I used to work in a therapy clinic and before that a hospital. One of the positives to those facilities, was LOTS of equipment including swings, rocker boards, balance beams, balls of various sizes, rock walls, air mattresses, trampolines, and more! It is so much easier to help children work on their balance with all of this equipment. The downside is that the child doesn't have this equipment at home, and at the most the child is getting 1-3 hours of weekly therapy in the clinic. So, what about all of those waking hours spent in play at home with no equipment? How can the family help the child improve on his balance skills? Well, going to the park, restaurant playgrounds, and mall play areas are great ideas, but those locations are limited also...you can't live there after all. You also can't live at the facilities that have gymnastics, dance, and karate lessons.
I like to teach parents simple ways to help a child improve his balance skills that doesn't require any equipment at all; just their bodies and items they already have around the home. Some simple ideas for babies and young toddlers include:
-Lap play: have the child sit on your lap while facing you, and as you sing and talk to him, bounce him gently up/down and side-to-side to help elicit equilibrium reactions in which the arms come out to the side and the head comes back to the middle. I sing songs such as "The Noble Duke of York", "Rock, Rock, Rock Your Boat", "Getty Up Horsie", and make up songs that don't even exist. Initially, place your hands on the child's trunk (belly/back), then as he improves, lower your hands toward his hips. Be sure to watch the facial reactions in order to know if you can make it harder or should slow down.
-Animal walks: toddlers love to play pretend such as getting on all fours on the floor and pretending to be a cow or puppy. They also like to slither on their bellies as if they were a snake. My two favorite animal imitations are donkey kicks (get on all fours and kick the legs behing you) and bear crawl (similar to a dog, but straighten the legs so that the bottom is pointed in the air, if you are into Yoga it is the "Downward. Dog" pose). Try these or make up some animal imitations.
-Dance: Hold the older baby or toddler in your arms while you sway side-to-side, spin both ways, or jump up and down. Even lean over to see if the child can handle his head being upside down.
-Jumping on the bed: hold the child if he can't jump yet and help him jump. Then after awhile, place him on the floor and see if he can stand longer on his own. Often, the proprioceptive input from jumping helps with "body in space" awareness". If the child can independently stand and jump, then make the game harder such as squatting to jump like a frog or bunny, or add singing or music, especially a song about jumping. For an older toddler, have them jump down from a stool or over the stool as if they are Jack Be Nimble jumping of the candlestick!
I have many more ideas...the sky is the limit! I just listed a few to let you know that you don't need lots of expensive equipment to work on balance skills in between therapy visits. Well, time to go join my husband and daughter playing "Five Little Monkeys Jumping On the Bed".
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Showing posts with label therapy. Show all posts
Sunday, April 18, 2010
Tuesday, January 5, 2010
What Ever Becomes of the Children I Work With?
Recently, I have bumped into families that I had previously worked with. Each time, I recognized the mom first, not the child. And it was just a fluke that I was even in those places, because they weren't stores or times that I would have been typically shopping. It was meant to be that I ran into them! I have been an occupational therapist in this city for 12 1/2 years, so I should expect to be "wow-ed" to see what my young clients have grown into. It is a good thing that I don't forget faces and names very often. However, when I do forget a name, it usually comes back to me after talking to them for awhile.
The most amazing encounter was this young man who is now a teenager; I provided occupational therapy from pre-K through first grade with him. Wow, what a handsome young man he has become. He is now over 6 feet tall! Just think, he was once small enough for me to toss around over a therapy ball! This young man has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and he continues to walk with a reverse walker. I had hoped that one day he would ambulate without any devices. But I think by watching him walk, his leg muscles are just too tight, especially since he is so tall. Often kids who walk briefly on their own when they are small, can't walk independently once they have grown because of tight tendons. On the happier side, it was nice to see how bright, articulate, and handsome he is!
Three times this past year, I have ran into families that have a child diagnosed with autism. These children that graduated the ECI program I work with at the age of 3 years are now in pre-K or kindergarten. All of them have made amazing progress in either the private or public school programs they have attended. All of them have made massive progress with their language skills, behavior, and attention span. All but one are in a regular education classroom. The one common thing with these families was that they work with their child at home, enroll them in a program while the child is 3-5 years old, and are on "special" diets. This really makes me smile, because when I quit working with children at the age of three years there are so many roads that family and child could go down.
Up intil 2004, I worked primarily in outpatient settings with children birth to 18 years of age. So, I know what children with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disorders look like as babies, children, teenagers, and adults. There is such a wide range of how these children look and function. But once again the common thread of the children who make the most improvement is families who are willing to work with their child...not just take them to a clinic or school and let someone else do all the work. After all, their are seven days in a week which can also be thought of "there are 168 hrs in a week". Even if therapies total 10 hours a week, school totals 40 hours a week, and the child sleeps 70 hours a week, there is still a remainder of 48 hours in the week. What is the child doing during this time? Well, hopefully a little bit of rest and relaxation mixed in with family time in the home and community.
The most amazing encounter was this young man who is now a teenager; I provided occupational therapy from pre-K through first grade with him. Wow, what a handsome young man he has become. He is now over 6 feet tall! Just think, he was once small enough for me to toss around over a therapy ball! This young man has a diagnosis of cerebral palsy and he continues to walk with a reverse walker. I had hoped that one day he would ambulate without any devices. But I think by watching him walk, his leg muscles are just too tight, especially since he is so tall. Often kids who walk briefly on their own when they are small, can't walk independently once they have grown because of tight tendons. On the happier side, it was nice to see how bright, articulate, and handsome he is!
