OT Tools for Public Schools

More OT2OT Tips on Improving Scissor Skills

2013-05-22T09:41:00.001-04:00

Kathryn W. Mason, one of the OTRs on our staff, shared this info on improving scissor skills:

Encourage a variety of fine motor activities like bead stringing, tearing paper strips, play doh, “Simon Says” and water "squirt" toys to encourage hand development which will help with scissor use.

Hand position:

Photo by Kathryn Mason

Hold the scissors with the thumb on top. (Children initially try to cut with the hand palm down until 3 1/2-4 years old.) Place a sticker on the side of the thumb hole, so that the student sees the sticker when the fingers are in the correct holes. The scissors should be on the middle finger bones, not right next to the palm. The index finger should be in front of the loop. The assisting hand should be thumb up to encourage the scissor hand to have the same position.

Paper Selection and Cutting Progression:

1. Start by cutting straws. This provides a non-floppy item to cut and there is success after just one stroke. Encourage the child to support his elbows on the table rather than having his arms entirely up in the air. This will provide more stability and help him to align the scissors and the item being cut. (The straw pieces can be threaded on string to make necklaces.)

2. Progress to snipping along the end of tagboard, cardboard cereal boxes or other moderately firm paper. Junk mail envelopes are perfect for this use. Thin paper can be folded in half to make it stiffer. Start with narrow strips that can be cut with one snip. As the child gets better at cutting, provide longer strips of
thinner paper, and teach the child to keep his assisting hand at a location where he can keep the paper from flopping.

2. Fold green paper ½ inch from one edge. Teach the students to snip repeatedly to the fold in the paper, making “grass.” Do this as often as you can during art projects.

Photo by Kathryn Mason

3. Make the strip thicker, so the student has to advance the scissors once to cut across the strip. Continue to widen the paper so that the student learns to advance the scissors. Chant “Open, slide, cut.” Also have the student snip to a sticker or highlighted dot so he starts to aim with the scissors.

4. Make thick lines across one inch strips of paper. Help the child to line up the scissors at the start of the line and snip across. Again progress to wider strips of paper, helping the child to remain close to the line.

Photo by Kathryn Mason

More tips to follow!

Did'ya Hear About "Q" and "U"--They Got Married!

2013-05-20T13:19:00.000-04:00

Last Friday I hit upon a gold mine at one of my elementary schools--Q and U got married and the kindergarteners got to be guests at the wedding.

Student "guests" lined up in the hallway and entered the wedding hall individually, holding their letter "gifts."

Everyone sat very quietly. Sorry I can't show you that photo!

"P" is for purse.

"Z" is for zebra, of course.

Toy Story!

The letters kissed after the ceremony, but not the students!

The creative teacher was incorporating phonemic awareness the entire time, but in a very fun way.

Chocolate Chip Day

2013-05-17T11:02:00.000-04:00

May 15th was National Chocolate Chip Day, or so I was happy to believe. Our class for middle school students with severe intellectual disabilities celebrated by making chocolate chip sugar cookies and peanut butter cookies with chocolate chips.

While we were waiting for all the ingredients to get on the table, we enjoyed some old-fashioned butter cookies... Do you recall putting these cookies on your fingers like this? You eat the "petals" first, then the inside ring.

We cheated and used a mix for both types of cookies, but we still had to stir them up.

After placing a ball of cookie dough on the foil we used our fingers to put the chocolate chips on each cookie. Some chips accidentally fell into our mouths...

A few students squashed the cookie dough balls by pressing on top with a flat bottom glass.

The more chocolate chips you add, the better the flavor.

We didn't have to wait too long to enjoy the results. It was hard not to sample them before they cooled.

Sandpaper Letter Bits

2013-05-16T14:04:00.002-04:00

I finally remembered to bring my fine grit sandpaper into school last Friday afternoon.

If you write on sandpaper with a pencil it makes a wonderful mess all over your fingers and the table.

However, if you write on sandpaper with scented crayons it isn't messy at all, and the room smells like roses, or oranges, or limes or...

Cutting through fine grit sandpaper is a little bumpy, but nothing like cutting through coarse grit. Yes, yes--the student should have his index finger touching the scissors so he can steer it better while he cuts.

Hmmm, we made a lower case "b."

This circle has a bit of a square top, but you can still tell it's round.

Each student drew and cut out the same shapes, a straight line and a circle, but must make different letters...

Of course, "d" and "b." The "d" looks like a quarter note to me but let's not get bogged down in details.

