Meet Occupational Therapist, Elizabeth (Bubba)!

Elizabeth (Bubba), occupational therapist, shares her story!

"I was placed at Little Light House for my occupational therapy doctoral capstone project last February, and shortly after graduating school, I began working as an OT here. One thing I always say about Little Light House to people who ask me is that everyone here is doing OT, whether they realize it or not. I even feel like the OT’s are doing a little bit of teaching. What this means is that everybody here is doing a little bit of everything - speech, OT, PT, and teaching - all together. The disciplines here really are so fluid, and it definitely is a transdisciplinary approach. It is cool to see. The kids are getting every discipline all day long, and it is so beneficial for them. Everything here is very inclusive, and we are all working together on everything the kids need all the time. 

One of the big things that I focus on for my overall OT treatment is getting the kids as independent as possible. Things like feeding themselves, following directions, participating in their school routine, playing with toys, putting objects into containers, color, etc. can help them gain independence. When I work one on one with the kids, they love to sit and bounce on the therapy ball. The whole time they are having a blast bouncing, they don’t realize I am actually helping them to engage their stomach or core muscles for better balance. I may have them put shapes into a shape sorter or do a simple shape puzzle to work on grasping while they sit on the ball as well. I have found that bouncing on the ball can be used as a reward for participating in an activity.

​The children in the yellow room are all under age 3, so developmentally, I am working on things like pointing, using two fingers in a pincer grasp to pick something up rather than them grabbing it with their hold hand, or picking up their food and bringing it to their mouth. There are so many ways to play with a child that can promote their development, and that is why it is so much fun.

 I actually feel like today I experienced one of my most favorite days since working here. A little boy I was working with started crawling for the first time. It was like I could just see it click for him. He got up on his hands and knees and crawled toward what he wanted. I was at such a loss for words when I saw it! It is things like that that make it so worthwhile working here. You will think, I wonder when this will click, and then it does, and you see a child do something that you have never seen them do before. All of sudden they are talking when they weren’t talking before, or feeding themselves for the first time, etc. Kids are always advancing and making improvements, even in as little time as a week, and it is so cool to see that happen.
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I feel like LLH is the ultimate place for a child with special needs. The children here will get what they need. We have children with varying needs and diagnoses, but they are all getting treated equally, while still getting what they need individually. If a child needs it, LLH makes it happen. They find the funds. They find the people, and they do it. There really is no place like Little Light House!"