OT Tools for Public Schools

Pull-out Drawer for Elementary Student Desk

2012-01-31T12:36:00.000-05:00

This sweetie's desk had been consistently stuffed with notebooks, folders, crumpled papers, broken pencils, index cards looking for their friends.....

So, last Friday we introduced a pull-out drawer, made from a leftover box top in the school's copy room. To suit the small opening of her desk, we folded over each side of the box top, stapled it, and covered the very top edges with masking tape. We even took the extra precaution of making sure each staple was fully closed so no sharp edges would potentially scratch her skin as she pulled out the "drawer."

This morning the top of her desk was pretty jumbled, but her pull-out drawer still looked organized.

Live In or Near Virginia? School System Symposium is March 3rd

2012-01-30T17:15:00.000-05:00

Come and listen to my buddy, Fiona, talk about AT--twice.

The Virginia Occupational Therapy Association School System Symposium in Richmond, Virginia (USA).

VOTA School System Symposium Info

Handwriting Practice--Making Learning Eggs

2012-01-29T07:58:00.000-05:00

I can help students prepare these learning eggs, then teachers can use them in class. Wish I knew the idea originator.

Learning Eggs

Fine Motor Obstacle Course

2012-01-27T12:19:00.001-05:00

There were several empty paper ream boxes in the copy room at school this morning--a perfect time to make desk drawers (a later post) and this fun obstacle course.

We began with just a few obstacles between the shiny marble and the "goal post." That was difficult enough! Great opportunity to discuss gravity and practice managing tape without a dispenser or scissors. You have to push the tape firmly to the cardboard and obstacles or else your marble will catch on it.

Once you've scored a few goals you need to make it even more challenging. These obstacles came from my recycle box at home.

Each student took a few minutes to imitate my words--goal, marble, obstacle, start, finish--on a sheet of paper so I can have a record of their current handwriting skills. (no photo)

Yes, it can get pretty complicated. Great bilateral coordination activity, too. If the marble rolls too quickly for your students try using a larger goal and a wiffle ball, or putting a thin layer of felt on the "field" before you attach the obstacles and goal.

More Handwriting Fun With Those Recycled Placemats

2012-01-27T10:09:00.000-05:00

Since I forgot to bring the Handwriting Without Tears book that has the master forms for the letter shapes, this afternoon we cut the shapes "free hand." However, these were not as easy to use as the HWT shapes.

This first-grade sweetie formed a word, using the white strip as the baseline, then I "copied" her word onto my paper. We took turns forming and then "copying" each others' words.

Afterwards, we went back and labeled which words I wrote and which words she wrote. When I work with students I write with my non-dominant hand and it was a little hard to tell which letters were the adult's and which were the student's.

Since I keep these papers for documentation of progress, her full name and today's date were written down on the paper before I left the work area. There have been way too many times when I've had to throw away papers because I wasn't sure exactly who wrote them, or when.

Sensory Exploration While You're Waiting

2012-01-26T13:35:00.000-05:00

Although this sweetie is included in everything her classmates in early childhood special ed do, she does have a little extra time on her hands now and then. When this happens it's a good opportunity to provide her with interesting textures for additional sensory exploration.

The luscious pink blanket was a real find at Goodwill a few months ago. Having it covering some of her wheelchair tray helps to motivate her to reach her arms and hands out to enjoy the soft texture.

The green brush is really a lint brush I found at Marshalls last week, but it feels too wonderful to use it only for that. We don't use the brush for deep pressure tactile input, just as an enticing object for her to explore with her fingertips. Before trying it with her I used it myself for several days, as a mesmerizing relaxation tool for my hands. It would be wonderful for long meetings...

Another way to make snow

2012-01-24T21:00:00.000-05:00

Hope this link works: Snowfall

I have lots of "snow" left over from last week's activity--maybe some of my kids can thread these beautiful snowfalls.

Shameless Plugs for Favorite Things/Places

2012-01-24T08:59:00.001-05:00

Even though working in schools for a loooong time has improved my immune system, once in a while a cold hits out of the blue and I stay home and rest up.

Since it's a "home" day I thought I'd share my current favorite, over-the-counter-feel-better aid for chasing away the stuffy feeling in my head. A friend gave me a box of this tea for Christmas and it was love at first taste. For some reason, the very last sip is the yummiest: Sugar Plum Spice Tea

Couldn't find it at any of the local stores in town so I broke down and asked my friend where she bought it. Of course--at our mutual friends' natural foods store: Good Foods Grocery

Another shameless plug--want some zero calorie eye candy to brighten your day? Here's another friend's site for her handmade polymer clay creations and cast-paper designs: Beautiful Art

Thanks for wandering around the web with me. I'm off to brew another cup of tea.

College Prep Activity--Making Ramen Noodles

2012-01-20T12:46:00.000-05:00

I think most teens in our area have made Ramen noodles at some point in their high school career. Not so sure about these teens, though.

Our speech-language pathologist surveyed the students earlier in the week and found that they sorta like noodles, but no veggies in those noodles, please. Too bad--we're at least going to learn how to cook the veggies even if we don't have to eat them.

These are high schoolers in a class for students with emotional disabilities. They can read the label directions and physically manage the knobs on the water faucets, range top, range timer and microwave buttons. However, several of them mentioned that their parents do not let them cook on the stove top. One student seemed fearful of being close to the boiling water in the saucepan when he added the noodles to the pan.

Our recipe called for just using the cooked noodles and not the broth. For safety reasons we used a pasta spoon/fork to remove the noodles from the pot, rather than pouring the excess liquid directly from the pot into the sink. We waited until the water cooled before emptying the pot and washing it.

Here are our steps:

Students took turns reading the 3-step directions.

Of course, we washed our hands.

One student waited and waited until the water temperature was just right for washing his hands.

We decided that 2 cups of water was approximately halfway up the side of the saucepan.

Good thing we had an electric range and not a gas one--wouldn't want these long sleeves anywhere near the burners.

Opening the bags of Ramen noodles wasn't easy.

The teacher suggested breaking up the block of noodles prior to adding them to the boiling water. We practiced using our free hand to hold the pot steady as we stirred the noodles.

After three minutes you add the flavoring packet to the cooked noodles.

These pasta servers make it easy to safely remove the noodles from the simmering water.

We decided to use the microwave to heat the vegetables.

These are microwavable containers. Students asked if the tops should be firmly closed or left slightly open for any steam to escape.

A unique microwave--no dial, just buttons to press.

I left for my next school prior to the end of the activity--the students tasted their creation with different toppings (cheese, soy sauce, corn/peas added) and cleaned up the school kitchen.

What should we make next time?

Recycled Placemats Make Great Letters

2012-01-19T10:53:00.001-05:00

A PT buddy passed along some old placemats and their flexibility gave me an idea--how about making letter pieces for practicing letter formation? They're not as good as the ones from the Handwriting Without Tears HWTears folks, but the kids love 'em.

The blue square design looked especially good against this neon orange paper, and we used the paper to help us keep our letter pieces within a boundary.

After each letter was created, we took turns practicing how to write the letter.

I left the letter pieces with the teacher so the students could continue to use them, to complement their daily handwriting instruction provided in class. Since the materials were free, why not leave letter pieces with all my teachers?

