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Welcome to New Members

March 11, 2011 in Around the Site, Featured by Admin Dawn

Gail Curran: Gail works at the Arizona Centers for Comprehensive Education and Life-Skills. Are you in Arizona? Look Gail up!

Achieve Beyond: Achieve Beyond specializes in nationwide pediatric therapy and autism services for children ages 5 and under including states like California, Illinois, New York, Virginia and Conencticut. Achieve Beyond uses a family focused approach in providing early intervention speech therapy, occupational therapy, physical therapy, ABA/autism therapy and psychological counseling. We strive to serve our patients and their families by providing services and evaluations support in their predominant language, at both the home and community settings. We also offer private pay / insurance services, educational workshops for parents and therapists as well as translation / interpretation services at several of our branches.

Denise Moberg: Retired from 30 years as an SLP in the public schools. Currently have a part time private practice.

Kyra: I am a stay at home mother of 4 kids. 2 are Special Needs. My 7 yr old has ADHD, Auditory Processing Disorder, Sensory Modulation Disorder, and Dyspraxia (the last 3 are very new to us). My 2 yr old has Apraxia and Sensory Modulation Disorder. My other 2 kids are just in special need of special attention. I am on a leave of absence from school right now so that I can get a better handle on my family and concentrate more on them than me.

Julie Fick: I am a full time mom to my son who has DiGeorge Syndrome. We live in Woodstock, GA.

Alisa Ricketts: I have been married for almost 20 years and I am a SAHM of two teenagers, one of whom is a special needs child.

Patricia: I have a 7 yr old with odd severe, conduct disorder, ocd tendencies, generalized anxiety disorder, separation anxiety disorder severe

Ayoca Freeman: I have two beautiful daughters; their ages are 8 and l year old. My oldest was blessed with an extra chromosome better known as Trisomy 21, one of the types of Down syndrome.

Jennifer McMahan: Mom to 2 beautiful daughters. The youngest one has Dravet Syndrome. I am actively involved as a volunteer in the IDEA League, the only organization that provides advocacy, support, education and research for Dravet Syndrome. Their website is http://www.Idea-League.org. It is my goal to help raise money for research as well as educate the public on this very rare syndrome.

Amanda L.: Mommylebron is the slightly diabolical leader of Lefam (just don’t tell LeDaddy, he thinks he’s the leader, riiight). She is a snarky & sweet mom on a mission! Once she attains her goal of world domination she will educate all its poeple on pediatric mental illness and erradicate stigma. All while wearing a really cute apron. This domestic diva, kitchen queen, laundress extraordinaire also enjoys writing, reading, movies, scrap booking, word puzzles, kiddie cuddles, wet kisses, big brown eyes……Oh, and, during her “on time” she molds the only-slightly-less-diabolical-minds of 4 year old’s (aka preschool teacher).

Stephanie LeMieux: I have a boy with HFA and Tourette’s

The Sensory Under-Responsive Child

February 21, 2011 in Ask the Occupational Therapist, Featured by Susan N. Schriber Orloff, OTR/L

Alex is 6 years old. Unlike his peers he is lethargic, minimally verbally responsive to engagement, has difficulty making eye contact and hesitates entering into gross or fine- motor activities.

He seems shut down as if enshrouded in a fog that limits his ability to interact in his world.

Children like Alex are often under-responsive to tactile, proprioceptive/vestibular input, poor body in space perception and awkward motor abilities both gross and fine. In addition they are easy bullying targets by their classmates due to the above-mentioned characteristics.

They are often unpopular because their motor skills lag behind their peers due to the sensory issues that limit opportunities for learning motor skills.

This under-responsiveness within the vestibular system according to Ayres, can have far-reaching consequences. The neurological connections within the vestibular system reach into the visual system, impacting receptors in the eye, (tracking, reading and visual responsiveness), muscle tone (large and smaller eye muscles as well) and balance (postural security).

These children often have emotional deregulation as well, making them cry more easily and becoming withdrawn. Observed to be sluggish, apathetic, or clumsy social interactions often become painful. It is easy to understand why others might perceive these children to be self-absorbed and inattentive.

In a classroom these children are often the ones who stay in from recess “to finish their work”, when recess is exactly what they need to jump-start their sleeping sensory system.

What can be done to help this child within the occupational therapy setting and as the OT consults to the classroom teacher?

