“a particularly effective form of communicating (non-verbal) support, which in addition facilitates the formation and maintenance of social bonds, is touch”
von Mohr et al 2021
Read more here: https://royalsocietypublishing.org/doi/10.1098/rsos.210287
If you were not at the RCOT Conference, you have missed the opportunity to hear Alexis speak with powerful words about her experience as an autistic person being detained under the Mental Health Act, her escape to Lagos and her return to the UK to tell her story and advocate for improved support and care for autistic people within the mental health system.
It’s not too late to register for the RCOT Annual Conference, and with conference materials available for the next 6 months, the £99 registration fee, with a chance to hear Alexis’ story and her clear understanding of what OT can offer to the healthcare system, it’s great value for money CPD.
Here is a video of her speaking on Youtube.
Alexis’ Story can also be read in her book,
A great clip from the BBC – with input from Dr Susan Whitbourne who has been providing insight into our behaviours throughout this pandemic.
Creating Sensory Ladders online during telehealth has been one way OT’s across the UK have been supporting the mental health of children, teens, adults and students manage their health and well-being during COVID lockdown. You can see some of these and read more here. http://www.sensoryladders.org
If you have made a Sensory Ladder during Covid-19 you are happy to share, please post to our Sensory Ladder FB page community or send to us via our Contact Us link on this website.
‘But, in our brains, there’s a lot of screaming going on right now…’
Whitbourne, Susan (2020)
You can read the full article here.
https://www.magzter.com/article/Culture/The-Walrus/Your-Brain-on-COVID-19
Dr Whitbourne’s commentary and views about why some people felt and may still feel that they won’t be affected by this virus is fascinating and will help healthcare professionals understand why some people struggle with the idea of lockdown and guidance on social distancing. https://www.psychologytoday.com/gb/blog/fulfillment-any-age/202004/why-do-some-people-think-theyre-invulnerable-covid-19
A new article has been published which adds more to that we know about deprivation on development of the mind, body and brain.
Millions of children worldwide live in nonfamilial institutions. We studied impact on adult brain structure of a particularly severe but time-limited form of institutional deprivation in early life experienced by children who were subsequently adopted into nurturing families. Institutional deprivation was associated with lower total brain volume in a dose-dependent way. Regionally specific effects were seen in medial prefrontal, inferior frontal, and inferior temporal areas. Deprivation-related alterations in total brain volume were associated with lower intelligence quotient and more attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms; alterations in temporal volume seemed compensatory, as they were associated with fewer attention deficit/hyperactivity disorder symptoms. We provide evidence that early childhood deprivation is related to alterations in adult brain structure, despite environmental enrichment in intervening years.
Read more here: https://www.pnas.org/content/early/2020/01/01/1911264116
The beneficial effects of enriched environments have been established through a long history of research. Enrichment of the living conditions of captive animals in the form of larger cages, sensory stimulating objects, and opportunities for social interaction and physical exercise, has been shown to reduce emotional reactivity, ameliorate abnormal behaviors, and enhance cognitive functioning. Recently, environmental enrichment research has been extended to humans, in part due to growing interest in its potential therapeutic benefits for children with neurodevelopmental disorders (NDDs). This paper reviews the history of enriched environment research and the use of enriched environments as a developmental intervention in studies of both NDD animal models and children. We argue that while environmental enrichment may sometimes benefit children with NDDs, several methodological factors need to be more closely considered before the efficacy of this approach can be adequately evaluated, including: (i) operationally defining and standardizing enriched environment treatments across studies; (ii) use of control groups and better control over potentially confounding variables; and (iii) a comprehensive theoretical framework capable of predicting when and how environmental enrichment will alter the trajectory of NDDs.
Read more here: https://www.frontiersin.org/articles/10.3389/fpsyg.2019.00466/full
AOTA has really helpful and supportive articles right now – promoting the best clinical practice, with an emphasis on participation in occupation.
This article is particularly pertinent to OT’s using ASI theory and practice to create therapeutic environments supporting and scaffolding participation in daily life for those with trauma.
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