29 Jun 2011

Adult SPD

An adult friend of mine wrote this to me when discussing her sensory processing difficulties…I thought it was good insight. A lot of us OTs could probably have stood to have a little OT when we were younger….just like a lot of psychologists went into the field to search for their own healing, a lot of OTs go into the field because of their own recognition/awareness/compassion of people with similar difficulties!! PS: I am pretty sure I am going to buy a weighted blanket (maybe 15-18 pounds) for myself! I think they are GREAT for some kids and some adults too! Wish they were cheaper though. Don't buy one without researching proper weights etc. 🙂


Please don't let them put me in the O.T. zoo! If they do put me in the zoo, please make sure it isn't too bright, too loud, too smelly, and they don't make me wear uncomfortable clothes. Also, please make sure that my clothes are on correctly–I don't notice if my skirt is on sideways or my shirt is half tucked. Also, make sure I have a bubble, because I trip up/down steps or when there aren't any trip hazards. Oh yeah, it's super funny that I try to play tennis and ping pong using both hands at the same time and I swing after the ball has wizzed past, but make sure they don't play the clips continuously–I don't think my ears could take roar of laughter.–AND don't let the visitors walk up behind me and touch me lightly or try to put a vibrating Tickle Me Elmo doll on me. I'm terrified of the dark, so make sure I have a nightlight. I need a weighted blanket, a treadmill-or a place to keep moving, and earplugs–not headphones (they give me a headache). Make sure my food is extra plain and not lumpy or bumpy. O.K.?”

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

27 Jun 2011

Enlarged utensils and T-stools, do it yourself

http://www.instructables.com/id/One-Leg-Therapy-Stool-Autism/   I am tempted to try this! Try making this at your own risk – but T-stools in general are pretty popular with helping fidgety kids focus!

Also, I feel really stupid I didn't ever do this when I did rehab! Basically shelf-liner was used to enlarge these utensils!
http://www.instructables.com/id/How-to-make-gripped-utensils/

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 4

27 Jun 2011

27 Jun 2011

Traveling!

I am traveling for the next month. I will have a lot of down time as most of my Southern friends work (I am on our summer break as a school OT), so my goal for the next month is to get through the thousand+ mails in my gmail box, + deal with the 200+ in my work box that need to be filed. That means some OT blogging as I clear out my mail box, and readers may finally get responses – sometimes it takes me days, weeks, months, and gasp, possibly years, but I always eventually respond. 🙂 So….YAY! Catching up!! I also plan to catch up on all my files from the last few months and get everything organized to start up next school year!!

I apparently am about to be featured in an e-zine called “Today in OT”….to any new readers, welcome!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

20 Jun 2011

Reversals

I feel a little deja vu, like I've posted this article before, but I still like it!!

http://www.pediastaff.com/resources-dealing-with-the-reversal-problem–june-2008

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 2

17 Jun 2011

School OT pediatric toolbox video, numbah 1

This is a video I created a few nights ago with my best friend Paloma manning my Flip camera. We just used my room’s floor so um, it’s about as amateur as you can get. And yes, there is a funny noise in the middle of it. And yes, I call my blog the wrong title. And yes, it’s not very technical. But whatever, maybe it will give you a few ideas, although most of it is pretty standard. I take criticism hard so while I don’t mind constructive criticism try not to hurt my feelings too bad, okay? 😉 There is one more coming, this is 9 mins and the other one is 7.  I think this video is mostly geared towards like prospective OT students or early OT students who need some ideas; experienced practitioners know everything in this video.
PS: I have a really old pediatric toolbox video on youtube from like 4 years ago! This video isn’t on youtube yet but it’s a goal eventually.

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 3

15 Jun 2011

Great new to me OT peds blog

I spent an hour at least today looking over this blog, who, small world, is written by someone in Memphis who works at a place I WANTED to go volunteer/learn at, but they said no because too busy. 🙂 (years ago).

http://drzachryspedsottips.blogspot.com/

Too bad since I like this Dr. Zachry!!
I tried to figure out how to contact her but don't see how. I also tried to leave a comment and couldn't. Maybe I'll try again on the whole comment thing. Anyway, I am going to be using a lot of her ideas!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: 4

9 Jun 2011

inventing new games instead of paperwork

So I was trying not to stress about all the work to do tonight paperwork wise, and somehow I end up gluing googly eyes onto cotton balls. What's up with that? 🙂 I was going through my OT toys trying to think of new fun stuff for tomorrow's final sessions, and inspiration struck. “Wolf and sheep”. I have a bunch of clothespins and a bunch of cotton balls – the wolf are clothespins, the cotton balls are sheep. Which now have eyeballs. Anyway I haven't fully decided how it will work but basically a bunch of cotton balls, maybe just one clothespin for each person, and then timing how many sheep we can each get in say, a minute. Or maybe I'll ahve each “wolf” get one sheep. I dunno. Something.

I also have a foamboard (?) from Target that is in the shape of a flower that I got in like the dollar section. I used Sharpie to write a color in each flower section and the pushpins are those different colors. They have to put the diff colored pushpins in their own flower section.

And I finally did the whole dried rice-with items inside thing and put it inside a larger container to avoid spillage…..

And and and. And I need to do PAPERWORK not invent new games.

KD

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none

5 Jun 2011

great OT comments…and now for OT thoughts…hmm

Gotten some REALLY nice OT e-mails lately – love it when I hear from long-term readers for the first time! Obviously need to respond now since they all typically include questions of some sort. 🙂 Will get on that soon. The good news is, this upcoming week should be the last one that is craziness with work.

I started photographing all my toys today, so that soon I can do a “here is ten bazillion toys to consider having”. I might also make a YouTube version of what's in my “pediatric toolbox” – I did one many years ago and I apparently have issues with eye contact, so maybe in this one I'll do better, haha. But of course first I have to get dolled up! Which is not how I look right now!

Alright…it's a beautiful day here…I am sitting in my bed looking at the beautiful ocean….starting to be sunset…my cats (one mine, one stray) are both chilling beside me….and I am working! I did take a walk/mini jog (truly like no jogging but enough that I can say I did, haha) outside earlier. I have some Sensory Processing Measures to look at, and a huge evaluation to write up, and some cursive to print out for board copying, etc…lots to do…so I'll stop procrastinating now.

I swear I also do play, my friend is coming over soon to spend the night, and then tomorrow I have Pilates + seeing a good friend of mine who was one of my OT CLASSMATES! She came to town to run the half marathon.  Of course we are doing In-and-Out. Can't wait to see her and also talk a little OT. 😉  Interspersed between all these things, yep, is work.

By the way, this morning the first thing I did when I woke up is buy like 50 dollars worth of Tangle Jrs, and then like 20 dollars worth of random toys from I think it was officeplayground.com….I had typed in favorite OT toys and it popped up and it had tons of great fidgets etc….btw I keep seeing people spell it “figits”…am I crazy or is that totally wrong?

I also bought some dry rice today to put in plastic jars and then put in marbles, so that kids have to put their hand in and dig around to find the marbles without looking…great for tactile discrimination, some proprioception, etc. 🙂

Okay….well…I said I'd stop procrastinating 3 paragraphs ago. I mean it this time. Just like I always mean it. :X HAVE A GREAT WEEKEND!

Karen
PS: I swear I'm going to respond to all my emails soon, never fear 🙂 It may not be until next week though that I start really catching up!

Category: Occupational Therapy | Comments: none