OccupationalTherapy.com Phone: 866-782-9924


Pediatric Trauma-Induced Conditions: Occupational Therapy Intervention Across the Continuum of Care

Pediatric Trauma-Induced Conditions: Occupational Therapy Intervention Across the Continuum of Care
Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L
May 27, 2016
Share:

Introduction and Overview

I currently work in an outpatient setting as part of a neuro rehabilitation team. We take children who have suffered a traumatic event directly from inpatient rehab. We are able to see them at a higher frequency, and with more coordinated care than a typical outpatient setting. Prior to working here, I spent nine years working with pediatric burns in ICU, acute care, and inpatient rehabilitation settings.

Throughout my career, I have been fortunate to be able to watch kids evolve over time. I have seen them on the day of admission, just hours after their injury occurred. I have worked with them in all stages of their healing process, beginning with survival in the ICU, and transitioning to acute care; then returning to function in inpatient rehab, and finally going home and participating in outpatient rehab. Even though it's the same child and the same family, OT intervention evolves over time.

For the purposes of today’s session, I will cover some common conditions which result from pediatric trauma, and discuss how the focus of care changes over the full course of care. Although none of us work in all these areas of care at one time, I think it's tremendously helpful at any point in treatment to know where a child has been, and where they are going. We will not go into detail today on specific treatments (e.g., constraints, Kinesio taping, e-stim, etc.). Those things are the “frosting.” Today, we will discuss “baking the cake.” Baking a solid cake from the basic ingredients -- first things first.

Post-Trauma Continuum of Care

The role of the pediatric occupational therapist is to facilitate participation in age appropriate occupations. This holds true when working with children with complex medical conditions from traumatic events, including any incident which causes significant injury. However, when a child experiences significant trauma, the family must adjust and cope with differences in their loved one, post incident. Changes may range from minor deficits to significant changes in personality, appearance, and/or abilities. Regardless of the nature of the trauma, or its resulting medical conditions, the therapist must be prepared for heightened emotions and rapidly changing needs of the child and caregiver, post trauma.

With this population, the therapist facilitates the child's rehabilitation toward previous function across the continuum of care. This may include the intensive care unit (ICU), acute care, inpatient rehabilitation, and outpatient rehabilitation within the community. The role of the OT may change frequently, according to the child's medical and psychosocial status. The therapist's approach is determined by the child's injuries, his or her developmental stage, and the family's educational needs and priorities.

Post-Trauma Occupational Therapy Interventions

Provision of care for children post-trauma is complex and dynamic, with each child and caregiver presenting of a multitude of therapy needs. To ensure holistic care and support progress, the occupational therapist intensively utilizes different, but intimately intertwined, intervention types. The therapist uses preparatory methods to remediate client factors, including the injured body structures and impaired body functions. He or she uses purposeful and occupation-based activities to rehabilitate the child's participation in meaningful occupation. Both caregivers and children require educational intervention, including supports and problem solving.

It's also important to remember how our interventions come into play in several overlapping areas. We use therapeutic use of self in working with caregivers, providing grief support and education, as well as working with other professionals on the team. Education must also occur with respect to every part of this multi-disciplinary team, and with respect to the stage of grief that the parent or child is in. Grieving waxes and wanes with the impact from interaction with the team, and based on how much information is being provided.

 

patti sharp

Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L

Dr. Patti Sharp is an occupational therapist with 17 years of pediatric experience. She has practiced in several specialty areas, including burns, neurorehabilitation, brachial plexus injury, cerebral palsy, and aquatic OT. She is a Certified Instructor for the Cognitive Orientation approach to Occupational Performance (CO-OP) method and leads the Developmental Coordination Disorder (DCD) clinical specialty team at Cincinnati Children’s Hospital. Patti is also adjunct instructor at the University of Cincinnati and is passionate about sharing knowledge with colleagues, students, patients, and families.



Related Courses

Continued Conversations, The CE Podcast: Functional Goal Setting in Pediatrics
Presented by Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L
Audio
Course: #4414Level: Introductory1 Hour
This course reviews the role of goal-setting in occupational therapy practice. The presenter and host attempt to reconcile differences between their own professional experience with goal-setting, historical precedent, current practice, and current evidence-based recommendations.

Comprehensive Management of Developmental Coordination Disorder
Presented by Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L
Video
Course: #3674Level: Intermediate2 Hours
This course is designed to help occupational therapists identify, screen, assess, and treat children with coordination and motor planning difficulties. Recommendations are based on the most recent clinical and neuroimaging research available.

Continued Conversations, The CE Podcast: Evidence-Based Interventions in Pediatric Occupational Therapy
Presented by Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L
Audio
Course: #4461Level: Intermediate1 Hour
This course presents a discussion about the role and importance of evidence-based practice. The conversation is centered around a landmark systematic review (Novak & Honan, 2019) which provides new recommendations for the use of OT interventions in pediatrics.

Cerebral Palsy Review: Clinical Presentation, Evaluation, And Diagnosis
Presented by Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP
Video
Course: #5515Level: Introductory1.5 Hours
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in children, affecting 1-4 out of every 1,000 live births around the world. Information on etiology, early warning signs, evaluation, and diagnosis of children with CP will be reviewed. Various CP classifications will be discussed, as well as recommendations for assessment tools.

Cerebral Palsy Review: Medical And Therapy Management
Presented by Patti Sharp, OTD, MS, OTR/L, BCP
Video
Course: #5516Level: Introductory1.5 Hours
Cerebral Palsy (CP) is the most common physical disability in children, affecting 1-4 out of every 1,000 live births around the world. Evidence-based medical, surgical, and therapeutic interventions are recommended for use with children with CP to facilitate improved functional participation and will be discussed in this course.

Our site uses cookies to improve your experience. By using our site, you agree to our Privacy Policy.