We're Going To Be Friends + Autism

A teacher for elementary-age students with autism uses this music during arrival time to promote a positive day:  We're Going To Be Friends

Researching the music by the artist, I found another version of the same song, with the most relaxing pictorial accompaniment:  https://youtu.be/PR1qBIiUsFU

Complex Regional Pain Syndrome

Spoke with a mom whose daughter I've known for years, long before she developed complex regional pain syndrome (CRPS).  Her daughter was in a trial with this med and has found improvement:

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/23204550

More research trials are being done and one day many people may benefit from this med.  If you have questions, ask your doctor.

Beautiful Garland to Make for Spring Activity

http://theimaginationtree.com/2012/03/easter-egg-spin-art-garland.html


This egg-shape garland is so pretty I can hardly stand it.

What a great idea to use a salad spinner if you don't have one of those electric spinners on hand.  If you do have an electric spinner you can use a Power Link and a switch to activate the spinner.

We're going to use it with middle school students who have significant intellectual and physical disabilities.  Students can choose which color paper they'd like to use, which paint they'd like to try and a couple of the students can do the spinning.  Won't the "eggs" look beautiful hung in the classroom or decorating a student-created greeting card? 

Sesame Street Does It Again

Hats off to Sesame Street for including a cool, new member of the neighborhood:

https://www.disabilityscoop.com/2017/03/20/sesame-street-muppet-autism-tv/23474/

St. Patrick's Day Treats--Planning for 2018

Thanks to Ms. Steinruck, teacher for elementary grade students with autism, for this cool photo:

Sour apple juice (diluted to taste), cupcakes with Airheads Rainbow Candy pieces, green Jello, green grapes and green Rice Krispie treats in shamrock shapes--can you say sugar central?  Sounds like a delicious time to me!

Leprechaun Gold in Them-There Rocks

One of my teacher buddies created some lucky rocks today--full of gold--for students to explore.

She mixed baking soda, water and green food coloring into little mounds and froze them several hours.  Oh, she also hid a little "gold" inside.

At the appointed hour she pulled out the pan of frozen rocks and had students pick a favorite to set inside a shallow basin that had previously been "greased" with dish soap.  Once the rock was in the basin the students used long straws to transfer small amounts of white vinegar for dripping over the rocks--foam city!!!  The dish soap enhanced the foaming effect and it kept growing and growing as each successive student took their turn.

The gold inside gradually showed up as the rocks melted away--lucky gold for St. Patty's Day!

The rocks turn blue in the freezer, then revert to green when they warm up.

Drip small amounts of vinegar onto the lucky rocks.

Wait for the magic foam to dissolve the rock and reveal the gold.

Okay, the gold turned out to be a tiny bell.  It's hard to find lucky gold coins at the store the day before the holiday!

What a great texture to explore, and so cold!

Decorating fun for the classroom:

Same materials--three different student styles.  For this version the student dipped the eraser of a pencil into the paint for a stippled effect.

Sponge painted.

Looks like wide brushstrokes.

Happy St. Patrick's Day to all!  I'll be wearing the green all day!

Using Therapy Balls as Classroom Seating

Count on our PT friends to be organized, analytical and systematic about providing sensory strategies!

Using Therapy Balls as Classroom Seating

Crazy Straw Fidget & Fine Motor Challenge

Our COTA-student, Kaylin Blackwell, created these inexpensive items for fidgeting and fine motor fun:

"So this is my crazy straw activity. I've made two different versions and attached pictures of both below. I used them to work on motor planning, sequencing, and coordination, but the maze version would also be useful for wrist extension/flexion."  K.B.

Add a washer or another item to slide through the straw "maze" and use pieces of tubing or an old pencil gripper at the ends.

This would be a nice, quiet fidget toy.  Or, a soothing fine motor coordination activity, with that soft material.

Thanks for sharing, Kaylin!