Thursday 26 April 2012

Blogs of interest

Hi Everyone =)

This week i have searched the internet and found interesting blogs about different occupational therapy scopes that you may be interested in.

Check them out i have linked them to my page on the right hand side

In particular I found this blog posting very interesting about breakfast club click here to check it out

Monday 9 April 2012

Internet and online communities

In this posting I am going to hyperlink three different website around sensory. I will discuss the sites purpose, ethics, the limitations and benefits if any and relate in to occupational justice, occupational deprivation and occupational disruption.


Link one is a youtube channel created by a multi sensory room specialist in the United Kingdom. The intended purpose of the youtube channel is to provide videos of different sensory equipment, the specifications of the equipment and who the equipment caters for. I found the youtube channel extremely interactive as you can ask questions on the main page of the channel, on the different videos being posted which are public so anyone viewing the site can answer or interact with you. People can also contribute by video linking a response. This means that someone can post a video on the original video posting of a response or with questions on different equipment. 

The reason I feel people contribute to this particular community is because they have either trialed the different equipment for sensory needs or are seeking more information on the equipment. I feel the information being shared on the channel is reciprocal as many people are accessing the videos and community to ask questions and share information. 

The youtube channel relates to both concepts occupational disruption and occupational justice. This being it related to occupational disruption as many of the questions are about how different sensory inputs are affecting their childrens ability to cope with basic tasks on a daily basis. It also however can be related to occupation justice as it shares different equipment used, personal stories on what stratgies has worked for their children, which could enable that individual to have better sensory input and function better on a daily basis.

 The ethical issues with this community is that is lacks in accountability. It can be accessed by millions of people and that it is not moderated for incorrect information being given by a member of the site or for comments that do not relate. I feel the benefit of this community compared to our geographic community is that the information that is legitamite and useful is reaching a larger population and different countries will have different resources available and because this is an international community it could be very useful.


Link two


Link two is a NewZealand based online community about different trialed ideas and learning activities around autistic children with sensory needs. This website shares the different testimonials and ideas around different activites for educational purposes. The website is interactive in the form that it has many different ideas on the topic and explains how it caters to the sensory needs. It also has a communication page on the site where members can post different ideas and things to try, also you can email the websites administrator if you do not want to ask the quesition publically.

The reason I feel people are using the site is either they are looking for educational information on sensory needs around the autistic spectrum or they are sharing their personal stories and advice of their experiences with people with autisim. The site is reciprical as it is a forum where people post information although it is unknown how many people email the site administrator so it could also be seen as one way.

This site relates to both occupational justice and occupational deprivation as both are clearly seen in the personal stories where the families involved have written about their failures and successes with the different stuff available, and how the resources have helped their child function better daily and therefore are no longer deprived of occupations and have occupational justice.

The ethics taken into consideration I feel is that the questions can be shared publically or privately and that the site has a site moderator. I feel the benefit of this community compared to our geographic community is that although this is a NewZealand based website it reaches every part of NewZealand and is a place where people can meet who have sensory issues and the website seems safe and very positive. 


Link three 


Link three is a facebook group called raising a sensory smart child. The site is written by one administrator who shares their ideas or asks questions to their followers. I found the website not as interactive as the previous two but still had a aspect of interaction. The followers respond to each other and the questions that the administrator had asked but the only contribution the members have on the site is answering each others questions, however most questions were directly related to the group administrator. 


The reason I feel people are using the site is because the administrator of the site is an author who writes around the different sensory topics and therefore the group members may have enjoyed the books or find her knowledge very useful with their own or families sensory needs. I found this site to be very more one way as the advice is generally only given from the site administrator and questions are generally directed at the site administrator as well. 


This site relates more towards occupational justice as the site shares very valuable information and knowledge that the administrator has on the different syndommes and disorders that can be related to having sensory issues. It also shares how to deal or manage the issues related to sensory problems. It also relates to occupational deprivation as some of the stories shared on the facebook group I found were really sad and those affected by sensory issues were very much deprived of meaningful occupations due to sensory overload or different calming and alerting senses. 


The ethics I feel that are taken into consideration is that their is one administrator who can remove any member or comment from the group and the content shared is fairly positive. I feel the benefits of the group is that like link one it is international so information can reach a wider audience and different equipment is talked about from te different countries.





Tuesday 3 April 2012

video production - Sensory modulation, therapy and disorder

While on fieldwork one i worked in mental health and addiction services. During this placement i helped create a sensory room and learned alot about sensory modulation and the effects it can have on ones life and mental state. Sensory modulation is using standerdised tests to determine which different senories calms and alerts you e.g. a fluffy dog or a weighted blanket and sensory therapy is creating different ways to get the positive sensory stimulations.