An exciting delivery happened this week! It was a parcel with the book “All about Dyspraxia – understanding Developmental Coordination Disorder” by local author Kathy Hoopman – a beautifully illustrated insightful (and gently humorous) book about living with Dyspraxia. Kathy had been referred to me last year by a lovely parent that I had worked with previously, and she chatted with me about my understanding of dyspraxia (as part of her research for the book). We shared some experiences and resources and had a very enjoyable time. Then Kathy produced the lovely book with animal photos in the same vein as her previous books “All cats are on the Autism Spectrum” “All dogs have ADHD” and “All birds have Anxiety”. Worth a look! I will keep my copy in my library for parents – should be great to help families understand any new diagnosis.
This caused me to reflect on other inspirations from this year so far:
Brene Brown’s “Atlas of the heart” – a wonderful deep dive into all different emotions (recently released as Podcast series)
Dr Ed Hallowell’s ” Driven from Distraction” – and any Online summit/youtube presentation by him – so insightful on ADD and how to harness the huge positives
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=i5D56Cg7y4I
Brooke McAlary’s “Care” and “Slow” – great gentle reads on self care and living simply (also a popular Podcast “Slow Home”)
Charlotte Wood’s “The luminous solution – creativity, resilience and the inner life” – best summed up by this excerpt:
“A rich inner life is not just the preserve of the arts. The joys, fears, and profound self-discoveries of creativity – through making or building anything that wasn’t there before, any imaginative exploration or attempt to invent – I believe to be the birthright of every person on this earth. If you live with curiosity and intention – or would like to – this book is for you”
What a heart-filling lot of resources!!
These all have gelled with me as one of the key roles of an occupational therapist is to utilize people’s strengths , enable them to use their creativity, as well as helping them to fulfill their
treasured roles/dreams/goals.
We can do so through analysis of sensorimotor/psycho-social factors/strengths/needs, through coaching, helping with day-to-day organisation, promoting self-care/inner balance, social connection, and enabling motor performance.