Tips for Raising Smart Kids

Posted on May 7, 2013 by christiekiley

Someone shared an interesting infographic with me recently about how to raise smart kids. I wanted to post it here not because I believe there is a “formula” for turning kids into geniuses, but because I think it’s a good conversation starter.

As an occupational therapist, I like that it addresses the fact that there are certain childhood occupations (i.e., meaningful activities that kids engage in) that can enhance brain function and learning. Conversely, it also demonstrates how other childhood occupations can negatively impact development.

But the most interesting fact presented in this graphic is the final one.

Check it out:

Isn’t that interesting? I know from experience that this is true — many kids I’ve known who are smart and “know it” do not possess the same work ethic or adaptive skills (such as dealing with failure) as those who are also smart but rely on their work ethic to help them succeed.

This was especially true in my career as both a competitive gymnast and gymnastics coach. More often than not, the gymnasts who were praised for their immense talent from an early age (like the “smart kids” group) were more likely to drop out of the sport or become extra lazy and whiney when it got “hard” than those who were known for their good work ethic (like the “praised for their effort” group). The gymnasts who had less talent (even if they were really good gymnasts) but a better work ethic were more able to successfully overcome adversity – such as injuries or poor scores – and ultimately step up to the challenges of the higher levels. I saw it in the beginner levels. I saw it in the higher levels. I saw it in the college ranks. And I saw it as a coach.

What do you think about this? Have you ever seen this play out in real life?

(This infographic was produced by OnlinePsychologyDegree.net)

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Tips for teaching kids time management, planning, and organization (aka- executive function skills)

Posted on April 28, 2013 by christiekiley

Mama OT is excited to welcome back guest blogger Abby Brayton-Chung! Abby is a pediatric OT who wrote a post for us last summer called “Five Things Your School OT Wishes You Would Do This Summer“. Today she is here to talk about something OTs call “executive functioning” which includes, among other things, the ability to manage time, plan, and organize. She spent much of the month of March addressing these types of skills on her OT blog, and she has agreed to condense all those posts into one so you can learn some really great tips. Be sure to click on the hyperlinks in order to read her individual posts with more details on each suggestion she provides. They are REALLY helpful.

. . . . .

What are executive function skills?

Executive function skills are cognitive skills that are used to execute a task. It takes several executive skills to execute a single task. For example, getting dressed for school involves planning ahead for the weather, beginning and completing the task in a timely manner, managing emotions about wanting (or not wanting) to go to school, and maintaining attention to complete the task.

Executive function skills begin to develop in infancy and continue developing all the way into adulthood! Executive function skills take a long time to fully develop, so it is important to provide children with a solid foundation along the way.

Executive function skills help children complete chores and homework, save money for a desired toy, follow rules, and keep track of belongings. Signs that your child might be having difficulty with executive function skills include: difficulty planning school projects and/or estimating how long it will take to complete a project, difficulty telling details of a story in a sequential manner, or difficulty remember information while doing something.

There are a number of executive function skills, which are described in more detail here. Today I’m going to focus on the following areas that parents commonly identify as areas of difficulty for their children: (1) time management, (2) planning, and (3) organization.

Tips for developing executive function skills in children:

(1) Time management. Time management is the ability to estimate how much time one has and how to use that time to complete a task.

To teach the passage of time, I like to use a dry erase marker to color on the face of a clock, like this (read more about this strategy by clicking here):

This method allows your child to visualize the time remaining, as well as to check in at the halfway point. Some questions to ask at the halfway point:

Am I halfway done with the work?

Am I still focused on the goal?

Is anything robbing my time (e.g. distractions)?

Do I need to move at a faster or slower pace?

(2) Planning. Planning is the ability to create and follow a plan to complete a task.

To help children plan out their homework, teach them to become a future sketcher (read more about that here). If your child has a homework assignment, first ask, “What will it look like?”

For example, what would the following assignment look like?

Using a two column note, write the definition of each vocabulary word and draw a picture to illustrate the definition of your vocabulary word.

It might look something like this when it is completed:

By teaching your child to sketch out what an assignment will look like when it is completed, it allows your child to identify where to start, what components are needed, and what the assignment will look like when it is finished. This all leads to more independent completion of homework!

For long-term planning, post-it note calendars can be useful for students to visualize when different assignments are due, as well as to help with breaking assignments down into manageable chunks (read more here). This can help you and your student avoid the last minute scramble of discovering the science project is due tomorrow!

(3) Organization. Organization is the ability to keep track of information and materials.

Students often fall into one of three organizational styles: visual, spatial, or sequential (read more here). Setting up a Get Ready-Do-Done workspace can help with both organization and planning for all three organization types (read more here).

Using colored visuals to set up and organize the study space allows children to plan for all of the supplies they need to complete their homework and to work more independently.

In addition to setting up a study space for your child, a simple homework folder can help keep your student organized and help to remember to turn in homework (read more here).

