Oobleck Recipe

Here's a fun sensory filled way to celebrate Dr. Seuss' birthday on March 2nd. Read Bartholomew and the Oobleck and then create some oobleck of your own!

What you'll need:

• water
• cornstarch
• food coloring (optional)

Oobleck Recipe:
Mix 1 part water with 1.5 to 2 parts cornstarch. Add a few drops of food coloring if you want to make it colored. Stir and stir some more! You will need to stir for about 10 minutes to create oobleck, a weird semi-solid mixture. 


Enjoy!

We used the paintbrush to stir the mixture. For the kids who weren't quite ready to touch the oobleck with their hands, they could participate by stirring or just using the paintbrush to touch the oobleck.

How will the new definition of autism affect occupational therapy?

With the proposed changes to the DSM-IV, I think that this is a question many occupational therapists are asking right now.

AOTA's staff writer, Stephanie Yamkovenko, has written an article, How Will the New Definition of Autism Spectrum Disorder Affect Occupational Therapy?

I don't think anyone can say for sure what the implications will be, but do check out the article for a good overview of how the changes may affect occupational therapy services. 

Loving the Bumble Ball, Junior!

I have a few kiddos on my caseload right now with hemiplegia that are so good at accommodating and doing things with their less affected hand, that it is a challenge to get them to use both hands!

Blocks are not exciting enough, wind-up toys can be too difficult, but the Bumble Ball, Junior is just right! Holding the ball in one hand and pulling the string with the other provides just the right amount challenge. And they love the vibration of the ball, which motivates them to pull the string over and over again, strengthening the more affected arm!

Friday Features

After enjoying a long weekend visiting with family last week, Friday Features are back!

~I know I've mentioned before how much I enjoy the blog, Love That Max. This week Ellen asked pediatric therapists how to get the maximum benefits out of therapy. You can read the tips here. 

~To get your weekend started, check out "Slipping off the fast track to kindergarten", a lighthearted and quick read about kindergarten prep and the role of pediatric occupational therapy.

Handwriting Without Tears Letter Card Adaptation

I feel like I'm on a Handwriting Without Tears kick this week! Today I'd like to share with you how I adapted the Handwriting Without Tears letter cards to help one of my preschool students. 

Due to his limited motor control, when he tried to trace the letter L, it kept looking like this. More of a random line from the beginning to the end, rather than an L.

So I added a few Wikki Stix to the edge of the L. This created a physical boundary, as well as a high contrast visual boundary.

Now he can trace the L more successfully!

Mat Man

I absolutely love the Handwriting Without Tears curriculum! Handwriting Without Tears has so much to offer outside of basic handwriting, including Mat Man to work on body awareness. If you are not familiar with Mat Man, you can visit Mat Man World on the Handwriting Without Tears website or check out the video below. Basically, Mat Man is created using the Handwriting Without Tears mat, wooden pieces, and a few other extras. Mat Man also has a fun song to go along with building Mat Man that kids love.

Here's a picture of Mat Man that some students helped me make:

And here are a few before and after pictures. I asked my students to draw a picture of me prior to building Mat Man. After we built Mat Man, I had them draw a picture of me again.

This student was on the right track until he decided I turned into a drooling zombie (the line down the middle is my drool), with LOTS of legs!

This student still has some areas to work on, but I was happy to see that the after picture has ears and a face, and at least somewhat resembles a person.

Here's a video from Handwriting Without Tears about building Mat Man.

In my therapy bag...a safety pin

As promised yesterday, here is a simple way to promote the use of the more affected arm in a child with hemiplegia. I simply used a safety pin to hold the unaffected arm close to the body. (Caution! This should only be done under CLOSE supervision, as it WILL affect the child's ability to maintain balance! Also, this should only be done for short periods of time, as it does inhibit the use of the unaffected arm, thereby limiting the child's ability to complete tasks that require the use of both arms.)

With that said, it can be a great way to work on grasping items and playing with toys using the affected arm!

What are your favorite ways to promote the use of the affected arm in children with hemiplegia?