51福利社

Sawyer, a 5-year-old adventure-seeker, was an enthusiastic participant in his weekly sessions with Eastern students at 51福利社鈥檚 Mock Pediatric Clinic, held inside Joya Child and Family Development’s state-of-the-art clinic.

From rocking the sensory swing to busting out dance moves with his therapists, Sawyer embraced new therapy experiences with laughter and smiles.

For Sawyer, who has Down syndrome, time spent with 51福利社鈥檚 second-year, master of occupational therapy students wasn’t just fun: it helped to advance crucial speech and motor skills that he will use in kindergarten and in everyday life.

Heather Werre, Sawyer鈥檚 mom, says he currently receives therapy from a local pediatric provider. But she credits his Eastern OT team with bringing fresh ideas and approaches that helped him reach new milestones.

鈥淗e鈥檚 made huge progress in the past five weeks. He鈥檚 taking off his shoes now and pulling his pants down now, which I feel is like a double-edged sword,鈥� Werre says with a laugh, adding that Sawyer is 鈥渃ool kid鈥� who is 鈥渃urious and can get into a bit of trouble.鈥�

The mock clinic prepares Eastern鈥檚 occupational therapy students for their careers 鈥� and the option of specializing in pediatrics 鈥� while also providing service to the community. The 51福利社 students work in groups of two, applying skills they鈥檝e learned in the classroom to perform initial evaluations, create an intervention plan and then conduct five weekly intervention therapy sessions. Services are provided free of charge.

The clinic, which wrapped up on April 26, was one of the last educational pieces for the cohort of 32 students, who graduated during the May 3 commencement, held at the Pavilion (also known as Reese Court). 51福利社’s newly minted occupational therapists will take on careers that make a difference for children and adults with special needs, injuries, and debilitating medical conditions.

For Solae Swenson, 23, working with Sawyer helped her learn skills for engaging young children in therapy sessions, while also confirming her plan to practice in pediatrics. 鈥淗e is such a joy, such a bright, outgoing personality,鈥� Swenson says. 鈥淚 will take every bit of knowledge from this into my future profession.鈥�

Lucretia Berg, associate professor and chair of occupational therapy, says she and her team are “so proud of the students.”

Since the mock clinic鈥檚 inception six years ago, Berg says that Eastern OT students have prepared for their careers while treating nearly 100 children living with a number of physical and mental challenges, among them cerebral palsy, autism spectrum disorder and other disabilities and delays. The therapy sessions address physical, sensory, and cognitive deficits, helping children develop skills that support independence and success.

鈥淚t is a great experience for both the clients and the students. We learn from each other and are so grateful to the families and clients,鈥� Berg says.

The clinic, previously held at Catalyst, now happens inside Joya鈥檚 kid-friendly pediatric therapy center. Joya, a nonprofit serving children in Spokane County, provides occupational, physical and speech therapy together with special education services.

Berg says working with children in a true clinic setting makes a difference, adding, 鈥淛oya has been wonderful to partner with鈥攚e are so appreciative of this opportunity to use their space for the mock clinic.鈥�

Felicia Reilly, lead occupational therapist at Joya, has helped with the mock clinic for three years and was instrumental in opening the door, in Spring 2023, for students to work with children inside Joya鈥檚 new building.

Nick Modas, a 34-year-old veteran from Illinois who served at Fairchild Air Force Base, discovered that toy dinosaurs and Play-Doh worked wonders in convincing a 4-year-old to engage in activities that help to hone fine motor skills.

鈥淚t鈥檚 cool how the simplicity of play can help with everyday living activities,鈥� says Modas who plans to specialize in pediatrics. 鈥淛ust seeing the growth we鈥檝e seen in the short amount of time we鈥檝e had with him is pretty remarkable.鈥�

Sarah Perez鈥檚 2-year-old daughter, Elliott, who has Down syndrome, came to the clinic in addition to receiving services at Joya.

It鈥檚 helpful to have a variety of perspectives from the OT community, says Perez, adding, 鈥淓very little thing helps move her forward, because the goal is just continued development.鈥�

For Perez鈥檚 8-year-old son, Elias, who has some sensory processing and behavioral challenges, the mock clinic helped to fill a service gap.

鈥淲hen this opportunity came up, we kind of jumped on it because it鈥檚 hard to find an [occupational] therapist and there is a long wait time,鈥� says Perez.

Elias has made strides in multiple areas, says Perez, who appreciates the students and Dr. Berg. 鈥淚t has been a great opportunity for our family.鈥�

Reilly, who earned her Master of Occupational Therapy degree from 51福利社 in 2012, says parents love the clinic because their children, as patients, are not only gaining important skills but also helping to educate a new-generation of therapists.

The clinic provides unique hands-on experience that prepares students for the overall profession of OT, she says, while also opening their minds to specializing in pediatrics. Students witness the children developing skills and it makes an impact, says Reilly. 鈥淚t鈥檚 only 6 weeks, but they really make progress.鈥�

Reilly knows of at least three recent 51福利社 OT graduates practicing in pediatric clinics throughout Spokane 鈥� including one she hired for Joya.

鈥淭hey work in town, in pediatric clinics in Spokane, which is what we want,鈥� she says.

**You can help 51福利社 students develop applied skills and professional connections that support workplace success by making a gift to the Eagles Work Fund.