Category Archives: Strength & Rehab

RAPPER SNAPPERS AKA POP TUBES in purple, red, green, and blue

Therapy Activities On A Budget: Rapper Snappers

Activities, Autism, Body Awareness, Early Intervention, Fine Motor, Gross Motor, Occupational Therapy, Oral Motor, Sensorimotor, Strength & Rehab, , , , , , , ,

Rapper Snappers are a multi functional therapy tool perfect for creating fun, budget friendly therapy activities! In this post, Physical Therapist and creator of the ABCs of Movement, Laurie Gombash, PT, M.Ed, shared five different ways to use Rapper Snappers (also known as Pop Tubes) as a therapeutic tool.  Be sure to check out her video below!

Demonstration of rapper snapper activity: pulling a pink rapper snapper open

Arm Strengthening

Place hands on either end of the Rapper Snapper and pull! Work with the arms overhead to target shoulder strength or work with arms away from the body to target core strength. Target different muscles of the upper body  by pulling in different directions. Try holding the rapper snapper in one hand, at hip level, and using the other hand to pull up and across the body. Alternatively, hold the rapper snapper at shoulder level and uses the other hand to pull down and across the body.

Pro Tip, using the fingers to scrunch the Rapper Snapper back to size is great for finger strengthening!

Self Regulation

Rapper Snappers are a fun way to learn about self regulation.  Help kids visualize concepts like fast breathing or rapid heart beat by opening and closing the Rapper Snapper rapidly. Alternatively, demonstrate slow or rhythmic breathing by slowly pulling apart  or closing the rapper snapper.

Pro Tip, the sound made by the Rapper Snappers as it is opening and closing provides great auditory feedback!

Demonstration of rapper snapper activity: squeezing a pink rapper snapper closed

Fine Motor & Motor Planning 

Looking for a fun and engaging activity? Use Rapper Snappers to make a marble run!  Bend and twist the Rapper Snapper to make a maze, drop the marble in, and let it run through.  Using two or three fingers to grasp the marble and inserting it into the Rapper Snapper’s narrow opening is a great way to get the small muscles in the hand working.  Planning a successful maze for the marble to run through takes planning abilities!

Pro Tip: This activity can be done holding the Rapper Snapper and moving the marble through or you can use Velcro or other adhesives to adhere Rapper Snappers to a wall or other vertical surface. 

Demonstration of rapper snapper activity: blowing into a pink rapper snapper

Oral Motor

Shape the Rapper Snapper like a smile and try to imitate it with your lips, now flip it upside down to make a frown!  Purse your lips, give a big blow, stick out your tongue!  There are so many ways to use a Rapper Snapper to help build and strengthen oral musculature! 

Academic Skills

Use the Rapper Snappers to build shapes, letters, and numbers. Connect multiple Rapper Snappers for bigger numbers or shapes. Work as a team to build a giant letter on the floor!  

Rapper Snappers are a small, easy to transport, budget friendly tool that can be used across multiple settings and to target a variety of treatment goals making them the perfect tool when creating therapy activities on a budget!

Watch the Video!

The Value of Therapy Balls and How Best to Store Them

Body Awareness, Daily Living, Gross Motor, Hippotherapy, Occupational Therapy, Strength & Rehab

by Shoshanah Shear

I have had the joy of working in four different countries and a number of different facilities. Some equipment regardless of the setting one works in or what the age of the client is. Therapy Balls definitely fit into this category. I have enjoyed using these in treatment with head-injured or stroke patients just as much as with children with learning problems, or even the blind.

I think balls of various sizes, textures, and shapes are a tell-tale sign that you have stepped into an OT room or department. They assist in meeting so many goals and certainly show how dynamic OT is and how creative we need to be with every treatment plan and session. Let’s face it, balls are fun for most ages. They are colorful and versatile. Being round means that they are dynamic, resulting in the ability to grade therapy sessions by working on an unstable surface.

Therapy balls are beneficial for improving:

  • motor control
  • muscle tone
  • trunk control or strengthening core muscles
  • upper limb function for clients with orthopedic or neurological disorders
  • introducing fun games and exercises into therapy
  • eye-hand coordination
  • righting and balance reactions
  • weight shift

Balls can encourage a child to feel excited to come into a treatment room or to prepare a blind child for hippotherapy. Balls can be just as important to an older woman needing to reduce internal scarring from repeated abdominal surgery.

There is one problem with therapy balls: storage. Without due care, your therapy room can quickly become messy, cluttered, and a potential safety hazard. We don’t want our clients tripping over equipment!

If you’ve ever worked in an OT department or been involved in developing a therapy department in limited space, then you can appreciate the need to organize physio/Gymnic balls. There are times that facilities will look into securing a suitable shelf, setting up a hammock specifically for therapy balls, or acquiring an array of other wall or ceiling fittings.