Improving Scissor Use--OT2OT Tips

2013-05-15T13:12:00.000-04:00

My fellow OT buddies are so helpful... Here are lots of ideas for improving scissor control:

• Remember hand anatomy and ergonomics when looking at scissor use. Look at desk height, body stability in chair, student's control of paper as she holds it with her helper hand.

• Use stickers for start-stop points to increase visual attention.

• Wind rubber band or pipe cleaners around inside edge of loops to prevent blades from closing completely (for students who have difficulty opening blades.)

• Experiment with a variety of paper thicknesses to prevent paper bending too easily (cereal boxes, greeting cards, manila folders, tagboard.)

• Challenge students with a variety of approaches, “How many cuts will it take to drive across the road?”

• Review handbook(s) on scissor skills in the OT-PT library. Does your OT dept have a library with great books--we do. Guess which OT in our dept sends in the most requests for books???

• Review the scissor use handouts posted on our intra-county web portal page regarding scissor tips.

• When you develop handouts for parents, share a digital copy with your fellow OTs.

• Ask our musical OTR on staff to teach you her “Cut Like an Alligator” jingle…

Sherry--I will ask Frances, our musical OTR, to record the jingle so I can post it. K. 5-19

Haven't checked out all the links but there seem to be some good ideas for developing scissor skills on this list: Scissor Skills Development Ideas 5-20

Embedding Sensory Opportunities into the Classroom

2013-05-14T15:39:00.000-04:00

During IEP meetings parents often ask how we OTs incorporate sensory experiences into the school day. Here are some examples I share, according to the particular classroom:

Note: Some of these are “out there” so sift through for any helpful ones...

1. Put yesterday’s classroom library books in the M-W-F box and arrange the Tu-Th books neatly on the library shelf in the classroom. (Heavy work—sequencing—spatial orientation)

2. After doing “wall push-ups” on the chalkboard, practice drawing a simple sketch from a drawing book which relates to a topic being discussed that day. (Working arms in anti-gravity position while drawing; joint compression and upper body strengthening which some students find calming; increase success in drawing to increase interest in journal writing or other academics which include student drawing)

3. Extra clean up of student desks, tables. Student or adult squirts thin line of shaving cream on table surfaces, then uses hands to spread it over the table. Student then uses thick cloth to wipe up cream from table, followed by using a drying towel. (This is not really a “cleaning.” Good for L to R sequencing, weight bearing through arms, sequencing of a task).

4. Classic chalkboard cleaning. An oldie but goodie for students who are not sensitive to chalk dust. Students wipe chalkboard with a thick, damp washcloth, with adult supervision to avoid slippery floors. May use spray bottle to dampen chalkboard if student can handle the responsibility. (Anti-gravity arm movement to strengthen arms; left to right sequencing; attention to detail)

5. One student assigned to sharpen pencils, manually. Keep a “sharp” and “dull” basket to avoid sharpening during the day. (Hand strength; attention to task)

6. Use magnetic clips to hold paper, or use blue painter's tape to temporarily attach paper to a classroom easel or whiteboard, for practicing handwriting formation, 5-10 minutes daily. Alternately, may use for copying homework from board. (Anti-gravity arm movement and pencil grasp refinement). Ideally, an adult or helper from an older grade should monitor to supervise correct formation. (This will pay off greatly as students may feel better about writing as the year progresses.)

Teacher Appreciation Day--OTs Benefit, Too

2013-05-13T11:53:00.004-04:00

This elementary school really does a nice job during Teacher Appreciation Week. Last Tuesday we were treated to a box lunch, yummy fruit and dessert. I passed on the raffles since I'm just at the school one day a week; didn't seem fair to take away a "chance" to win from the full-timers at the school.

Pre-ordered box lunches. Mine--chicken tarragon (and carrot cake...)!

Look at all these raffle opps!

Grasps--End of Year Reassessment

2013-05-13T11:49:00.001-04:00

It's that time of year...getting down to the wire before school ends on June 14th. Let's see how the students who are receiving special education services due to their mild intellectual impairments are holding their pencils and writing.

Above--a 2nd grader who writes pretty fast. She's copying from a poster on the table which I took down from the classroom wall. Thumb wrap, I'd say. Lots of letters written from the baseline up and some in quite "inventive" styles.

Grasp looks sorta okay for this 3rd grader, but his head is hovering just 2" above the tabletop.

This 4th grader copies with fair accuracy, as long as the classroom is perfectly quiet and nobody moves.

Here's a 5th grader with a slightly awkward grasp but she can really write legibly, and with some individual flair, when she's motivated by the subject.

Not the prettiest of handwriting in the world, but legible. Realistically, this handwriting is often better quality than what many general education teachers typically see in class.

