http://www.kidswithfoodallergies.org/

Great resource.

http://rehabilitation-director.advanceweb.com/Editorial/Content/Editorial.aspx?cc=114799

http://funandfunction.com/

I babysat some kids recently and we played an impromptu game called “Was it the time…?”….because the 7 year-old, let’s call him Bob, said, Guess what, and I said what? And he started to tell me something and I interrupted him (ok that was rude of me) to ask Wait! Was it the time your eyeballs fell out and then you used them as marbles? The kids (Bob and 6 year-old Pete) thought that was hilarious and we all went around taking turns saying things like “Was it the time…your head fell off? Was it the time you turned into an alligator”? They were cracking up and eagerly taking turns coming up with silly scenarios. This sounds like a completely stupid and/or random game (and it was), but it’s actually also working on quite a few skills. (Skills that come easily for many kids but are great to work on with kids with some delays)

1) Social skills – taking turns participating – responding to each others comments appropriately by laughing or groaning – coming up with answers based on something just heard – being patient – knowing how “far” to go before it becomes inappropriate, including picking up on the cues of others.

2) Imagination – appreciating the absurd and having fun thinking up ideas that have not or would not actually occur…

3) Sibling rivalry – kids nearly the same age fight sooo much…a game like this is very silly and it’s all about laughing…not trying to win a contest or show who is better…

—

4) It’s great for an OT to watch…to observe how well the child participates in such a game…can he wait his turn…can he laugh appropriately…can he keep his comments appropriate for the age group…can he modify his statements based on what he has just heard…can he come up with absurd ideas that he has clearly not encountered before…can he appreciate silliness and come up with something funny…can he speak clearly and quickly…etc etc.

It doesn’t matter what game you play…you can learn a lot by observing!
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Story two that I originally intended to write up like a month ago:
I had an encounter with a child today who had holoproencephaly and spina bifida. She was an 11-year old girl with big sparkly blue eyes. She only weighed thirty pounds. She was in a special wheelchair with bilateral AFOs and she was “airplane-ing” her arms. She is nonverbal, apraxic, and has limited understanding. Most children with holoproencephaly are essentially “vegetables” – nonresponsive living beings. She defies this definition as she CLEARLY shows some responses and is social….she is probably at the level of a 3 month old though in most ways.

This little girl was present at a graduation party and I was immediately intrigued by her…This beautiful blond toddler-sized girl in an elaborate wheelchair. It was a FunKart or something by Sunrise I believe…I forget now. Her parents were AMAZING and treated her the same way they would treat any young girl…offering her choices even if she couldn’t truly make them, talking to her normally…patient and loving and sweet. I held her hands and smiled and talked to her and asked her parents questions. They certainly knew what OT was as they had lots of experience with her and OT, even though she was no longer receiving it! I was confused as to why she had some types of therapy but not others. I handed her a pretty napkin that she grabbed and enjoyed looking at …you have to wonder if she gets bored. She can certainly cry if she isn’t happy.

I was trying to think of what you would do with a child like this…one who is at such a low level with no likelihood for progress…just consultation and maintenance I guess? Like ensuring no pressure sores, wheelchair maintenance, making sure caregivers have access to transportation aids, etc?

I asked her mom about the Ashley Treatment (one of my obsessions) as Ashley is very similar to this girl except that Ashley is essentially nonresponsive while this little girl is responsive. She said she could understand both sides and why Ashley’s parents wanted her to remain as small as possible…they had been lucky their little girl was only 30 pounds and probably wouldn’t get much bigger…but couldn’t imagine how much harder it would be if she were a normal sized child.

Her spina bifida wasn’t much of an issue apparently since her holoproencephaly kind of um, dwarved it. She was incontinent but that was about it. I watched her get her clothes changed and eat and stuff….very interesting.

She was a beautiful little girl….sweet and glowing…and I was really happy to get a chance to observe her and spend time with her in a non-clinical setting. I am going to admit that I am extremely intimidated by children with CP or other issues where it is hard to determine responsiveness…and especially children in elaborate wheelchairs. I feel completely useless and stupid…like…what can I give you as an OT that has never encountered this, that you as her full-time parent don’t already know?…..

If my professors read that line they would all have immediate heart attacks since the whole point of OT and our curriculum involves knowing the answer to this question….we have access to many resources parents don’t know about….have many tricks up our sleeves…etc. So it’s not truly that I wouldn’t have anything to offer…but when I sit there trying to figure out even how to like, adjust the wheelchair, and the parent watches me fumble, I feel like it wouldn’t be much of a confidence-booster for any of us. This is just hypothetical – this hasn’t been an issue – but I imagine it would be!!! I guess practice makes perfect.

our curriculum seems to overlap at times. I love to

read what your thinking but on most days, it’s what

I’m thinking… professional development

evals–come on lets get serious?!” ……AHAHAHAHAAHA

Amen sister! I love you Jamie! And I mean that seriously, in a non-serious way.

