Observations of Occupational Therapist in a Preschool Craft Class

This article presents the observations of an occupational therapist in a preschool craft class. It discusses how the environment, tasks, and client affect performance. The article includes two individual child observations and sensory integrative observations. The subject is Occupational Therapy.

Running head: OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Name of the student:
Name of the university:
Author note:

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OCCUPATIONAL THERAPIST
Contexts/Environment - refer to OTPF to organize your observations related
to how aspects of the environment affect performance

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Temporal (refer to OTPF for related categories)
 Age of child
 Time of day and year
 Where the child is in relation to
routines/patterns of his/her day
The name of the child is Andy Smith. He is
five years two months. The observation is
taken in craft and activity class in the
preschool on 11th of July, 2018 at 12 noon.
Physical (refer to OTPF for categories):
 Briefly describe the physical contexts of
space - what does the space look and
feel like
 Reflect on how the space demands
affect the child’s performance
 What safety considerations can be
observed?
The children are seated in the craft room
which is not only spacious but also decorated
with colorful pictures and had lot of colorful
accessories that attract the children. The
children are seen to move freely throughout
the room to collect their necessary resources
required to complete their drawings and
crafts, the free environment with very little
obstructions gives the children to roams and
travel and interact with each other thereby
helping in a collaborative work output.
However, no heavy furniture, no tall
furniture and sharp objects are allowed
within the setting. First aid boxes are
present in good numbers.
Social (refer to OTPF)
 Who is present for the observation?
 How does that presence affect the
child’s performance?
 Does the child have the freedom to
pursue activities of their choice?
 What is the verbal and non-verbal
communication like?
Two craft teachers are present who are
instructing, advising and helping the
children to complete the activities that they
were asked to complete. The children are
very comfortable with the teacher and are
enjoying their presence. An observer is also
present but the children are too busy with
their work as they are enjoying it. The
children are given freedom to go all around
and take important accessories required for
their work. The teachers are seen to be
talking compassionately and gently with the
children and the later are also not fearful
but in turn comfortable in their presence.
Other Contexts You Feel Relate to the
Observation
The room is quite sunny and the walls are
painted brightly matching with the mood of
the student.
Tasks – refer to OTPF to organize your observations related to how aspects of
the tasks affect performance
General Descriptions of Tasks Observed Craft class where groups are made and
children are assigned with origami, clay
model preparation, drawings and scenarios,

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crafts with papers and others
Objects used/Properties Clay, paper, boards, color pencils, sketch
pains, rulers, ribbons, craft papers, glue and
others
Activities of the child:
 Do tasks seem familiar or novel?
 Does the child maintain focus or move
quickly from task to task?
 Are the materials suited to the child’s
developmental level ?
 What occupations do the activities
promote?
The child is quite attentive to the teacher
and has understood what the teacher had
advised. He collects all the important
resources required and sat on a table. The
materials that are used are safe for the
student and also attracts his attention. This
activity promotes creative thinking,
application of instructions to complete a
task, follow commands to complete a task,
enables effective skills to use hand for
making products, develops concentration
and cognitive ability
Client – look at OTPF to remind yourself of terminology, but use information
from Ayres and Course Manual for developmental information.
Individual child observations (brief statement of what the child was doing during the 30
minute observation)
The child was seen to be engrossed in the craft. He was preparing an origami of a cat, a dog and a
parrot. He was seen to follow the instruction of the teachers effectively. He was also seen helping
others and was quite efficient with the folds he was making on the paper. He was not fidgety or
restless. He was concentrating on his work entirely. He successfully completed two of the origami
and even went out the way and colored them appropriately. The teacher was impressed

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Sensory Integrative Observations (comment
on sensory input/integration most crucial to
observations of child)
 Vestibular/movement/bilateral integration
 Proprioceptive/praxis
 Tactile/modulation
 Visual/visual perception
The child was seen to be stable with his balance
and had proper movements. He responded to the
touch when his teacher patted him on his back.
He had clear visual perception.
Physical skills and attributes (refer to chpt 2
of Ayres for skills related to child’s
developmental level)
 Gross motor observations
 Fine motor observations
He was clear with the actions and was
completing hi work proactively, his motor skills
were fine and this could be observed with the
folds he was making with his hands and even
through the painting where the fingers of the
child was within his control and no colors went
outside the line. Such control over the motor

