Because the oldest of six, Rita Haskins at all times knew she cherished youngsters. However when it got here time to begin faculty, Haskins wasn’t certain which path to comply with.
“I took an curiosity stock take a look at and the 2 classes that got here up have been occupational remedy, which I had no thought what that was, and proofreading, which sounded actually boring,” Haskins stated with fun.
After extra analysis, Haskins knew that occupational remedy was the proper area for her, and went on to earn her diploma from the College of Madison in Wisconsin. Whereas occupational therapists can work in varied settings from hospitals, rehabilitation facilities, and even enterprise, Haskins has a personal observe in Kalispell, All About Youngsters, the place she focuses on serving to youngsters deal with deficits.
“I work on nice motor abilities, sensory processing, and actions of each day dwelling,” Haskins stated. “So nice motor abilities may very well be reducing with scissors or handwriting. Sensory processing is how folks absorb sights, sounds, motion, and contact from their atmosphere. A few of us cannot stand tags. A few of us prefer it to be darkish. And actions of each day dwelling embrace dressing your self, feeding your self, and taking good care of your self.”
For the second yr in a row, Haskins has been voted Greatest Occupational Therapist within the Better of the Flathead. Her observe features a group of bodily therapists and speech therapists and focuses on serving to youngsters with autism, ADHD, muscular dystrophy and cerebral palsy.
“If a baby has a very laborious time sitting nonetheless for greater than two minutes to deal with an exercise, we’d do some large motor motion like use the swing or soar on the trampoline,” stated Haskins. “Then I might have them sit and put on a weighted lap pad or blanket as a result of that agency stress enter is normally calming and organizing within the nervous system.”
If the kid can also be in speech and bodily remedy, Haskins will implement elements of these creating abilities into her classes. The plans are then carried out at house and at college or daycare.
“After I first moved right here in 1994, no person actually knew what sensory was,” stated Haskins. “All people is aware of what sensory is now. There’s different seating all over the place and there is sensory rooms within the colleges. All people’s dialed in and [teachers] have discovered that their entire class is best in a position to study if their nervous methods are in sync. ”
Haskins stated that a very powerful a part of her work helps struggling youngsters and households and understanding that she helped somebody on the finish of the day. After 30 years within the area, Haskins has watched a few of her purchasers transfer from diapers to maturity.
One younger boy was 3 years previous when she met him and believed him to be on the autism spectrum.
“His mother did not know something about it and so I guided her by some companies regionally and he was ultimately identified with autism. He’s 18 now and he contacted me by his speech therapist at the highschool and informed me he needed me to return to his highschool commencement as a result of I ‘helped him get his autism.’” Haskins stated with a smile.
Haskins emphasised that her clinic focuses on purposeful abilities that can in the end put together youngsters for the world. Relating to serving to youngsters develop these actual life abilities, Haskins stated that early intervention is vital to figuring out challenges and seeing a distinction.
“Each child is completely different, and a few transfer glacially sluggish, however basically, all of them make some stage of enchancment,” stated Haskins.
Discovering the proper strategy to take can range with every youngster, and may even change for a similar youngster relying on the day, in response to Haskins.
“We’ll strive issues that we expect may work after which if it is a complete dud, then we’ll strive one thing else. So the sensory piece is admittedly like a puzzle to determine,” she stated.
Reporter Summer time Zalesky could also be reached at szalesky@dailyinterlake.com.
