ZERO TO THREE Podcast Series on Early Childhood Development

These days it seems like there isn't enough time to do all of the reading on a variety of topics that I want to do. So, I often listen to podcasts while en route to-from work or while on an airplane. If you are wanting to know more about early childhood development, try this link from "Zero to Three" that has podcasts and resources:

ZERO TO THREE: Little Kids, Big Questions: A ZERO TO THREE Podcast Series on Early Childhood Development

I thought the "Turning On or Tuning Out: The Influence of Media on Young Children’s Development" Featuring Ellen Wartella, Ph.D. had good information in it.

disAbility Sports Training and Athletic Competition

It's always nice to stay active in sports, but for parents of children with disabilities it's not as easy as signing up just anywhere! The following link provides a long list of various links for adapted sports:

disAbility Sports Training and Athletic Competition

Play ball!

Therapists Consulting with School & Daycare Staff

It seems this year has been extra crazy and busy, which means I haven't blogged near as much as I did the previous two years...oh well, if life even slows down a bit, then I'll get back to blogging more. Ironically, I don't watch television very often or do other things that you would think should take me away from my blogging, yet somehow the days and evenings fly by!

In addition to me working part-time for an early intervention program in which I work in homes, daycares, and in the community with children ages birth to three years with special needs, I also work part-time for myself. I see a few children on a weekly basis as well as conducting consultations and evaluations for a local school district (not the one I work for ECI or the one my daughter attends). So, this year I have learned a lot about billing insurance companies, facilities, and Medicaid...lots of lessons have been learned! But the biggest thing that I've enjoyed doing this year (besides being a Mom of two children and a wife) is providing consultative services.

Consultations are really important and that is why most school occupational therapists spend most of their time doing that versus direct services. Because the therapist is only around a child a small part of the week (or for some kids even less), and the parents, teachers, or daycare staff are around them for the majority of the time, then doesn't it make sense to teach them a few simple strategies that can make a difference in that child's life. Some of the suggestions can be as simple as putting the child at a table that faces a less "busy" area and therefore is less distracting so the child can remain seated and do his "work". Ideas may also be as simple as rewording requests, keeping instructions short and simple, using a picture schedule system, or making sure the table/chair is at the appropriate height which provides better support for handwriting and focusing.

Consultative services doesn't mean that the child doesn't also need direct therapy, it just means that there may be adaptations to the environment that could make a functional difference. It might also mean that teaching the adults to interact differently with the child could make a difference. For example, for a child who transitions poorly between activities at a daycare one suggestion may be to give him a one minute verbal update of what will be coming next. Predictability often lessens anxiety in children with developmental disabilities, especially the children with sensory processing disorder (SPD) and autism spectrum disorder (ASD).

I've learned through the years to not get all of my "therapy kicks" out of directly interacting or touching the child. When I was first out of college, I wouldn't have dreamed that I could help out a five month old with Down Syndrom so much unless I was literally touching the child helping him to roll over or helping with some other motor or feeding skill. Yet, now I know that if I show the parents a few strategies for "tummy time", positioning while holding/feeding the baby, and diapering that I'm making a big, maybe even bigger difference than I am by directly working with the child. It has been a change for me not to be the one to feed the client, but to be the one guiding the parent either verbally or physically. After all, it's not "all about me"!

So, if your child gets direct services only at a clinic, then ask the therapist if she/he is willing to do a home visit at least once. Insurance may or may not pay for it, so funding could be an issue. If you can't afford to pay for the home therapy visit privately, then videotape the surroundings of your home during the daily routines that are difficult such as toothbrushing or meal times; have the therapist view it and give any suggestions on how to help that routine go smoother. Maybe the therapist will also be fine with you participating in the therapy session at the clinic so you can learn some activities to do with your child in between sessions. At the very least, get a handout individualized to your child on activities or adaptations that would be beneficial.

Making Halloween Fun For All

It's Halloween time! Many of us think it is fun, whereas others are not feeling the same amount of joy as the rest of us! In hopes of making the holiday more pleasant for all, I have provided a link on ideas for adapting this holiday for a child with Autism Spectrum Disorder. I also think these ideas could work well with any disability or young child:

http://www.autismsupport.org/halloween.html

My small family of four likes to dress as a theme. Last year we all dressed up as characters of Toy Story. This year we will be characters from Peter Pan...even the dog is dressing up as a pirate. Since my three year old son gets scared of "spooky" things easily, we probably will be wearing "happy" costumes for a while. Last year, he became very upset with the decorations we had on our front porch, and would only go out the back door until the decorations were taken down the day after Halloween. So, if you have a case like this, some of the ideas in the link may work well for you even with a child who doesn't have a developmental delay or diagnosis of autism.

Enjoy trick-or-treating and HAPPY HALLOWEEN!

Social Stories to Improve Behaviors

I am a big fan of social stories to teach young children and/or children with special needs (any age) when there is a problem with a behavior or the child is anxious about a situation. The concept originated by Carol Gray. Although social stories are often used with children with an autism spectrum disorder, I have found that you can use them with many children with developmental delays or young children with no delays. Here is a link on how to make one:

http://www.ehow.com/how_5135970_use-social-stories.html

This link probably gives ideas for grade school children, and adapting it for the toddlers would mean doing more of the work. I have had my own children help me by coloring some of the pictures in the book.

I have made quite a few for my own children, and they like to read them even after the issue has been solved. Back when my daughter (now 7 years old) was three years old, she was very scared to go to swim lessons. So, through reading the story to her daily she became less anxious. That is because the predictability of the lessons lessened her anxiety. So often, children act up when they do not know what to expect, and through writing an individualized story about what may happen and what is expected of them, their anxiety may lessen.

Some of the stories that I have taught families to write for their child have included: going to the dentist, airplane rides, gymnastics class, swimming lessons, birthday parties, Christmas day, potty training, the choir singing at church, and the list goes on. Remember, when writing a social story to stay as positive as possible and emphasize the behavior you want from the child and don't say a bunch of "no" and "don't". For example, if the child has a problem with running in the hallways at school you may say in the book "we walk in the hallway quietly and slowly while listening to the teacher" as opposed to "we don't run in the hallway and disobey the teacher".

I would love to hear stories about some of your favorite social stories that you have helped write!

Is your child ready for preschool?

Since most children are going back to school over the next couple of weeks, I thought I'd post a link on preschool readiness. Preschool is important for many children, especially those with learning disorders or developmental disabilities. If they go to preschool, then they may perform better in kindergarten. ..they may even have fun in kindergarten!

First 5 | California

I have a friend who used to be a kindergarten teacher. She once told me that the best thing a parent can do for any child to prepare them for kindergarten is to send them to preschool or another part-time program such as Mother's Day Out or daycare the year or two before starting kindergarten. It is hard to learn in kindergarten if the first part of the school year is full of separation anxiety... get that out of the way in preschool!

Halliwick Method to Teach Swimming

It's that time of year when most everyone wants to cool off in a pool, especially if you live in the southern USA like I do...too many days where it is 100 degrees F or above! For many of us, we want our kids to feel comfortable around the water, have safety awareness, and also learn how to swim. Some kids are harder to teach swimming to than others, and especially if the child has a medical or mental disability. Here is a link about the Halliwick method that can be used to teach swimming, it was created by a physical therapist who is an aquatic specialist. He has techniques for a variety of special needs including pediatric and orthopedic disabilities.

Halliwick

So go ahead, gather up your intertube, rubber duckies, and towel and head off to the swimming pool!