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 Movements controlled and precise or
extraneous and undirected?
 How does the child’s motor
coordination contribute to their
occupational development?
skills would help him to complete tasks
activities clearly, prevent falling of objects from
his hands, will develop proper writing styles
and conduct daily activities skillfully
Social-emotional development
 Does the child appear to be relaxed or
anxious?
 What is the child’s general attitude?
(relaxed, happy, casual, tense, hostile)
 Coping skills
The child was relaxed and happy with the work.
He was helping others and easily following the
advices of the teacher. He was not at all tensed.
Cognitive skills
 Communication – talking, following
directions
He was communicating with both the teachers
and other children politely. He had good
problem solving skills when his paper tore
midway. He did not got tensed and asked the

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 Curiosity and attention span
 Problem solving and persistence
teacher for advice he applied glue and attached
the paper. This showed he had good problem
solving skills. He was also curious about the
task but was attentive.
Second child:
Contexts/Environment - refer to OTPF to organize your observations related
to how aspects of the environment affect performance
Temporal (refer to OTPF for related categories)
 Age of child
 Time of day and year
 Where the child is in relation to
routines/patterns of his/her day
The name of the child is Nicki Brown. He is
five years three months. The observation is
taken in craft and activity class in the
preschool on 11th of July, 2018 at 12 noon.
Physical (refer to OTPF for categories):
 Briefly describe the physical contexts of
space - what does the space look and
feel like
 Reflect on how the space demands
affect the child’s performance
 What safety considerations can be
observed?
The second child is seen to roam around in
the classroom and the teacher is repeatedly
asking him to sit quietly. He is quite excited
in the craft room. He sits for a while and
then again starts to roam. The room is quite
spacious and the child is enjoying the large
space. He is seen running from one end to
another and is not attentive to the teacher.

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Safety aid boxes are kept for the students.
Moreover, the teachers have avoided use of
any sharp objects in the class. Even the
scissors can only cut papers and are not
harmful. However, the child is excited about
the colorful décor and is sen to be interested
in what activity he is going to do
Social (refer to OTPF)
 Who is present for the observation?
 How does that presence affect the
child’s performance?
 Does the child have the freedom to
pursue activities of their choice?
 What is the verbal and non-verbal
communication like?
The child is comfortable with the teacher but
he is not stable in their presence. An
observer is also present but the child is busy
with his work. However sometimes he is
becoming restless and going out of his place
to wander aimlessly. The child is given
freedom to go all around and take important
accessories required for his work. The
teachers are seen to be talking
compassionately and gently with the child
and the later are also not fearful but in turn
comfortable in their presence. However, at
times he is becoming inattentive and restless
and is missing out the advices of the
teachers.

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Other Contexts You Feel Relate to the
Observation
The walls are painted brightly, the room is
colorful and comfortable. There are ample
chair and tables that match their height. All
are matching with the mood of the student.
Tasks – refer to OTPF to organize your observations related to how aspects of
the tasks affect performance
General Descriptions of Tasks Observed Craft class is conducted. Here groups are
made by the teachers containing four
children and children are assigned with
different tasks. These are origami, clay
model preparation, drawings and scenarios,
crafts with papers and others
Objects used/Properties boards, color pencils, sketch pains, rulers,
ribbons, craft papers, glue, Clay, paper, and
others
Activities of the child:
 Do tasks seem familiar or novel?
 Does the child maintain focus or move
quickly from task to task?
 Are the materials suited to the child’s
developmental level ?
 What occupations do the activities
promote?
The child is quite inattentive to the teacher
and has not understood what the teacher
had advised mainly because he had missed
out on some important points. He goes to
collect all the important resources required
but only came with few as he had forgotten
some due to his restlessness and inattentive
nature. The materials that are used are safe
for the student and also attracts his
attention. This activity promotes creative
thinking, application of instructions to
complete a task, follow commands to
complete a task, enables effective skills to
use hand for making products, develops
concentration and cognitive ability.
However, it is of concern as the child is
mostly not attentive throughout the class.
Client – look at OTPF to remind yourself of terminology, but use information