First explain to the teacher that this is an issue of sensory modulation not a behavioral choice on the part of the child. Without getting too technical outline that there are systems that modulate input that are skewed and this child is getting “static” in his interpretation system of incoming stimuli.

For the practicing OT I have briefly outlined (an over simplified) chart to help make this clearer. These descriptions are valid for all sensory irregularities.

CNS SystemFunction
ThalamusActs as a relay between multiple subcortical/sensory organs areas and the cerebral cortex—It is part of the Limbic System
Think “Grand Central Station”
Limbic SystemComplex set of structure that is found on both sides of the Thalamus. Responsible for regulation of emotions. Amygdala (excitation) and the Hypothalamus (calming forces).
Reticular FormationArousal, attention, cardiac reflexes, awareness, motor functions (found in the central core of the brainstem). It creates a pattern of connectivity for convergence and divergence of sensory structures.

This snapshot should help explain why the child looks a particular way and why often-frustrating behaviors are unintentional and need to be addressed by alternative and modified methods.

Classroom suggestions to help teachers address these issues and more effectively teach and reach these sensory under-responsive children (SUR).

BehaviorsSuggestions for classroom teacher
Irregularities with:
• Child seems to be in a continual state of “chaos”
• Language irregularities (expressive)
• Cannot easily elicit rapid fine motor skills
• Slow auditory processing
• Oral apraxia
• Visual spatial dysfunctions
Be structured and present materials in small sections.

Have the child demonstrate what he is to do. Do not expect him to be able to verbalize the process.

Do not rush him, but do give him reasonable time limits.

Actually speak slower. Research has shown that children with auditory processing can synthesize information better when the speaker slows speech by just a few seconds

Present seat work with limited questions on each page.
Irregularities with:
• Impulsiveness
• Obsessive tendencies
• Skewed perspective of situations
• Limited ability to anticipate areas that might need help and/or potential outcomes of a behavior.*
• Labile behavioral reactions*
Provide a lot of structure preferably with 1 or 2-step repetitive processes.

Do not react to the child’s over-reaction, give time to calm and then return him to the task. Do not get into “fair and not fair” discussions.*

Check on his work, he may go off on a tangent and not know he is doing anything wrong.
Irregularities with:
• Endurance
• Abstract reasoning
• Curiosity
• Low persistence with difficult or unfamiliar tasks
• Cognition
• Externalizing and internalizing affect appropriately
Give break times between assignments—this could be walking around the room to collect papers, etc. Just let the child have definite breaks between transitions.

Give him choices within a task so that he has to decide what to do next. Limit choice initially to 2 selections.

Intervene when you see he is “stuck” on a task.

Help him differentiate between what are his thoughts, ideas and feelings and the actions of others. (social skills group could help here).

Remember that the SUR child cannot go “faster”, talk more, transition better, etc. just because he is encouraged to do so. But he can with the right strategies in place.

Susan N. Schriber Orloff, OTR/L, is the author of Learning Re-enabled, a guide for parents, teachers and therapists and Write Incredibly Now™ 12 hours to better handwriting. She is the Executive Director of Children’s Special Services, LLC, in Atlanta, GA. She can be reached on the Web at www.childrens-services.com or through her blog at LDMadeEAsy@blogspot.com. Her WIN™ program is available through YourTherapySource.com.

Great Big Wish List Giveaway: Therapy Shoppe

November 17, 2010 in Giveaways by Admin Dawn

Therapy ShoppeOne of our very first sponsors for our very first giveaway was The Therapy Shoppe. If you are looking for gifts this holiday season that are fun and helpful or need to find something special for your child’s teacher to use in the classroom, they should be your first stop. Toys are clearly organized to let you find just the thing for whatever challenging your child is facing and if you’re still not sure, you can take advantage of their terrific customer service and contact them to get some direction.

For the Great Big Wish List Giveaway, the Therapy Shoppe is giving (note: we are using their product descriptions):

Daisy Peg Playset: Especially nice for traveling therapists, this peg set is grand for 1:1 therapy, home, classroom workstations, or on-the-go play. Features 240 pegs, a built-in sorting tray with 6 compartments for organizing the pegs, and a “locking” storage unit that stores all the pegs underneath the daisy-shaped pegboard. You’ll love it! 11″x11″.

