We're making cake!

(Ellen Mitchell) As an Occupational Therapist student, we're looking at activities of daily living, and how our client can most participate in those.  Go through rehabilitation and therapy through activity.  We're trying to make it as fun as possible.

(Roni Gagnon) She loves coming here.  She gets excited about coming here.  So yeah, she always looks forward to therapy.

(Nick Mariano) A large portion of working with children is just getting them on your side,  so that they'll be willing to play with you because really you're asking them to do things that otherwise are a challenge for them or otherwise can be difficult for them.  We're doing a lot of activities for daily living, so addressing things even like brushing hair or cutting toe-nails. Things that otherwise at home they are having a great challenge with.

(OT) Keep those hips up.
Ok, nice try.

(Gagnon) One of the things that she's worked on here: fine motor skills, some of her growth motor skills like balance, and things like that.  It's a great program.  The students are just really wonderful with her.  Their attitudes are fantastic, they're open to trying new things, they do a really in-depth interview in the beginning so they have a good idea of who she is as a person, what her issues are,  and then they tailor-make a program just specifically for her needs to help her improve the problems she may be experiencing.

(Mariano) Really nice opporturnity for the students to get a hands-on exposure.

(Mitchell) It's a great time to do trial and error with someone also watching us and  making sure we're on the right track.

(Mariano) What I'm looking at is: Are they practicing safe techniques?  Are they giving that child an appropriate challenge?  Are they operating on that child's level?

(Mitchell) When the supervisor walks up immediately, you want to freeze because you're not sure what to do, but we've had so much training that it just clicks.

(Gagnon) It's a really positive experience for the kids.  And they learn and it's also really contributing to the experience of the future OTs who are going to be in the schools, who are going to be working with your children over the years.

(OT) Go!
Go faster
All the way to Rachel.