Three times this past year, I have ran into families that have a child diagnosed with autism. These children that graduated the ECI program I work with at the age of 3 years are now in pre-K or kindergarten. All of them have made amazing progress in either the private or public school programs they have attended. All of them have made massive progress with their language skills, behavior, and attention span. All but one are in a regular education classroom. The one common thing with these families was that they work with their child at home, enroll them in a program while the child is 3-5 years old, and are on "special" diets. This really makes me smile, because when I quit working with children at the age of three years there are so many roads that family and child could go down.
Up intil 2004, I worked primarily in outpatient settings with children birth to 18 years of age. So, I know what children with autism, down syndrome, cerebral palsy, and other developmental disorders look like as babies, children, teenagers, and adults. There is such a wide range of how these children look and function. But once again the common thread of the children who make the most improvement is families who are willing to work with their child...not just take them to a clinic or school and let someone else do all the work. After all, their are seven days in a week which can also be thought of "there are 168 hrs in a week". Even if therapies total 10 hours a week, school totals 40 hours a week, and the child sleeps 70 hours a week, there is still a remainder of 48 hours in the week. What is the child doing during this time? Well, hopefully a little bit of rest and relaxation mixed in with family time in the home and community.
Friday, December 11, 2009
Take Your Child's Therapist Holiday Shopping With You!
Since I work for an early intervention program, I have the luxury of going into the family's natural environment whether it be the home, daycare, relative's home, or the community. The community settings could be anywhere the family naturally goes and where "typically developing infants and toddlers" would go. This could be the library, park, restaurant, or store. I may go into these public places to help figure out some strategies to make the routine more functional for the child and family. So, if the child is scared of the playground at McDonald's, but the family goes there on a weekly basis, then I can justify doing a therapy session at that setting. An occupational therapy visit in the grocery store may be to figure out ways to help the child balance in the front section of the cart. The list goes on and on of ways that I can help the family in the community.
The biggest way I can help this time of year, is to go holiday (AKA Christmas) shopping with the family. Maybe I am going with the child and family because of typical therapy reasons such as helping reduce sensory stimulation, transitions, following directions, balance, etc, etc, etc. But I can also use my expertise and background in "activity analysis" to help the parents pick out appropriate toys for the child. When a child has a developmental delay or medical diagnosis, it is not always so simple to pick out toys. My experience is that families tend to purchase toys that are too easy for the child as opposed to challenging the child.
Toy ideas for a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) might be geared toward improving social-emotional, sensory processing, cognition, or language skills. For example, a doll and stroller set or textured formboard puzzles. In comparison, toy ideas for a child who has suffered a stroke (AKA hemiparesis or hemiplegia) might be the ones that encourage both sides of the body to work together such as a ball, t-ball stand, golf set, wagon, tricycle, and Mr. Potato Head (R).
If your child is too old for the local early intervention program because of being over the age of 3 years or if he receives therapy services privately, then see what kind of deal you can make with the professional seeing him. Maybe since insurance wouldn't pay for a shopping trip, you could pay privately. If this is not an option, then maybe the last 20 minutes of the therapy session could be used for the parent and therapist to go to websites for the stores they will shop at (e.g. Target (R), Toys R US (R), Wal-mart, or Amazon (R)), and discuss toy ideas and why they would be good for that child. If that is not an option either, then maybe call the therapist a few days in advance of the therapy session and ask her for a list of toys that would be good for your child to have; not just a generic list of toys, but one that is indivualized to your child.
Don't be afraid to ask! This is my favorite time of year for more than one reason, but one of those reasons is shopping with my clients and their families!
The biggest way I can help this time of year, is to go holiday (AKA Christmas) shopping with the family. Maybe I am going with the child and family because of typical therapy reasons such as helping reduce sensory stimulation, transitions, following directions, balance, etc, etc, etc. But I can also use my expertise and background in "activity analysis" to help the parents pick out appropriate toys for the child. When a child has a developmental delay or medical diagnosis, it is not always so simple to pick out toys. My experience is that families tend to purchase toys that are too easy for the child as opposed to challenging the child.
Toy ideas for a child with ASD (Autism Spectrum Disorder) might be geared toward improving social-emotional, sensory processing, cognition, or language skills. For example, a doll and stroller set or textured formboard puzzles. In comparison, toy ideas for a child who has suffered a stroke (AKA hemiparesis or hemiplegia) might be the ones that encourage both sides of the body to work together such as a ball, t-ball stand, golf set, wagon, tricycle, and Mr. Potato Head (R).
If your child is too old for the local early intervention program because of being over the age of 3 years or if he receives therapy services privately, then see what kind of deal you can make with the professional seeing him. Maybe since insurance wouldn't pay for a shopping trip, you could pay privately. If this is not an option, then maybe the last 20 minutes of the therapy session could be used for the parent and therapist to go to websites for the stores they will shop at (e.g. Target (R), Toys R US (R), Wal-mart, or Amazon (R)), and discuss toy ideas and why they would be good for that child. If that is not an option either, then maybe call the therapist a few days in advance of the therapy session and ask her for a list of toys that would be good for your child to have; not just a generic list of toys, but one that is indivualized to your child.
Don't be afraid to ask! This is my favorite time of year for more than one reason, but one of those reasons is shopping with my clients and their families!
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