But what can do you do if your practice is in rented space that doesn’t permit attaching anything to the walls or ceilings? Or if your OT room is in a building with prefabricated walls and ceilings, reducing the strength and stability of the internal structure?

When I started in private practice, one of the first pieces of equipment I obtained was a large therapy ball with bells inside. Amongst my first private clients was a child who was blind from birth and severely sensory-deprived, hence the bells within the ball. It was wonderful to introduce a ball game in which he could participate because he could hear where the ball was.

The problem was how to store the therapy ball. I grappled with this dilemma until I discovered the wonderful Ball Stacker. It looks professional and neat and makes a good impression when a parent comes into the therapy room for the first time. Now you can use therapy balls even if you can’t attach brackets, shelves, or hammocks to the wall or ceiling.

Another valuable accessory to the therapy ball, is the Ball Handpump which offers the freedom to alter the pressure in the ball according to the goals of your client.

 

Shoshanah Shear

Occupational Therapist, healing facilitator, certified infant massage instructor, freelance writer, author of “Healing Your Life Through Activity – An Occupational Therapist’s Story” and co-author of “Tuvia Finds His Freedom”.

Saturday Seminar: Syrian Boy with Bilateral Upper Limb Differences Learns to Negotiate Daily Life in America

Daily Living, Events, Filomena's Corner, Strength & Rehab

Eleven year old Ahmad, who as an 8-year-old suffered trauma in Aleppo, Syria, that left him with bilateral transhumeral limb differences, captivated us. Today’s seminar, presented by Ahmad, his occupational therapist, Sheila Kearney, MS, OTR/L, and physical therapist, Julia O’Connell, PT, was entitled: Syrian Boy with Bilateral Upper Limb Differences Learns to Negotiate Daily Life in America. Attendees were spellbound by Ahmad’s story that took us from his and his dad’s arrival in the USA 3 years ago, his experiences to date, and plans for the future. His therapists work as a cohesive unit with his school and family with the goal of assimilating him into American life as a fully functional boy at home, at school, and in the community. Both Sheila and Julia have extensive experience in a variety of pediatric settings. They met Ahmad through the Sharon, MA public schools, where he is a student.

The therapists provided the framework for Ahmad’s journey through their PowerPoint and video presentation. Hearing about Ahmad’s experiences in his words and demonstrations on how he manages his daily life enriched the seminar infinitely and brought to life the reality of the challenges he faces on a daily basis. Behind the current functional capabilities were months of trial and error, frustration, and success guided by his therapists and sometimes, with his self-designed adaptations. Observing as he demonstrated donning a jacket, writing with Ferby Triangular Colored Pencils, cutting with a knife, scooping from an Inner Lip Plate, pouring himself a drink, and eating a peanut butter sandwich seemed satisfying for him. Ahmad uses a Slant Board to facilitate writing activities. He tried out and loved using Mounted Table Top Scissors today, which provided stability as the scissors were fixed to a plastic base with nonslip pads. Simple materials like Closed Cell Cylindrical Foam, and Velcro Self Adhesive Tape are simple materials that can be used in creative ways to facilitate function for Ahmad. Hearing about his PT treatment for strengthening his upper body in preparation for function was moving. Ahmad has tackled daily life issues along with a talented therapy team who are always exploring new ways to adapt materials creatively to ensure full participation with his peers and siblings.

Currently Ahmad is using primitive UE prostheses that require strength and muscle activation. He removed his shirt and demonstrated how he activates them using shoulder girdle musculature. Ahmad looks forward to the next step in gaining more fine motor control with myoelectric prostheses, which will provide him with increased power and control. He looks forward to using the device glove with fingers, giving him the ability to use a 3 jaw chuck for better fine motor control than his current prostheses offer. In addition, it was exciting to hear that he is eligible for bilateral upper extremity transplants in the near future, with the decision resting with him and his parents.

The commitment and care that Sheila and Julia have provided for Ahmad have been critical for his assimilation into his new life in the US. It was a pleasure for all of us to share his journey. His future is bright with his parents and four siblings now together in the US. Intelligence, confidence, kindness, and charisma are just a few of the qualities that we saw in Ahmad. Seeing how he, his parents, therapists, and school staff work as a team to help him achieve independence is truly inspirational. He is meeting his challenges head-on with determination and an indomitable spirit!

Here are a few appreciative remarks from attendees:

“The amount of adaptations are amazing. What a great team. I love how client driven it is.” – Patricia K., Occupational Therapist

“I would absolutely recommend this seminar to a colleague! This seminar was one of the best – especially because Ahmad was part of the presentation.” – Maura. M., Teacher

“I loved Ahmad telling his own story and supplemented by his therapists.” – Micaela C., Physical Therapist

“Very inspirational. Wonderful to see the student in action. So motivated!” – Beth M., Occupational Therapist

Thank you, Sheila, Julia, and of course, Ahmad!

Filomena Connor, MS, OTR/L
October 14, 2017