String Along Kit: Therapists, parents, and teachers RAVE about this FABULOUS toy!!! This dynamo lacing/stitching/punching kit works on building bilateral, eye-hand, fine finger, design copy skills and correct pencil grasp; while providing proprioceptive input to fingers/hands! Kids can create their own designs or follow one of the kit’s 16 colorful pattern cards to make gorgeous pictures/patterns! Pick a string, thread the Punch Pen then “punch and pull” a colorful design. The extra super sturdy design board, kid-safe Punch Pen, and 18 bright laces will provide infinite hours of lacing fun for individual children–or all the kids on your caseload! This reusable “picture perfect” set is truly exceptional!

Soft Foam Lacing Beads: Velvety soft lacing beads in 5 pretty colors and 3 fun shapes! These durable, chunky lacers are nice for sorting, patterning, stacking, color/shape recognition, and tactile discrimination. This very tactile set includes 48 beads and 2 deluxe laces; packed in a sturdy plastic container.

Wikki Stix Book of Wiggles, Squiggles & Curlicues: This darling hands-on, interactive “board book” features 15 pages of charming rhymes and fun illustrations with something missing! Kids complete the colorful pictures using specific colors of Wikki Stix by following simple directions incorporated on each page. A delightful way to help little ones build their fine finger and eye-hand skills while learning their colors! Comes with 36 assorted Wikki Stix.

Learn to Dress Monkey: This lovable 22″ plush monkey is the perfect toy for developing fine finger and dressing skills! Features removable socks, sneakers, a t-shirt, and denim overalls that are fun for on/off dressing practice. Kids love putting on his (real) stretchy socks, lacing up his colorful sneakers, buttoning his pockets, snapping his straps, zipping his pocket and more… there’s 11 different dressing skills in all! This colorful, snuggly little monkey makes a wonderful bedtime buddy, too!

So how do you win? Since we think Therapy Shoppe is an especially great site for those who love and support our kids with special needs, we wanted your help in honoring the friends and family who make your life better. Head over to our Friends & Family forum and tell us here about the person (or people!) who make your life just a little bit easier! (And then let them know that they are welcome to be part of the site, too!)

Comments are closed to remind you to comment here for your chance to win!

Rody Needs Support & Understanding

November 10, 2010 in Giveaways by Admin Dawn

As part of our Week Before The Week of the Great Big Wish List Giveaway we’re giving away two Rodys EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS WEEK!

This week’s giveaways are the only giveaways open to non-members!

Each day this week we’re giving TWO Rody Hop-A-Long toys from Gymnic! We want to get the word out about some of our great forums and so we’re letting Rody (and his friend, our site mascot Quinn) introduce you.

Mental Illness/Mood Disorder

Rody is talking to his therapist

Today we want to let you all know about our Mental Illness/Mood Disorder group. This is a group near and dear to our hearts because Julia has personal experience parenting a child struggling with mental health issues.

The front page of all our groups is a place for quick updates and to see what’s going on. It’s a little like a Facebook wall. Someone can post an announcement and other people can reply. But it’s not as handy for in-depth discussion as a messageboard, which is why all of our groups also host a forum. Here’s a direct link to the Mental Illness/Mood Disorder Forum

You can also see the event calendar, which is a great place to post workshops, webinars or livechats you want your fellow Mental Illness/Mood Disorder members to know about.

Want to meet the other members? Here’s the roster!

You can upload documents to the group, too, like a great hand-out a teacher has shared with you or a flyer you think might interest others in the group.

Finally, like every group, the Mental Illness/Mood Disorder group has its own livechat! You are welcome to use this anytime. You can schedule a chat (remember to post it to the event calendar!) or spontaneously check in if you realize other people are around.

Now here’s how to win a Gymnic Rody!

Rody is a fantastic Italian toy that a lot of therapists use for trunk work, balance, strength and fun. Rody isn’t just for kids with special needs — he’s fun for all, and well, he’s cute, too! Made of sturdy latex-free vinyl, Rody can hold up to 300 lbs, which means big brothers or sisters and even moms and dads can play with him, too. You’ll need a bike pump (or heck — the free air pump at the gas station) to inflate him but once you do he is ready to bounce!

The Rodys we’re giving away are all the pretty peach with red spots you see in the picture at the top of the entry and here’s how YOU can win him!

