Category Archives: Daily Living

Promoting Independence In Teens With Diverse Learning Profiles

Accessibility, Assistive Technology, Autism, Daily Living, Executive Functioning, Occupational Therapy, , , , , ,

The ability to independently complete essential daily living tasks becomes increasingly more important as individuals near the pre-teen and teen years. For teens with diverse learning profiles the ability to master these critical skills can be challenging. However, there are readily available tools that can help promote independence! In this post we are covering a few low to mid tech solutions that can be a game changer for teens struggling with the ability to independently complete critical self care tasks.  

  1. Elastic Shoe Laces. There is nothing more frustrating than a loose shoe or tripping over untied laces but asking for help can be even harder. The good news is there is a simple solution, elastic shoe laces!  Simply replace standard shoe laces with elastic shoe laces. Once in place, secure with a double knot and standard bow. The elastic shoe laces provide enough stretch to simply slip on and slip out of shoes, eliminating the need for tying. 
  2. Schedules & Time Cues. Remembering when to do something or remembering the correct sequence of a task can be difficult for teens who struggling with executive function deficits.  These teens often rely on a support person to provide prompts for task initiation and sequencing which decreases their overall independence.  The good news is there is a variety of readily available assistive technology tools that can support a teen’s ability to manage time with greater independence.  Check out our previous post, Assistive Technology for Time Management, for ideas! 
  3. Picture Adapted Cookbooks: Preparing a simple meal or snack is one of the greatest acts of independence for pre teens and teens. This simple right of passage can be missed for teens who struggle with reading or have difficulty with multi step tasks. Picture supported cookbooks can help users with limited reading abilities prepare simple meals and snacks.  The Stepwise Cookbook series takes this concept a step further and truly simplifies the process.  Each cookbook has a set of picture supported recipes that are presented in a simplified, easy to follow format.
Schkidules visual schedule display
SchKIDules
White shoe with white elastic shoelace a low tech solution for independence with self care
Elastic Shoe Laces
stepwise cookbooks
Stepwise Cookbooks

Small modifications and the use of mid to low tech assistive technology can be a powerful tool for independence.  Be sure to visit to assistive technology section of Therapro’s website to see all of the available tools! 

clock and calendar icon

Assistive Technology for Time Management

Accessibility, Assistive Technology, Autism, Daily Living, Executive Functioning, Occupational Therapy, , , ,

The ability to manage time is an essential life skill that is critical to independence. When the ability to manage time is impeded by factors like decreased executive functioning abilities or cognitive limitations, independence can also be impacted.   In this post we are covering a few mid to low tech assistive technology solutions that can support time management abilities.

Schedule Reminders

Remembering to do a task at a scheduled time is one time management skill area. While smart devices are often loaded with ‘reminder’ features, there are times when a non screen option is preferred. The Time Cue and Voice Cue are great options!  Simply record any message and set the time for the message to be played. 

The Time Cue allows for a single message, up to 10 seconds long to be recorded and played back at a set time. For example, record “go to gym class” and set it to play 1:25 (or whenever gym class is happening!).  There is even a space to include a picture of the activity for additional support! 

Time Cue an Assistive Technology Tool for Time Management
Voice Cue an Assistive Technology Tool for Time Management

The Voice Cue can record up to five messages, with 60 seconds of total recording time.  This is a great tool for tasks like remembering to take morning and evening medications.

Sequencing Helpers

Multi step tasks are another area of time management that present their own set of challenges including remembering the order of the sequence, remembering to do all of the steps in the sequence, and doing the steps for the correct amount of time. There are a variety of assistive technology options available that can help.

Two Minute Turtle toothbrush timer

The Two Minute Turtle Toothbrush Timer helps cue the user through the steps of toothbrushing, ensuring all quadrants of the mouth are brushed for the recommended amount of time. It works by pushing a button on the top of the turtle which causes one of the turtle’s fins to light up.  Each of the turtle’s four fins represents a quadrant of the mouth. Each fin will stay lit  for the recommended 30 seconds of brushing time. When time is up, the light in one fin will turn off and the next fin will light up indicating it is time to move to the next area of the mouth! Pro tip, this is also a great tool for handwashing!