Any homework that needs to be turned in should go into the homework side of the folder. When the teacher asks for the homework, your student will know exactly where to look! Your child may initially need assistance making sure all of the homework gets into the folder at night.

Speaking of organization, does your child have trouble getting out the door in the morning with all of his or her belongings? Try taking a photo of your child ready for school and then placing the photo in a luggage tag on his or her backpack. Now your child has a visual to refer to when getting ready for school! This works well for soccer practice (or any other sports practice) as well!

Check out the following blog for more tips on teaching kids executive function skills:
1. Engaging Minds:Tools for Learning, Skills for Life

And I highly recommend these books if you are looking for additional tools to help with executive function skills in kids:
1. Executive Skills in Children and Adolescents, 2nd Edition, by Peg Dawson and Richard Guare
2. Organizing the Disorganized Child: Simple Strategies to Succeed in School, by Martin L. Kutscher and Marcella Moran

I hope you find these tips helpful for teaching your child skills to not only be successful in school, but to also be successful in life!

. . . . .

Abby Brayton-Chung, MS, OTR/L is a pediatric occupational therapist with 6 years of experience evaluating and treating children ages birth to eighteen. She has experience working in early intervention, school-based, and clinic-based settings. Abby currently works at a private school in the Boston area serving students with language based learning disabilities. Abby blogs about her experiences as an OT at www.abbypediatricot.blogspot.com.

*This post contains Amazon affiliate links. That means if you click on the link and end up buying something, a small percentage of that purchase will help Mama OT buy more diapers (at no additional cost to you)!

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Sensory “Calm Down” Bottle

Posted on April 7, 2013 by christiekiley

Have you ever found yourself working with or caring for a child who becomes so overstimulated or upset that nothing seems to help them calm down?

While there are many whole-body sensory calming strategies that can be used to help kids calm and regulate their bodies, they aren’t always available or effective in certain contexts. Wouldn’t it be nice if, when your kid is having a meltdown in the car, grocery store, classroom, Grandma’s house, or even your own house, you had a go-to sensory tool you could provide to help him or her calm down?

Enter the “Calm Down” Bottle.

I first discovered it on Pinterest thanks to In Lieu of Preschool and then dug a little deeper to find the original post published at My Crazy Blessed Life.

Calm Down Bottle

Calm Down Bottles from My Crazy Blessed Life

Just as newborns (especially premies) learn to regulate their breathing, heart rate, and body temperature through an outside source (i.e., skin-to-skin contact with their new parent), older kids often require an outside source in order to learn how to regulate their physiological and emotional responses to stressors.

In OT we call this “learning to self-regulate”. Some common self-regulation strategies preschool-aged kids (or older) can use to successfully calm themselves include deep breathing, wrapping themselves tightly in a blanket, self-massage or “dots and squeezies” up the hands and arms, wall push-ups, rocking in a rocking chair, swinging on a park swing, retreating to a dark, quiet space, laying on or under a beanbag chair, and so much more.

Most toddlers and preschoolers (and even older kiddos) are not able to self-regulate and often require some sort of instruction or model for how to respond to emotional- or sensory-based stressors. This is especially true for many children with autism and sensory processing difficulties. These kiddos often require co-regulation, which means regulation strategies must be initiated or demonstrated by another person. (Side note: Family pets such as dogs tend to be wonderful co-regulators for children, especially those with autism. Some are even trained as therapy dogs for that specific purpose.)

From an OT perspective, these Calm Down Bottles are a nice tool for helping kids transition from co-regulation to self-regulation.

If a child is so upset she cannot be consoled or engaged in other calming activities (like she doesn’t want to be touched, hugged, or talked to), these Calm Down Bottles can serve as a visual “anchor” in order to bring her focus into one place when it may feel like her world is spinning out of control. She can shake the bottle as hard as she wants (so don’t use a glass bottle), and this provides calming proprioceptive input to her body while also serving as a physical outlet that is less destructive than hitting or kicking. While she holds the bottle and watches the glitter fall, her hands and eyes are brought to midline and this can help organize and center her nervous system as well. And as her heart pounds and she demonstrates fast, shallow breathing from being so upset, the slow fall of the shaken glitter can serve as a visual model that, often unconsciously, can slow her heart rate and respiration.

At first the use of a Calm Down Bottle will likely need to be initiated by the adult. As with most calming strategies, it should be introduced to the child before she is ever upset so she knows what it is and how it works. Additionally, it will likely be the most effective when given to the child before she completely escalates and is totally inconsolable. Most calming strategies will be most effective when implemented before kids get to that “point of no return”. Shake up the bottle, hand it to the child, and see what she does. If, after repeated introductions, you find the Calm Down Bottle is an effective tool (like this mom, this mom, and this mom did), then it’s possible you’ve found something to help your kiddo transition to self-regulation!