Question for you

2012-01-18T14:23:00.001-05:00

Usually there is one classroom in each of my schools where wonderful things happen on a regular basis. I get happy inside when I know I'll get to share ideas with particular teachers at my different schools, because there is usually something new happening in the classroom that engages the students and reinforces independence on their part.

For example, once I brought in a clipboard holder to an elementary classroom and the next time I stepped foot inside her room the teacher had used it for this: Using Clipboard Idea What a thrill to see how a colleague uses a tool that was originally intended for another purpose.

What have you seen lately that a teacher or other staff member has done with an idea you've discussed together, or a way they have fostered independence in students?

First Day

2012-01-18T11:26:00.000-05:00

When new students transfer into school I like to take photos of their equipment and place the photos in their cumulative folders. It helps me remember what equipment they owned and when, especially expensive, durable equipment like wheelchairs and custom positioning systems. Also take photos of the student positioned optimally in the chair and when engaged in a functional activity.

Another Desk Cave Excavation

2012-01-17T15:09:00.001-05:00

Twice a month I work with this third-grade sweetie on her desk organization. We bring lunch back to the classroom and work in peace while her classmates are trying to hear each other in the noisy cafeteria. Take a bite, munch, clean a little, take another bite...

We bring over the trash can and turn a chair sideways to give us more room to place items from the desk while we work. We also use several nearby desks to lay papers on for sorting by subject.

My role is to provide structure on how to organize the desk--sorting papers, deciding what to keep, toss and ask the teacher about. As the year progresses I reduce my direction and have the student go through the steps with increasing independence. The question I ask most is, "Do you need this?"

Oftentimes it helps to make a photo/text notebook with one step per page, which the student uses to remind them of the steps involved. Sometimes a teacher will have the student use the notebook when the whole class is cleaning their desks.

Getting Started--assess the mess and remove all of it.

Sometimes the mess crawls under the desk, too.

Reach far into the inner recesses of the desk for little pieces of paper and long, lost pencils.

As you pull out loose papers, sort them into piles by subject area--Language Arts, Social Studies, Math...

This process quickly takes over a large area.

Twenty minutes later everyone is back in class and things are looking a little better.

If you have extra time--the student can work on her backpack, too.

Self Regulation Resources

2012-01-16T16:36:00.000-05:00

Interesting new blog with some info on resources for self regulation:

District Behavior Resource Teachers

Calm-Down Jar

2012-01-14T15:22:00.000-05:00

I want one of these calm-down jars, in purple:

Calm-Down Jar

Marble Maze

2012-01-13T16:08:00.001-05:00

Look at the lower half of this link for a wonderful, recycling way to make a maze with paper tubes and marbles. Just too easy, quick & fantastic.

Marble Maze at Bottom of Blog Page

Change Up Time for the Smiley Face Positive Behavior Rewards

2012-01-13T09:07:00.003-05:00

Some students do well with predictable reward systems and some students do better with systems that vary a little from time to time. I work with a student who seems to figure out how to get around all my systems so I keep changing things a bit as the year goes on.

Initially, she had been doing well with me just drawing a part of a smiley face whenever my timer rang and I "caught" her working hard with her smart fingers. Of course, all through our activities I use the phrases, "Your fingers are sure working hard," and "I see some smart fingers working." I vary the intervals of the timer--sometimes 1 minute, sometimes 3 or 5 minutes--so the student can't predict exactly how long she has to "work hard with smart fingers" to earn another part of her smiley face. When she earns the whole smiley face during one session I draw a smiley face on her Point Sheet, which she carries around school all day long. Her homeroom teacher reviews her Point Sheet at the end of the day and reviews how many smiley faces she earned and in which classes (language arts, library, recess, lunch...) But, she grew accustomed (and somewhat bored) to the system and her attention was wandering more and more during our times together.

So, in our last session I changed up the system so that now our sweetie earns one of these de-lish M & M's to put on her smiley face when the timer goes off and all is going well with her smart fingers. Why the plastic baggie? Well, it keeps the M & M's from popping into her mouth before the entire smiley face is earned.

Exploring Geometric Shapes with Your Fidget Belt

2012-01-12T10:56:00.001-05:00

When you're a preschooler, math is all about counting little bears and exploring geometric shapes. When you have limited reach and grasp, sometimes those little manipulatives try to run away from you.

Here are two math-themed fidget belts, looped around our sweetie's wheelchair tray. Both of them have spacers which help separate the beads and other objects I gathered from different toy baskets in the classroom.

If the fidget belt slides off the wheelchair, use a small piece of duct tape to temporarily affix a small portion of it under the wheelchair tray.

Connecting loops of the same belt material are used to allow the student to lift the pieces a few inches off the surface of the tray, yet not high enough to accidentally hit himself in the face. If your student has difficulty with neck extension and frequently falls forward on the wheelchair tray, you'll want to select very soft materials to string on the belt.

Even the white spacer pieces can be used to practice grasp and bilateral coordination.

Wouldn't it be fun to have several fidget belts, corresponding with familiar preschool stories, community helpers, transportation.....?

The items on this fidget belt can be easily washed, still attached to the belt.

All Kinds of Fine Motor Challenges

2012-01-11T10:18:00.000-05:00

Almost gave this 1970's Dymo label maker away to Goodwill over the weekend. Whew! What great fine motor challenges it offered the students yesterday morning.

Of course, I didn't have any of the antique label tape that was originally used with the label maker, so I cut skinny strips of recycled construction paper and thicker, shiny white paper. Turned out that reading the "label" was easier if the paper was shiny as compared to the matte finish construction paper.

Many of the elementary students had to contort their wrists and fingers quite a bit to figure out how to turn the letter dial. You could really see how well they knew their ABC order by how quickly they turned the dial clockwise or counterclockwise to advance to the desired letters.

Most students had to squeeze with both hands in order to create a legible impression on the paper. The novelty and fun quickly wore off when the final results did not always reflect which letters they tried to use. Maybe that's why label makers are mostly electronic with built-in QWERTY keyboards these days...

Time to Make Clouds

2012-01-10T12:33:00.000-05:00

Yesterday we made clouds in the high school class for students with autism. Lo and behold, Home Depot had "snow cover" on sale for $1.24 last weekend. Good for me because the quilt batting I had been intending to use for the project turned out to be non-stretchable and the activity would have been a fine motor disaster.

Our SLP brought the invisible thread but it was too slender and flexible to work with. The thin twine was a better choice.

We thought we would start by cutting a cloud size piece of fluff but the scissors wouldn't work on the material, nor did the "adult" scissors. So, we just pulled off sections of the material to use. We used the scissors to cut the twine toward the end of the project.

Yes, pliers! Although we could bend the thin wire with our fingers we wanted to have the students experience using these needle-nose pliers. Some students tried to use them like scissors to cut the twine.

Our SLP consulted with the classroom teacher ahead of time and determined which clouds were appropriate to discuss during the session. Answer--cumulus. The SLP will use copies of these photos later in the week to reinforce the cloud vocabulary when she works with the students.

