More Than A Toy

For a child to develop physically and emotionally, playing is of vital importance. After the first year during which the parents' main priority is learning motor functions like standing upright, social play based tasks become the main task in a child’s life.

At this foundational stage, kids learn through play and as such, most therapy approaches use play as a medium of impact.

Toys are tools we use in Therapy to facilitate therapeutic play.When children create a make-believe world through play; for example, using toys to build a tower of blocks or race a friend to the top of a hill, they acquire the social and intellectual abilities needed to be successful in school even up to adulthood.  Nearly all meaningful play includes toys.

 A single, engaging toy can transform a child’s play from simple to academic, from repetitive to inventive, from solitary to social. Toys can be activated by switches, voice, proximity, touch, mounts and splitting.

 

There are many do-it-yourself adaptations that can be made by therapists or parents.
Creativity is needed by adults and children alike.

Toys for gross motor development includes, trampoline, bicycle, scooter boards, matching band/drum set kits, exercise balls which are great popular toys to get those arms and legs moving in a fun way as their body grow stronger.

This promotes balance and, ideal for kids with special needs and group social play activities.

Fine motor skills involve the small muscles of the body that enable such functions as writing, grasping small objects, and fastening clothing. It develops as the neurological system matures.

The level of development of fine motor control in children is used to determine the developmental age of the child.

Fine motor control requires awareness and planning to complete a task. It also requires muscle strength, coordination and normal sensation.

Tasks such as stacking blocks, cutting out shapes with scissors, drawing lines or circles, tearing paper, buttoning a button, and holding and writing with a pencil can occur only if the nervous system matures properly.

Your child’s fine motor development is a very important part of their physical skill set. He/she needs to learn to use their hands competently in order to manipulate toys and to acquire self-help skills such as feeding and dressing.

Play is a child's "work" and it is a very important part of their physical development. Babies and young children need to have ample opportunity to play. By the age of 6 years, a child's fine motor skills have developed sufficiently enough to complete writing, dressing, and feeding tasks adequately for the average child.

They will have enough bilateral coordination, eye-hand coordination, and dexterity to complete cutting and writing tasks. Children will continue to develop and improve these skills, but the groundwork needs to be developed and established within the first six years.

This is why a child will need toys, games, and activities to perform and improve these skills during his early childhood. Fine motor skills are important in most school activities as well as in life in general.

Weaknesses in fine motor skills can affect a child's ability to eat, write legibly, use a computer, turn pages in a book, even to perform personal care tasks such as dressing and grooming.

Toys for improving fine motor include, crayons, lego bricks, beading and lacing sets, markers, plastacine sets, all pretend play sets (barbershop, make up set, playing Doc set, Kitchen, work tool bench) are great fine motor activities.

For more you could visit the Sensory care Therapy Shop.
The sensory care therapy shop


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HAPPY NEW YEAR!

therapeuticresource.com

Hello Everyone and a Happy New Year to you and Your Family,

As you start this year remember the following priorities for an effective therapy regiment
1. Diet
2. An Experienced and good natured therapist
3. Effective IEP plan narrowed down to the child’s needs, challenges and interests.
4. Consistent follow up by family members.

Please make concerted efforts on these priorities and watch your child soar.

If you need to ask questions or write on any topic, please do let me know.

The School and the Parents...

Recently, a parent called and scheduled a meeting with the school and therapists working with the child. I was really happy- wow! she is really putting her child first this time.
You can imagine my surprise when the meeting turned out to NOT to be a meeting but a written down dictation on what she expects her son to be doing now.

"I want him placed in basic three instead of two."
"No more practical work for him. Move totally to abstract."
"Stop all one-on-one therapy time. He should do full time like his mates."
"No more cutting of his work load. Give him the full load like his mates."

This is a boy who has almost succeeded in coming out of the spectrum but is still having challenges with abstract teachings; he also had a penchant for giving up on a task easily (still working on that) and his mum is too busy to hear any progress report.

