{"id":1201,"date":"2015-12-15T14:30:04","date_gmt":"2015-12-15T19:30:04","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/groups.etown.edu\/ot\/?p=1201"},"modified":"2015-12-15T10:14:15","modified_gmt":"2015-12-15T15:14:15","slug":"the-power-of-a-simple-touch","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/groups.etown.edu\/ot\/2015\/12\/15\/the-power-of-a-simple-touch\/","title":{"rendered":"The Power of a Simple Touch"},"content":{"rendered":"

This blog post is brought to you by Etown alumna, Arlynn Polsky Paris, MS, OTR\/L, (’88)<\/strong>.<\/span><\/span><\/p>\n

I have been a therapist for almost 30 years. \u00a0 But I am still learning…. \u00a0I learn from books, journals, other therapists, teachers and patients\/students….. \u00a0This is what happened to me earlier in December. It changed my heart.<\/p>\n

\"Two<\/a><\/div>\n
\n

Steven (not his real name) is a teenager. \u00a0He has a developmental level which allows him to interact with his environment at the level of an infant. \u00a0His motor control is severely limited with very little head control, slight shoulder movement and contractures in his hands and legs. He typically keeps his arms extended by his sides. \u00a0He is fed via a PEG tube and is dependent on a wheelchair and someone to push him for mobility. \u00a0 Steven is able to communicate via smiling and crying. He loves to listen to Jazz music and likes to be “rough housed.” \u00a0The music makes him calm and the rough housing makes him smile. \u00a0When he cries, it is heart breaking and frustrating because it is hard to figure out why he is sad\/mad\/uncomfortable. \u00a0So just like a content baby…. if he is happy people don’t “mess” with him.\u00a0<\/span><\/span>\u00a0I was scheduled to do an OT evaluation on this student in his classroom to determine if he was still eligible for therapy services in school and at what level. \u00a0Steven was “new” to me because he was evaluated previously by another therapist\u00a0(I started this job a few months ago)\u00a0and he did not have direct therapy services – consultation only.<\/p>\n

\"clasped<\/a>When I did my evaluation I did not want to startle him and make him cry – so before moving him I began to interact by\u00a0touching his arms…. he began to visibly relax and then when I stopped, he moved his arms back to me. It seemed very obvious that he wanted it to continue. As I talked to his aide we realized that no one really touches him except to move him or complete his “care”. So…. I spent the next 30 minutes playing with his arms, hands, legs and feet. \u00a0During that time he didn’t cry at all (we turned his music off to see what would happen \u00a0usually when the music stops, he cries) – but he smiled<\/span>, made eye contact<\/span> and held his arms in front of his body<\/span> instead of hanging at his sides. This made ME smile and want to cry at the same time. How sad it must be to not know touch. \u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n

The lesson I learned …. touch seems like something that should be easy to give. \u00a0But at times it is taken for granted and \u00a0when we make the effort – it is a gift that is more valuable than you could ever imagine.<\/span><\/span><\/div>\n
\nThe benefits of touch have been researched and documented. \u00a0It seems like we should ALL know about how important it is – maybe we do and have just forgotten…. for all of us who need a reminder –<\/p>\n<\/div>\n

Touch helps to<\/span>:<\/p>\n