Comprehensive Study Guide: Motor Development Clinic Protocols, Roles, and Operations

Overview of the Motor Development Clinic Programs and Roles

  • Program Structure and Clinical Offerings:

    • Motor Development Clinic (MDC) Social Group: Operates as a large-group physical education (PE) class led by instructor Victor Sileo. Student assistants are paired one-on-one with children to support them through physical activities.
    • Bronco Clinic: A large-group movement instruction program held on Thursday evenings. Serves approximately 1515 to 2020 adults with disabilities. Student assistants are paired one-on-one with adult clients to provide instruction.

  • Clinic Leadership and Staff:

    • Co-Directors:
      • Doctor Chloe: Directs clinic operations on Mondays and Tuesdays. Oversees enrollment, background checks, and general clinic management.
      • Doctor Mayank: Directs clinic operations on Wednesdays and Thursdays. Serves as the Physical Education Credential Coordinator, advising students on course scheduling and teaching pathways. Married to Mike; has three children.
    • Graduate Assistant:
      • Nyao Yi: Speaks three languages and assists with client and family communications, particularly among Asian client networks.
    • College Corp Student Leaders:
      • Jackie and Jordan: College Corp interns completing a 450-hour450\text{-hour} service requirement across the academic year. Jackie manages name tags, supply inventory, equipment check-out, and daily QR code check-ins from her designated cubicle.
    • KIN 3460 Students: Act as lead teachers responsible for lesson design, skill assessment, and client safety.
    • KIN 2460 Students: Act as paraeducators and instructional assistants supporting KIN 3460 lead teachers.

  • Client Demographic Context:

    • The clinic serves a predominantly Asian client population. This demographic composition is the result of community word-of-mouth recruitment among families rather than a higher prevalence of autism or developmental disabilities within specific ethnic groups.

Service Learning Etiquette, Attendance, and Code of Conduct

  • Professional Attire:

    • All assistants and teachers must wear professional, modest, and functional clothing suitable for movement.
    • Coverage Rule: Complete coverage of personal areas ("cover your bits") is strictly required. Revealing items such as spandex onesies or overly short garments are banned on the floor and trampoline areas due to parent feedback.
    • Footwear: Closed-toe shoes (such as tennis shoes or sneakers) are mandatory to model appropriate athletic attire for clients. Crocs, open-toed shoes, and walking around in socks alone are forbidden.
    • Graphic Clothing & Logos: Clothing displaying weapons, violent imagery, drugs, alcohol, or sexually suggestive brands is prohibited in educational settings. Specific prohibited items include shirts featuring Star Wars weaponry, cannabis dispensary logos (e.g., "Mr. Nice Guys"), the Playboy logo, or surf/ski maintenance brands (e.g., "Sex Wax"). Prohibited shirts must be turned inside out or covered with an official MDC t-shirt.

  • Punctuality and Classroom Engagement:

    • Assistants must arrive on time for assigned shifts.
    • Cellular Phones: Phones must remain put away during clinic hours. Clients exhibit high levels of screen fascination; displaying a phone causes severe instructional distractions. Texting or phone use requires stepping completely outside the clinic space.
    • Headphones: Headphones are forbidden during clinic sessions.
    • Side Conversations: Assistants must refrain from talking among themselves during instruction. Necessary conversations should occur outside during transitions to keep client focus on the instructors.
    • Social Interactions: Assistants must greet parents and clients politely, maintaining eye contact and standard professional courtesy.

  • Language and Educational Philosophy:

    • The clinic operates under a non-compliance-based philosophy. Clients are never forced or physically coerced into participating in an activity.
    • Profanity, including dropping the "f-bomb," is strictly prohibited in front of clients and families.

Safety Protocols, Emergency Procedures, and Physical Interactions

  • Emergency Interventions:

    • In the event of severe medical emergencies—such as falls from heights exceeding the client's stature or severe head injuries—assistants are authorized to call 911 immediately without waiting for director approval.
    • Seizure Management:
      • Do not insert any object into the client's mouth or attempt to pull the tongue.
      • Note the exact start time of the seizure to track its duration.
      • Monitor breathing and cushion or protect the client's head from impact.
      • Follow specific parental directives on file regarding 911 activation for known seizure conditions.

  • Hygiene and Facility Contamination:

    • In the event of a toileting accident (urine or feces) in a studio or dance room, do not escort the client across the facility.
    • Keep the client localized to prevent cross-contamination across the building. Directors will contact parents to clean and change the client at that specific location.

  • Elopement (Running Away) Protocol:

    • Definition: Elopement refers to a client running away from their designated instructional space or guardian.
    • Internal Elopement: If a client runs within the clinic perimeter, allow them space while the lead teacher de-escalates and manages the behavior.
    • External Elopement: If a client escapes toward campus areas or parking structures (e.g., Parking Structure 2), immediate group pursuit is required.
    • Physical Contact Restrictions: Never grab a running client by the arms or wrists, as pulling can cause joint dislocations.
    • Corral Method: Assistants must run ahead of the client, get in front of their path, and physically corral them back toward safety.
    • Notification Cascade: One unassigned assistant must immediately run to inform Doctor Chloe, Doctor Mayank, or Jackie with the exact location and trajectory of the eloping client.

  • Physical Aggression and De-escalation:

    • If a client displays physical aggression (hitting, biting, kicking), staff members must step back and protect themselves.
    • Physical restraint, grabbing, or forcing clients is strictly prohibited.
    • Mandatory Incident Reporting: All instances of physical aggression toward assistants or peers must be reported immediately to Doctor Chloe. Formal incident documentation is required to evaluate program fit and determine if a client must be exited from the clinic.

