Friday Features

~New blog alert! Thank you to Dr. Anne Zachry for bringing Embrace Your Chaos to my attention. Written by a pediatric occupational therapist and mother of a one year old, Embrace Your Chaos provides practical tips and fun activities to develop sensory motor skills in children. (If you are not already a follower, be sure to check out Dr. Zachry's blog too for great OT ideas!) 

~Ruth Morgan, of Chapel Hill Snippets, contributed a great post to PediaStaff titled Danger of Becoming Desensitized on the Job. I think all school-based therapists can relate to this post and it serves as a friendly reminder for us to remain positive on the job! 

~In honor of Valentine's Day next week, and in case you missed it during the holiday rush, the New York Times published an article, Navigating Love and Autism, in December. Kirsten and Jack, the couple with Asperger's featured in the New York Times article, were also recently interviewed on an NPR Talk of the Nation show, Learning to Love, And Be Loved, With Autism. The story included a call in from an OT who leads a social skills groups for students with autism.

How to make an adapted crayon

I was working with a preschooler and he noticed this pencil in my (over-flowing) pencil box and wanted to try it out.

This student has cerebral palsy and since his grasp on a regular crayon is one of those grasps best described as "funky" (see below), this Y-shaped pencil worked fairly well for him.

There were a few problems with the pencil: 1) it was too big for his hand and 2) a crayon would be a more appropriate than a pencil for a 4 year old. I couldn't find any crayons for purchase that are similar to the Y-shaped pencil, so I decided to create my own.

I want to preface this how-to with the disclaimer that I don't typically use any sort of adaptations or pencil grips for children this young. I prefer to give preschoolers very short crayons and develop their fine motor skills, rather than provide adaptations. With that said, each child is unique, and that's why I adapted this crayon for this particular child.

I used Crayola Air-Dry Clay to form the base of the crayon.

I then placed half of a crayon in the tip of the clay to create this crayon (the air-dry clay takes 1-2 days to dry).

He loves his new crayon! This is a work in progress, so I'm still trying to figure out an easy way to swap out the crayon, so he can color with more than one color :) Any suggestions?

It's tax time again...

Want to find out if that iPad you bought to use in therapy is tax deductible?

AOTA has written an article, Top 10 Tax Tips for Occupational Therapy Practitioners. The full text of this article is available on the AOTA website to AOTA members only. (If you're not an AOTA member, your membership fee is tax deductible :) Yet another reason to be an AOTA member...hint, hint).

As an independent contractor, I thought I had already learned all of the inns and outs of tax deductions, but I did learn a few new tips that I was not aware of, like health insurance is only deductible if you're not eligible for insurance coverage, such as through your spouse's job. It's definitely worth taking a look at, whether you are an independent contractor or employee.

As for the iPad, it is tax deductible if you use it for therapy, but if you also use it for personal use, you can't deduct the full price. Refer to the article for a better explanation.

Handprint Valentine's Day Card

I can't believe it's February already! This Valentine's Day card is courtesy of my nephew. It looks like he dipped the sides of his little fingers in red paint and then pressed them into a heart shape. Cute idea for Valentine's Day!

Friday Features

~Be sure to check out this post by Starfish Therapies on how to make a DIY weighted lap bag. The use of a dog toy is such a fun idea and I can't wait to try it out myself!

~AOTA's next pediatric virtual chat is on Response to Intervention and will take place on February 13 at 11:00 EST. These chats always provide good information on timely topics. Click here to sign up and click here to check out previous pediatric virtual chats.

~ The Atlantic had an interesting article on the dangers of car seats. They are not dangerous when used in cars, but can be harmful and affect development when used at other times. As an occupational therapist, I always discourage parents from using a car seat as a chair. It's always best to let your little one try to move around on the floor, with supervision, of course.

~The article above led me to a blog on the New York Times website about the dangers of baby walkers. This article discusses the motor and cognitive impairments that can arise from the use of a baby walker. A good read on why the use of baby walkers is not always the best idea for your little one.

Introvert or Asperger Syndrome?

Today I read Benjamin Nugent's wonderful op-ed in the New York Times, I Had Asperger Syndrome. Briefly. His experience gave a voice to my lingering suspicions about incorrectly diagnosing awkward, introverted, smart teens with Asperger's. Being a quirky teen with "poor" social skills doesn't necessarily equal autism. 

Some food for thought from Mr. Nugent's piece:

• "You can be highly perceptive with regard to social interaction, as a child or adolescent, and still be a spectacular social failure. This is particularly true if you’re bad at sports or nervous or weird-looking."
• "I wonder: If I had been born five years later and given the diagnosis at the more impressionable age of 12, what would have happened? I might never have tried to write about social interaction, having been told that I was hard-wired to find social interaction baffling." 
• "...my experience can’t be unique. Under the rules in place today, any nerd, any withdrawn, bookish kid, can have Asperger syndrome." 

With the upcoming changes to the DSM, everyone seems to have an opinion on how the new changes will affect the number of children diagnosed with autism.

What seems to be most concerning to people is that under the new criteria, those currently labeled "high functioning" or with "Asperger's" will no longer meet the criteria.

My first thought when I heard this concern voiced was that maybe it isn't a bad thing. Maybe introverts are being diagnosed as having Asperger's. I'll admit, I haven't been following the discussion very closely, so I've been keeping my opinions to myself and I might be missing something completely. In fact, please let me know if you think I'm missing something major in this discussion.

So I'm finally weighing in with my opinion:
Yes, I think children with autism, even those with high functioning autism, need access to the necessary therapy and supports to reach their full potential.
No, I don't necessarily think the narrower criteria for autism is a bad thing. Let's not inhibit the abilities of kids by handing out unnecessary labels.


What are your thoughts on the upcoming changes to the DSM?

Parent and Teacher Friendly Resources on Sensory Integration

I am always on the lookout for resources about sensory processing that are written in parent (and teacher) friendly language. While at the Autism West Specialty Conference in December, I found what I was looking for!

Pediatric Therapy Network has created four great booklets that explain sensory integration in easy to understand language. The booklets are Sensory Integration: Answers for Parents, Sensory Integration: Answers for Teachers, Sensory Integration: Answers for Mealtime Success, and Sensory Integration: Answers About Autism.

Some of the highlights:

• Answers for Teachers contains a checklist based on teacher observations to help identify students who may be having difficulty processing sensory information.
• Answers for Teachers also contains a page of Tips for Teachers, with suggested activities for the teacher to try based on the student's behavior.
• Answers for Mealtime Success contains a page of suggested sensory activities for parents to try to assist with mealtimes.

At on $4.95 each, I couldn't pass them up! If you would like one for yourself, they can be purchased directly from Pediatric Therapy Network.

What are your favorite parent friendly resources on sensory integration?