Although I'm not usually a packrat I did have a stash of this wire at home. About 10 years ago a friend gave me the leftovers from her TV cable job and I twisted the wires around a pencil and popped them into this jar of non-candy, just for the visual delight. Toward the end of the cloud activity you will be twisting sections of wire into the top of your finished cloud.

For students who are less verbal the SLP has this communication sheet on hand.

Some students dove their hands into the bag of fluffy snow. For those students who weren't freaked out by their hands disappearing into the bag I pressed down firmly on top of their hands for a few seconds to provide deep pressure.

To make the clouds more textured (AKA--lumpy) be sure to twist the materials many different ways prior to stretching it into your cloud shape.

Some students needed a little physical cueing to figure out how to make their hands twist in opposite directions.

Once you're formed your cloud, big or small, twist in your wire spiral from the top of the cloud.

Then, hold your cloud by the wire and make sure it doesn't fall to earth.

Some students used their fingers to make a hook at the top of their wire, where they would later attach a piece of twine.

Some students were able to use the needle-nose pliers to form a hook at the top end of their wire.

About 10% of these high schoolers were able to tie a knot independently.

Tell me again, which cloud did we make?

Make Your Own Sensory Texture "Applicators"

2012-01-09T15:08:00.000-05:00

This post is by a smart momma:

Make Your Own Sensory Texture Brushes

I'd use them "dry" for sensory activities, but it's okay to also use them for painting, if you must.

Squiggly Hands to Help Handwriting Control

2012-01-09T12:05:00.001-05:00

To help students practice control of any writing tool, use these gummy "helper" hands to keep them on track and motivated. Stand up at a portable dry erase board and smash a gummy hand onto the board somewhere around the top. Then, smash a gummy partner somewhere toward the bottom and challenge the student to draw a road connecting the two. If the student can only handle a straight vertical line, that's fine. For students with better control, how about drawing a curly-que line?

For beginners, use lines mostly going top to bottom and left to right. You can incorporate right to left lines and diagonals as students improve in drawing the basic lines.

Now, the board is getting visually-cluttered which is wonderful for figure-ground discrimination. Be sure to keep changing what color marker you use.

Who says you can't use letters to create your road?

Make sure the students do lots of bending during the activity. Put the markers and erasers in the bins below the dry erase board to passively build in this component of the activity. Some students will try to avoid changing planes due to vestibular concerns so let them lean over, bend at the knees, whatever it takes to reach down and grasp the item they want from the bin (or from the floor).
Here's a visual hodgepodge created by three students.

You can do the same thing at the chalkboard or on a large piece of paper taped to the wall or door. Use markers, crayons, chalk.....
Try turning out the overhead lights and having the student trace the path of your flashlight on the drawing surface.....Talk about attention-getting!

Update: A few months ago I found the gummy hands somewhere like Big Lots, CVS or Walgreens. You might look at Pocket Full of Therapy online, too.

Recycled glue stix with re-molded crayons

2012-01-07T17:06:00.000-05:00

This blogger found a way to reuse broken crayons and empty glue stix. I bet we could also use empty deodorant stix (wash 'em real well, please) for the same result, just wider. If students with poor muscle control cannot hold these stix independently, we can attach a type of universal cuff or use Coban (alert--usually contains latex) to help the student maintain a secure grasp while coloring.

Recycled crayons and glue stix

Making S'Mores

2012-01-07T11:02:00.000-05:00

This family made the familiar activity of making S'Mores very special. Wonderful photos.

Special S'More Time

Fun Math--Pinky Stamping and Number Writing

2012-01-06T17:29:00.000-05:00

Way too much fun, especially when the fingers are so tiny.

Ink up your pinky and dot-dot-dot some teensy fingerprints, all in a row.

Go back and write how many pinky fingerprints you created---inside the stamped area. You won't believe how kids love this.

Some of our students write Real Big. This activity is simple and great for encouraging kids to write within a small area, to develop more control of the pencil.

Handwriting Without Tears fun

2012-01-05T10:31:00.000-05:00

The Handwriting Without Tears letter formation chart is so helpful for reviewing how to correctly form letters. Many of my elementary school teachers love this program. I've been trying to figure out a way to work on several fine motor and academic skills while doing handwriting remediation with some students. Here is a way to isolate each letter so the student can concentrate on just one, without having to mask all the other letters on the page. It also reinforces the ABC sequence of letters since the index cards already have the letters marked on the tabs.

Along with practicing letters students might put the cards back in the correct ABC order, or draw pictures of words which start with the letter they're writing, then file the drawing behind the correct letter.

Sensory Excavation

2012-01-04T14:31:00.000-05:00

I'm trying real hard not to be a Pinterest addict but this activity is so perfect for preschoolers and students who need to explore contrasting textures. Think of what you can add--uncooked rice, layers of sand, beads to snap together.....whatever is safe for your students.

jello excavation

Thanks, Rachelle, for sharing this great activity.

Helping Beyond the Classroom

2012-01-04T10:40:00.000-05:00

Walking into one of my classes this morning I missed seeing a particularly energetic instructional aide. Turns out she's home with shoulder pain and bilateral carpal tunnel syndrome. Then, the classroom teacher tells me about a difficult experience over Christmas break when visiting the relatives. "Mom" had shoulder surgery years ago which ended up damaging the nerves in her arm and she accidentally dropped a heavy plate of food all over her daughter's brand-new tablecloth. Mom cried for the rest of the day with frustration and embarrassment.

The teacher asked for a catalog of adaptive aids, which I'm glad to share. However, I first directed the conversation to figuring out how to adapt the environment, to increase independence. Instead of passing around the 5 lb. stoneware dish of mashed potatoes, how about dividing the potatoes into two, lightweight dishes. When fixing the meal, how about using inexpensive, plastic webbed shelf liner, or even just a wet paper towel, to keep mixing bowls stable on the countertop. Can Mom prop her forearm on the table while she's sitting to help her stabilize her upper arm while she passes some foods to the next person?

There are so many opportunities to help folks beyond the classroom.

Update on trying out the "Thought Box"

2012-01-03T15:17:00.001-05:00

Oh well. Started decorating the "Thought Box" with a 4th grader today and it was well received, but for all the wrong reasons.

Due to my sketchy introduction, he got the impression that it would become the receptable for all of his ideas about playing a specific computer game--which I don't like to talk about during our sessions. He clapped his hands and almost jumped out of his seat. He was practically giddy when he began decorating the box top. It was a disaster.

I've got to figure out how to retrieve this, since it might be helpful for him during the year. Later in the morning I saw him getting furious about working with a substitute instructional aide and that would have been a perfect "thought" for him to put in the thought box to share later with someone he trusted.

Legibility Within Small Spaces

2012-01-03T12:14:00.000-05:00

Sometimes students can write legibly if they are given wide open spaces for writing, but not when they have to write within a "prescribed" space. To quickly see how well they write within a small space, hunt around in their folders or simply ask them to show you a crossword puzzle worksheet they've completed.

This student tends to produce large letters when given a large space to write his answers, but he sure wrote legibly when filling out answers to the crossword puzzle for science class. Yes, it might not appear legible to some folks but this is pretty much the norm for a 3rd grader in our school system. Also, his letters remained legible and didn't deteriorate over time due to fatigue or some other reason.