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from Ayres and Course Manual for developmental information.
Individual child observations (brief statement of what the child was doing during the 30
minute observation)
The child failed to give close attention to details and made careless mistakes. He did not listen
attentively and faced difficulty with organization. Although he started with enthusiasm but soon
lost interest and stated the teacher that he was not looking to do the craft anymore. He was seen to
be distracted and forgetful throughout the task. He faced difficulty reaming seated and talked
excessively
Sensory Integrative Observations (comment
on sensory input/integration most crucial to
observations of child)
 Vestibular/movement/bilateral integration
 Proprioceptive/praxis
He was seen to fidget with the hands or feet. He
was also seen squirming his body while sitting
on chair. H e responded the teacher when his
teacher asked him whether he was not enjoying
the class. Although he was fidgety and restless,
his balance and movements were clear and his

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 Tactile/modulation
 Visual/visual perception
visions were fine.
Physical skills and attributes (refer to chpt 2
of Ayres for skills related to child’s
developmental level)
 Gross motor observations
 Fine motor observations
 Movements controlled and precise or
extraneous and undirected?
 How does the child’s motor
coordination contribute to their
occupational development?
He was seen to fidget with the hands or feet. He
was also seen squirming his body while sitting
on chair. He finds difficulty in engaging in
activities and us seen running about or climbing
excessively on others. He is seen to talk
excessively and blurts out answers before
questions are completed. Motor skills are quite
fast and sometimes incomplete. He also gets
distracted midways and do not complete the
motor skills.
Social-emotional development The child is very anxious and distracted.

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 Does the child appear to be relaxed or
anxious?
 What is the child’s general attitude?
(relaxed, happy, casual, tense, hostile)
 Coping skills
Although he is happy but is highly restlessness
and disturbs others without completing his
work. He interrupts others work. He has poor
coping skills. He could not understand the ways
to compete the task. He got irritated and was
seen roaming in classroom then.
Cognitive skills
 Communication – talking, following
directions
 Curiosity and attention span
 Problem solving and persistence
He was highly curious and inattentive. He
interrupted teachers and his friends while
communicating. He had poor problems solving
skills and got irritated when he could not finish
the task, as he did not listen to the instructions
properly.
Reflection:
The craft class provides a very god opportunity for the children to develop practical skills
to prepare objects with own hands, develop concentration, become more attentive to instructions
and advices, develop patience, brush up communication skills and many others. This session

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helps in development of intellectual, cognitive as well as motor abilities and thereby helps
individuals to be more skilled in conducting activities of daily lives (American Occupational
Therapy Association, 2014). This ensured occupational development as further schooling years
require students to develop abilities to be more concentrating, patience and skillful in their
academic life. They also learn to complete different kinds of daily activities like putting on
shoes, dressing, completing their own studies, participate in competitions and quizzes, take part
in co-curricular activities and others (Ayres & Robbins, 2005). No external barriers could be
found that could have obstructed the children from exhibiting their full potential. The class
environment was supportive and resources were present in excess. The craft sessions and
different activities that were planned by the teachers in a way that help in the occupational
development of children so that they gradually become independent with the different activities
of life and develop skills and knowledge about how to conduct different activities. Such tasks
helped in cognitive, intellectual and motor development of first child but could not help the later
child as he was seen to suffer from attention deficit hyperactivity disorder. I have seen that
occupational therapy sessions can help the children with ADHD to handle their schoolwork,
social life and home life successfully. They can help the child in different ways to make him
competent to conduct his daily activities successfully. I can play catching and hitting a ball with
the child to improve coordination. I can also uptake activities that would help him in working out
anger as well as depression. I can teach him new ways to learn daily activities like brushing
teeth, feeding him and getting dressed. I would also try out new techniques for improving focus,
practice handwriting, utilize innovative ways for teaching social skills, time management and set
up ways in the classroom for staying organized. From this activity, I learnt that a same task can
be done by different children in different ways and that every occupational therapist need to

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indentify the issues that the children face from their ways of working a particular occupation.
Therefore, it is the duty of the therapist to indentify the issues that the child is facing and then
develop interventions accordingly (Solomon & O;Brien, 2015). Every child had his or her own
needs and identifying the needs is one of the most important actions required.
References:
American Occupational Therapy Association. (2014). Occupational therapy practice
freamework: Domain & Process 3rd edition. Am J Occup Ther , 62 , 625-683.
Ayres, A. J., & Robbins, J. (2005). Sensory integration and the child: Understanding hidden
sensory challenges. Western Psychological Services.
Solomon, J. W., & O'Brien, J. C. (2015). Pediatric Skills for Occupational Therapy
Assistants–E-Book. Elsevier Health Sciences.