Sensory Calm Down Bottle

Calm Down Bottle in action, from In Lieu of Preschool

The transition to self-regulation occurs when your child initiates use of the Calm Down Bottle as a self-calming tool. This may mean she asks for it or just goes and gets it herself when she starts to feel overwhelmed, overstimulated, or upset. You will have to be the judge of whether she needs to be left alone or if, after a certain number of minutes, you can sit with her in order to be a part of the calming process by talking to her about her feelings, using additional calming strategies, or simply just being there with her.

I remember learning in school that it takes the human body about 20 minutes to fully calm down after becoming upset or excited. Basically, it takes that long for the body to “call off the attack” and return itself to its original, non-stressed state. So keep this in mind when watching or helping your child recover from a stressful episode, whether it was due to sensory overload or an emotional breakdown.

Calm Down Bottles are really easy to make. Click here to find out how.

You can even have your child help you make the bottle. By involving her in the process she can develop some ownership over it, plus she also gets to practice some fine motor strengthening and hand-eye coordination as she squeezes the glue and sprinkles the glitter in the bottle!

Have you ever seen or used a Calm Down Bottle? Got any tips you’d like to share?

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How to Make Homemade Instant Snow

Posted on March 24, 2013 by christiekiley

Someone recently told me you can make instant snow by cutting open a disposable diaper and pouring water on it til it turns into a gelatinous, moldable sensory play tool.

What?!

As an OT who is always looking for new sensory play ideas, I decided I HAD to try this for myself. Here’s how I did it:

1. Cut open the diaper so you can extract the absorbent pad in the middle. Be delicate with the pad. It’s super fragile and little particles will start to fall off when you move it around.

2. Place the absorbent pad in a container (such as a plastic toy bin, baking sheet, or large mixing bowl) and slowly add water, poking and prodding the pad as you go to help break it apart. I had to use approximately four cups of water to turn a Size 3 Huggies pad into the appropriate consistency. If you don’t have a long container you could always cut or tear the pad into smaller pieces.

3. That’s it! Ridiculously simple.

Check out that texture.

Encourage sensory exploration, motor planning, and fine motor skills by molding the snow into snowballs or creating sculptures such as snowmen or animals. Practice pre-writing skills by forming shapes, letters, and numbers in the snow. Kids can use their index fingers or can even use a tool such as the non-brush end of a thin paintbrush in order to practice pencil grasp as well.

And for those little ones who are either reluctant to touch the slushy stuff or who need to practice their scooping skills, give them a tool (learn more here).

Make sure your little explorer doesn’t try to eat the fake snow. Though the substance is non-toxic, it doesn’t mean it should be ingested. Your snow will be as cold as the water you make it with. If you want it colder, put it in the fridge or freezer. If you want it slushier, add more water. Throw in a little salt if you (or your child) accidentally made it too slushy; this will help “dry” it out a bit. Create different colors of snow by mixing in some food coloring or Kool-Aid powder.

If you don’t have diapers in your house and don’t want to go out and buy a whole pack, you can purchase name-brand instant snow in many stores or online (click here).

Happy snow play!

*This post contains an affiliate link.

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What is Therapeutic Listening ®?

Posted on March 10, 2013 by christiekiley

This weekend I had the opportunity to further my professional development by obtaining training in a therapeutic program I’ve been wanting to use since before I was a therapist: THERAPEUTIC LISTENING ®.

What is Therapeutic Listening ®?
Therapeutic Listening ® is an “evidence-based auditory intervention intended to support individuals who experience challenges with sensory processing dysfunction, listening, attention, and communication.” It’s not a stand-alone program. Therapeutic Listening® (“TL” for short) is one tool that can be used as part of a bigger-picture therapy program based in sensory integration, along with the use of a daily sensory diet (but I like to refer to it as a “sensory lifestyle”).

Basically, kids (or even adults) wear special headphones that play special music which has been “filtered” or modified in order to expose the nervous system to “low sounds” (below 1,000Hz, related to vestibular and postural functions), “mid range sounds” (1,000-4,000Hz, related to key speech sounds), and “high sounds” (›4,000Hz, related to attention, discrimination, and emotional subtleties) at various times throughout the music track. In addition to filtering, the music has also been specially crafted or selected based on the type and number of instruments used (percussion, bass, stringed instruments all affect the nervous system differently) as well as the rhythm (beat, pattern, repetition, tempo), melody, and even the physical space in which the recording was made. Music selections range from nursery songs to nature sounds to classical music to upbeat/pop songs and more.

What does Therapeutic Listening ® do?
Though Therapeutic Listening ® impacts kids’ nervous systems in MANY ways, here are five main highlights of what it does:
1. Influences kids’ extreme patterns of seeking or avoiding movement
2. Influences kids’ understanding and use of their body in space (including motor skills, timing, planning, and coordination)
3. Influences kids’ arousal and activity level so their “Engine” can be “Just Right”
4. Influences kids’ biological rhythms that they may struggle with such as sleep/wake cycles, hunger/fullness, bowel/bladder control, respiration, etc.
5. Influences kids’ ability to use and control their eyes in relation to their head and body

This program uses sound to address functional goals such as improved engagement, social participation, ability to tolerate transitions, communication, learning/academic performance, attention, self-help skills, tolerance for new foods and clothing textures, and even improved handwriting performance. According to the course instructor, most parents report their child’s first responses to TL include changes related to engagement and movement (vestibular: balance, spatial orientation, postural control).