I asked her why the sudden meeting and dictates and she replied
“his mates are in basic 4 now” he is taking too long ah!"
I gently reminded her that when we started she had told us that if only he could just communicate his needs and write that she would be okay, now she was dictating the pace. She replied,

 "....eeeehn…I thank God ..but he should do fast and join  his mates."

I told her of the challenges we were facing, the teacher also told her about the IEP we had already drawn up; also that if she would patiently go through it with us, she would see that it suited him well.
She vehemently refused stating that this was what she wanted, that her hubby and a friend discussed it yesterday and they had already come to a decision.

Unfortunately, this is the trend in schools; some parents dictate what is to be taught, styles of teaching  and punitive measures or if possible, no punitive measures whether it conforms to the school style or not and then giving the school an ultimatum..."do it my way or I withdraw my child” and you see schools doing their bidding to avoid losing their students.

All this dancing to the whims of parents and not focusing on enhancing the child's abilities.

The resultant effect?
Lack of disciplinary measures
The schools lose their integrity.



Image courtesy: www.dalmain.lewisham.sch.uk, www.bbc.co.uk, www.inquisitr.com,           www.telegraph.co.uk, blog.losingcontrolfindingserenity.com

Choosing a school for your special child

Impressive right? well, as we say in Nigeria, "No be by dat wan abeg..." There are a lot of things to consider when picking a school for your child.

In Nigeria, children with special needs can be enrolled in a main stream class with additional supports, in a support class in the school, in a special school or center affiliates. Parents need to explore each option and decide on what they feel is most appropriate.

Guide and Checklist for Choosing a School.

As more and more people are agitating for inclusive education for special needs kids. It is imperative for parents to look for mainstream schools with good special education programs.

There are a lot of schools that seem to be offering these services but are they effective?

A parent lamented on the fact that her son has really regressed after a term in a mainstream school in Nigeria. A therapist complained about the way the teachers and cleaning staff ignored the child and expected her to see to the child’s needs. The child, a 3 year old with budding cognitive abilities who just started gaining speech was placed in the toddlers unit. It was with reluctance, after several meetings that she was then moved to a higher class.

Parents should consider the following tips and checklists in choosing a school for their kids.
Plan as early as possible in developing checklists of what you expect of a school for your child.
Visit websites of schools and ask parents with Special needs their opinion on schools.
Visit each school’s open day and talk to the principal of the school.

 School Culture and Inclusion
• Does the school culture fit with your child?
• Did the principal and staff seem genuinely supportive?
• Does the school philosophy specifically acknowledge different abilities and learning styles?
• Do you feel that the school staff will understand your child’s needs?
• Are there signs of inclusion?
• What programs are in place to effectively deal with bullying
• How many children with disabilities (or receiving additional funding) does the school currently
• Is the parent community supportive and involved?

 Class Size and Teaching strategies
 Are your child’s capabilities, strengths and challenges understood?

• Is there one staff member who has overall responsibility for the children with special needs        (e.g. Learning Support Teacher) and do they allow for parents to hire a shadow special education therapist to be with the child?

• Does the school have access to therapists (e.g. occupational therapist, speech therapist etc)?
• Do staff members undertake professional development in disability?
• What is the student to teacher ratio for all classes?


Is there a quiet place for one on one therapy follow-up session with his personal therapist or to calm the child down if he/she experiences sensory overload or melt downs?

Is there a general consensus by the parents and the child’s educational team to use the IEP
  [an individualized plan] for the child?

Do you think the IEP addresses the child’s challenges and will bring a positive outcome?
Are there Therapy materials in carrying out the IEP of the child?

What type of Assessment is being done?
Is it too structured or is it flexible enough to take into cognizance, the child’s challenges and progress attained?

Additional Services

Does the school have an introductory program to assist children transitioning into the school or an organized transition program for children moving from primary to secondary?
• How structured (prescriptive or open-ended) is the curriculum? Is there enough flexibility? How does the school support those students needing additional support in transport etc?
• What does the curriculum offer beyond the statutory subjects? Co-curricular activities?

