in science. What they know is correct and there is no room for
change. There is little creativity being allowed in these classes and science needs to be
approached with the foundation that what we know can change and expand. The fluidity of
knowledge is important to note because just like in practice there needs to be adaptability. While
occupational inquiry daily. Great practitioners stay current on the new literature to dictate their
practice and to comprehend the knowledge from researchers to best educate their clients. These
practitioners redefine their knowledge to meet the person’s level of understanding regarding the
most up-to-date data. We read current articles, go to conferneces, etc. because its our job to be the
“middleman” for clients and researchers. Inquiry is the foundation of occupational therapy.
Starting the Intro to Occupational Therapy course, we learned on the first day that
researchers to implement into practice because that is the highest level of knowing something is
true. This is why it’s so interesting to me that some researchers believe qualitative studies are
less valuable than quantitative studies. Looking at it through a healthcare lens questions how
societal constructs impact an individual’s health. In daily practice, we identify both quantitative
and qualitative information about a client to best inform the intervention. Learning about
documentation cemented that occupational inquiry is just a smaller form of scientific inquiry.
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When I say smaller, I don’t mean lesser, just more on a smaller scale with non-generalizable
information.
that we found interesting and was a great way to recognize gaps in knowledge in research. My
group focused on the forced displacement of refugees and we discovered various gaps in
identifying the best intervention plan, culturally appropriate assessments, and targeting older
adults. A lot of research focuses on the mental impact on children who have PTSD from their
experiences but little info on adults which was surprising to me, for example, Simó-Algado et
al., (2002) study. Identifying gaps in knowledge allows for the progress of inquiring about new
information that needs to be produced. I think there’s a need for a scoping review to put all the
knowledge on forced displacement so future OTs can be more impactful in this new upcoming
area.
In the Psychosocial Process Across Life course we were able to interact with different
assessments and critically examine four: Allen’s Cognitive Level Screen (ACLS), Activity Card
Sort (ACS), Kohlman Evaluation of Living Skills (KELS), and the Kettle Test. The process of
identifying and producing an assessment is so interesting to me. There are a lot of components
that make up a great assessment. It puts into perspective the importance of using an assessment
that has been tested to as both reliable and valid. As a practitioner, the goal is to get the most
accurate assessment to best identify the person’s barriers. Reliability is important to have a for
assessments because that means there is less chance of producing errors. A great example of this
is when you use an assessment during the evaluation, then continue throughout the intervention
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to assess their progress rediscovering whether the intervention is working. If an assessment
doesn’t have good test-retest reliability, it reduces the value of scores. A study by Taylor et al.
(2022) tested to see if an already established assessment Wrist Position Sense Test would be
valid, reliable, and responsive to children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy showing that the
There is so little time that is spent with a client and you want to use the time you have
wisely to understand while knowing what you are trying to measure. For example, if you were to
use a self-assessment on an individual who has narcissistic personality disorder it's possible that
the results don't reflect the truth due to the lying nature that is commonly seen. It would be a
Human Capacities
In human capacities, the discussion of assessment that stuck with me more was the
thought that it can be the reason someone receives services. It’s very interesting to me that
occupational therapy services. Specifically, someone who is slightly above the first two
deviations is needed to qualify. It's an observed dictation for identifying if someone needs help.
If there are clear statements that someone is experiencing an imbalance in occupations due to a
limitation but they are slightly above the second deviation therefore cannot receive services.
Personally, it's an immoral concept to rely on statistics rather than someone else's experience.
During every Article Report, I always gravitated towards studies that applied to what we
were learning in Human Capacities. Toward the first half of the semester, we learned proper
work-related musculoskeletal injuries. Articles like Darragh et al. (2009) were an important step
that established change in state policies like Washington being a no-lift state, protecting clients
and practitioners from work-related injuries. Every article should be valuable and try to fill the
gap of knowledge and when more and more articles prove therapists are getting hurt, it could
Professional Seminar
In a professional seminar, we talked a lot about being culturally responsive and I think an
important way to be culturally responsive is to keep up to date on the data. Knowing what are the
common trends that are happening in various communities and identifying the barriers to social
determinants of health for different populations. This study by Synovec and Aceituno (2020)
highlights the cultural barriers for refugees to acclimate into new communities, highlighting how
access to healthcare, literacy, unemployment, food and nutrition, and transportation are being
identified as determinants to result in them being unhoused. Knowing where the problems are
being talked about for different populations and then implementing them when you work with
them.
Conclusion
I wanted to focus on the principle of being evidence-based and how important that is for
practice. Knowing how and why to critically assess information and come up with our inference.
No matter what, I’m being trained to be a generalized occupational therapist and I wanted my
https://doi.org/10.5014/ajot.2020.74S2001
Darragh, A. R., Huddleston, W., & King, P. (2009). Work-related musculoskeletal injuries and
Simó-Algado, S., Mehta, N., Kronenberg, F., Cockburn, L., & Kirsh, B. (2002). Occupational
https://doi.org/10.1177/000841740206900405
Synovec, C. E., & Aceituno, L. (2020). Social justice considerations for occupational therapy:
https://doi.org/10.3233/WOR-203074
Taylor, S., Elliott, C., McLean, B., Parsons, R., Falkmer, T., Carey, L. M., Blair, E., & Girdler, S.
(2022). Construct validity, reliability, and responsiveness of the Wrist Position Sense Test
for use in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. Australian Occupational Therapy