Jade Clawson

3-15-19
Pediatrics Reflection

When I visited Salt Lake Community College Eccles Early Child Development Lab School, I
was able to observe many unique personalities. It was fascinating to see the positive and
negative attitudes the children exhibited as well as the patience and attitudes the teachers had
towards each child. During the thirty minutes I was given to observe, I gained a greater
understanding of how unique individuals require unique responses and attention to specific
situations. I also learned how important it was to have an environment that supports learning,
creativity, safety, and positivity.

Patience is vital when it comes to working with people and patients of all ages. Those
who require physical therapy are usually experiencing frustration which can be expressed in a
variety of ways. Being patient with everyone I come in contact with will show each individual
that I truly care about their recovery. Identifying the patient’s attitude is an important aspect in
understanding how to adapt the approach to working with that patient. Not only is identifying
the patient’s attitude critical, but it is also important that I ensure my own attitude is positive
and appropriate in order to maximize the patient’s cooperation and their overall therapeutic
outcome.

While observing the children, I came to realize how different and unique each individual
was. This realization will be no different in all aspects of physical therapy. The children do not
all learn or follow instructions at the same pace or in the same way. There will be patients that I
will need to spend additional time with to ensure techniques and return demonstrations are
appropriate to maximize recovery.

The final observation I had at Eccles Early Child Development Lab School was how much
the environment plays a role in learning. The environment was full of colors and toys.
Everything seemed to be age appropriate for the children and facilitated a happy, creative, and
safe environment. Likewise, the environment and equipment in all physical therapy locations
should be tailored to suit the needs of the patients we are currently working with.

I enjoyed the time I was allotted to observe the children at Eccles Early Child
Development Lab School. It was truly a good opportunity to see how children interact with one
another and to recognize the many differences in each of them. Overall, the experience made
me critically think about how my interaction with future patients needs to be positive, safe, and
unique to each individual.