I graduated from OT School in 1998. Ever since then, there was a constant search &quest about what to do, how can I be better in whatever I do. I am dealing with children with neuro diversity & their families. The focus was always on how they can function better. How can they carry out their self-care and their daily routine? With my analytical lens, I used to try to nail down the problem by analysing their impairments and what we see with children with developmental conditions. For example: difficulty in walking, sitting, tightness in their body, their vision, hearing issues, feeding issues & so on. The list of concerns was endless & so the list of wishes.

Children with neuro- motor impairments present with a wide range of impairments from birth across life span.

As an occupational therapist my major role was to make them independent. My focus was on the child’s abilities in the process of developing them, I was consciously evolving my thought process. I was shifting gears, adapting different lenses through my constant learning & passion to dive deeper in the matter of BRAIN.. How can they use their abilities better & efficiently & how can they enjoy & participate in life skills to the best of their abilities? Why they do what they do, there is always a reason for behaviour. This is always an answer to the why of the way they move and use our body in space.

In my journey with children & families I evolved in my definition of Occupational therapy.

It’s not just developing fine motor, or writing skills, or visual perceptual skills required for the task, or making them walk or attend to the classroom.

Its moment-by-moment observation process, putting your mind in the mind of a child & bringing the best out of him. In the whole process of assessment & intervention my connection with the child & the parent was the most critical component.

Keeping in mind scientific pieces & merging it into the play is an art. Thinking about holism, making therapeutic process fun & enjoyable yet optimally challenging  should become soul of treatment session with the child for any OT

As a paediatric therapist, I used to think earlier that the child first. But you cannot address the child alone out of his context. His context includes where he lives, spends most of the time, his environment. That includes his family, school, peer group and so on, these are important contextual factors which are going to give him enriching experiences to support his growth.

There comes first aha moment.