Handwriting Help From the Superheroes

Students lose just a teensy-weensy bit of motivation to give their all to schoolwork as June rolls on--time to bring out superhero power to keep learning moving forward!

These stickers have been used in a multitude of projects all year long and today they helped with fine motor intervention for a little girl going into kindergarten next fall.  In my heart I wish students were not expected to write their names until they had been in school for several months; in reality they are expected to do this the first day.  It's especially tricky when you can identify written letters in your name but have gotten into the habit of writing key letters "on their sides."  In this sweetie's case, the capital letter, "C" consistently ends up looking more like a smile than a crescent moon hanging in the sky.

 That scary look on Raphael's face will keep your eyes on what you're doing!

The letter "C" starts at 12:00--at the very top of Raphael's head.  It goes around all the way down to his chin at six o'clock.

 Looks good to me!

Not a superhero this time, but a favorite movie character.  We're making the letter "E" so we needed to trace around a square shape instead of a circle.

 Start at the top left corner and draw a line down to the bottom of the sticker.

Start at the top left corner again and draw a horizontal line across.  Then, start at the bottom left corner and draw a horizontal line across.

 What's the deal?  This looks like a weird "[" to me.  Something's missing...

 ...oh, need to start in the middle of the line and draw a third horizontal line across.  Looking good.

 Cut one of the "Cars" stickers in half to make two........?  triangles!

 Start at the bottom left corner of the triangle and keep on driving over the mountains.

 That's it.

 It's a bit   w  i  d  e,   but it's a "M."

Using small squares during this activity of paper encourages the student to use her less-skilled hand to stabilize the paper.

 Her grasp is just right!

Name Two Things You Think About When the Weather Gets Hot--Summer Vacation and Smoothies!

Yes, yes, we made the obligatory smoothies for our final group project this morning.  They turned out to be the prettiest pink smoothies I've ever seen!

My SLP buddy loves the activity for the language elicited and interaction among the students.  I love it for all the opening & closing of packages, scooping various amounts/quantities of food with a spoon, managing the noise and vibration of the electric blenders and the students' reaction to the finished product.

Here are some photos from today:

 My SLP buddy prepared the Boardmaker Online selections ahead of time.

One student brings her timer, so she can look at it during the activity and know how much time is left before she's allowed to escape back to her safe haven--her classroom.

 We "warmed up" the ice in a little water bath, so it would be easier to blend with the fruit and yogurt.

We had two blenders--one a "bullet" type that the students had to press down on from the top.  Second was a push-button type where the students just pressed the button to start it and keep it going.  Great vibration activity for the hands.

 Not every student chose to add vanilla to their smoothies, but one student asked for it.  Future chef!

 Some strawberries were pretty large, so we used a dull knife to cut them in half or in quarters.

Closing a resealable bag on a food item is a little different task than closing one on a familiar ziplock storage bag, at least visually.

Top-down view of the ingredients:  strawberry pieces, banana chunks, a tablespoonful of plain yogurt, "defrosted" ice cubes and a little bit of cool water.

Over time we have learned to cook up small batches of our treats, since many students are willing to participate in the making of food but not always so interested in tasting it.  Many students choose to share their finished products with peers.  You can usually find someone nearby who is hungry, no matter what time of day it is!

Home of the Brave by Katherine Applegate

I just finished listening to this audio book yesterday:

Home of the Brave

We have friends who have escaped horrors from the fighting in different countries in Africa, including South Sudan.  When they find out we have a couple of cows at home they usually ask to come see them.  This book helped me understand a little about why they ask this.

It's a wonderful book to listen to, read aloud and think about.  I think it also helps the reader glimpse a little bit of how different sensory experiences might feel to a person coming from another country, or perhaps even people with autism.

Super Light Ruby River Rock-Teething Necklace

Have no idea how well this item holds up to vigorous chewing by a school-age student, but I love the design!

Super Light Ruby River Rock-Teething Necklace

Please let me know if you have experience with students using this type of "chewy."

What Do You Eat When You Go Camping?

Hmmmmm.... what might it be?  Here's a visual clue:

Did you guess correctly?  Yep, it's s'mores!!!

My SLP buddy assigned one student be the "teacher" and use her augmentative communication device/software to guide her classmates in the steps for making s'mores.  They were a big hit!  My colleague was able to elicit lots of language and I was able to observe a variety of grasp patterns and note different students' reaction to the materials used.  Most of these high schoolers in a program for students with autism guessed what we were making right away.

We worked with two students at a time--one was the "teacher" giving directions and one was the cook/baker.
Unique grasp of the spoon, eh?

Note the interesting "backhand" method of emptying the spoon.