• Does the school offer clubs, interest groups, etc?
• Do all students have access to specialist facilities (e.g. library, art rooms, science and technology laboratories, etc)?

 


What are the strategies in narrowing it down to the child so that learning takes place?

Social Skills and Inclusion.
Are the school grounds safe and secure?
What other signs of inclusion do you see?
Are there structured activities at lunch time and break time to encourage social skills and inclusion?

.........No comment.........

Image courtesy: logbaby.com, techloy.com, www.adeadegbiteschools.com, www.nairaland.com, meadowhallschool.org, www.coface-eu.org, helenogradydramaacademy-lagosislands.blogspot.com, www.stlouissisters.org, e4pr.blogspot.com, www.vanguardngr.com, woodlandschoolsng.com, www.thethresholdschools.com, www.loyolajesuit.org, www.ondostate.gov.ng

What's in a swing?

Aaaahhh......swinging.....an essential part of childhood.

Movement is essential for typical development to occur in all children. Most of us have no problem combining all our senses.
For autistic children and other disorder however, it's a mighty challenging task. Processing stimuli from the senses of sight, smell, sound, touch, taste, balance and body is overwhelming. Those suffering from autism will often withdraw to avoid over stimulation, or try to sort out the input from their senses with self-developed soothing mechanisms and repetitive behaviors.
A significant amount of occupational therapy for special needs focuses on sensory integration through specially designed programs. Some of the greatest tools for sensory integration therapy for autism, cerebral palsy and other type disorders are various types of swings.

Swinging can have powerful impact the brain's ability to process and use sensory information. Whether the child is linear swinging on a strap swing, cuddled up in a net swing for proprioceptive input or spinning in a rotating movement, all of these movements can act as a powerful activator on the body's systems.
People with various autism spectrum disorders such as Autism, PDD, ADHD, Asperger's, proprioceptive dysfunction and tactile defensiveness will benefit from using swings as part of their therapy.
Children, who find the smooth, swaying motion soothing, will relax and unwind while using it. However, children who have a vestibular dysfunction will feel uneasy while in the hammock and might initially protest its use.

For them, hammock therapy is more about regaining equilibrium and learning to tolerate vestibular stimuli. The motion of swinging restores balance to the vestibular system provides proprioceptive input (deep pressure) and generally children feel more "in balance".



The soothing motion of swinging soothes, relaxes and increases concentration. Children who have trouble focusing on tasks such as reading or math, might find it easier to concentrate sitting in a hammock chair, their bodies engaged in a soothing motion.

Therapists, parents and teachers can use swings effectively to reinforce any therapy objectives for children and provide sensory diets for special needs children. In addition, swings can act as a strong motivator. Since all kids like to swing (special needs or not), swinging can be used as a reward for positive behavior.

 




When choosing a swing and swing apparatus it is critical to consider safety at all times.


• Adult supervision is always required at all times.
• Be aware of floor wall and head protection
• Make sure the swings are able to support the user(s).
• Children who are seizure prone may require additional precautions.
• Make sure the child has the ability to stop on their own at a moment's notice.
• The child must want to swing on their own. Never force a child to participate

Happy Swinging!


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The Sensory Brush

Sensory brush also called the Wilbarger or mushroom brush, is designed to provide deep pressure sensory input for the calming and integrating influence to the brain, putting the child in that calm alert stage for learning to take place. It is usually used for kids with sensory issues especially tactile defensiveness. Although it may be used alone, it is best with a sensory "diet" of input designed to help the child cope with their day. When done correctly, the brushing/joint compression should take 2-3 minutes and can be done in almost any location.

• Brushing: This gives deep pressure to all of the sensory areas of the arms, trunk and legs. It is calming, organizing and tends to normalize sensory reception. It feels good immediately to most people and starts to feel good to the rest after a few repetitions. To be most effective, the brushing should be done approximately every 1 ½ - 2 hrs from the time the child gets up in the morning until 1 ½ hrs before he normally goes to bed. (realistically, you ask the teachers to perform at least 3-4 times during the school day) The sensory input given like this, lasts 90-120 minutes. You may or may not notice any immediate change in the child since positive results may take two or more weeks of consistent performance to be evident. 

