Coursework & Fieldwork OTs Helping Indivduals with Developmental Disabilities

[TennesseeOT]

Hey guys,

So part of my doctoral program is designing an internship. My choice has been in educating rehab clincians on proper ways to approach the treatment of individuals with developmental disabilities (intellectual and physical disabilities occurring before age 21 that significantly impact daily living) in traditional rehab settings such ask inpatient rehab, SNF, etc. I have noticed in practice that many practitioners do not feel completely comfortable treating adult individuals in traditional rehab settings with these disabilities, particularly intellectual disabilities.

I wanted to get feedback. Do any of you feel that this is true of yourself or have you also noticed this trend? I want to try to narrow my focus so that my educational material is relevant and purposeful.

Thank you for taking the time to help with this. I welcome any feedback.

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[Bokonomy]

I'm a pre-OT student, but I work at a group home for developmental disabilities. We have practioners who are used to working with these populations, so sometimes it can be difficult to get them clinicians. I definitely think we need more sensitivity towards it.

 

[c2902]

I'm a Level II fieldwork student and I don't have firsthand clinical experience with the adult ID/DD population, but I would be willing to bet that lack of exposure is why. Depending on where you live, there may not have been any opportunities to spend much if any time with that population as an OT student (i.e., fieldwork, etc), and coming across the rare occurrence of a an adult client with ID/DD in another setting (i.e., acute care fieldwork placement) would not be enough to develop a comfort level.

 

[TennesseeOT]

I'm a Level II fieldwork student and I don't have firsthand clinical experience with the adult ID/DD population, but I would be willing to bet that lack of exposure is why. Depending on where you live, there may not have been any opportunities to spend much if any time with that population as an OT student (i.e., fieldwork, etc), and coming across the rare occurrence of a an adult client with ID/DD in another setting (i.e., acute care fieldwork placement) would not be enough to develop a comfort level.

I agree and I think this is where my concern is. Individuals in this population are not exempt from strokes, physical injuries, surgeries, etc. When they go into a hospital, inpatient rehab, SNF, or even outpatient rehab are they getting the best care that everyone else is receiving or are they falling through the cracks?