  • • First of all, have you already commented on a previous post? Then lucky you! Anyone who has already commented on a post from earlier in the week gets an automatic RE-ENTRY in every single subsequent Rody giveaway this week! That’s right, we’re rolling your entries over! (We decided to do this after consulting with some of our members and they said YES! DO THAT!)
  • Comment on this post! Commenting on this post lets us know that you want in on today’s Rody drawing!
  • Tweet this tweet (we’ll be tracking them so you can just copy and paste this):
  • I want to win a Rody! http://bit.ly/wish-list-giveaway #wishlistgiveaway
  • Blog it! If you have a blog, write a post about our Great Big Wish List Giveaway and link is up
  • Be a member! Members get an additional entry!
  • Answer this question at the forum!

After this week the giveaways are only open to members. That means if you want to enter to win an American Girl Doll, a light up Ferris Wheel from K’Nex, a set of six adorable Audubon birds beanies from Wild Republic or one of the other 70+ toys and gifts we’re giving away, you’ll need to be a member! Why not become one today and get ahead of the curve?

Wish List Giveaway: Rody has an IEP

November 8, 2010 in Giveaways by Admin Dawn

As part of our Week Before The Week of the Great Big Wish List Giveaway we’re giving away two Rodys EVERY SINGLE DAY THIS WEEK!

This week’s giveaways are the only giveaways open to non-members!

Each day this week we’re giving TWO Rody Hop-A-Long toys from Gymnic! We want to get the word out about some of our great forums and so we’re letting Rody (and his friend, our site mascot Quinn) introduce you.

Rody is Studying!

IEP and School Discussion Group

Today we want to let you all know about our IEP and School Discussion Group!

The front page of all our groups is a place for quick updates and to see what’s going on. It’s a little like a Facebook wall. Someone can post an announcement and other people can reply. But it’s not as handy for in-depth discussion as a messageboard, which is why all of our groups also host a forum. Here’s a direct link to the IEP and School Discussion Forum

You can also see the event calendar, which is a great place to post workshops, webinars or livechats you want your fellow IEP and School Discussion Group members to know about.

Want to meet the other members? Here’s the roster!

You can upload documents to the group, too, like a great hand-out a teacher has shared with you or a flyer you think might interest others in the group.

Finally, like every group, the IEP and School Discussion group has its own livechat! You are welcome to use this anytime. You can schedule a chat (remember to post it to the event calendar!) or spontaneously check in if you realize other people are around.

Now here’s how to win a Gymnic Rody!

Rody is a fantastic Italian toy that a lot of therapists use for trunk work, balance, strength and fun. Rody isn’t just for kids with special needs — he’s fun for all, and well, he’s cute, too! Made of sturdy latex-free vinyl, Rody can hold up to 300 lbs, which means big brothers or sisters and even moms and dads can play with him, too. You’ll need a bike pump (or heck — the free air pump at the gas station) to inflate him but once you do he is ready to bounce!

The Rodys we’re giving away are all the pretty peach with red spots you see in the picture at the top of the entry and here’s how YOU can win him!

  • Comment on this post! Commenting on this post lets us know that you want in on today’s Rody drawing!
  • Tweet this tweet (we’ll be tracking them so you can just copy and paste this): 
  • I want to win a Rody! http://bit.ly/wish-list-giveaway #wishlistgiveaway
  • Blog it! If you have a blog, write a post about our Great Big Wish List Giveaway and link is up
  • Be a member! Members get an additional entry!

After this week the giveaways are only open to members. That means if you want to enter to win an American Girl Doll, a light up Ferris Wheel from K’Nex, a set of six adorable Audubon birds beanies from Wild Republic or one of the other 70+ toys and gifts we’re giving away, you’ll need to be a member! Why not become one today and get ahead of the curve?

Kitchener therapist finds healing in books

September 24, 2010 in Special Needs News by Admin Dawn

From the beginning of her career as a child therapist, Lynne Steffy noticed there were few tools available for therapists or caregivers helping a child through traumatic issues such as abandonment, bullying or grief.

“These issues are hard enough for adults to deal with; a lot of parents don’t have a clue what to say,” she said. “Many people working with, and parenting children have expressed to me that there are a lack of tools out there to help kids with the most difficult issues that they face.”

Being the proactive sort, Steffy embarked on a remarkable journey to create her own series of colourful, kid-friendly books in a series she calls Felt Feelings, each book dealing with a particular issue. Her target is children with complex behavioural and emotional problems and the books are designed to be read by an adult to a child.

Read more here: TheRecord.com – Life – Kitchener therapist finds healing in books.

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