Blog 18: Third Answer

Content

EQ How can an occupational therapist best prepare a 4-8 year-old child

 with special needs to thrive in a social environment?

Answer #3 An OT can improve the child's self-awareness through various methods.

Detail 1 Self-awareness is when a person has the ability to be aware of his or her own cognitive functions, and the ability to self-monitor and self-correct behavior. An individual with impaired self-awareness may be unmotivated, uncooperative, displays poor judgement, and fails to see the need for compensatory strategies.

Detail 2 Goal attainment scaling (GAS) is a method to measure an individual's performance; it can be used to monitor one's participation. This is allows client-oriented goal and a track progress for the OT. An example, from OT practice is that the client, Samantha, set out a goal for her to maintain an appropriate volume voice. The OT would supervise and score her based on her behavior.

Detail 3 The other method OT practice mentions is video self-modeling (VSM) which is based on a theory where children learn social skills through watching. A child would watch him or herself perform a desired behavior. Like the GAS, the client or child would set a goal for themselves, in which they will practice.

According to Jennifer Flemming, a senior researcher in occupational therapy, "Self-Awareness".

According to Lauren Foster and Kelsey Lueger, from the OT practice magazine, "Model Behavior".

Conclusion Using one of the two methods to  increase a child's self-awareness will allow the child be conscious of his or her actions towards other, improving social skills.