Supernanny's Thought Box Technique

2012-01-02T13:08:00.000-05:00

Over Christmas break I reviewed some of Supernanny's website info and was amazed with how much good info there is for working with students with emotional disabilities, autism and other behavioral concerns.

Supernanny Thought Box Technique

The Thought Box Technique might be helpful for students who feel like they are frequently being treated unfairly when they're in their general ed classes, at lunch, on the bus. Or, students who frequently interrupt class to tell stories that are general in nature and do not contribute to the subject being discussed.

I can see having the student decorate their own Thought Box and prepare a kit of small pieces of scrap paper and a ready-to-go pencil. Using this technique may support independence, emotional self regulation, fine motor skills and perhaps increase self control. It would be great if the student would set their own timer for the three minutes or so that they are allotted to draw or write a brief note to help them later recall their thought.

The trick will be when to review the student's submissions to the Thought Box. For me that would probably be the last few minutes of the therapy session but teachers would have to carve out a time to individually meet with their students and that could be a challenge.

Great photos of pencil grasp development

2012-01-02T10:22:00.000-05:00

This OT has laid out a wonderful photo array of the stages of pencil grasp, and her explanations are excellent:

Stages of Typically-Developing Pencil Grasp

Two Weeks Off

2011-12-15T11:40:00.001-05:00

This is our last week before Christmas Break. Hope all of you who celebrate Christmas have a wonderful time with family and friends. I'm going to try to not eat all the goodies that seem to be everywhere, especially in schools.

To everyone--I hope you have a peaceful time and get to relax and reflect a little. Here's a tiny glimpse of my birdfeeder frenzy last winter:

Sunny Day Writing

2011-12-15T11:27:00.002-05:00

It may be mid-December but it's a sunny day in our town and many elementary school students always write a morning story about the date, the weather and what they'll be doing that day. But, it's not much fun to labor through all those words describing your upcoming day unless you can illustrate your work as well.

Drawing can be frustrating for students, especially when 2-D visual-motor skills present an extra challenge. What to do? We OTs can use simple drawing to help students practice pencil grasp, near-point copying, geometric concepts and the fine art of taking turns.

Instead of using two little pieces of paper for our step-by-step drawing, I drew my picture on a piece of scrap paper and the student drew on their journal paper, within faintly-sketched boundary lines. We took turns drawing each part of the picture and the student ended up with a clear illustration for their sentences.

Of course, it provides a wonderful opportunity to practice functional spelling when you label your picture.

Different student here and we're just taking turns drawing a seasonal picture. I was intending to draw a tannenbaum but the student thought it looked more like a person. Oh well.

Voting Closed

2011-12-13T15:35:00.000-05:00

Yesterday I posted a plea for votes for the Assistive Technology Center door in our building's decorating contest--voting is now closed. If you voted--thx bunches!

Wonderful blog for toddlers and young children

2011-12-13T12:26:00.000-05:00

Engaging Toddler Activities

Lots of great OT ideas here. Love this one about using bubble wrap to indicate your test answers.

Example of Using Microsoft Excel to "Color"

2011-12-13T08:53:00.000-05:00

An interesting, no-frills, no-fuss leisure activity for students who enjoy creating "pictures" on the computer. This student discovered on her own how to use Microsoft Excel with the computer mouse to "color." I created a template for her to use each time, with the names of fellow students and her teachers' names, but she simply erases the names and colors as she wishes.

If you want to add an educational twist, you can use the same idea to write alphabet letters and numbers.

Since so many families have the Microsoft Office suite on their personal computers this can be an option for leisure computer activities at home.

Shameless begging for a vote for our door decorating contest

2011-12-12T12:20:00.000-05:00

The votes must be in tomorrow by 3 PM, Eastern Standard Time USA. Please read the impassioned plea in the text below and listen to your heart--then please vote for our decorated door in the Assistive Technology Center. This year's door decorating theme focused on old holiday movies.

If it's difficult to figure out from the photos, the door represents a huge iPad. Please do not send your vote to me--there is an e-mail in the text below for sending in your vote and I'll repeat it here as well: beth_cousins@ccpsnet.net Simply say that you are "voting for the AT Center door."

Thank you!

The Fulghum Center is once again having a door decorating contest. The AT Center won 2nd place last year. This year, the theme is “Holiday Movies” . ANYONE can cast a vote – simply e-mail beth_cousins@ccpsnet.net and please vote for the AT CENTER DOOR no later than 3pm Tuesday, December 13.

Attached, please find photos of our door. This door is the largest iPad you have ever seen! The apps on the door are a play on words for various holiday movies. Through teamwork and creativity, we have incorporated CCPS, Technology AND holiday movies! Enjoy and thanks for your vote!

With appreciation and technology cheers, the Assistive Technology Center Staff

Functional Fine Motor Skills and Self Help Skills

2011-12-09T15:42:00.001-05:00

We often write "Student will independently perform typical classroom fine motor and self help activities" in reports and IEPs. What's that?

Here is a sweetie with left hemiplegia showing full independence with "typical classroom fine motor and self help activities" as she retrieves items from her backpack, hands in her homework and prepares to eat breakfast in the classroom. Believe me, sometimes it's not easy to open that twicky milk carton but, heh, it is chocolate milk and that's work the effort.

It warmed my heart to see her retrieve a pair of scissors to open the cellophane wrapper of the "Power" donut; an idea we practiced last week. No, I didn't let myself say anything about whether or not donuts can possibly be part of a healthy breakfast.

Try opening a milk carton with one hand. Oftentimes I'll ask students to partially open both sides and then pull the diagonal corners apart just enough to insert a straw.

Pretty good eye-hand coordination, I'd say.

Grab that package of flimsy plastic utensils, straw and napkin in your fist and knock it on the table until the top breaks open and you can pull out what you need.

Video of Thankfulness Cards activity

2011-12-09T12:10:00.000-05:00

Here's a video of the steps we used to create our Thankfulness cards for families:

Creating Thankfulness Cards in High School

I Really Don't Love Spiders

2011-12-08T15:30:00.001-05:00

What would I do without Ed Emberley books??? We took turns drawing a spider, sharing one pencil. Students are so happy to be able to draw something recognizable that they don't mind the handwriting practice at the end, when they write the name of their creation.

You can talk about top, middle, bottom, right, left, how many legs does a spider have on this side, how many on the other side, the spider's smile is wide--not narrow, the body we made out of a thumbprint is a sideways oval and not a tall oval, the spider's "string" comes down from the ceiling.....so many opportunities for talking about 2-D spatial concepts and directionality.

Wonderful book on hand skills

2011-12-07T09:26:00.003-05:00

A person wrote and asked about how to learn more about developing hand skills. Rhoda Erhardt wrote a wonderful book years ago and I learned a great deal from it:

Developmental Hand Dysfunction:

Theory, Assessment, and Treatment

What Are You Thankful For This Christmas?

2011-12-06T12:36:00.000-05:00

High schoolers in a class for students with autism created cards during our integrated therapy session yesterday, to express how they are thankful for their families. We incorporated actual photos of most students and used a photo from a newspaper ad to represent the student whose family does not permit photos taken at school. When presented with several ad photos to represent her, of course our student chose the most attractive photo of the bunch!