How is the Therapeutic Listening ® Program structured?
In general, children listen to a particular therapist-selected CD for two weeks, at a rate of twice per day for 30 minutes each, with at least three hours in between each listening session. Because Therapeutic Listening ® is a HIGHLY individualized program, it does not follow a cookie-cutter approach. Every child’s plan will be different. Trained therapists use their clinical reasoning to choose and adjust music selections based on the child’s needs/history, the parent’s concerns, and the child’s response to each CD. It is highly dependent on clinical observation and open communication between parents and therapist. Music selections are divided into three categories (Engagement, Interaction, Discrimination) and children are assigned one of three “profiles” in order to guide the therapist in choosing music selections that will best address the child’s needs as they move through one or all three of the categories. Children typically spend a minimum of 12-16 weeks engaging in their individualized program; most will spend even longer depending on their needs and response to each phase of the program.

Who can benefit from doing the Therapeutic Listening ® program?
Everyone! Well…almost. Therapeutic Listening ® should NOT be used with individuals with schizophrenia, auditory-evoked seizures (which are rare), or during active ear infections (prior to 24 hours of antibiotics). It can be used (some with special considerations) for individuals with hearing aides, cochlear implants, Traumatic Brain Injury, Fetal Alcohol Syndrome, children under two, and even premature infants in the NICU (so cool!). As mentioned above, this program is meant to be used as part of a therapy program that utilizes additional sensory integration techniques to address bigger picture needs that influence a child’s ability to function in his or her daily life.

So, yes, kiddos and teens with SPD, Autism/Asperger’s, developmental delays, Down Syndrome, Cerebral Palsy, visual motor/handwriting difficulties, ADD/ADHD, generalized anxiety, social anxiety disorder, difficulties with executive function, and even/especially those with no diagnosis or who don’t qualify for school-based services but clearly have needs affecting their learning or function in their school or everyday environment…all will benefit! After taking this training, I’m even thinking I need a bit of Therapeutic Listening ® intervention for myself! We all have our own issues, right?

What programs can be used in conjunction with Therapeutic Listening ®?
For those of you therapists who are reading this, you can certainly use TL in conjunction with interventions such as the Astronaut Training Program, Core Concepts in Action, Rhythmic Movement Training, Interactive Metronome, The Alert Program/How Does Your Engine Run, ZONES of Regulation, R.O.P.E.S. Program for improved executive function, and even Handwriting Without Tears. Any others I didn’t list that you would recommend?

How do I get started with the Therapeutic Listening ® program?
First you or your child must be under the supervision of a therapist trained in the use of the Therapeutic Listening ® program. Ask your child’s therapy provider about this or find a certified provider on the Therapeutic Listening ® website by visiting www.vitallinks.net and then clicking Find a Practitioner (or just click here). Once you find a TL provider, discuss whether it would be a good fit for your child and your family. I’ll be honest — it’s a commitment. Two 30-minute sessions a day, seven days a week for at least three to four months? That kind of schedule is not for everyone, and there may be other ways to address your child’s needs and functional goals. Plus, just because it’s not right for you right now doesn’t mean it may not be great at some point in the future.

If you and your child’s therapist decide to begin Therapeutic Listening ®, you may have to purchase some equipment designed specifically to access the therapeutic benefits of the program. As mentioned before, the headphones are specifically designed for use with TL (find online here) and the music selections are customized for the program as well. Music can be played from CDs using a regular portable CD player (secured in a backpack or hip pack), or it can be accessed in the form of a Sansa clip that attaches directly onto the special headphones so you don’t have to worry about dealing with discs. Music should not be burned onto other CDs or compressed into separate MP3 files because it will affect the range of sounds transmitted in music and will compromise the music’s therapeutic effects. Many clinics or therapists may be able to work with families in terms of lending out parts of the program (such as the music) while expecting them to fund some of it themselves (such as buying their own set of headphones and CD player/Sansa clip). Talk with your therapy provider to find out more about their policies regarding this program.

Where can I find more information about Therapeutic Listening ®?
Visit the Vital Links website at www.vitallinks.net. Equipment ordering information can be obtained at www.vitalsounds.com.

If you have any further questions about how the Therapeutic Listening ® program works please leave a comment below, or contact a certified provider in your area (click here) and discuss your specific questions or concerns with him or her.

Happy listening!

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iPad app for Visual Skills and Letter Reversals: “LetterReflex”

Posted on February 27, 2013 by christiekiley

If you are raising or working with a child who frequently reverses letters, numbers, or words when writing, then the LetterReflex iPad app may be for you. (It is also available for iPhone, but I would recommend using it on a larger screen due to the nature of the games).