• How to do the calm brushing technique

• Use oval, soft surgical brush provided by therapist (OT).
• Hold the brush in one hand with the hard  side up. Cup hand over brush so that fingertips do not drag.
• Hold Child's forearm with palm of his hand up.
• Place brush firmly on palm. Using slow, FIRM, single stroke move brush from palm up forearm to just below the elbow. 
• Turn Child's arm so that palm faces down. Do not move brush. Maintain pressure.
• Brush downwards on the back of the forearm stopping on the back of the hand.
• In one, long stroke, brush up from the back of the hand to the shoulder. Stop.

• Place hand not holding the brush firmly on Child's shoulder. Lift brush and place at back of shoulder.
• With a single stroke, brush from back of shoulder to waist on one side of the back.
• Brush from waist up to the base of the skull.
• Brush down from the base of the skull to the waist on the other side of the back.
• Brush up from the waist to the other shoulder.

• Place hand not holding the brush firmly on Child's shoulder. Lift brush and place at front of shoulder.
• With a single stroke, brush from shoulder down to back of hand.
• Brush from back of hand to forearm just below inside of elbow, turning arm so that palm is up.
• Brush from elbow down to palm.

• While holding palm, lift brush, stoop down and place brush on back of calf just below inside of knee.
• Brush downwards on an angle to the outside of the ankle.
• Brush upwards on an angle to the front of the knee.
• Brush downwards, across the ankle to the top of the foot.
• Repeat with other leg.
• Follow with joint compressions.

• Joint compressions: This gives input to joints and muscles and will help Child have a better sense of where his body is in space. It is also deep pressure that tends to be calming and help the brain to organize itself to perform task. May be used alone or in combination with brushing technique.

Technique: NOTE  this feels good and should never hurt. Stop if it does and check technique.

• Grasp Child's right hand with your right hand as if you were going to shake hands.
• Use your left hand to hold Child's right forearm. Keep your fingers straight, do not pinch.
• With quick, firm movements, push Child's right hand towards his wrist. Repeat rapidly 7-10 times. Some call this "thunks".
• Now move your left hand to cup Child's right elbow and your right hand to hold his forearm. It is easier if elbow is bent.
• With quick, firm movements, push Child's forearm into his elbow. Repeat rapidly 7-10 times.
• Now keep your left hand cupping Child's left elbow and move your right hand to rest on the top of his right shoulder.
• With quick, firm movements, push Child's arm up towards his shoulders. If you're doing it correctly the shoulder will move upwards slightly.
• Repeat with Child's left arm. You may or may not need to change hands.
• Have Child sit down. Cup your hand around front of his left knee.
• With quick firm movements, push knee towards hip rapidly 7-10 times.
• Place hand over top of knee. Be sure foot is on the floor under the knee.
• With quick firm movements, push downwards towards floor 7-10 times.

IT IS IMPORTANT TO NOTE

The face, chest, and stomach area are never brushed because these are very sensitive areas. Brushing these areas may cause adverse reactions including vomiting.

  Do NOT brush over open sores or bony prominences

  Do NOT allow your fingers or edge of brush to drag or dig into the skin

  Do NOT hurry, but move at a steady pace (whatever pace you need to use to keep pressure even)

  It is OK to brush over clothing or shoes.

  DO keep brush flat, brushing with brush held sideways so that width is used

  DO be positive about brushing, make it fun, or at least not negative for child

  DO follow brushing with joint compressions (you may substitute hand hugs or deep rubs if child responds negatively to joint compression)

  Although many children will hold out their hands for the brushing t after having it done once or twice, some may take longer to feel the benefit.

  IF a child reacts negatively, stop. Try again in 15-60 minutes, checking your technique.

References: develomental-delay.com, nationalautismresources.com

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