by Florence Pia G. Yu
Published: Sun Star Weekend
Cebu City, Philippines
February 25, 2001
Opening Milestones Therapy Center in Banilad last month, his first venture, Ni�o says he has a handful of responsibilities to wrestle with.
For one, the young pediatric therapist runs a one-man show with his clinic. "I'm really still starting from scratch. I do everything here--from tending to the patients to doing administrative work--I am even the secretary!" he says, laughing.
But he says he doesn't mind because the job has a way of making him enjoy--which isn't a hard mindset to keep because going inside his clinic is like stepping into Playland.
The place abounds with toys and other kid stuff. Other than being a cure center, Ni�o aims to make his clinic a play haven for patients. "I treat kids, so I have to make sure my clinic would make them feel comfortable," Ni�o explains.
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"Toys are a fun learning tool. Actually, each and everyone of the toys here has a purpose. They are not just for play, they have therapeutic value. I use these toys to aid or assess a child's development."
Shopping for toys, he says, is one of the things he has grown to love in the job description. In fact, he chooses his toys on his own whenever he is out shopping. Friends also give him some tips, he reveals. And he doesn't find it awkward to be rummaging around for toys at his age. "Ambot! Lingaw lang! It's like being a kid again," he says, grinning.
Ni�o tells that he never feels like a square peg in a round hole doing pediatric OT. "I have always loved working with kids," he maintains.
Having finished OT in UP Manila, and doing home service there for five patients as a licensed OT, Ni�o felt that it wasn't cut out for him. "I wanted a different experience," he tells.
Eventually, a developmental physician from Cebu introduced to him the idea of putting up a pediatric therapy clinic here. "I thought the idea was good, and so I came back here to put up the clinic," he relates. That same physician now refers patients to him for treatment.
"There's really a lot of challenge. There is constant stimulation. You always have to think of a way to make the kid learn a lot, and at the same time, you learn "frustration tolerance". '
"These are special kids I'm dealing with--autistic, and the like. They are unpredictable. They can be submissive, manipulative, tame, wild. I have to be quick to adjust--make a lot of pambobola, usahay I have to be really firm kay mawad-an unya ko ug pasensya."
The hardest case he had to take was treating a kid who cried on him for the first five sessions. "I tried everything, but I got no response. He just cried and cried, and I was already thinking, my God, am I a lousy therapist?" Eventually, this patient opened up to him, after much cajoling and pep talk.
When not in a session with one of his patients (he is handling eight right now), Ni�o can only be in three other places: at the mall with his friends, at home, or out advertising his clinic.
Being 22, independent, and one of the most eligible bachelors around, Ni�o admits that having a lovelife is not a priority. And he hasn't been chased around by gone-berserk women either, he tells, laughing
Right now, he is busy working on long-term plans for his clinic. "Hopefully, I would be very successful with this. My ultimate plan is really to put up a special school for special children. Hopefully, I'd be able to do this after five years."
Most people would think that PTs and OTs are the same, but we are not. They work on rehabilitation, we help patients improve their skills.
What skills are these?
Simple stuff like buttoning a shirt. Some special children find it hard to even button a shirt. We concentrate on improving social, emotional, play, language, cognitive, sensory, processing and psychomotor skills.
It is hard to work with special kids?
Tough, but it's the best feeling in the world to see them improve on you.
How is it to run a clinic?
It's okay. Putting it up is the hardest.
You're still quite young to have been able to put up a clinic. How did you do it?
I had a lot of help from my parents. They loaned me money for capital.
So it's not really total independence?
That is thinking idealistically. It may be appealing to claim that you started everything on your own, but it's just too difficult. You need your parents help.
What is the best thing about your work?
Being able to help kids. I guess I help let "normal" people understand that special kids are also people. They are capable of doing great things, they just need people to guide them.