I was recently asked to review this app for the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA), and have included a snippet of the article below:

AOTA: Briefly describe the LetterReflex app.
Christie: LetterReflex is an app that uses kinesthetic learning to address visual perceptual issues related to commonly reversed letters, numbers, and words. LetterReflex consists of two programs: Tilt It and Flip It. Tilt It contains ten levels and is easier to experience than it is to explain. Basically, it’s like a digital version of “Labyrinth”, except the focus is on learning and understanding letter orientation. In level one, the user is shown a screen that is divided into four quadrants which correspond to four commonly reversed letters: q, p, d, and b. Letter quadrants relate to which side of the line each letter’s circle is located (left or right), and which part of the line it connects to (top or bottom). Voice prompts encourage users to tilt the device in order to roll the ball toward a particular letter. This teaches them to discriminate between left and right as it relates to the orientation of these commonly reversed letters.

Flip It contains ten levels and is much easier to explain…

This is a just a preview of the post on AOTA’s blog. Click here to access the full article, with answers to questions such as how I would use this app in therapy, what age group it is best for, how I would improve the app, how children responded when I tested this app with them, and more.

I hope you’ll check it out and let me know what you think!

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iPad App for Fine Motor Skills: Dexteria

Posted on February 12, 2013 by christiekiley

There are a TON of apps out there that claim to be educational in some way, but are there apps that are designed by experts to specifically help fine motor skills?

Yes!

Dexteria is an app that was designed in consultation with licensed Occupational Therapists to help develop fine motor skills, dexterity, and handwriting readiness in children and adults. It contains three “games” that are actually therapeutic hand exercises: Tap It, Pinch It, and Write It. I’ve used all three games over the course of the past month or so with kiddos in the clinic and in schools, and here’s what I think about each:

Tap It
How it works: User calibrates hand size on the screen, then must keep their thumb on the “anchor” button while following visual prompts to tap their fingers on the corresponding marks. Higher levels require greater speed, accuracy, and the use of several fingers at once. It’s kind of like Guitar Hero meets iPad (except without the cool music).
Who it’s appropriate for: Older kids who have the ability to follow directions and coordinate the use of their fingers to at least attempt the first few levels
Who I’ve used it with: Older elementary students with learning disabilities, visual motor impairments, and high functioning autism
Skills addressed: Dexterity, coordination, visual perception/motor, attention, impulse control, timing, sequencing, proprioceptive processing (body awareness)
What to use it for: General dexterity, preparing students for typing, informally evaluating whether students have coordination and dexterity required for typing
Suggestions/critiques: Difficult to see the targets since user’s fingers block the view of them; I wish user could select which level they wanted start on; best to use on full-size iPad to accommodate hand size

Pinch It
How it works: User “pinches” crabs using index finger and thumb to make them disappear. Crabs are stationary in lower levels, begin to move around in mid-levels, turn red and multiply if pinched when red in higher levels, and move extremely rapidly while also turning red in highest levels. Quite an adrenaline rush!
Who it’s appropriate for: Kids who can utilize two fingers to pinch and can at least imitate demonstration of how to pinch crabs
Who I’ve used it with: Students preschool-aged and older who are non-verbal or carry labels of autism, fine motor delay, visual motor impairment, learning disability
Skills addressed: Pincer as pre-requisite for pencil grasp, visual perception/motor, visual scanning, visual discrimination, attention, timing, impulse control, auditory processing (crabs make “crunching” noise when pinched and bother some students, child can adjust volume to appropriate level depending on sensitivity)
What to use it for: Fine motor warm-up, preparing students for pencil grasp, reinforcer/preferred activity during sessions
Suggestions/critiques: Make sure students curl their last three fingers (middle, ring, and pinky figners) into their palm while pinching rather than splaying them out; have them hold a small marble or crumpled piece of tissue under the last three fingers to help with this; try using iPad chopsticks to pinch crabs and promote more advanced fine motor skills; I wish user could select which level they wanted to start on

Write It
How it works: User can select upper case, lower case, or numbers to trace. Arrows indicate where to start and which direction to go for each step of the number or letter being traced. Dots sit along the tracing path and “ding” as they are touched. A warning noise sounds if the user goes outside the path. Any letter or number can be selected at any time. Pretty straight forward!
Who it’s appropriate for: Children who are able to visually attend to the task (whether sitting, standing, or lying on their belly), isolate their index finger, and control their hand enough to trace the path
Who I’ve used it with: Students preschool-aged and older who are non-verbal or carry labels of autism, fine motor delay, visual motor impairment, learning disability
Skills addressed: Isolating index finger, visual motor integration, visual attention, appropriate starting position, sequencing, directionality (like b/d, p/q), pencil grasp (if using a stylus), auditory processing (sound effects bother some students, child can adjust volume to appropriate level depending on sensitivity)
What to use it for: Pre-writing warm-up, introduction to letters and numbers
Suggestions/critiques: Use an iPad stylus to practice pencil grasp (can even place an adaptive pencil grip on stylus); introduce capital letters before lowercase letters (capitals are developmentally easier for children to learn first); go back and forth between tracing on iPad and practicing pre-writing using real life manipulatives (e.g., writing in play dough, shaving cream, sand trays, or using crayons on paper); I wish user could adjust the width of letters and numbers (or work up to harder levels) to make it easier or more challenging

