For children who have difficulty with muscle tone, movement and motor skills, they may lack the hand control to hold writing utensils. This may impact their ability to complete academic skills at the level they are capable of. The functionalhand® supports learning by reduces fine motor demands allowing your child to focus on discovering letters, numbers, counting skills and so much more.
Children learn through a variety of sensory experiences. Processing auditory and visual cues in combination with movement enhances cognitive or academic concepts. The functionalhand® reduces the physical demands of academic tasks and allows the child to have more energy to focus on learning. Tracing and copying activities are completed with less effort.
The functionalhand® allows children to participate in formal writing programs that teach letters such as “Handwriting without tears”.
Dot markers are another “tool” that the functionalhand® assists children to hold and practice number recognition and matching skills.
In addition to number recognition, there are a variety of activities a child can participate in that supports math skills. This universal device enables individuals who cannot hold a writing utensil in their hand, to complete academic skills.
Guest Bloggers: Linda Merry, OTR/L, NDT/C and Celine Rosati Skertich, PT, MS, PCS, NDT/C, creators of The functionalhand®.
Planning for “Back to School” assumes a high priority for parents, teachers, and therapists as July gives way to August. You’ve told us that you and your students LOVE these school /therapy items! Start the new academic year with a bang using these items in your toolbox. Check them off your list!
Big Box of Scrambled Sentences
For students who focus better and calm with oral input, Topper Zilla is a winner. It has a chew factor of 3, meaning it is designed for strong chewers. It is not only Godzilla-like strong, but soft as well. It is appropriate for any age, and includes a pencil.
To help build a child’s foundation for success with school tasks by improving strength of the trunk and upper upper body, and fine motor control, Upper Body and Core Strength Fun Deck is comprised of 52 fun activities at your fingertips. It also includes game ideas.
The Star Spacer helps students understand letter spacing, sizing, and alignment. It is a simple, clever tool that works! By providing immediate results, the student gains confidence in his/her more legible handwriting. For Grades 1-5, and for older students with writing difficulty.
For a product designed to help children with functions including sequencing 3-part sentences, reading sight words, and understanding sentence meaning, take a look at Big Box of Scrambled Sentences. It includes 90 colorfully illustrated puzzle pieces that engage children ingeniously. It is appropriate for Grades K-2.
Use Learn to Move, Move to Learn!to plan group activities using 52 creative, theme-based lessons that utilize a sensory-integrated developmental sequence, this book is a must! All of the themes have 7 sensorimotor activities including warm-up, vestibular, proprioception, balance, eye-hand coordination, cool-down, and fine motor. The activities are geared to support young school-age children with diverse abilities.
Of course, we have plenty more “favorite and popular” back to school products – be sure to view the Therapro Back to School Catalog for hundreds more ideas to make this the best school year ever!
Occupational therapists are the “ADL specialists” on a treatment team. Building independence in self-care isn’t always the problem we are addressing. For younger kids or multiply challenged children of any age, simply tolerating experiences like nail cutting, haircuts and face washing can be the hardest part of the day. Helping children and their families to make grooming and hygiene less of an issue can improve children’s sense of safety and control. It can even build the relationship between caregivers and children.
When evaluating a child’s aversion to ADL’s, look to the comprehensive OT evaluation. While the Sensory Profile or the SPM will highlight specific challenges in oral or tactile domains, looking at a child’s level of motor, visual-perceptual and behavioral functioning provides a more complete picture of the child. Postural issues, issues with endurance, attention, or identifying unique behavioral/emotional expression of frustration will suggest potential treatment pathways or complications.
Prior to Grooming And Hygiene Activities:
Directly address sensory-based issues in a comprehensive manner. Use of the Wilbarger Protocol, creation of a sensory diet and selecting tools to desensitize aversive response can support even the most agitated child. Brief activity on a Therapy Ball can increase postural activation while modulating arousal prior to ADL’s. Other children benefit from a NUK Brush or other oral/facial input before tooth brushing or having their face washed.
NUK Brush
Wilbarger Therapressure Brush
During ADL’s:
The use of sensory and behavioral activities can help increase and lengthen tolerance. Some children benefit from sitting in a Beanbag Chair during grooming to provide calming input and postural stabilization. A visual timer supports a child to understand that the activity will end and provides an objective measurement. This could reduce the child’s use of whining or aggression directed at the caregiver. A Weighted Lap Pad can be helpful calming input to an agitated child. Children with sensory seeking as well as sensory sensitivity often prefer a weighted object with texture.
Bean Bag Chair
Time Timer
Weighted Turtle
Sit Tight Weighted Lap Pad
When the ADL Task is Completed:
Aversive responses can continue long after a child demonstrates minimal or no observable aversive response in a treatment session. Why? Because children are more than a stimulus-response cycle. They develop a sense of anticipatory anxiety and have habitual reactions that can be triggered even without sensory input.
Replacing old behaviors with more functional new habits may require slowly adapting ADL routines to decouple sequences that elicit aversion. An example of this would be allowing a child who is agitated during feeding to briefly play with washable items after a meal but before cleaning his hands. Any residual agitation from distressing feeding experiences could dissipate partially or totally before the caregiver uses deep pressure input to wipe the child’s hands.
Supporting children for ADL tolerance and eventual independence requires us to use our task analysis and evaluation skills in creative and complex ways. Building tolerance and independence is our initial goal, but successfully navigating daily ADL experiences will have wide-ranging effects. Improving grooming and hygiene experiences helps families feel calmer around ADL’s in general, improves communication, and deepens trust between caregivers and children.
Guest Blogger: Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT, PLLC
Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT has treated children with neurological, orthopedic and sensory processing disorders for over 20 years. She is the author of The Practical Guide To Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone. Learn more about her work at tranquilbabies.com.
Cathy Collyer, OTR, LMT has treated children with neurological, orthopedic and sensory processing disorders for over 20 years. She is the author of The Practical Guide To Toilet Training Your Child With Low Muscle Tone. Learn more about her work at tranquilbabies.com.