This issue is published during days of an "emergency routine". Within our professional therapeutic community, we are torn between routine work, diagnosis, assessment, and treatment of populations facing functional difficulties, alongside a steadfast consideration of the personal resources and necessary support factors required for us as mothers, daughters, caregivers, volunteers and even soldiers in the midst of an "emergency" routine. At the time these lines are written our country is still at war, many citizens have been evacuated from their homes and the hostages, including colleagues, friends and family members, are still in Hamas captivity.
The articles in this issue present research that preceded the Black Sabbath and even though they were written before they are relevant even today. The first article "Falling Between the Cracks: Under-diagnosis of DCD in Childhood and Its Consequences Among Young Adults with Difficulties in Motor Coordination" is an article in which Shahar Zaguri-Vittenberg, Dr. Miri Tal-Saban and Prof. Naomi Weintraub bring to the forefront the voices of young adults with DCD. They describe the importance of the diagnosis of DCD in childhood as a basis for early intervention and point out the existing under-diagnosis and its possible consequences.
In the second article, "Occupational-Therapy' as the Maternal Profession, and Home Literacy Environment Contributions to Child's Emergent Literacy: A Comprehensive Pilot", Prof. Ofra Korat and Avia Ben-Zvi connect the maternal role with the professional role of occupational therapists. Here they describe the advantage of professional knowledge in occupational therapy with a child's development and their influence on learning later. This research emphasizes the advantages of our profession, which teachers how to balance home and work, and the possible reward it provides to us a parents, a subject that is so relevant these days in the labor market.
The last research article "Validity Testing of an Unstructured Executive Task (UPT), for Measuring Executive Functions among Children" by Elisheva Polisar Madmon and Dr. Limor Rosenberg describe the validation of an observational tool for diagnosing difficulties in executive functions of children that was modified for Israel and translated into Hebrew. The findings indicate that teachers on the possibility of using it to make use of it as part of the assessment and identification of difficulties in administrative functions and to assist and be assisted in planning an intervention in this area.
Two addition columns in this edition discuss professional tools in occupational therapy that are found in routine use and how they may valuable in our professional practice even in times of emergency. In the "Point of View" column edited by Dr. Tamar Paley and written by Keren Ron Ravitz, connects us to the concept of resilience in our professional training as occupational therapists. Keren discusses the model used and describes how mental resilience helped in her professional development and in her ability to help and strengthen others.
The "Technology and Internet" column edited by Dr. Sivan Regev deals with professional groups on the WhatsApp platform. Dr. Liat Gafni-Lachter and Shani Shefa Kogan describe the day-to-day use of the platform WhatsApp groups as a professional tool. This tool facilitates receiving support, knowledge and professional development and frequently provides a real time solution in times of emergency.
We recognize that professional writing at the moment is far from simple. Many resources are directed towards therapeutic care, nonetheless documentation of practice is extremely important. We invite you to consult and use the editorial team of IJOT for this purpose, in the November issue we will focus on this documentation.
At the time of going to print, we are still grieving over our friends, the occupational therapists, Keith Segel and Carmel Gat, who were kidnapped from their home and are still in Gaza and their fate is still unknown. We condemn, pray and wish for the return of Keith and Carmel and all the hostages quickly and safely.
Pleasant reading and praying for quieter days,
Dr. Sivan Regev, co-editor of the IJOT, sivreg@gmail.com
Dr. Gili Hoter Ishay, co-editor of the IJOT, ghertsman@gmail.com