In general I have found the Dexteria fine motor app to be extremely useful in the clinic and school-based settings. I’ve seen that kids are naturally drawn to technology, so introducing fine motor activities on the iPad is a great way to get them engaged in fine motor work prior to doing so in “real life”. Touch screen technology shouldn’t serve as a replacement for working with hands-on manipulatives, so keep it up with the play dough, shaving cream, scissors, and tongs!

The Dexteria app for fine motor skills is made for iPhone and iPad (though I strongly recommend using on an iPad) and can be purchased for $3.99.

A few more perks of this app: You can email a student’s results to any email address (such as the child’s teacher or occupational therapist) to keep track of how they’re doing. Plus if you purchase the $3.99 upgrade you are then able to save multiple users’ info and data– this is HUGELY valuable for tracking students’ progress!

I hope you’ll get a chance to try out Dexteria with your child. Be sure to use it in combination with real life fine motor and sensory experiences for maximal developmental benefits!

*I received a complimentary single-user version of Dexteria in order to review it. However, all opinions expressed are totally and completely my own.

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Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Craft

Posted on January 20, 2013 by christiekiley

Valentine’s Day is less than a month away and many classrooms have already traded in winter themes for heart-shaped crafts and activities. Here’s a simple heart-centered fine motor activity I have done with some students recently to target their goal areas while also giving them a chance to make something they can bring home to their parents. I’ve also included suggestions for adaptations in case you want to work on additional skills or change things up a bit.

Materials needed:
♥ Red and pink construction paper (one sheet of each)
♥ Marker for adult to draw lines and dots
♥ Kid-friendly scissors
♥ Glue stick
♥ Short red crayon
♥ Bottle of squeeze glue
♥ Red tissue paper

Appropriate age level:
♥ Preschool and above

Skills challenged:
♥ Cutting, coloring, pasting, gluing, crumpling
♥ Fine motor strength and dexterity
♥ Bilateral coordination (coordinating the use of two hands)
♥ Visual motor skills (hand-eye coordination)
♥ Visual perceptual skills (scanning, tracking)
♥ Overall attention
♥ Sequencing steps
♥ Sensory processing (grading pressure, touching glue)
♥ Crayon/pencil grasp

Step 1:
Give child a piece of red construction paper folded in half and prepped with half a heart for them to cut out. The thicker the paper, the more strength required to cut it, and the more sensory feedback provided to the child’s hand and arm while cutting.

Step 2:
Have child cut out the half a heart. They can either cut on the line or, if that’s too hard for them, you can draw a “road” for them to cut on so they just have to try and stay in the general vicinity of the line. The road visual seems to really help kiddos who either have poor visual attention to regular lines or who are highly perfectionistic and tend to meltdown if they don’t cut absolutely perfectly on the line. If the road isn’t enough of a visual prompt to guide their cutting, try using play dough or Wiki Stix as a physical boundary for their road.

Step 3:
Have the child open up the heart, paste the back of it with a glue stick, and mount it on the sheet of pink construction paper. Be sure they are extending that index finger to pinch and control the glue stick (rather than tucking it in and using their knuckle to hold it). Encourage them to hold the glue stick like a pencil as much as possible (pinching between thumb and index finger while resting it on the middle finger) rather than grabbing it with their fist or somehow holding it with all their fingers.

Step 4:
Have the child color the heart with a short red crayon. The short crayon encourages them to pinch it with a tripod grasp as pictured below, with thumb and index finger controlling the crayon while the “web space” (that fleshy part between those two finger joints) remains open in an “O” shape. If they have a hard time coloring only on the heart, you can again try using play dough or Wiki Stix as a physical boundary to help them color inside the lines. And if you have a child who could use a little extra sensory input while coloring the large heart, you can always place a sheet of sandpaper (found at most home improvement stores) or plastic embroidery canvas (found at most craft stores) under the paper to provide some additional resistance and vibration to the hand and fingers. It should make a pretty cool pattern as well!

Step 5:
Draw dots all over the heart to indicate where the child will dot their glue. You can either draw all the dots at once and cover the entire heart, or you can only give them a few to do at a time. It all depends on the child’s attention and visual processing skills. The more dots you give them to do at once, the greater the challenge as they must visually scan and attend to all the dots until they finish them. Or instead of randomly placing dots on the heart, you can intentionally draw them so the student must glue top to bottom, left to right, just like we want them to do when they are learning to form their capital letters! When I work one-on-one with students, I like to give them 3 or 5 or 10 dots at a time and then see how they respond. It’s a nice challenge not only for their visual perceptual and hand-eye coordination skills, but also for their fine motor skills as they must twist open the glue bottle and then “grade” their pressure so they squeeze it just enough to get the glue out but not so much that they drown the poor dot.