It's a simple activity, except for using those tricky scrapbooking scissors! Some of those are hard to use on the flimsy holiday wrapping paper I grabbed from home. Most students chose to simply use regular scissors but our speech-language pathologist made sure she kept her hand tightly over the scissors caddy until the students specifically asked to use a scissors. It was my job to say, "Go ahead and start cutting out your photo," once, twice, thrice...until the students realized that we really weren't going to hand them the scissors and they had to ask for them. The SLP calls this, "sabotaging the task." It's very hard for me to remember to do this since my focus is so much on the fine motor aspect of these sessions and not the communication piece.

Folding the paper like a book.

Nice, tight crease.

Make sure the corners match up.

No access to the scissors unless you request them!

Adding a festive "frame" around the photo.

Make sure the frame sticks on the paper.

Some frames are a little wider than others.

Writing the note inside.

Some handwriting is teensy, but legible.

Great sensory opportunity for deep pressure input to the hands.

This student wrote his note in a secret code.

Be sure to find out ahead of time if any students do not celebrate holidays at their homes, or if a particular decorating scheme should be avoided and you need to use more neutral colors. The families of the students in this particular class do celebrate Christmas so we went with red and green construction paper as well as newspaper photos of wreaths, pine trees and holiday lights on buildings.

Sparkly Sensory Fun

2011-11-30T11:40:00.001-05:00

We reviewed our sensory activities in the classroom for high schoolers with autism. Initially, some of the students weren't too keen on having their hands coated with canola oil or the good-smelling orange Kool-Aid playdough but they loved it once they were gently encouraged to explore the materials.

We focused on applying deep pressure via an (amateur) passive hand massage using the canola oil and also pressing the playdough on and between the fingers.

Even though the playdough was already sparkly we added a bunch more glitter.

Better to alert you to the task, my dears.

Thanksgiving Fun

2011-11-27T18:27:00.000-05:00

A friend grows organic veggies on a small plot of land we own--our future mini farm down the road. She shared this fun decoration with us for Thanksgiving:

Hope everyone had a relaxing, happy Thanksgiving with family and friends.

In-Hand Manipulation

2011-11-22T15:48:00.000-05:00

Sort paperclips by color, draw a geometric "home" for each color and nestle the clips inside, then use only one hand to pick up "x" number of clips, one clip at a time. Work each clip deep into your palm and then pick up the next clip. Keep upping the number you pick up. No, you really can't use the other hand to help. Sure, some paperclips fall out of your hand but you'll get the hang of it eventually.

In-Hand Manipulation Video

You can also use pennies, nickels, dimes and quarters for your sorted groups instead of paperclips.

This student started off using her left hand but learned that her right hand has an easier time of it.

Check Out This Cool Blog

2011-11-20T19:15:00.000-05:00

Interesting blog with lots of activities and photos:

Cool Blog

Wrapping Up the Holidays--A Video

2011-11-16T11:23:00.001-05:00

Do you think your students help with gift wrapping at home? Give them the opportunity at school and maybe they'll be better able to help their parents during the holiday rush.
Wrapping packages and gifts video

First, we wrapped old phone books to use for proprioceptive/vestibular activities in a high school classroom for students with autism. Next, we worked with highschoolers in a class for students with emotional disabilities and practiced wrapping small packages, using typical wrapping paper. Great opportunities for bilateral coordination, motor planning, fine motor coordination and tying bows.

Coffee Lid Happy Face

2011-11-15T12:16:00.000-05:00

This morning I threw away the non-recycleable lid from my empty coffee can, got inspired, and quickly retrieved it from the trash can. What was I thinking???

The bright yellow lid turned into a big happy face, once we added the mouth, nose, eyes and eyebrows. Each time the bell rang on my timer (every 3-5 minutes) the student received one part of their happy face, if s/he was working hard with smart fingers and paying attention to his/her work. Some students could even roll the painter's tape into a circle in order to stick the facial features onto the yellow background.

Nice change from simply drawing a smiley face on a sheet of scrap paper.

Another Gorgeous One

2011-11-11T15:45:00.000-05:00

This student keeps churning out the great art; just saw this one today:

Fun Way to "Write" Your Name

2011-11-10T15:49:00.000-05:00

Having two days off at the beginning of the school week makes for a confusing Wed, Th and Friday. What the heck--the kids are high energy so let's do fun stuff.

Here's a colorful way to reinforce letter formation; making nameplates using stickers on graph paper. I drew the outlines of the letters and the students chose which colors and shapes to use.

Elementary Geometry

2011-11-08T15:39:00.000-05:00

We can get a good idea of how students will write manuscript (print) letters by looking at how well they can draw simple geometric shapes. Here's a hands-on way to reinforce in their minds how to create some important geometric shapes, featuring squares and triangles.

Elementary Geometry video link

Sunday School Reality Check

2011-11-06T21:15:00.001-05:00

This morning I substituted for a teacher's helper in 3rd grade Sunday school. Out of 20 little rascals, probably 5 of them had a perfect tripod grasp when writing and drawing with a regular diameter pencil. At least two of them had those horrendous supinated grasps and there were many varieties of lateral grasps. The students were able to work for 15+ minutes, writing legibly and drawing, with no outward signs of fatigue or discomfort.

Some of these sweeties had lived all their lives in the USA and several of them had spent at least their early years in the Sudan and other faraway places.

Sure, having an efficient grasp is very nice but my experience this morning showed me that it doesn't seem to make a big deal of difference in handwriting if the student's pencil grasp is not picture perfect. Kinda makes me question which factors might matter more when it comes to functional, legible handwriting in school.

What a Lovely Video

2011-11-04T17:53:00.000-04:00

This little girl is a wonderful actress:

HopeAbilities Fun With Clay

Great Art in the Classroom

2011-11-04T13:34:00.000-04:00

I don't work with this student, but I happened to see some of her art this morning. Beautiful and vibrant. She's very quiet but her artwork shows how much she appreciates the details of the fascinating world around her.

Home Program and Classroom Program for Hand and Finger Strengthening

2011-11-03T15:40:00.000-04:00

Strengthening the Hands and Fingers for Writing

To supplement written home and classroom programs we can also use brief videos.

These are old photos from other blog posts, assembled to make a "follow along" video for promoting hand and finger strength practice at home and in the classroom. It really doesn't take too long to make a short video like this one and I can use it for many parents and classrooms.

Good-smelling Pumpkins and Blurry Bats

2011-10-31T11:48:00.000-04:00

We traced, cut out and spiced up some Halloween pumpkins and bats this morning, then turned them into a decorative garland for the classroom. We practiced tying half knots, too, to keep the bats from flying into the pumpkins.
This was our joint OT-Speech-Academic group in the classroom for highschoolers with autism. Some of the students surprised their teachers and aides by how well they traced around the pumpkin and bat templates and also with how well they cut around the shapes. Lots of opportunities to practice hand strength when squeezing the glue on the shapes prior to dusting them with cinnamon or ground cloves.

