Orot Welcomes National Service Women

by Dr. Avia Guttman – Head, Department of Special Education, Orot Israel College

Every year, Orot Israel College hosts many Sherut Leumi (National Service) volunteers. The young women participate in assorted experiential workshops and are introduced to a number of Orot’s exciting activities.

About two months ago, as part of our efforts to upgrade our programming, we added a new element: an academic course geared specifically for the Sherut Leumi volunteers. Many of these young women eventually go on to work in the special education field, and thus, it is only natural that they would be interested in an introductory course in special education.

To this end, Rav Reuven Spolter, Orot’s Director of Student Recruitment, approached me - as head of the Special Education Department - and together, we decided that a basic course in “Normal Sensory-Motor Development” would prove to be particularly beneficial. Like any academic course, this course includes requirements, such as readings, assignments, and a paper. The course comprises seven four-hour sessions as well as an experiential workshop in a related field – such as psychodrama, art therapy, occupational therapy, play therapy, and more. Three of the sessions will be taught by Dr. Avia Guttman, and the remaining four will be led by Mrs. Sarit Schwartz, an occupational therapist. Students who participate in the course earn academic credits, and if they later choose to study special education at Orot Israel College after completing their Sherut Leumi, the course will then be recognized as a first-year academic course.

The course will enable Sherut Leumi women who work with special-needs children to identify normal developmental milestones for newborns, infants (by month), and children up to age six. Emphasis will also be placed on the different skills which develop during these stages and which allow the child to function in preschool and elementary school. In addition, the students will learn about the nervous system – which includes the brain, the spinal cord, and the sensory system – and the other biological systems which are connected to the sensory-motor system. Finally, the curriculum touches upon abnormal development which can cause various impairments and weaknesses.

The first session, which focused on the anatomy of the sensory-motor system, took place on 23 MarCheshvan 5772 (November 20, 2011). Although the material was challenging and rather difficult, the students – who had never before studied the nervous system on an academic level – demonstrated considerable interest in the subject matter, asked intelligent and pertinent questions, and discussed specific cases of deficits caused by neurological impairments.

During the second half of the course, which will be given by an occupational therapist, the students will learn to identify developmental difficulties and impaired sensory-motor skills – such as eye-hand coordination, bilateral coordination, manipulation, pre-writing skills, and others.

Here at Orot, we believe that this academic course will significantly enhance the students’ Sherut Leumi experience. They will be able to use the knowledge they will acquire to better assist and help the children they will encounter throughout the year.

We extend our best wishes to these dedicated young women for much success in all their future endeavors.