OTA students learn hands-on skills with free pediatric assessments

KOKOMO, Ind. - Rory May giggles with glee as she sweeps her arm into the tower of wooden blocks she just stacked, sending them flying across the floor mat to approving applause from her mom and other nearby adults.

As far as the two-year-old knows, she's participating in a delightful game with new friends - but those friends are students in Indiana University Kokomo's Occupational Therapy Assistant program, who are learning to assess pediatric clients with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales.

Students Kaylynn Herr and Bailey Harness direct Rory through a series of tasks, which look like games but are actually assessments of her fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. Christina Douglas, OTA program director and clinical assistant professor, helped gain Rory's trust, as she was a little reluctant to participate at first - just one of the real-world challenges of working with pediatric clients.

"I was nervous because she didn't seem open to working with us," Harness said, adding that she understood because her parents have said she was wary of strangers as a child.

"I think if I were meeting two people and having them want to do activities with me, I'd be nervous, too," said Harness, from Twelve Mile.

Rory's mother, Hailey May, told them the toddler likes to do what big sister Maci does, so they observed what the 5-year-old was doing across the room with another group of OTA students, and switched to the same activity.

"Maci built a big tower. Can you build a bigger one?" Douglas asked, drawing her into play. They went back to the original activity, drawing with a crayon, when Rory was more comfortable with them.

Across the room, Maci chattered away about her favorite game at Chuck E. Cheese's, and about her recent birthday, as she demonstrated how she can cut a straight line with scissors, and how she can string blocks on a long shoelace.

Maci is the main reason Hailey May chose to participate in assessments.

"She's going to kindergarten in the fall, and I wanted to measure where she is on a baseline," she said. "Rory takes her time with things, and we wanted to see where she's at, too."

She also wanted to help the IU Kokomo students prepare for future pediatric clients by getting real experience with children.

Herr, from Greentown, appreciated the chance to work with the children.

"It gives us first-hand experience with a child and a caregiver to see what the dynamics are of working in that setting," she said. "Most of the time we practice on other students, so it's nice to have new people to perform these assessments."

After the 40-minute session, students wrote up letters for the caregivers of each child, providing the child's age equivalent in fine motor skills and eye-hand coordination. They also planned activities for each child to meet their developmental needs.

Douglas said if there are any delays or concerns noted, she talks about those and connects the adults to community resources if they are interested. The children, their caregivers, and the IU Kokomo students all benefit from the experience.

"Through this service-learning opportunity, students learn to administer and score one of the most commonly used assessment measures in pediatric occupational therapy practice," she said. "They learn to design customized sessions that aim to meet the specific developmental needs of that child. The families return in two weeks, and the students then get to implement their plans and provide parent education targeted to helping parents know what developmental skills would be best to target next for their child."

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