Pre-School Checklist

2013-05-10T15:40:00.001-04:00

One of my OT buddies just recommended this checklist, which she thinks is great:

Preschool Checklist Link

Not sure if you can purchase it, or not. Maybe it's an in-house resource for the company??? FYI.

Math Project on DonorsChoose.org site

2013-05-08T09:23:00.002-04:00

Shameless begging for blog readers to fund a math project...

I've created a classroom project request on a 501(c)3 charity website called DonorsChoose.org. I learned about this organization from one of my high school teachers last year, who was funded for an adapted classroom swing for her students who have severe physical and cognitive disabilities.

I'm writing to ask for any donations possible toward an iPad mini to use for writing math. No matter the size of your donation, it will help the students I work with, especially students who have difficulty "writing" math. I plan to also use the device for handwriting remediation, using apps I've written about previously in the blog.

This week only, any donation you make to my project will be doubled! If you know anyone who is passionate about education, please pass this along. Your tax-deductible donation will have a direct impact on students and teachers.

1. Visit my Page, Math Project info on DonorsChoose
2. Choose my project, enter the amount of your donation, and click "Give"

3. During check-out, enter the word INSPIRE where it says "Match or gift code", and your donation will be matched dollar for dollar.

The INSPIRE match code will double your donation for the next 7 days.

Please feel free to send me any questions you may have, and know that I and the students I support greatly appreciate your support. Plus, you'll get to see lots of photos and info about what we learn about writing math!

Visual Recipes

2013-05-07T13:24:00.002-04:00

Oh my, this is a goldmine!

Visual Recipes

College Cooking--Smoothies

2013-05-07T13:23:00.002-04:00

On Monday morning the high school students in a class for students with autism practiced making fruit smoothies.

Of course, strawberries and bananas taste even better with a little bit of peanut butter and/or chocolate.

We reconstituted the PB2 to make creamy peanut butter.

It was the duel of the single serving blenders--which would make the smoothest smoothie???

Our friendly SLP was looking for some good sentences.

Most of the students were real comfy with peeling and slicing bananas. You could tell who had practiced before.

After tasting the smoothies the students rated their finished products.

There were definite preferences--some students went straight for the chocolate and some only chose fruit.

On Tuesday, students in a class for students with emotional disabilities made smoothies, too. However, ice was added to the mixture today. We had avoided ice in Monday's smoothie recipe since blending it was VERY LOUD.

To make the Magic Bullet blender work you had to hold down the top. Lots of good vibrations.

All the students demonstrated excellent accuracy when pouring.

One student wasn't crazy about consuming his smoothie, but agreed to create one for the classroom teacher.

We triple-checked to make sure the lids were secure before operating the blender. The smoothies looked a lot more like store-bought when we used ice.

Home Responsibilities (AKA Chores) for Teens

2013-05-03T13:36:00.000-04:00

The great thing about this short video and article is that the teens are so imperfect when demonstrating the chores--the shirt has enormous wrinkles in it while the teen is ironing, the vacuum cleaner cord is going to trip the poor kid any moment and how in the world will those sliding glass doors ever be sparkly with that half-hearted polishing?

Hey, it's real life. 10 Chores for Teens

And here's more info if you run into any resistance from the sweeties:

Guidelines for Parents

Vivid Butterflies, or Maybe Dragonflies?

2013-05-02T14:25:00.000-04:00

Noticed this beautiful activity when I was at one of my middle schools last week. The students and staff used the homemade heart stamps we made around Valentine's Day to create these knock-out color butterflies.

I was wondering why the paint was so vivid. Well, it's called "Vivicolor!"

If you live in Central Virginia be sure to visit the butterfly event at Lewis Ginter Botanical Garden this May:
Butterfly Event

May Day Celebration

2013-05-01T13:38:00.004-04:00

The middle schoolers in the classroom for students with significant cognitive disabilities celebrated May Day this morning. Students started out their morning by watching a couple of brief videos of children performing May Day dances, so they'd know what fun was coming along.

What did we use for the May Day pole? A telescoping IV pole wrapped with a swim noodle.

We did splurge and buy streamers at Wal-Mart for 97 cents apiece. These were wrapped at one end around a cut out circle shape...

...and attached to the top crossbar of the IV pole.

There, you can hardly see the IV pole underneath.

Our RN walked the May Pole down to the front office and we all followed. 8 adults and 7 students performed for administration and school visitors. Good PR, I think.

Sorry, no more fun photos. My camera battery gave out once the music and dancing started, shucks.

Afterwards, we filled out worksheets based on the activity, with students choosing their responses by dabbing the correct answer with bingo daubers.

