Bringing Occupational Therapy To Hot Shots Camp

I want to start out this blog post by introducing myself! My name is Morgan Valdahl and I am currently 2 weeks away from receiving my Doctorate in Occupational Therapy from the University of Michigan (and consequently, 2 weeks away from making my family and friends call me DOCTOR Morgan from now on, definitely worth the 7 years of school). But more importantly, I have been diagnosed with Type 1 diabetes since I was 8 years old. Throughout the many years that have passed between being diagnosed and where I am at today, I could tell so many stories about the highs and lows (literally) of having type 1 that I’m sure many parents and kids can relate to. These stories are what make me feel so lucky to have spent the last few months with DYS Hot Shot camps researching an incredible connection I have found between two things I am passionate about – the occupational therapy field and the juvenile type 1 diabetes community.

A quick backstory to where this idea to combine the superpowers of OT and the Type 1 community came from! When I was in high school, I took a career aptitude test that suggested occupational therapy as a field that I may excel in. Ever since that day, my career path has stayed the same and I went to get my undergraduate degree at the University of Michigan’s School of Kinesiology with a Pre-OT track. A few weeks after finishing my undergraduate degree and being accepted into a Doctor of Occupational Therapy program, I found myself at my usual 3-month endocrinology clinic visit. I was catching up with my endocrinologist and when I told her about my program, she practically yelped with happiness and proceeded to tell me that she had been very intrigued with new research about occupational therapy and its potential involvement in type 1 diabetes care. She said she tasked me with expanding this research and ever since then, I’ve been involved in, and keeping up with this very novel research. Thankfully, as a culmination of my doctoral studies, I am required to complete a Capstone Project. This is very similar to a thesis project except instead of sitting at a desk and writing a thousand page paper, I get to complete an in-person project and present it at my graduation symposium. Enter Diabetes Youth Services and Hot Shot Camps…

For my Doctoral Capstone Project, I attended Middle and Big Shots Residential Camps, as well as Little Shots Michigan. During these camps, I implemented programming, camper support, and counselor support grounded in my occupational therapy education. I felt it was important to share with you what previous research has found, what my research has found, and where I would like this research to go in the future.

What previous research has found:

●     If you have no background with occupational therapy, here’s a little bit of what it’s all about (and no, contrary to what the name may suggest, it has nothing to do with finding people jobs!). Occupational therapy (OT) is a skilled healthcare profession that aims to maximize the ability of individuals and populations to participate in the daily life activities (occupations) they need or want to do. For kids, their primary occupations are really just, being a kid! Doing things like socializing, going to school, playing sports, participating in new activities, etc.

●     However, research has found that young adults with type 1 diabetes experience increased anxiety, burden, and depression, as well as increased negative health outcomes due to a lack of self-management skills and lifestyle adjustment barriers. These factors have HUGE impacts on kids with type 1 diabetes being able to engage in their everyday occupations. I knew that from my experience growing up, things like going to sleepovers and playing a sport took a lot more effort and adjustment due to how much self-management was required to keep myself healthy.

●      Thus, the inclusion of OT may amplify the efficacy of diabetes treatment by enhancing performance of daily activities among individuals who struggle to carry them out consistently and correctly. However, while recent evidence has investigated the feasibility of this relationship between type 1 diabetes and OT in controlled settings, minimal studies have implemented this research into the real-world. This is where my project aimed to find its place!

What my experience has found:

●     My programming at camp focused on two main areas in the OT scope of practice that also had a significant impact on kids well-being: emotional regulation and disease self management. For emotional regulation, I implemented many strategies focusing on the ability to cope with unforeseen events and barriers relating to type 1 diabetes, such as high/low blood sugars, site changes, new basal settings, etc. For disease self-management, this included support and guidance on increasing independence in being able to manage all aspects of type 1 itself.

●     In order to implement this programming, I felt it was important to get to know your kids outside of just the numbers on a Dexcom screen. I sent out a parent survey prior to camp focusing on what makes a kid who they are as it relates to their diabetes! Things like if they have ever been away from home, tips for handling diabetic events, favorite low snacks, etc. I then shared this info with their counselors and the medical team so they could know all of your parental expert tips and tricks!

●     Different ages need completely different support! I interacted with kiddos from age 5 to age 17 throughout my project and it did take some adjustments to my planned programming to tailor it to each age group’s needs. What does this mean for you? Families may need to do the same thing throughout their own child’s age span! They most likely won’t need support in the same ways at 15 years old as they did at 10 years old. Feel free to reach out to me if you have any questions about new ideas to help your growing type 1 kiddo. 🙂

●     There is also a handout on the DYS website that I will link HERE (just scroll down on the page) that has some of my OT based tips and tricks for the transition to camp! Please feel free to use this for things outside of camp season as well such as going to sleepovers, starting in a new classroom, etc.

●     My OT programming had an additional aspect that I didn’t expect coming into this project and that was counselor support during camp. Most of the counselors were college aged kids who may or may not have also had type 1 diabetes. As I’m sure many DYS families know, it is emotionally and physically exhausting to be responsible for the wellbeing of a group of kids for the week, especially ones with type 1! This made me realize that OT strategies for coping skills can be just as relevant for families and caregivers of type 1 kiddos.

What I want to do in the future:

●     My life has truly been changed both professionally and personally by my time with DYS. I hope to present my research to both the occupational therapy and type 1 diabetes communities to make the impact this project has had even more widespread. I also hope to attend more DYS events and camps in the future as a certified OT practitioner and continue this research!

●     I would love to expand the role of OT into the pediatric endocrinology clinic, at primary care offices, in the hospitals, and into school trainings! Look out for that in the future 🙂

Outside of my project and just as someone who has grown up with type 1, and experienced the ups and downs of childhood with such a demanding diagnosis, I am inspired by the safe and fun environment created by DYS Hot Shot camps. My time was filled with heart warming bonding over niche type 1 events and humor that I just can’t find anywhere else. I am thankful to have spent the week at camp building a new Type 1 family who I know I can always lean on for anything, including help with 4 am low blood sugars and Dexcom sensors that just won’t quite stay on through a shaving cream battle! This camp, with its limited number of working pancreases, exciting nightly activities, delicious (yet healthy) snacks, hours of silent disco dancing, incredible medical staff and counselors and so much more, has changed my life.

Lastly, I would like to thank every single staff member, counselor, parent, family, and kiddo at DYS. This project has meant the world to me and I can’t imagine doing it with anyone else. Here’s to our incredible community and especially to the incredible kids at DYS