Pediatric Fieldwork Level I
Students will obtain clinical experience in pediatric specialty area. FW sites will be arranged by OTA faculty and will consist of 30 hours of off-campus observation and participation at a pediatric facility. Designated as a service-learning course.
Service Learning Project: Weighted Vest
For my service learning project, my field work educator asked me to make a weighted vest for a couple of children that he is currently working with. Weighted vests provide deep pressure on the muscles and joints of children who wear them, and gives them the proprioceptive input their body craves. They are beneficial to children with autism and other disorders, because the added weight can help calm them when they are feeling overwhelmed or distressed. The added weight can also help a child to become less distracted and gives them the ability to focus on tasks for longer periods of time.
To start my project, I went to the Deseret Industries and purchased a children’s size vest. This cost me about $4.00. I then went to Walmart and bought B.B.’s, to fill ½ lb bean-bags with. These cost me $20.00. I have plenty of extra material around, so that was no problem. I made 14 bean-bags filled with ½ lb of B.B.’s each, which totaled 7lbs, and sewed 6 extra pockets on the outside of the vest. I figured they could use the side pockets that were already there, and the hood of the jacket I sewed down the middle to make 2 more pockets.
Altogether this took me about 4 hours to complete, and cost about $24.00.