Progress Notes and IEPs

2013-04-30T08:22:00.002-04:00

This year I've been a mentor to two new OTRs on our staff, which has made me hyper-aware of deadlines and standard operating procedures. One "to-do" I've tried to make as painless as possible for them is keeping in compliance with the due dates of the interims and quarterly progress reports, which coincide with the general education report cards going home.

About ten years ago I worked with a vigilant PT who kept me on track so I usually finished my progress notes ahead of time, but I floundered on my own after I began working at other schools in my county where my friend did not serve the students. Then, I got back into the swing of things about three years ago, writing joint progress notes on mutual students with my super-structured PT colleague from Belgium and the reports have been rolling out like clockwork ever since.

We made a point of adding examples of progress, not just general descriptions, and tried to be as objective and to the point as possible. Since we wrote together we'd call each other out when we were being too vague. For example, my PT friend would write, "Suzie can independently ambulate, using her posterior walker, from classroom to the lunchroom without rest breaks," and I'd counter, "How many feet is that?" She'd look at me cross-eyed and say, "About 300 feet," and I'd scoff, "She walked a whole football field?" and she'd groan and adjust her measurement, "Oh, all right; 100 feet." As you might expect, some of our joint reports took awhile to hammer out.

When IEP season rolled around this year I dreaded the prep for all those meetings, especially writing info on the Present Level of Performance. Hark--one day it dawned on me that I had already done the work of writing my PLEP "blurb" since my progress reports clearly documented the progress made by the students throughout the school year. I copied and pasted all my progress notes into the PLEP, removed any duplicated facts and added new information. It was succinct and accurate, since I knew that I had written careful details throughout the year.

Spending time away from students to write their progress notes and annual plans can be overwhelming, but I've discovered at least one payoff for writing detailed progress notes during the year--less time at my lonely computer during IEP season.

Watch Out for "Dude Bunny"

2013-04-29T21:19:00.000-04:00

Are some of your students frightened to death of people wearing costumes or masks? Well, one of the high school guys in a class I serve for students with autism was scared to death of this chocolate bunny.

He asked his teacher to turn the box around so the bunny was facing the wall.
I guess the "Dude" does have a bit of a cold stare.

Rap Songs for Learning

2013-04-26T17:02:00.000-04:00

What a fun way to end the work week. These songs would keep me awake in class. You might want to watch them all the way to the end, especially the ones with lots of gorgeous guys dancing, to make sure that your little 3rd graders don't pick up any creative dance moves to show mom and dad when they run home from the yellow school bus and start singing the songs.

Rap Videos for Science, Math, History...

More Equine Fun

2013-04-25T19:00:00.005-04:00

Here's DH in his cowboy attire this afternoon, taking Freddie through the paces of his "be a good, calm horse" training program.

Happy B-Day, Freddie. Exactly one year old today.

Use What'cha Got

2013-04-25T12:05:00.000-04:00

These little hair clips are really hard to open. You have to have your fingertips exactly in the right place or they'll fly out of your hand.

Still, it's a fun fine motor warm-up activity before working on self-help skills or handwriting remediation. And, it doesn't take up much space in your OT toolkit.

Who's Training Who? Equine Fun at the Ranch-ette

2013-04-23T21:51:00.000-04:00

If you have any students who love horses, reward them with this silly, homemade video of my DH and Freddie, a yearling.

The tarp is used for Freddie to walk over and learn not to be afraid of moving objects in his path. Right.

This is what the little stinker is supposed to do:

Students with Significant Cognitive Disabilities--Apps

2013-04-23T12:20:00.004-04:00

During a planning meeting this morning at one of my elementary schools a tech-savvy teacher mentioned that she is using these apps with one or more of her students who have significant cognitive disabilities:

choiceboard-creator

solar-walk
You may wonder about the second app, since it's really one for science geeks. Well...a particular student in the class is in love with the solar system and will use her hands more than usual so she can see the different visuals in the app. It is mesmerizing and enticing.

What apps do your students love?

More Recycled Earth Day Activities

2013-04-23T10:32:00.001-04:00

Lots of ideas for using around-the-house-or-classroom materials to celebrate Earth Day:

Earth Day Ideas

British Paraorchestra "True Colors" video

2013-04-18T13:39:00.002-04:00

Get your tissues ready. Lots of wonderful ideas for us OTs, too.

British Paraorchestra "True Colors"

Recycled Materials Earth Day Activity

2013-04-18T13:07:00.002-04:00

I've been trying to find some excellent Earth Day activities and here they are:

earth-day-lacing-and-weaving

Thanks, Barbara Smith!