Liz Burton MOT/S

The Locus of Control term was a topic foreign to me prior our Leadership asynchronous learning session. After browsing various resources, I feel confident in not only explaining what the Locus of Control is, but, how identifying it within ourselves can be beneficial in our individual journeys in life.  The Locus of Control is all about how we react to life's twists and turns, successes and failures, and ups and downs. For some, they may have an internal Locus of Control, in which when experiencing successes,  the individual contributes this to their own hard-work and/or personal attributes. On the other hand, when someone with internal LoC experiences a hardship, this amounts to a feeling of inadequacy and resulting in negative self-talk. However, someone with external LoC attributes their accomplishments to luck, chance, or fate and their hardships to external problems or people. It's important to note that an individual can shift between the two internal and external LoC'

 My client has suffered a complete C7 Spinal Cord Injury resulting in loss of sensation in everything distal to injury level, as well as flaccid paralysis of both upper and lower extremities. The client wears a Halo Brace, only tolerates up to 10 minutes of upright sitting, and requires maximum assistance for ADL’s, transfers, and mobility.  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GNdUOrYphg8 Reflection A few values my client holds important include his wife and family, his small business, and his Korean culture. His concerns include understanding his injury and outcomes, and he expresses this with his major frustration. One of the goals he has is to provide for his family and regain strength and independence needed to be discharged to a rehabilitative hospital.  With all of this in mind, I wanted to focus my OT intervention on body positioning, mental health promotion, and client/caregiver education. By using a sturdy, laminated manila folder and metal clip, I am to provide a base and stand f

In this TedTalk, Kristen Powers talks about her personal experience with Huntington's Disease, and how it has shaped her outlook on life and how she chooses to pursue living it to the fullest.  (Click here to watch)  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l6JiBiMqiI4 Kristen speaks about her mom's experience with Huntington's, and gives the analogy of if someone was to combine Parkinson's Disease, Dementia, Alzheimer's, ALS, and Bipolar Disorder, you would get some kind of variation of HD. Huntington's Disease is a genetic and progressive neurological disease that results in the inability to walk and communicate. To learn more facts about HD, click the link below: https://www.yourgenome.org/facts/what-is-huntingtons-disease I think it is important to not only acknowledge the stress and burden the individual diagnosed with Huntington's Disease faces, but also the caregiver's future responsibilities and emotions as well. Kristen touches on a very sensitive subjec

 Parkinson’s Disease is a progressive neurological disorder that causes shaking, stiffness, and problems with coordination.  Here are some of the quick facts:  Parkinson’s Disease affects more men than women  One of the main risk factors includes an increase in age, especially the ages of 60 and above  Occurs when the neurons responsible for movement die or become impaired  There is no cure, however, medications, surgery, and/or therapies can be beneficial for symptoms  Parkinson’s Disease results in trouble producing neurotransmitters such as Dopamine and Norepinephrine  Now that we have covered the basics, here are 10 extra resources available to learn more about Parkinson’s Disease: For a brief overview of the disease, and to gain basic knowledge, click here:  https://www.nia.nih.gov/health/parkinsons-disease Click here to learn more about the symptoms associated with Parkinson’s:  https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/parkinsons-disease/symptoms-causes/syc-20376055 For sta

Since beginning OT school, the field of assistive and adaptive technology, along with the development of numerous creative softwares, has continually amazed me. I am in awe of the ways people work to bring independence and unique opportunities to the lives of individuals with disabilities. There truly is nothing like witnessing someone  use their technology to showcase unique abilities and talent. The Ted  Talk linked below features a young man with Cerebral Palsy who uses technology to create and develop music. https://www.ted.com/talks/tod_machover_dan_ellsey_inventing_instruments_that_unlock_new_music#t-551473 Cerebral Palsy is caused by an abnormality or injury during brain development, and usually occurs in children before birth. CP can affect the whole body, or only partial limbs and can include the following symptoms: High or low muscle tone Spasticity Ataxia, which we have learned in class, means problems with movement and coordination  Rigidity  Involuntary movement 

In order to learn more about the brain and it's role in social isolation, I watched the TedxMidAtlantic Talk with Rachel Wurzman. She focuses on a specific area of the brain, the striatum, which she believes helps us better understand our body's habits and urges when social isolation begins to take its toll on our overall well-being. The striatum is an area of the brain responsible for voluntary movement and control. Studies have shown that the striatum actually contains neurons which are related to our movement and reward, more specifically, our social interaction and the internal reward that comes as a result. Rachel goes on to explain the many different social isolation situations that can severely impact our need for reward such as social media comparison and trouble connecting with others because of physical differences. However, due to current events, my mind couldn't help but relate everything she spoke about with COVID-19 and social distancing. (We will circle ba