Occupational Therapy Settings: My Interests

     My first exposure to the field of occupational therapy was in a pediatric setting which led to my interest in becoming an occupational therapist. My younger cousin was diagnosed with polymicrogyria and as a result attended many forms of therapy including occupational therapy. I got to attend some of his sessions, which were in an outpatient clinic and would be classified as a private for profit agency where the funding comes from private investors. I loved getting to see him interact and learn through simple tasks and games that he had fun doing. From there I did more research and realized that being an occupational therapist that specializes in pediatrics was a perfect fit for my interests. I had the opportunity to shadow an occupational therapist at my cousin's school, which would be a public agency and founded by the government. There the main focus was on handwriting and it was with the whole class and so there was little individualized attention due to limitations of the OT's time. As of now I am pretty confident I want to work in pediatrics, however this could change throughout my time as a MOT student.