Teeny Tiny Connecting Squares

2011-10-31T10:31:00.000-04:00

These 1/3' squares come in handy when you're working with a student who really needs to practice better pinch. Of course, they can always trick you and use their thumb and middle finger for pinch instead of their index finger! Oh well, we took turns guessing what letter the other person was creating and that added to the interest.
This student works real fast and her in-class handwriting shows it. When you have lots of anxiety about life you tend to rush through things so you can check them off your to-do list.

Changing Planes

2011-10-28T12:24:00.000-04:00

It's the Friday before Halloween--definitely a day to rise up from our chairs and get moving. We stood up to draw Halloween-ish shapes but kept the markers and eraser on the floor so everyone had lots of opportunities to change planes during the session. An easy way to incorporate vestibular input into a classroom activity.

Yes, the drawing surface it a bit too high for the students, but this encourages them to tilt their heads back a little farther than usual and experience a alternate angle of their head in space.

If you look closely, and recruit a little imagination, you can see that some bat wings look like the letter, "M," and some look like the letter, "W." This helps you get started in drawing their basic outline.

When Nothing Else Will Do

2011-10-27T14:18:00.000-04:00

It's a good idea to keep a little bit of latex-free Theraband on hand. Especially when you draw a smiley face in the middle of it.

When a student needs to strengthen those instrinsic hand muscles and other muscles related to hand strength just ask them to stretch the smiley face.

Varying arm positions help sustain the student's interest in the activity.

Finger Warm Ups

2011-10-26T09:41:00.000-04:00

Many elementary school students seem a little confused when they are asked to attach paperclips to sets of class papers or clip their homework together. It's easy to show them the two "smiles" in the paperclips and remind them that one "smile" goes in front of the paper and the other smile goes behind.

If you're working with a student who doesn't mind being silly, invent names for the groups of different color paperclips--the "Peppermints," the "Bumblebees," and so on. Ask the student to sort the paperclips into groups/families and then slide them onto different sides of the "table."

Now, the student is better at using a typical classroom "tool" and their fingers are warmed up for other fine motor activities at school.

Online stories read by professional actors

2011-10-25T11:51:00.000-04:00

What a wonderful way to engage reluctant readers in "reading."

James Earl Jones takes a turn reading

Website for the stories:

http://storylineonline.net/

Using Music and Visuals to Aid with Concentration and Transition Times

2011-10-24T12:26:00.000-04:00

YouTube videos for elementary classrooms

The teacher who uses his smart phone for spelling review shared his YouTube channel with me.

He writes:
"The music list is used also throughout the day as music for the room. The video itself is minimized as I do other work on the board.

The relaxing fish or beach scenes are sometimes used during math stations... but I primarily use them for a few minutes of transition...and as a good way to calm down at the end of the day."

October Gooey Gluey Words

2011-10-23T18:39:00.000-04:00

Spelling is semi-exciting when you use paper-pencil but it's lots more fun when you write with glue and string. These kids in an elementary classroom for students with minimal intellectual disabilities were familiar with these "October" words since their teacher had been talking all month about the words, using a poster which included simple sketches of the objects paired with the words. We took her lead and did some gooey, gluey writing of our own.

All you need is wax paper, scrap paper for writing the underlying "shadow" words, washable white glue, scissors and yarn.

If your student has difficulty figuring out where to cut, use a permanent marker to outline the word.

Be sure to display the students' work where everyone will see it many times each day.

Mardi Gras bead fun

2011-10-20T17:38:00.000-04:00

Only had a few minutes left in the early childhood special ed classroom this morning, so I quickly grabbed some wide masking tape to temporarily secure some colorful stacking beads to this sweetie's wheelchair tray. Sure, the big beads were colorful but not very bling-y, so what did I see in the corner of the room--mardi gras beads!

That's much better--now he has something glitzy to catch his eye and jangle around the tray for fun sounds.

This sweetie doesn't put things in his mouth and he's not allergic to sticky tape on his fingers. Still, I took everything off his tray before I left the room.

Near Point--Far Point

2011-10-19T14:50:00.000-04:00

Who knows what the trouble really is??? Attention difficulties--glasses sitting on the tip of his nose--having to turn to the far right for each new letter copied from the board???

In the meantime, homework needs to be copied each morning. We've tried having him sit directly in front of the chalkboard, practicing abbreviations for frequently-used words, and even (gasp) having a classmate copy the assignment for him.

Today we borrowed the assignment book of fellow student who writes quickly and neatly, then copied the work near point, as shown in the photo. Still lots of pauses to look around the room between each letter but he was able to finish the task with a few minutes to spare and also retrieve a book to read from the classroom library.

Shiny Matters

2011-10-18T16:06:00.000-04:00

These letters keep catching my eye when I walk down the hall--it took me forever to realize that each letter is decorated with items which start with the letter it's glued upon. The letter on the far right is "P" and you can see paperclips and pennies. This idea would be great for making a textured letter book for students with visual impairments.

Smart Phone Spelling Review

2011-10-17T10:00:00.000-04:00

Last year a first-grade teacher at one of my schools consistently drilled students in reading their spelling and vocabulary words as they arrived at school. The students lined up along the wall outside the classroom and then the teacher showed them a word written on an index card when it was their turn to walk into the room. Saying the word was their "ticket" to admission.

This year he's using his smart phone for drills; he said he kept losing the index cards last year and this is much easier. I think it's also much more motivating for our students who are attracted to all things digital.

Drawing Social Stories in High School

2011-10-13T12:28:00.000-04:00

Those Wikki Stix came in handy. Many of the highschoolers in this classroom for students with autism can easily draw stick figures, but some can't, so tracing around a Wikki Stixx figure put everyone on the same footing.

Good thing our trusty SLP was close at hand to direct the creation and writing of simple greetings.

Highschoolers drawing social stories

In the second classroom, with students who have emotional disabilities, the challenge was to keep the written greetings polite and positive. I left exhausted.

Lava Lamp Relaxation

2011-10-12T14:03:00.000-04:00

Last week I visited a high school classroom for students with autism during their "down" time. The students all had a choice of leisure manipulatives for fidgeting and other activities to pursue during the brief period after lunch and before returning to academic and vocational tasks. Despite having these options available, a few students appeared agitated.

Lava Lamp Relaxation--Version One

Lava Lamp Relaxation--Version Two

I plan to ask the teacher if she would like to try using one of these very homemade videos as a backdrop to the students' down time. Just listening to the ticking clock calms me within seconds.

Stick Figure Social Stories for Elementary School

2011-10-07T17:49:00.000-04:00

This week we tried out some simply-drawn social stories in the elementary schools. Next week--high school!

Drawing Social Stories in Elementary School

This little video starts out with two students in a busy K-5th grade special education classroom and then it shifts to working 1-1 with a student in a quieter setting. If you listen closely you can hear our conversations about the drawings we're creating.

To learn more about how speech-language pathologists and others use social stories with students, search Carol Gray.

Nevermore

2011-10-04T19:56:00.000-04:00

For one of our integrated therapy model activity groups with high schoolers this month we're planning to make a papiermache statue of a raven to celebrate Poe's big birthday. Thankfully, the teacher for students with autism is also a sculptor and she's going to make the supporting frame before we start messing with the gloppy newspaper strips and paste.

Here's a statue of a friendly piglet, whose young sculptor competed in the Crafts competition at the State Fair of Virginia this month.

