A look at activities that are beneficial in coping with cerebral palsy

A look at activities that are beneficial in coping with cerebral palsy Abstract Many individuals are born or struggle with some birth abnormalities. In this paper, cerebral palsy will be discussed. Cerebral palsy is a condition that damages the brain, classifying CP as an intellectual disability. This paper will discuss how CP affects a persons cognition and in that, affecting the way they communicate. An activity on communication management will be described using Cole’s 7 steps to breakdown how teens with CP will benefit from the activity. Occupational therapist play key roles in these types of interventions because they help individuals express and communicate emotions effectively and properly. Also, Allen’s Cognitive Disabilities frame of reference will be discussed providing reasoning supporting the activity chosen. Introduction: Group of 6 patients will walk into the room and sit down on chairs arranged in a circle. I will briefly introduce myself and say my name and my current mood. Then I will have the patients introduce themselves by stating their name and saying how they are currently feeling using a facial expression or gesture. Afterwards, I will conduct a small icebreaker that will allow patients to feel more comfortable about formulating conversation with others. I will have patients turn to the group member sitting next to them and start building a Jenga puzzle. Each Jenga wood block will contain a question both group members will have to answer about themselves. Each member will answer 3 questions and build the blocks. I will be walking around listening in and assisting the group members in answering the questions properly. After the time is up, I will introduce the next part of the activity, which is the Bingo Communication Card titles â€Å"Clever Communication Bingo†. I will then tell the patients to remain seated next to that group member because that will be their partner for the activity. Then I will give one Bingo Communication card to each group member and have him or her turn their chairs to face each other. Activity: I will begin by explaining the activity to the groups. So I will say, â€Å"okay everyone all eyes on me, this activity is a just like a game of bingo, for those of you that might not know what bingo is, bingo is a game where a coordinator calls out numbers randomly and the players mark off 5 numbers in a straight, horizontal or diagonal line, whoever is the first to match up the 5 numbers in a line wins! Now this time it’s a bit different, it’s the same idea but now under each number there will be a different form of communication, so some forms of communication you’ll find on the bingo card will be â€Å"tell your partner you appreciate them using 3 words† or â€Å" create a 5step hand shake† or â€Å" introduce yourself to peers using 2 sentences†. After I finish explaining how the game works, I will tell the patients that this isn’t a competition, everyone will be matching 5 numbers in a line, and that at the end each gr oup will receive a bingo completion award for effective communication skills. After that, I will begin to call out numbers and the patients will listen and check off with a marker the number called. Every time they check off a number they will have to communicate or express what is under the number checked off. I will give the patients time to perform what is under is each number and assist them if they get stuck in a thought or don’t know how to communicate something. After three numbers called I will congratulate each group for effectively communicating with each other despite constant assistance and let them know the activity is about to be over. Once every team completes a set of 5, they will receive the completion award. Sharing: After completing this activity the group members will sit back in a circle and share some thoughts about the activity. I will ask them to hold up their bingo card and point out which communication form was most difficult. Processing: I will ask the group 3 questions about the activity. I will ask each member how he or she felt about this activity and to give me an overall feeling about it so I’d ask, â€Å" how did you feel about this communication activity?† â€Å"Do you think this was a good way of trying out different ways of communication?† â€Å"Do you think this can help you in the outside world?†. After getting their feedback I will be able to see if the patients improved their communication management skills from the time they started the session till when they finished. Generalizing: After getting an overall feel of how the group felt, I will analyze the responses and seeing what drove the energy of the group. What were the difference and similarities in answers within group members. Open-ended questions will be most appropriate in this stage. Application: In this step I will give some short examples of everyday life scenarios in which these different communication skills will be applied. I will tell the patients how some of the communication techniques will be appropriate to use with different people like family members, friends and teachers. Summary: I will end the session by stating the most important aspects of this activity. I will refocus the patients and make sure they understood and learned some techniques for communication management with others. I will also encourage patients to try and implement the skills learned today in their everyday lives. I will make sure that they leave the session knowing that the skills learned and practiced today will be useful to them for the rest of their lives. Time and Place: Patients will be meeting in a spacious room at Keiser University with several windows that have a sky view. The room will be around 74 degrees making it nice and cool for proper concentration. I will assure that lights aren’t too dimmed nor too bright. All the materials will already be set up for patients ready for when they arrive. There will be tables’ spread out to assure enough space for activity and chairs made into a circle. And lastly, room won’t be overly decorated, this will help patents stay focused on task and not wonder around with their eyes.