Home Accessibility

Just saw this article in one of my magazines this morning--what a beautiful home!  Excited to read the full article and peruse the mom's blog.

https://thislittlemiggy.com/2022/02/better-homes-garden-home-feature/

Yes, you have to have $$$$$ to create something this exquisite.  But, there is always something to learn and apply.

Hopelessly Into Cute 'n Cheap Activities

Okay, I know I'm retired...but I'm still excited about adorable, almost-free activities to use with kids and adults!

Last Christmas Day we had two friends over for brunch, prior to going to a relative's home for a brief holiday celebration (it was a warm day here in central Virginia, with temps in the 60's--perfect open-the-windows weather).  I wanted to make the brunch fun and memorable so I pre-made about 10 painted rocks and had the materials for the quicker craft on hand for us to make after we ate.

Well, it was a big hit!  One of my friends is an artist by trade so her design was a little more detailed than mine and my art-apprehensive other friend.  However, the non-artist friend loved hers enough to give it away to the next family she was visiting that day!  Pretty cool, I'd say!

The plain rocks are free for the taking from almost anywhere you look; my yard "grows" baby rocks every time it rains.  I had lots of craft paint and brushes from over the years on hand.  After brunch we took the rocks I had painted to a local park and had fun deciding the best spots for placing them, for little kids to find.

The cardstock for the pictures was from my paper stash, the 6000 glue hadn't dried up yet from last year in my cabinet (you might use an adult-wrangled glue gun in a school setting) and I did buy the pseudo-wood frames from Michaels.  If I had planned more in advance I probably could have bought the frames from a thrift store for less than a dollar.  I am new to rock painting but there are gobs of tutorials on the web.  Here's one of my favorite sites for that:  

https://rockpainting101.com/christmas-gnome-painted-rocks/

As for the pebble art tutorial, I used the easiest one I could find on YouTube.  Also, I used one of my Ed Emberley books to figure out how to draw simple details to add to the critters.  You can find birds and other critters on his site:

http://edemberleydrawingpages.blogspot.com/

From an activity analysis standpoint, there are so many opportunities for fine motor and spatial relations skills to even mention.  Just moving the pebbles around on the paper and thinking about how to create the basic shapes of the animals is a challenge for many folks.  We talked for a long time about what the various pebbles looked like to us--faces, beaks, body shapes of critters.  If you have to pause the activity for another time or keep things in place so an adult can glue the pebbles in place, just use poster tack or a ring of tape on the back of the sticks and pebbles.

Take a nature walk with your student, pick up some sticks and pebbles and enjoy your spring 'cause that means...June is coming soon!!! 

Octopus/Spider Fidget--Just in Time for Halloween

Okay, I know I'm retired but I just found this in Walmart and had to share with you OTs in the field!

Is it an octopus?  Is it a spider?  Well, at least it's a fidget.

It is manufactured with all the strands connected to a central hub but it's meant to be pulled apart so each strand can be used as a cable tie.  The nubs along the strands are subtly bumpy and it feels great on the fingertips.

With caution I think it might be used as a fidget bracelet or pencil cloak.  

$2.98 for a cluster of 10 strands.  Found it in the holiday section at the store, near the other clips for hanging lights, etc.

DIY Rubrics for Lots of Things

Summertime for school-based occupational therapists can often be an opportunity to practice new skills and reflect on what's important to you--on the job and on your own time.

Of course many therapists work extra hours in the summer, perhaps in a clinic as a temp for employees on vacation or maybe we pick up extra home health clients because our schedules are more open.  I enjoyed working with adults again in rehab and in their homes plus it made me appreciate how easy it was to  physically manage children compared to adults!  Whether working with kids or adults I aimed to create understandable home programs for families so improvement could continue, via custom exercises and activities, when I wasn't directly with the person.  For my adults with feeding concerns I used to joke with them that I was going to leave an extra-large headshot of myself for them to keep on the kitchen table, so they would imagine me right there, giving them tips for better chewing and swallowing!

If you're thinking about how to concisely package a home program for the adults you see you might use a rubric to describe their baseline skills, desired end goal and the steps indicating progress along the way.  That way the whole family can visually recall the starting point of therapy, the indicators of success and what the person is aiming toward.  Exercises and activities for home that support achieving the goal can be written on the same page as the rubric or you might have the technology available to insert custom photos of the client performing the activities.

And for yourself, how about using some of your summer hours to think about how you'd like to develop in one or more skill areas?  Below you will see my personal Rubric for Retirement, which I began prior to retiring in 2016.  It's helpful to me in remembering what areas I had hoped to grow in and in looking at my progress.  Reflecting on this rubric I see that several of the areas have greatly expanded and improved over time, even during the tough year of 2020.  That has been very encouraging.