Taking Turns

2011-10-04T19:42:00.000-04:00

This student and I took turns writing our last names and some recent vocabulary words. After each word was written and cut away from the original sheet of lined paper we slipped the twin words into the tiny sentence strip holders I bought at Target this August. Thank you, Mrs. Leila Harris, for introducing me to these miniature sentence strips!

It was a lot more interesting for the student to get up out of her chair and walk over to the whiteboard with each word as it was finished, rather than waiting for all the words to be completed.

Half-cut composition books

2011-10-04T19:28:00.000-04:00

One of my elementary schools supplies these half-cut composition books to students for writing in their journals. A third-grade teacher explained that his students seem more relaxed about writing because they feel that they don't need to write so much. The same teacher commented that many students actually write more, because they seem to feel less pressured.

Our local technical skills high school cuts the books, for a very low price.

Great Shoe Tying Book

2011-09-28T16:57:00.000-04:00

Don't think I've shared before how much I appreciate this book for working with students on learning to tie their shoes:
Shoe Tying Book

I've been using it for a few years with students of all ages. I start with the last page and work backwards. Just practice a couple of steps for a couple of minutes each time I see the student, when I'm being good and remember to do it.

Using Vocabulary Words to Make a Fall Classroom Streamer

2011-09-27T11:56:00.000-04:00

Use that Elison machine to punch some fall shapes, then students can write vocabulary words and create a vertical streamer for the classroom. An ongoing project for October.Fall Streamer

Good activity for sequencing, writing within a prescribed area, hole punching, eye-hand coordination and practice making half knots.

Video on Activity for Hand Strength, Dexterity and Sequencing Steps

2011-09-23T14:16:00.000-04:00

If I were a "good" OT I'd never let a student punch out the holes backwards to make her name, but I'm just thankful she participated and worked on it so well. Don't tell the HWT folks--it'll make them cry.

Little Video about Sensory Room for High Schoolers

2011-09-22T14:53:00.000-04:00

The video doesn't really do the room justice, but this small room has vibrating beanbags, a range of visually-interesting lights and hand-held "toys," and many textured items to explore. The Art Dept of the high school designed the interstellar murals and the teachers enhanced the concept by hanging planet-like decorations from the ceiling. Even the windows to the hallway were painted with a jello-consistency mixture that alters the harsh light from the hall and makes it swirley.

The different classes have allotted times during the day when they regain their equilibrium in the sensory room. Will feature different pieces of equipment down the road.

Writing Tall

2011-09-20T13:01:00.000-04:00

Those Wikki Stix are at it again. Use them as sticky guides to keep little writers in line. Also, the wooden clipboard holders work great with this large writing board and allow fidgety students to stand while they work.

Beginning ABC & 123 Writers and Readers

2011-09-15T15:19:00.000-04:00

For a young student who needs lots of time practicing her standing balance in the classroom one of my wonderful teachers and his instructional aide concocted several activities that the student can work on while standing at her desk or at the chalkboard.

One easy activity is using a clipboard and stand for "writing" the letters of her name, using Velcro-backed letters and a model. Great activity for improving pinch, too.

At the magnetic chalkboard a little pocket made from a recycled manila folder was arranged at just the right height to have her match corresponding numbers. It's important to practice keeping your balance when you're busy thinking hard about math--someday she'll be shopping!

Individual Baskets for Elementary School Desks

2011-09-13T11:45:00.000-04:00

My teacher friend, who always has sharpened pencils ready for me to use with students, began using individual baskets for each student's desk. Instead of using Velcro to affix the baskets, she used a double-sided tape which, supposedly, will not leave any residue and should be easy to remove later on. I recall other teachers who used Velcro strips to attach baskets like these and the students eventually began using the sound of Velcro pulling apart as a fun way to amuse their friends.

Video of Self-Calming Activities for Highschoolers

2011-09-12T13:16:00.001-04:00

Here are two activities we used today in a classroom for high school students with autism. The students were bouncy before we started but they sure got calmer and less fidgety for a while once we rolled out the "lotion" and "clay."

Video of Self-Calming Activities

This was a joint activity with the students, speech-language pathologist, instructional aides, teacher and occupational therapist working together in the classroom. The teacher will include the activities in her menu of "sensory breaks" available to students during the day.

String Art Idea for Highschoolers with Autism

2011-09-09T23:28:00.000-04:00

It was like Homecoming for me today--got to go to my favorite idea-generating store near my office--Big Lots. I've had withdrawal over the summer since I was in the habit of cruising their aisles at least once a month.

Looking for materials to use with students I saw a skein of soft, variegated color baby binkie yarn and my brain started churning--how about getting started on that string art idea from last year with the high school class for students with autism? Tonight the idea percolated a bit further and I thought, "How about having the art students draw a bold picture of something related to the school, and then the students in the autism class could set in the tiny nails and begin weaving the yarn into a string art picture?" Talk about good PR for special education at the school. Well, I can dream.

The beauty of all this which makes it somewhat do-able is that one of the teachers for students with autism is also an artist. She can make it happen. If it does happen, I'll post photos of the process.

Shiny, Flappy Fidget Items for High Schooler

2011-09-08T20:58:00.000-04:00

Yesterday I visited a high school class for students with significant cognitive disabilities. One of the guys was working a giant Connect Four-type game while relaxing on the carpet. This was a good break from sitting in his wheelchair and it allowed him to stretch out his legs and weightbear through his arms while leaning from side to side as he reached for the large checkers.

However, he seemed more interested in throwing the checkers around the room so he could giggle while the instructional aide darted around to pick them up--behind chairs, under desks, almost out the open window.

I wasn't sure how to tether the checkers so they would never sail too far away, but another idea came to mind. I knew he liked to flap materials with his hands and he also liked shiny fabric, so I recalled the cheap car window shield I had bought at Big Lots last June. Talk about shiny. Here's how I made a flappy, fidget toy for him:

First, I cut strips about 6" wide by 36" long and covered the raw edges with colorful duct tape.

I think the duct tape will hold and not pull off too easily since this guy has difficulties with precise pinch.

The strip edged with yellow had a grommet built in, but the red and blue strips required some way to slide in a cord, so I doubled back one edge and duct taped it to form a type of wide loop.

A petite teacher friend is modeling a single flappy strip, with a length of surgical tubing threaded through the grommet, which then is connected to a belt around the waist. For my student, I'll probably begin with attaching one strip of shiny fabric to the belt and add the red and blue strips over time.

The purpose of this fidget toy is to encourage him to stretch out his arms away from his body in order to flap the shiny material strips. It's not exactly an "academic" tool for learning but it encourages greater excursion at the shoulders and elbows, promotes deeper breathing for a sedentary person and provides him with a fidget toy that no one has the joy of retrieving.

Big caution--when a student is wearing a belt around the body he must always be carefully supervised just in case the belt gets wiggled into a position where is it restricting movement or respiration.

Also, this student does not put items in his mouth, but your student might.

Faster Way to Create Videos to Use with Students

2011-09-07T21:46:00.000-04:00

Using Windows Movie Maker is great and so is Photo Story 3, but this software let me make the video in a flash. You can add more titles and other extras to clarify the photos if you wish, depending on how well the photos tell your story. All About Fall

Having the quickly changing photos may hold a student's attention to the information you want them to see, but you can also pause any photo and discuss the action.