  • Two-Adult Rule (Child & Client Protection Policy):

    • Assistants and teachers are never permitted to be alone in a closed room, bathroom, or isolated area with a single client.
    • Bathroom trips require two authorized adults present at all times. Assistants needing assistance for a client's bathroom break must recruit Jackie, Doctor Chloe, or Doctor Mayank to accompany them.
    • If left alone in an instructional room with one client, immediately move the client into the public parent waiting room.
    • Violation of this policy results in immediate dismissal from the clinic.

Facility Operations, Check-In Procedures, and Daily Responsibilities

  • Daily Workflow Sequence:

    1. Check-In: Scan the posted QR code on the clinic wall to complete the entry survey immediately upon arrival. This digital log tracks semester fieldwork hours and serves as the emergency contact roster for health exposures (e.g., COVID-19 contact tracing).
    2. Belongings Storage: Store personal bags inside the designated closet. Do not stack bags where they obstruct Doctor Chloe’s office door.
    3. Name Tag Retrieval: Collect personal name tags from the organizer drawers. (Jackie creates new tags for students who enrolled after the summer registration deadline).
    4. Staff Check-In: Report to Graduate Assistant Nyao Yi or Jackie to receive daily instructional assignments.
    5. Equipment Setup: Assist lead teachers with setting up specialized movement equipment prior to client arrival.
    6. Client Reception and Dismissal: KIN 3460 lead teachers—not 2460 assistants—must handle the direct hand-off of clients to and from parents to prevent lost children.
    7. Equipment Clean-Up: Assist in returning all movement equipment to proper storage at the conclusion of the session. Fieldwork log signatures are contingent upon completion of clean-up duties.

  • Parent Waiting Room Etiquette:

    • The seating area in the parent waiting room is reserved for client families. Assistants must yield their seats to parents if space is limited.
    • Assistants should maintain open communication with directors regarding any unusual or concerning remarks made by parents.

  • Special Projects and Hour Accumulation:

    • Assistants staying beyond their scheduled shift to build adaptive equipment (such as unboxing and assembling 1212 new clinical wheelchairs) may log those additional labor hours on their official fieldwork timesheets.

Pedagogical Roles and Assistant Expectations (KIN 2460 vs KIN 3460)

  • Role Hierarchy:

    • KIN 3460 Lead Teachers: Responsible for creating lesson plans, delivering direct instruction, evaluating motor skill goals, and conducting client check-ins/check-outs.
    • KIN 2460 Paraeducators: Serve as instructional assistants assigned to support KIN 3460 teachers.

  • Assistant Conduct During Lessons:

    • Assistants must refrain from talking over, correcting, or overriding a lead teacher's instruction during a active lesson.
    • Pedagogical feedback (e.g., suggesting reduced verbal prompts or simpler instructions) must be delivered privately to the lead teacher after the lesson concludes.

  • Curriculum Structure & Goal Setting:

    • During the initial private week of clinic (without 2460 assistants present), 3460 teachers establish 44 core motor skill goals per client for the semester.
    • Master roster schedules detailing client-teacher pairings and core goals are printed and displayed on the wall under the QR code check-in station.
    • Example Schedule Layout (Monday/Wednesday 3:00 PM – 4:00 PM):
      • Lead Teachers: Emma, Emily, Elon, Steven.
      • Sample Client Pairings: Client Aman paired with Teacher Selena; Client Jason paired with Teacher Tyson.
      • Target Group Size: Approximately 55 clients enrolled per instructional session.

Internship Guidance and Career Recommendations (KIN 4410)

  • Requirements and Hours:

    • KIN 4410 interns complete 120-hours120\text{-hours} of field experience.

  • Career Advising for Pre-Professional Tracks:

    • While MDC accepts 4410 interns, students pursuing graduate programs in Physical Therapy (PT), Occupational Therapy (OT), or Physician Assistant (PA) studies are strongly advised not to complete their 120-hours120\text{-hours} at the MDC.
    • Pre-PT/OT/PA students should secure internships directly within specialized clinical settings (e.g., outpatient PT clinics, hospital OT departments) to satisfy competitive graduate admission requirements.

Client Behaviors, Documentation, and Professional Boundaries

  • Setting Interpersonal Boundaries:

    • Many clients with developmental disabilities exhibit uninhibited social approach behaviors and lack spatial awareness.
    • Assistants must explicitly teach and enforce personal space boundaries rather than allowing uncomfortable physical proximity out of politeness.
    • Verbal Boundary Prompt: Instruct clients firmly and kindly: "You are too close to me. I am happy to talk to you if you take two steps back."

  • Managing Physical Affection and Crushes:

    • Clients (adults or children) must never be permitted to sit on an assistant's lap, legs, or body.
    • Permitting a client to sit on one's lap is grounds for immediate termination from the clinic.
    • When staff identify that a client has developed a personal crush on an assistant (e.g., adult client Emily targeting assistant Landon), leadership will adjust pairings to position that assistant in a separate instructional area.

  • Confidentiality (HIPAA/FERPA Standards):

    • Information regarding client behaviors, medical incidents, or personal routines observed at clinic is strictly confidential.
    • Discussing clinic events, individual client actions, or names in public settings (e.g., while eating at restaurants off-campus) is forbidden.
    • Case discussions and debriefs are restricted exclusively to official classroom sessions and post-clinic debriefs among staff.

  • Assigned Reading:

    • All clinic assistants must complete the required reading on Ableism posted on the course announcement board prior to the next clinical meeting.