Hey, it's August 1st--enjoy the rest of your summer and here's hoping the next school year will be excellent!

Something I Learned in OT School

 

It’s hard for me to believe but I often hear how hard it is currently to get into OT programs; that there can be 1,000 or more applicants for a class of 30 students. When I applied to occupational therapy programs in five states and got on the waiting lists for two of them I thought I was doing pretty well, considering my meager track record in school. In 1975 OT was a fairly unknown program amongst my peers and I had no clue what to expect when I sent off my applications.

Within the first week of the program I realized how smart my classmates were and how competitive the classes were going to be. There was no mandate to cut any of us to reduce class size (twenty) but the quizzes and exams were brutal. Despite the pressure to do well I loved what we were learning—how the body is put together and works. It was pure delight to see how we are wonderfully made.

Several of the students lived together and studied together so I was not surprised when Jen approached me about joining up to review notes. She said she was having a hard time and could use a study buddy. So, we got together several times a week and she mainly wanted me to explain the material to her. A win-win, right?

Well, no. I thought reviewing the material with Jen would be a good reinforcer for me and we’d both do well on the quizzes and tests. Half true. She got A’s and I got C’s, D’s and F’s. How could I make such poor grades when I loved the subject and studied all the time? I went to my professor and asked.

He told me to memorize everything. Understanding was great but I needed to memorize. I did what he said, pulled up my grades and passed the course with a “C.” I stopped studying with Jen, too. She wasn’t manipulative, she just needed reassurance. Even without me she continued to get “A’s.”

Is there anyone in your life you’re helping who doesn’t need it? It’s nice to be needed but can the person become independent if you help them less, then even less, then hardly at all?

One of these cherubs is an OT 2B

The job of parents is to push their kids out of the nest. The job of kids is to drive parents so crazy they can push them out of the nest. The job of friends is to help each other in bad times and enjoy each other as equals the rest of the time. The job of husbands and wives is to love and care for one another but still promote independence and competence in the other person.

To develop skills in another person so they can stand on their own two feet, without you, is to value and love them. Sometimes I need to busy myself somewhere else while the person I love flops about in the bottom of the boat. To give them time to figure things out, for themselves.

A Tribute to My Peds Professor, Eleanor V. Wolfe

In a very unexpected way I found out that my peds professor and friend, Ms. Wolfe, had died last November.  Her friendship was a major force in my life.  I hope you have a friend like her, who is a real encourager and steady example of a well-lived life.

It was a modest-sized office, yet still intimidating, and each square inch was filled with the personality of its gray-haired professor. On that fall day in 1976 I had been called in for an appointment with the faculty member who would become my research adviser. I was just thankful for summer to be over because I had narrowly passed the daunting Human Anatomy and Physiology class with Dr. Jeffries. Yes, thankful, because halfway through the class I had been failing.




The professor discussed my classwork and progress to date, then took a dramatic pause before remarking, “I see that you earned a ‘C’ in your A & P class.” Another pause. Ms. Wolfe looked at me straight on, then set me on the path to enlightenment, “You won’t be earning any more ‘C’ grades, will you?”




She remained an inquirer throughout her life, even with people who were not her assigned pupils. One night I returned home from a meeting and my husband passed along the message that Ms. Wolfe had called. He told her I was at an “SI” study group and she asked him if he knew what “SI” meant. Like any long-suffering spouse of a pediatric occupational therapist, yes, he was very familiar with the term “Sensory Integration.”




Ms. Wolfe and I kept up our snail mail correspondence for many years and, although her messages were brief, she frequently included responses to my previous notes that encouraged me to try new ideas, consider novel activities and to increase my depth of knowledge of subjects we both enjoyed. I might pen a breezy description of my sitting outside on summer evenings, watching the birds, and she would write back with the name of a suggested birding journal, one with a more objective, scientific slant than the glossy ones I might usually flip through. In a very positive way I felt like she saw me as a person who was capable of becoming a better student of life, one who would never lose the potential for learning and growth.




To have her as a friend felt like you had someone who not only cared about you but a fellow traveler who was by your side, lightly supporting your elbow to encourage you to keep going, to imagine and try new adventures of all kinds. Each time I collected the mail and saw her striking block print on the envelope I knew I was in for a treat, first with her lovely watercolor sketch of a bird and then in reading her message inside. Isn’t it amazing that a person can do this by simply writing a letter to someone, that caring can be perceived by holding a small, hand-painted card and reading words that start in the heart, take form in the brain and are scribed by our hands?




I’m thankful that Ms. Wolfe--my friend, Eleanor--was my mentor for life as an OT. For her part in teaching so many of us the skills we needed for the job of living.

