Recently I had a 2nd grade boy who was reaching the limits of his and our patience at the end of a day. The speech therapist and I were checking in with him. 

Being an OT can be so funny/fun sometimes. I’ve really been amused lately by the “magic word” answers I’ve been getting….I think I’m going to ask all my kids and write down their answers. Most know the answer is “please”, but the ones that don’t always crack me up.

Me: What’s the magic word?

Child (tentatively): iPad?

Young child, ie 5ish: Open this for me?

Me: Not qui—-

Child: Open sesame?

I have a 7 year old needing help with snapping or buttoning his pants after toileting. 

I wrote this a while ago on a blog….

I want to talk about balls. Balls are super awesome and we use them all the time in occupational therapy. Yesterday I got a pamphlet for a “Therapeutic Balls” course and while I can totally see its value and importance, I still snickered.

This is a lovely poem by Adam Possner that came in my daily Writer’s Almanac from NPR. It refers to a person who has had a stroke. Repetitive in a poignant way. Somewhat desperate.

Index and middle, side by side
To and fro, watch them fly
Follow my fingers with your eyes”

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/rachel-macy-stafford/the-day-i-stopped-saying-hurry-up_b_3624798.html

I was wandering around Brookstone when I stumbled across “Hickies” which are essentially really cool looking shoelaces that turn your shoes into slip ons so you don’t have to tie them. They come in many different colors and you have the ability to tighten them. The link for them: http://www.hickies.com/pages/turn-your-shoes-into-slip-ons

and I believe they are sold on Amazon and many other sites as well if you do a google search. I’m not a fan of the name, I would probably end up referring to them as loopies or hoopies to our little ones. They are mildly expensive but I believe worth it for a child who really struggles. The main reason I love them is because they look mainstream and so they only stand out in a fun way. As occupational therapists we want to give our kids tools to be able to fit in regardless of their ability (if that is something the child wants as well, and it often is). 

I know we want many of our kids to be able to tie shoes as it gives more shoe options and independence and also allows them eventually to do drawstrings, bows, etc. It’s often addressed on in private occupational therapy clinical settings and occasionally in OT school settings as well. But sometimes it’s too much and/or shouldn’t be a focus point depending on what else is going on at the time. 

I didn’t buy them, haven’t tried them, but I love the look and I think it’s worth a try.

I looked up some reviews and most were positive, some complained about tightness. My understanding is that A) you can adjust that and it explains on website and/or packaging and B) that you can leave off the top lace or two if too tight. And C) Check return policies in case it doesn’t work for you. One set is for one pair of shoes. Try at your own risk! 🙂

I also like http://www.tyingisasnap.com/product/ where you can get two different colored sides for one shoelace so its easier to figure out how to loop it when teaching. Plus they look cool, and you can do different combinations. Check out the website – I liked them a lot, just be careful with the snap in the middle as you lace up the shoes so you don’t pull the lace out of the snap, although I bet you could super glue it back in if so. I asked for some free pairs to review and I will put up some pictures, the kids enjoyed them.