Folks working in education can have a free account with this company, http://animoto.com/ , for at least 6 months.

Fine Motor Ideas

2011-09-03T22:25:00.000-04:00

Amazing ideas here. Not sure yet how "pins" work but I'm definitely looking at this link in the future:

http://pinterest.com/funkist/pins/

Toting the Bins Back to School

2011-09-02T16:35:00.000-04:00

In our county school system, assistive technology equipment is grouped by schools and the OTs deliver the "AT bins" to schools now, before students return to the classrooms. This makes for a bit of car decluttering on the part of most of us OTs, since the bins do take up quite a bit of space in our vehicles.

I bring along my trusty, rusty luggage wheelie thing to help me trek the bulky bins along the sidewalks and long hallways.

Yesterday I delivered bins to two schools with electric power, and two other schools without any power. The trooper teachers were carrying on by the faint light brought in by the skylights around school. Driving along the backroads you could see all the damage to trees and homes from Hurricane Irene. Our family only lost power for 4 nights; think I'll go home and hug a lightswitch.

Site for Parents

2011-09-02T10:03:00.000-04:00

Checked out this blog again to see if the author is still posting excellent info--yep, she is. If you have parents who want to know what they can do at home to enhance their child's learning you might direct them to this site:

My Obstacle Course blog

Back to School

2011-08-25T12:41:00.000-04:00

Plan to show this video of last year's sensory-based activities to families of students in the autism program at the high school as part of the Parent Open House:

Sensory-Based Activities for High School Students

I think the Speech-Language Pathologist might show her more detailed videos of the activities, which she used during follow-up sessions with her students.

Earthquake Central

2011-08-23T16:52:00.000-04:00

We all headed back to work today and this afternoon we had an earthquake! The epicenter was about 20 miles from our therapy office. So glad the kiddos weren't back in school!

Stay tuned to this weekend with the hurricane coming up the coast.

A Final Walk for the Summer

2011-08-22T15:02:00.000-04:00

This morning I dragged my poor husband along with me to walk around the quaint streets in northside Richmond, in a neighborhood named "Bellevue." Lovely Bellevue A fairly cool morning made it perfect for hugging the shady side of the street and enjoying the older homes. We splurged and went to a 1940's breakfast-lunch spot on the way back home; we'd never been there before and it was delicious.

Tomorrow I'll be getting up a little earlier than I'm accustomed to...back to work!

Squeeze In All the Green You Can

2011-08-20T15:34:00.000-04:00

As school-based therapists you know I'm NOT referring to our huge salaries.
Last year I read a study that stated we can reduce our stress levels by looking out the window and keeping our gaze on something green for at least twenty seconds. Well, that's a little difficult for me to do since I work in a windowless office and some schools don't have too many large picture windows.
So...I think I'll play this video once in a while and gaze on the green, listen to the bugs and the birds and the relaxing sounds of water dancing along the stream.

Relax

Next Tuesday is the big day to start back to work--Yikes!

Twisted Huts

2011-08-16T22:04:00.000-04:00

Well, I had intended for my personal blog, LifeSpace ,to stand in for me this summer, but I hardly added a thing. Too much working in the garden, walking dogs, and having funs with friends--I'm sorry.

School starts for us next Tuesday so I'll be back in the saddle and photographing/writing again. This summer was full of tons of interesting ideas so I'll be adding new activities for my kiddos next year, based on those new thoughts.

Aren't the twisted huts dreamy? They were constructed at Lewis Ginter Botanic Gardens in Richmond and a friend and I explored them two Saturdays ago. How the Twisted Huts Were Created

Summer Break is Finally Here

2011-06-17T13:02:00.000-04:00

Seeing the prep for year-end parties and graduation ceremonies at the schools this week has been fun. Hope all you fellow school system OTs have a great time off this summer! I'll be reclaiming my weed-infested gardens and writing long overdue letters to neglected friends.

Please cruise over and view my personal blog sometime this summer. There should be new posts coming up real soon. Lifespace

Hoppin' for Summer Break to Arrive

2011-06-16T11:13:00.000-04:00

I think that students with autism will love the cooing sound these gorgeous chickens make while they're waiting their turn to hop for their special food treats. These girls belong to a friend of mine who is a wild, creative soul.

Windows Live Movie Maker

2011-06-14T17:36:00.000-04:00

Just had a 1-1 tutorial from one of our technology integrators on Windows Live Movie Maker--lots different from the previous version of Movie Maker but lots of possibilities.
So glad I got the tutorial instead of plodding along on my own all summer. More videos here I come!

http://explore.live.com/windows-live-movie-maker?os=other

New Year's Resolutions (for next September)

2011-06-10T15:47:00.000-04:00

What went right this year? What got a little better compared to last year?
I'm talking about the occupational therapist.

Starting assessments as soon as I received the referral from our department secretary helped me get them completed prior to the meeting. It also allowed me to have extra time to print out pertinent handouts for the families and staff and distribute them at the meeting.
Sometimes we related services folks are told about meetings with just a teensy bit of notice so it really pays off to start assessments immediately.

Doing a brief, initial observation of the student helps my thoughts percolate and decide what else I need to observe the next time. I often go into an assessment thinking that "A" is needed and it ends up being "B" instead, so this helps me get my facts straight prior to interacting 1-1 with the student.

Inserting photos into the report helped clarify my description of the student's skills and needs. I just take pictures of the student's hands but parents and staff love it and understand what I'm trying to describe in the report.

We receive an enormous amount of referrals due to problems with handwriting. I now ask lots of questions about the amount of handwriting instruction provided in class prior to the referral, the materials used and the availability of special ed staff for handwriting remediation. Of course, I try to do this in a nice way. I see my role as a coach to students and staff in handwriting training and handwriting remediation, not as the default person on staff for "fixing" handwriting.

Resolutions for next year? I'd like to develop lists of teachers to share customized e-mails about various topics--using portable word processors, fine motor ideas for the classroom, tips from the Handwriting Without Tears website, ideas for students with severe intellectual disabilities...

What did you do well this year?

Popular Fidget Toy

2011-06-10T10:39:00.001-04:00

Some of my schools have prohibited students from wearing these band bracelets/wristbands but they sure make handy fidget toys for students who don't put things in their mouth.

Awkward Grasp

2011-06-10T10:35:00.001-04:00

How do they write like that??? I don't know, but some of the neatest handwriting in elementary classes is produced by students who exhibit this supinated grasp. Years ago I accompanied my husband during a consult with a neurosurgeon who used this grasp when writing in my husband's medical chart at the office. The thought of him holding the scalpel in the same fashion made me cringe.

Tying Shoes

2011-06-09T11:46:00.002-04:00

Watch the second video, with the pink shoelaces. I think that some students can learn how to tie their shoes by watching the video over and over. For other students, we will have to break the task into steps, either forward or backward chaining. I plan to add it to my summer handouts for parents.

Thriving in School: The Art of Making Life Easier - Tying Shoes: "I happened by this TED video this morning on tying shoes. Apparently most of us have been doing it the wrong way all of our lives. No, the..."