Visual schedules, whether written out or picture supported, can be a game changer for individuals who have impaired executive function skills and who need support managing multi step tasks. Schedules can be created for specific routines (like a morning self care routine), for parts of the day (like a morning classroom schedule), or the whole day.  SchKIDules offers a quick and easy solution for creating picture supported schedules.  The Home Bundle includes 72, 2”x2” magnets that depict common routines, chores, outings and extracurricular activities.  The Education Bundle includes 66, 2”x2”,  magnets that depict common school and special education activities.

Schkidules visual schedule tool

Time Visualization Helpers 

Conceptualizing the passage of time is a third area of time management and this can be tricky!  Offering a visual repression of time and time passage can not only help with this concept but it can also decrease stress and anxiety.  Visual timers are the perfect solution for this challenge area.

Time Timer an Assistive Technology Tool for Time Management

Time Timers offer a simple solution for time management.  With the patented red disk, Time Timer makes elapsing time concrete by reaffirming the analog clock in its clockwise movement and provides the ability to judge how much time is left without having to know how to tell time. Simply move the colored disk to the desired amount of time,  as time elapses, the colored disk disappears.  

Resetea is a time management tool that offers the ability to sequence up to 12 related tasks. It is different from a typical schedule because of the unique light cue that marks the passage of time.  To set it up, first use the included  template builder to create a sequence of tasks (for example homework and then free time or math class, English class, lunch) and then place the  visual in front of the light screen. Next set the desired time for each activity (up to 60 minutes) and press start. The activity schedule is back lit with  progress colors; no light indicates future task(s), white light indicates the task in progress, and red light indicates task(s) completed. 

Resetea atech tool for time management

There are a variety of tools available to support users ability to manage time. Helping users access and utilize these tools will support overall independence!  

Tips for Back to School Success

Activities, Daily Living, Sensory, , ,

The transition from the relaxed summer schedule to the more structured school schedule can be tough for everyone involved. Here are some tips for making the transition back to school, a little easier.

Add Structure Back Into The Schedule

Schkidules a visual schedule used to help transition to back to school, blue board with picture icons depicting daily tasks and yellow board depicting stars earned

As the long days of summer start to wind down, slowly adding more scheduled events into the daily schedule will make the transition into a fully scheduled school day much easier. This could be as simple as a set time for breakfast or adding in a scheduled chore time during the day. Try using SchKidules to make a daily visual schedule.  The easy to use magnetic schedule lets you slowly add in more and more structured activities to the daily lineup and it is in a similar format most kids will see in their classrooms. Once the school year gets going a weekly schedule will be a great way to keep track of school activities and extra curriculars.

Practice Important Self Help Skills

Green dinosaur Busy Bee Lacing Sensory Activity showing lacing through loops numbered one to five used to prepare fine motor skills needed for back to school

Kids will be expected to do many of their daily self care activities independently or with minimal assistance once they return to the classroom. Lots of practice at home will help kids be ready for this! The resource Self Care With Flair is a great way to teach children important skills like handwashing, putting on coats, and managing their clothing in the bathroom. The Busy Bee Sensory Activity Plush is helpful for practicing the fine motor skills needed for these tasks like lacing, tying, zipping and buttoning.  Pro Tip for kids who have not yet mastered shoe tying, replace standard laces with elastic shoe laces for a slip on and go option.

Get In Tune With Sensory Needs

Cover of the product Sensational Fun a card deck of sensory based activities. used to discover sensory preferences for back to school success

Every sensory system is different, figuring out the particular needs for each system will help kids start off the school year on the right foot! Riding the bus may be hard for kids who have difficulty with loud noises or who struggle with motion sickness. These students may benefit from sensory tools for the eyes and ears. The cafeteria may be especially difficult for students with aversion to certain smells; these students may benefit from fidgets that calm and organize an over responsive sensory system. Students who are not use to early mornings or who are use to afternoon naps may benefit from fidgets that help alert or wake up the under responsive sensory system.   Sensory based activities such as playing with floof, scented dough, or any of the activities found in Sensational Fun will help give insight into sensory needs.

Refresh Academic Skills

The box and game board for the game Colorama with red green yellow and blue game pieces in various shapes used to teach colors for back to school success

 The summer slide happens but there are many ways to keep academic skills sharp. For a fun refresher try learning games. Novenops offers a quick refresh on sentence structure, Letter Treasure Hunt is great for a review of letter concepts, and Colorama offers  a crash course on colors!

Planning ahead for the first day of school can help students make a smoother transition back into the academic year!