Step 6:
Time to crumple some tissue paper! Give the student squares of red tissue paper that are about one- to two-inch squares so they are just large enough to crumple into tiny balls and press onto the glue. Up the challenge by having students tear the tissue paper themselves. Show them how to crumple the tissue paper using both hands together or, if they’re really good, ask them if they can crumple it using only one hand (pictured below)! Depending on how they do it, this challenges their bilateral hand skills as well as their fine motor dexterity and the strength of those tiny muscles in the fingers and hands.The more paper to crumple, the more practice those little hands get! And, much like when they had to search for the dots during the gluing phase, the student must continue to visually scan across the heart to find every last dot of glue.

While some children may only be able to realistically cover their heart with ten or so pieces of tissue paper, others may want or be able to cover virtually the entire heart. Feel free to challenge your kiddos as much as you think they can handle with this Valentine’s Day craft. You don’t want to bore them with a totally easy project, but you also don’t want to push them so hard that they just shut down because the challenge is too great. Some may need a visual model of a completed project in order to really get a sense of what they’re working on. Adapt and modify as necessary so they can be successful. Happy Valentine’s Day!

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Holiday Survival Tips for Families of Children with Special Needs

Posted on December 9, 2012 by christiekiley

The holiday season is often filled with shopping, unique food, and special time spent with distant loved ones. For many families, this is no big deal — chaotic, but manageable. But for families of children with autism and/or special sensory needs (especially sensory sensitivities), these events may often be met with dread, stress, and major meltdowns.

Here are some tips for helping children with special needs survive the holidays:

1. Minimize kids’ time spent in stores and malls. It’s a jungle out there right now — stressed out crowds, lots of overwhelming sounds, weird smells, long lines, and more kid-tempting merchandise than any other time of year. If at all possible, avoid sensory overload and leave the kids at home or with a sitter while you do your shopping. You could devote one entire day to getting all your in-store stuff done. Or, better yet, do your shopping online. There’s still time to ship before the holiday and you can avoid the madness. If you’re looking for kiddie gift ideas, check out MamaOT’s list of Holiday Gift Ideas for babies, toddlers, and preschoolers. And if you’re not sure what to get for the child with special sensory needs, check out this great list of holiday gift ideas from AbbyPediatricOT.

2. Prep your kids. All the people and events involved in holiday festivities can be overwhelming for kids in general, but this is especially true for kids with autism/sensory difficulties. One of the best things you can do is prep them for what to expect. You can familiarize them with who they will see by going through photos with them online (yay, Facebook) or creating a special photo book (nothing fancy) so they can look through it with you in prep for the big day. You can make your own version of a Social Story by helping your child put together a basic book (pieces of paper stapled together) with stick figures and descriptions of what will or may happen in different aspects of the upcoming festivities. If you’ll be traveling a long distance, you can prep them for what will be involved with transportation and include that in your social story (going to the gas station, standing in line, security checks, special seat belts, cabin pressure, loud railroad noises, etc.). The more you can prep them for what’s to come, the better.

3. Prep your family. If you’ll be spending time with family and loved ones who may not be in the loop with your child’s needs, you may want to fill them in a bit so they know what to expect and won’t be offended if little Johnny cries when Aunt Marge tries to give him a big hug and kiss or sweet Susie won’t eat Grandma’s homemade ham. This can be a touchy subject for some families, especially if they don’t feel comfortable letting others know their young child has a diagnosis yet (such as autism). Only share as much as you are comfortable. All you need to say is that Johnny is more comfortable with high fives than hugs and kisses (which you know is due to tactile sensitivities), or Susie is still learning how to try new foods (which you know is due to oral sensitivities), and leave it at that. But please make sure you communicate something so your sweet family gathering doesn’t turn into a day of raised eyebrows and hurt feelings.

4. Maintain routines. Many children with autism/sensory challenges have major difficulties when it comes to change, especially changes in routine, diet, or sleep schedule. Their bodies and brains often don’t adapt as well, and this may result in over-arousal, disorganized behavior, increased sensory seeking/avoiding behaviors, and/or meltdowns. If your child is one who heavily relies on routines to maintain their sense of organization and emotional regulation, then you know what I mean. So amidst all the school plays, errands, and travels, try your very best to keep your most critical routines as much the same as possible. If your child follows a special sensory diet created by an occupational therapist, then make sure he or she is engaging in those special sensory activities as regularly as possible in order to maintain their level of physical and emotional regulation.