A few minutes on bake, then we switched it to broil for a minute.  Students caught on to asking for the "spatula."

One student preferred a non-baked s'more, since the marshmallows and chocolate became sticky when heated.

We added a graham cracker to the top once the s'mores came out of the oven, but let them cool for a few minutes before gobbling them up.

Marshmallow first on the graham cracker, then chocolate chips.  Did you know that some chips are processed in plants where nuts are also processed?

 

Summer Is On The Way, Time For Brushing Off Those Home Programs

One of my high schoolers is graduating in a couple of weeks and I'm working on a home program for him to use post graduation, to continue the progress he's made with upper body strength and endurance.

This home program was designed by one of my OT buddies who worked with the student a couple of years ago.  She designed the activities to improve his upper body strength and to also give him a proprioceptive activity for improving self regulation that looks very typical for an older student.  The student is familiar with his morning routine and independently grabs his "exercise box" each day upon arrival at school.  His teacher and assistants give him feedback now and then and always compliment him on initiating his exercises without reminders.

Theraband exercises, grip strength exercisers donated by staff and home--very high school appropriate.  The weekly schedule really clicked with him and he keeps track of the completed days independently.

Toward More Refined Self-Feeding Skills

One of my middle-school students really enjoys her friends--telling jokes, hanging out in the hallways, sharing "insider" info about TV and movie stars.  She's known these friends since late elementary school and feels very comfortable around them.

However, there is one time of the day when she doesn't feel so comfortable and that's lunch time.  Because of difficulties with allover motor coordination, including oral motor, her table area, clothes and face end up covered with stuck-on food and numerous spills.  Her friends have started sometimes eating without her because they are pretty grossed out by the food coming out of her mouth at unexpected times and the spills that end up on their clothes, even on their food.  It may not be a reflection of "true" friendship, but it's reality among pre-teens to strive to hang out with others who draw attention to the group because of their "cool" factor and not because they look different.

As for me, I think about how her difficulties with managing food affect her now and in the future.  She will probably participate in vocational settings while still in high school and then work for pay after high school is completed.  Will her co-workers sit with her in the employee lunchroom or will they avoid her?  Will she miss out on conversations around the water cooler because co-workers avoid looking at her crumb-strewn face?  Sound harsh?  Of course.

Yesterday during her lunch the student, "Zoey," her instructional assistant and I found a quiet kitchen at her school and opened up her lunch box.  My intro to her was that, just for today, we were going to experiment with having her enjoy all her food without losing any.  We were going to keep the table area clean so that we didn't have to spend time sweeping the floor afterwards.  She was going to have a clean face at the end of the meal so she wouldn't have to spend time going to the washroom to towel off her face.

I taped a 3' wide swatch of bulletin board paper to the table, using a dark color so any crumbs could be easily seen.  We focused on eating the nutritious foods first--her chicken sandwich and fruit.  To save time, I cut her chicken into 1" square pieces and asked her to use a fork instead of her fingers.  She said she wasn't crazy about eating the bread so we left it.

I asked her to chew one piece of meat at a time.  After swallowing it I asked her to drink a sip or two of water and then asked if her mouth felt empty.  If it didn't feel empty I asked her to drink more water.  Same for her orange mini sections.  Even though they were juicy I still asked her to drink water after swallowing the food.  She only had time for two bites of potato chips--one at a time-- followed by water.

At the end of lunch I asked her if her mouth felt clean/empty--yes.  She had no crumbs on her mouth or anywhere on her face.  There was no food on the floor and a minimal amount on the "placemat."



Food packages removed--water spills and few crumbs evident.  Floor clean.

She didn't need to wipe her face or get a broom and dustpan to sweep the floor.  She just packed up her leftovers and went on to her next class.

This session answered my questions: could she manage food within her mouth without losing it, simply by slowing down her quantity and pace of food intake--yes.  Does sipping water aid in keeping the food from being trapped within her mouth--yes.  Does she demonstrate any coughing or choking during the meal--no.

I estimate that Zoey can become independent in managing food within her mouth, following these guidelines for reduced food intake per bite and using water to clear her mouth, if she practices for about 1-2 school years and also practices daily at home.  She has spent 14 years practicing what she currently does during mealtimes and snacks; it will take a lot of practice to change her accustomed habits.  Her IEP meeting is this week--I will ask her team if they think better oral management is important.  Zoey and her family will be at the meeting.

Do you remember that I told Zoey that we were doing the experiment "just for today?"  That's true.  It may end up being a one-time thing.  She has to feel it's important and so does her family.  If she wants to work toward more refined self-feeding habits it will require a lot of effort and time from her and on the part of school staff and her family.