Paulette is an an upcoming university

senior ….She wrote me and explained that she is “extremely interested in going to OT

graduate school. I just learned of the profession 2

months ago however so what I know about OT is what

I’ve been able to glean from the internet (Your

blog included!) I’ve always been interested in the

health-care field but I’ve finally feel like I’ve

found my niche in OT as it really seems to

emphasize the holistic and creative nature of

individual care that I really like. I will most

likely have a year between college and graduate

school to work and finish the prerequisites so I’d

like to really familiarize myself with the field.

I was wondering if you have a list of literature

you’d recommend? Fiction, non-fiction, etc.

Love your blog, keep up the good work :)”

I told her she should try for the Healing Heart by John Carlova…The Out of Sync Child…and that she should hit up the health section of her library and read any autobiography/biography of anything she finds there…any other suggestions? I’m sure I’m missing some biggies, obviously. Good luck Paulette!!

Have you noticed on YouTube there is a video of an OT dept/faculty (I think based in PA) that has an office in Second Life? If you don’t know what Second Life is, you probably should look it up in wikipedia first. It’s a fictional world but more and more services and people have a presence in Second Life. You might want to post about this. On a different but related note, there is a Second Life economy (i.e. I am not into this but apparently one can create a business in SL and earn money that you can convert into real money) and some “severely” disabled people that are not easily employable in the real world are engaging in SL businesses and gaining independence that way. That raises an incredible number of ethical questions but there’s no question gimps have always been empowered by computers (I have met most of my exes that way). I mean disability is easily transcended by computers. But my main objective was just to let you know about this and maybe you should get your OT faculty to create a Second Life site.

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Hey Cookie Gimp…Second Life has definitely been in the news a lot lately for reasons such as what you posted…it can definitely open up new worlds for people. Unfortunately I’m not smart enough for it. My one or two exposures led me to frustration and a bunch of naked dancing avatars. I guess I should try again…lol

PS: I still feel bad saying “gimp”!!

YOUTUBE:

1) AOTA hired a Social Media Manager dude named Sam….he recently contacted me….we chatted on AIM, at which time he promptly ran away screaming at my excessive level of Internet energy. He’s been working hard getting set up or “remodeling” AOTA’s Facebook, Twitter, YouTube, AIM, you name it…and in fact, if you go to youtube.com/user/AOTAInc, one of his “favorites” videos is an ACLS assessment video I made of Kerri and Allison…we love you Sam!!!

Also youtube wise…I continue to get comments on some of the OT videos…most recently was one on the ALCS video saying wonderful job…..and one on Anna’s Pediatric Treatment that praised its creativity…search for OTStudentKaren on YouTube….haven’t posted anything besides the Miss OTPF pageant in a while.

Janine left a comment in my OT toolbox video that was quite interesting……”Every good OT should know about this special (computer)
keyboard (called: Lucy) I have cp myself and made a video about it. I
operate with a laser mounted on my glasses, I’m able to do so very much
because of Lucy. I’d like to let as many people as possible know about
it, so more people can benefit from this great keyboard. And maybe you
have one patient who might be able to use Lucy. As I always say: If you
can’t use your hands, be smart, use your head!”

LISTSERVS:

My state OT Association Listserv is going through some pain right now…a lot of OTs don’t know how to use stservs properly (and don’t read the instructions) and so there has been all sorts of e-mails sent to the group instead of to an individual…which leads to everyone responding to the group asking to be unsubscribed…which leads to more angry e-mails…which leads to chaos…and me laughing…because nothing makes me laugh more than a self righteous email saying “Everyone abuses this listserv and doesn’t use it right and unsubscribe me right away…” and yet they send it to the group instead of the clearly defined unsubscribe directions at the bottom of EVERY mail. Ha ha ha ha ha!!! Wow I’m a bad person.

OTHER BLOGS:
New blog… to me at least…http://melodybarker.blogspot.com/
She is a second year Otago Polytech OT student..which is in New Zealand…..hello famed New Zealand OT blog pioneers…

MY BLOG:
Liberty just e-mailed me…like seconds ago…she starts an OT program in Oregon this August and thanked me for blogging….we’ve talked in the past and she has a crazy three legged St. Bernard that she goes to places with to teach tolerance… and it’s so awesome… (www.emmettdog.com) . She acted like I wouldn’t remember her and I am like YOU HAVE A THREE LEGGED DOG OF COURSE I REMEMBER YOU. She is so sweet.

Okay that’s it for technology related crap. Still got several other stuff to post….coming shortly. I want a cinnamon graham cracker.