Statue from campus of the Medical College of Virginia, now Virginia Commonwealth University.

What Happens to OTs When They Retire?

They continue to practice team building, healthy interpersonal relationships and activities for expanding their social-emotional skills.  Oh, and they get a puppy, which results in improved endurance, muscle tone and lower BMI.

Peace in the Family---Our Trip to the Outer Banks, NC

High Touch--Low Tech

The End is Near--And I'm So Glad

This has been a very happy week for me because I've been looking forward to today, my final day of employment.  Having graduated from OT school in '78 that makes it almost 39 years of working as an OT.  Although I did work a couple of years in another field I felt like I never stopped seeing people's needs through the OT lens.

Being an OT is the best job to have because it helps you so much personally.  Whether you have little ones at home and you're savoring their development day by day or you have a family member who is going through a health battle, OT helps you help others.

This blog will stay up for a while and some of the ideas and activities will remain relevant for OT students, practicing therapists and others looking for ways to help kids learn.  I recommend that you enter a specific topic in the Search textbox in the right-hand column on the page and peruse the posts that relate to that subject.  There are many posts on Autism, Fine Motor, Sensory and School--as well as other assorted subjects.

Retirement equals:
   No more paycheck
   Lots more living

Advice from a retiree:  Invest a little money from every paycheck, live below your means, keep reading and learning, relish feeling awkward and clueless because it means you are growing,  give lots of money and skills away to others in need, figure out why you're here on the earth--if you don't know why, read the Bible for clues.

Chasing preschoolers through the maze

Rox, 'Pots 'n Roses

Well, if you want to make a retiring OT happy, just give her a party full of rocks, teapots and flowers.

Teapot centerpieces with sweet 'n savory dainties all around.

Our OT with British roots advised the planning committee on just the right brand of tea to serve.

Hmmm...wonder what our presents will be???  My PT buddy and I could hardly wait to find out.

When life gives you rose petals, sprinkle them all around.

My gift--azurite with bubbly malachite.  Rocks--the gift that lasts!

A Perfect Good-bye Activity for Retiring OTs

At the end of our session yesterday with a class of middle school students with intellectual disabilities, the students and staff arranged a very nice send-off for their retiring OT.

The therapist was given a pretty water and marble-filled vase and was guided around the work table to receive a flower from each student.  By the time the circuit was completed the vase was full.

Pretty special, I'd say.



Plant Markers--the Homemade Way

When I peruse the gorgeous, hand-crafted plant markers at my favorite botanic garden gift shop every summer, I'm so tempted to shell out my hard-earned pennies so I can take home a beautiful decoration for the garden.  If I resist temptation I eventually remember that I can create my own markers with the multitude of materials I've purchased for my work projects over the school year.  Ah...now I have enough money to buy a nice coffee at the Garden Café.

For our final project this school year our class of middle school students with significant intellectual disabilities painted sun and strawberry shapes to adorn huge tongue depressors, inscribed with motivating words and designs.  The blank designs were made from solid white Sculpey and baked prior to painting.  Customized messages were written on the wood and the painted shapes were attached to the tongue depressors with regular wood glue.

Students used their communication boards to describe the materials needed and then indicated which paint colors they wished to use.  They all turned out pretty nice, eh?

Completed markers on top of the blanks.



Use the end of a paint brush or tip of a pencil to dimple the strawberry prior to baking.

Stretch yourself--use more than one color to paint your sun.



One-inch wide foam brushes work well for a smooth application. 
The 1/4" diameter handles are fairly easy to grasp, or can easily slide into a universal cuff.

Use a personalized phrase for inspiration.

Can you tell that this student loves music by Michael Jackson?

Add a little tag and ribbon, then figure out a way to send them home safely in the backpacks!

 

Smooth(ie) Sailing into Summer

Our last group of the school year had to be a delicious one.  Give 'em a happy memory and they'll happily come back for more next fall, right?  Well, the students seemed like they were going to enjoy the fruit we brought this morning for our smoothies, but no one said "Yes" to a sampling...

My speech-language pathologist buddy and I decided to try out my new, skinny baggies for creating homemade popsicles, using the leftovers from our smoothie making.  Well, all the blended fruit ended up in the bags since no one was brave enough to sip their smoothies.  Shucks.

Here are photos of our morning adventure with students in a high school program for students with autism:

Communication--paper and digital

Our sample popsicle-in-the-making.  The colors varied according to the fruit blends.

A quickly fabricated, homemade funnel for filling the popsicle bags.

This heavily-vibrating blender is activated by pressing down on the container. 
You believe me when I tell you that it won't hurt you, don't you???

