Pediatric Fieldwork Reflective Report

Prior to this fieldwork experience I was certain I would not be able to work in a pediatric setting. This was because, I had very few experiences being around children for long periods of time and the minimum exposure I had were awkwardly silent, uncomfortable encounters for both me and the child. Therefore, when I heard about this fieldwork experience I was not looking forward to it. However, upon completing each meeting session and the observation, my perspective on being a pediatric occupational therapy have changed. During this experience, I have learned various helpful lessons and techniques to use when interacting with children, both in professional and personal setting.
During the first meeting one of the lessons I learned was to ignore unacceptable but intentional behaviors exhibited by the child in order to get their own way. By giving the child space and ignoring the behavior, the child is able to think about what they did and apologize for their behavior. Ignoring the child’s deliberate behaviors worked well during various phases of difficult times throughout the fieldwork. It was fascinating to see how the response from the adult influenced the child’s behavior.
Apart from learning how to deal with difficult behaviors, running the groups as a leader or …show more content…
This mindset was both my strength and weakness during this experience. It was my weakness because it made me hesitate to try different approaches in fear of being wrong and having the student react negatively. Nonetheless, it was my strength because it made me more curious and open to know more about everything I was not aware of. Observing others then building on the techniques they used to approach the student worked well for me. Upon completion of this fieldwork experience I believe there is still a lot of room for improvement in my communication and practical skills within the pediatric