More Remote Success

The above handwriting samples show an 8-year old boy's progress during remote therapy. 

 

Remote Shoe tying

Teaching shoe tying remotely, required some ingenuity. My client's father converted an amazon box into a training tool. In two zoom sessions, my client moved from the box to tying his own shoelaces independently.  

 

Before and After: Zoom

We have all overcome many challenges and changes in this uncertain world we now live in. Like toilet paper, pencil and paper are rarely seen, making it more and more important to continue the practice of handwriting with my clients. With all these changes, one thing that remains the same, my clients continue to thrive in therapy. They continue to soar beyond my expectations and will enter back in school buildings with better handwriting than before. Don't just take my word for it, you can see the proof for yourself.

The below before and after samples are from an 8-years old boy with Autism.  This progress was made over a 6 month period while on zoom. 

The below before and after samples are from a 7-year old boy who I never met face to face. We worked together via Zoom for FOUR 30 to 40 minute sessions. After 3 sessions, his mom texted me "his handwriting already looks so much better". 

The below before and after samples are from an 8-year old boy with ADHD. This past fall we meet outside for 4 in-person sessions. During these sessions, he was introduced to cursive and learned all the lower case letters.  We resumed therapy via Zoom in January of this year (1st sample).  He is now able to translate print into cursive without a model. As you can see he is very proud of the progress he made in just 3 months.

Thumb Wrap Pencil Grip

 

Does your child wrap their thumb around their pencil when writing or coloring? They may benefit from using the tripod trainer grip. To...

Reduce hand fatigue

Help give more control 

Encourage tripod pencil grip, which is the most functional grip for legible handwriting 

When beginning to use pencil grips to correct this grip, have your child start with coloring by number pictures or mazes to get them used to using the grip prior to handwriting.These will improve your child’s visual motor skills and fine motor skills. When utilizing the pencil grip you will see that your child develops more control of their writing utensil.

Here are two pencil grips I have found great success using...

cross over pencil grip

Zones of Regulations

Today we are discussing how we can help a child self-reflect and regulate their emotions in the classroom and at home. Self-regulation means well “you” and the ability to regulate or be in control of your emotions. The Zones of Regulations are tool used to determine a child’s emotional state, identify their feelings, understand how their behavior impacts those around them, and learn how to manage their feelings. There are four zones; our feeling and states determine what zone you are in. Below is a description of each zone, what signs to look for to determine what zone a child is in, and what to do if you are not in the green zone. However, the thing to take away is that there is no such thing as a bad zone, if the child is eliciting the proper reaction to a situation. The main focus is for the child to self-soothe or calm him/her self-down. 

• The Red Zone is used to describe extremely heightened states of alertness and intense emotions.  A person may be elated or experiencing anger, rage, devastation, or terror when in the Red Zone.  
• The Yellow Zone is also used to describe a heightened state of alertness and elevated emotions; however, one has more control when they are in the Yellow Zone.  A person may be experiencing stress, frustration, anxiety, excitement, silliness, the wiggles, or nervousness when in the Yellow Zone.  
• The Green Zone is used to describe a calm state of alertness. A person may be described as happy, focused, content, or ready to learn when in the Green Zone.  This is the zone where optimal learning occurs. This is where you want to be!! 

• The Blue Zone is used to describe low states of alertness and down feelings such as when one feels sad, tired, sick, or bored. 
  
  

  
  These are a list of OT interventions to get a child back to the green zone: 

  
  

  1.     Deep Breathing  

  2.     Manipulating hand fidgets  

  3.     Engaging in heavy work (lifting, pushing, and pulling activities)  

  4.     Jumping (knees to chest)  

  5.     Yoga   

  6.     Take a walk  

  7.     Using a weighted blanket/vest  

  8.     Count backwards from 20  

  9.     Getting a drink of water 

  10.  Wall/chair push-ups 

  11.  Listen to music 

  12.  Write about it 

  13.  Chew gum and other hard and chewy food/candy 

  14.  Aromatherapy (lavender, lemongrass, orange, frankincense, and bergamot essential oil) 

  
  

  Patel Samir, OTA/Student

  
  

  Tiffany Powers-Reid, OTR/L

Reasons why I love my ...

Tools to promote a mature pencil grip

With winter break over, and a new decade upon us, school is back in session! Kids that struggle with handwriting commonly come down to how they grasp their writing utensil. There are many products out there that parents can get for their kids to promote mature grasp. Also, there are accommodations for kids with weak hand muscles who fatigue easily after writing for an extended period. Below is a list of tools you can find to help your child if they struggle in any of these areas.

·     HandiWriter

o   This device helps those that fatigue quickly from prolonged writing. The device promotes proper pencil grip and relaxes the pencil on the webspace between the thumb and index finger.

·     PenAgain "Twist & Write" Pencils

o   These pencils promote mature tripod grasp to hold a pencil properly. This device is also useful for kids that use a lot of pressure when they write or those that hook their hand while writing.

·     Claw Grips

o   3-finger cup design that naturally places fingers in a functional tripod grasp and open web space position. The claw grip is an excellent tool to teach kids the proper way to grip and pencil correctly.

Patel Samir, OTA/student

Tiffany Powers-Reid, OTR/L