Pouring the blended fruit into the funnel and popsicle bag.



Students chose a combination of strawberries, dark cherries and bananas.
We also added a little water to make sure it would swirl easily in the blender.

Some students need lots of words on their communication boards.

Sorry, you can't have just a banana smoothie today.

 

 

The parent-teacher group at our high school has given us Walmart gift cards for the past three years, to help with the expenses associated with our groups.  Some parents also give gift cards to the teachers to help with expenses for extra classroom materials.  Several of my schools develop class businesses to learn pre-vocational skills, social skills and to raise funds for special projects.  Gourmet dog biscuits, fancy soaps, weekly potato "bars," Friday coffee carts, cut-paper stationery, scented sugar scrubs--it's fun to see how well the students step up and improve their fine motor and "people" skills via these school-based opportunities.

On the Hunt for Rocks

Well, I can't show you the faces or even a clear view of the students walking away on the trail, but it was a warm yet dry day here in Central Virginia and everyone enjoyed walking on the paved path of a local park, looking for rocks left by previous walkers and for good spots to place their own painted rocks.

It was also a time to celebrate the seniors in the class, who will be walking
across the stage to receive their diplomas next week.

A variety of painting styles.

The class box of rox.

Looks like a sassy emoji on the left.

Winner of the "awwww" award.

Googly eyes do add quite a bit.

Hunting for rocks is a great motivator for students to get outside.  It sets them on a "quest" and they notice the beauty of nature along the way.

Give the Gift of Origami

An origami bouquet in an origami container with origami accents---perfect!

Students have to be very patient to make these precise creases and folds for the flowers, container and extra decorations.  What a great way to explore spatial relations, sequencing and improve fine motor skills.

Students sold their creations at an in-school fair, which allowed them to practice social skills and money math.

Barbie Bistro Set

Need more furniture for your Barbie house?  http://barbie.mattel.com/shop

Or maybe for your troll dolls?



This table and stool set was made by middle school students with autism, during their tech study class.  No, not "keyboard" tech but the kind of tech where you make things without the aid of a 3-D printer.

If you're beyond the Barbie stage of life, consider that with the trending of fairy gardens these days these n'little pieces of furniture would be very popular as gifts or maybe as an item for sale in a hobby-business?

Resilience

This morning I was talking to the social worker for one of my high schools, about a situation between teens I had seen earlier in the week after school.  She mentioned how the school was planning to set up a "safe zone" of sorts, for students to go to when they are feeling overwhelmed.  My co-worker said the stress level among many students at the school was very high and the school wanted to develop a wellness program that includes managing stress.  This particular school is very competitive, academically, and there are all kinds of pressures that students put upon themselves in addition to the standard teen trials of life.

I asked her if she thought the students came to school--this school--with good resilience.  Her straightforward answer, "No."

I think of resilience as meaning, how do you deal with set-backs, with horrible things that happen to you or with just being disappointed.  It probably means a whole lot more.  As OTs I think we already have lots of ideas for helping students develop resilience and maybe we'll be called upon to be involved with school programs more and more.  Here's some background info; well, it's really a lot of info!

Resilience-in-the-Millenial-Adolescent-Maggie-Dent.pdf

Sensory Pouch Report

Those hair gel bags we created a week or so ago Sensory Pouch How-To are holding up pretty well:

Some of the small items inside tend to clump together, like the tiny confetti.  Other materials stay separated and are fun to move around with your fingers, like the flat marbles and beads.  If you have students who like to bite into bags, this is not the fidget item for them!

Flower Cards for Mother's Day

Today our group of middle school students with significant cognitive disabilities made some personalized Mother's Day cards, based on ideas from this great blog post:
Flower Cards for Mother's Day

Our patient speech-language pathologist (SLP) took about 15 black & white photos of each student and chose the best one of each student.  These were printed onto half a sheet of 8.5 x 11" photo paper prior to the group this morning.  After drying, they were folded in half to create a card.

Students used their communication device or pointed to choose which paper color they liked for making flowers, then randomly decorated the paper with magic markers.

Even adapted scissors are a little tricky, and oftentimes downright hazardous, in the hands of these students--even with hand-over-hand guidance from adults.  All the staff joined in to cut small flower shapes from the students' artwork.

Then, students chose which flowers to use for their cards and the flowers were taped around the borders of their beautiful pictures. 

The inside of the cards was too slick to write or stamp a message, so we used small pieces of leftover "flower" paper to stamp a greeting and then taped it inside the cards.

"What comes next?"

 By using b/w photos we found that the colorful accent flowers made the students' faces really pop.

Press the flower down nice and tight.

 Gorgeous gifts for the families.