5. Maintain diet. I mentioned diet in the previous point, but it’s so important that I’m giving it its own section. Food fuels our bodies and our brains. Some bodies and brains can continue to function in an optimal (if not slightly hyper or lethargic) level despite temporary changes in diet such as increased sugar, fat, red food dyes, wheat, or carbonation. Other bodies, however, get totally thrown off kilter when holiday foods are introduced, and it can put kids with sensory challenges into a whole new level of struggle. You know your child and what his or her tolerance is to changes in diet, so it’s ultimately up to you on how to navigate the holiday offerings of cookies, fudge, marshmallows, candy canes, etc. But just be aware that holiday foods have the potential to greatly influence and alter a child’s ability to function in their day-to-day, especially if they have special sensory or dietary needs.

6. Bring your own food. If you know food will be an issue for your child, consider providing food you know he or she will eat. Loud, stressful holiday family gatherings are NOT the time to try and introduce new foods to your selective eater. This is why it’s important to at least minimally prep your family in advance of mealtime, so they won’t make a big fuss about why your child isn’t eating what everyone else is eating. If they’re eating chicken nuggets while everyone else is enjoying prime rib and mashed potatoes with gravy, that’s fine! Again, you know your child best, so do what you think will work. But please don’t stress about how they will respond to all those new foods. They don’t have to eat them.

7. Make a plan for “escape”. What are you going to do if and when your child has had enough sensory input for one day and is teetering on the point of meltdown (or has already zoomed past that point into total meltdown)? If you know where you will be on the big day, try to create a “safe space” where your child can retreat before he or she gets to the point of explosion. It could be a spare bedroom with video games/movies, a small tent or fort with pillows/blankets/preferred toys, or even the car or garage. Or on the opposite end of the spectrum, what are you going to do if your sensory seeker has been cooped up in a car or airplane and is now expected to sit still as a guest in someone’s house all day. Not gonna happen! Try to find ways to give your seeker opportunities for vestibular input (spinning, swinging), proprioception/heavy work (running, crashing, carrying heavy things), and/or tactile experiences (play dough, fidget toys) before they end up in trouble. Like I said, the more communication you can have with family in advance, the better chance you have at successfully navigating your time together.

8. Have a support team. Enlist at least one other person or family to be on your “team” during your gathering. This could simply be someone who makes sure the “safe space” is all ready to go, or it could be an adult or older kid whom your child trusts and is able to hang out with while you try to eat and socialize. Whatever you do, don’t do it alone!

There are so many aspects of the holiday season that can be difficult for families of children with special needs that I couldn’t possibly cover all of them in one post. So please visit these other helpful links on similar topics if you are looking for more information:

Special Needs Parenting: 10 Tips for Holiday Stress Reduction, from GoodTherapy.org
Surviving the Holidays with Your Sanity Intact, from One Place for Special Needs
Downloadable Holiday Survival Guide for Families with Special Needs, from AbilityPath.org

Happy holidays to you and your family!

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Reindeer Fine Motor Craft {Photo Friday}

Posted on December 7, 2012 by christiekiley

Welcome to Photo Friday, a place where I share photos of therapeutic tools and ideas that can help boost your child’s development. Please give me feedback on my ideas — I love hearing how they go over with other kids!

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For preschoolers and Kindergarteners who need to work on cutting and fine motor skills, try this simple reindeer craft. Since the body and head are oval-shaped, they serve as a nice transition from learning to cut straight lines to learning to cut circles (since two of the sides are relatively flat). You can pre-cut the antlers if you know your student will struggle so much with them that it will cause extreme frustration. You can also draw a small circle on white paper for the child to color first (coloring smaller shapes requires more fine motor precision), then cut, then glue on as a nose. They can even cut out or draw on a face if they want.

Ask questions about all the different body parts needed (yes, even a neck!), ask about what the body parts are for (be prepared for some funny answers), and then you can even sing the “Mat Man” song from Handwriting Without Tears after each set of body parts has been glued on with the glue stick. Just replace the name “Mat Man” with “Rudolph” and you’re good to go! I also did this with the Santa fine motor craft from last week and it served as a great bridge to review what the students had learned previously (Mat Man) and apply it to a new context (different character). If you’re not sure what the Mat Man song is, it’s a great tool for teaching body awareness and spatial orientation necessary for pre-writing skills. Check it out by clicking here.

Have fun creating reindeer crafts!

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Mama OT

Tips and tricks for those who care for children

Category Archives: 04. Early Elementary (5-7)

Tips for Raising Smart Kids

Tips for teaching kids time management, planning, and organization (aka- executive function skills)

Sensory “Calm Down” Bottle

How to Make Homemade Instant Snow

What is Therapeutic Listening ®?

iPad app for Visual Skills and Letter Reversals: “LetterReflex”

iPad App for Fine Motor Skills: Dexteria

Valentine’s Day Fine Motor Craft

Holiday Survival Tips for Families of Children with Special Needs

Reindeer Fine Motor Craft {Photo Friday}