Ipad

I follow a blog called TherExtras and their is a post up today with several links to blogs where the ipad is looked at. I checked out most of the links and they are excellent. I was especially impressed with the Ipad review by Glenda Watson Hyatt which is also linked to on the TherExtras post.

Communicating

I just put this post up on Junior's regular blog and though it is not an "adaption" I thought I would still share it here. It may give someone in our same situation some ideas to deal with communication needs. I would also love to hear how your child communicates.

I regularly get asked how Junior communicates so I thought I would do a post about it. I am going to start with what we used when he was very little.

When Junior was really little we relied on facial expression to determine what he needed but as he got older we found that wasn't enough. When Junior was 4 he started having many tantrums and melt downs which clearly were happening because of his lack of ability to communicate. With Junior being unable to move his hands we decided to try introducing eye gaze. When we started with eye gaze we used two large cards which were each a different color. We used red and green because that is what worked for him(I know that most vision therapists would have a fit about us using those colors but each kids needs are different). Each card was the size of a full sheet of paper. The green one had a big smiley face on it with the word Yes printed on the bottom. The red card had a frowning face with No printed on the bottom. Initially those cards went everywhere with him but within a couple months we stopped using the cards and Junior knew that looking to my right was yes, and left was no(he looks to my right when I am facing him so technically it is his left). Literally within days Junior's tantrums all but disappeared.
You can also show him several items(movies, books, toys, etc) and he will show you with his eyes what he wants. If he does not want any of the items he will look up at the ceiling(also his response if he doesn't want to do something and is ignoring me)
Here is a picture of him using his yes/no cards when he was little.
Junior caught on to the yes/no eye gaze so quickly that we decided to start adding symbols and see how he did. In 2005 Make A Wish gave him a computer with Boardmaker on it and this allowed us to make the symbol cards for him.
Here is one of his early choice boards
His weather board which we used with his school work
The choice boards were good when he was little but took a lot of time to set up and use. We rarely pull them out now because of that issue. We tried a Super Talker for a short time and it was able to be plugged into his head switch. Junior liked it for about a week but then got frustrated and bored because he could only make a choice between two things(he has 2 head switches). Each time we wanted to add something it required me to put in new picture cards and record new audio. For a child who can use their hands symbol communication is great option but with little support from the school district(which might have helped find a technology way to help Junior use the symbols more efficiently) it is not the best option for Junior. Junior also has a handful of words which he is able to use but most people do not understand him(he has an extremely high palate so no matter how hard he tries he is very limited in the sounds he can make). Most of his words use open vowel sounds, out, on, hIIEE(Heidi), aaa(Abigail), aaa-aww(grandma), O(no), yaa(yes), ass(grass, yep he has been known to bike down the sidewalk hollering that one perfectly clear as he tries to get me to let him ride on the grass), etc.

We have tried many things and over the years have weeded out what works for Junior. Though he may get frustrated at times he is one determined kid and always finds a way to get his point across.

We are still looking for technology items to help Junior with his educational needs as well as communication and I am sure this will be an ongoing challenge. It is all about helping him reach his full potential and be all that he can be.

Here is a picture of Junior doing his schoolwork with his teacher. He is using eye gaze to show her which letter starts the word(this picture is from several years ago).

Noodle Pillows

Noodle Pillows are something we use every single day. They are tube shaped pillows which are nearly six feet long. These blue camo are Junior's favorites but they come in lots of patterns and colors.
In bed Junior has them next to him for support and positioning. In his recliner we use one noodle and put one end under his arm pit then it loops down under his knees and up to his opposite armpit for full support. Under his arms in his wheelchair when he is relaxing, in the car he always has one around him to support his arms.
We have found a never ending number of uses for these pillows.

UPDATE: 11/2011
The noodle pillow site is no longer available but I did find a lovely lady on fb who made Junior one. Busy Bee Sewing for SMA, she does wonderful work and by purchasing from her you are supporting a good cause.
Here is Junior with his cool new pillow, we even have a matching pillow case and oxygen tank cover.

Junior's Fire Truck,

Junior's favorite toy is a big fire truck with 3 nobs on the side which activate the lights, sound, and ladder. He has a fire truck that is switch adapted which he does enjoy but this one is his favorite and isn't one we can switch adapt(or at least not the ladder which he loves to play with). Junior is usually happy to play hand over hand with his toys but when it comes to his trucks he thinks he should be able to do it himself. We have dealt with many tears and lots of frustration not to mention several bruises(on his arms where he tries to push his arms into the truck to activate it).
I knew there had to be a way to allow him to at least activate some things on his truck and finally figured out something that works for Junior. It is super low tech and not at all pretty but it works and thats what counts.

The fire truck has 3 nobs on the side, each of them must be pulled down to activate.
We used some yarn a 3 sensory balls. I tied a piece of yarn to each nob and then to a ball.
For Junior to play with we placed the truck on a raised tray so that when he stiffens his arm to push the ball it will pull down on the nob. when Junior gets excited his tone when he pushes can be quite strong so I used a velcro strap to be sure the truck didn't flip off the tray. I also put a book on the back of the tray for even more stability when he realized he could do it himself and was really stiffening those arms.
I placed a ball in each of Junior's hands and pretty soon he realized that stiffening his arm made the truck turn on and I had one very happy kid on my hands.


I would love to hear others super low tech adaptions.

Yoyo Ball Painting

This is another way to add a little sensory fun to your painting. We did this just yesterday while in the house but beware, it can be very messy and probably is best done outdoors if you have a more mobile child.
All you need is paint, paper, and some yoyo water balls. I purchased our yoyo balls a few years ago at walmart but have not seen them there again. They can be purchased at Oriental Trading for a reasonable price but you do have to buy a dozen at a time.

We were doing our project indoors so we also used a shallow tub to avoid too many paint splatters. Add one happy kid and you are ready to paint. To start place your paper on a table(or in the shallow tub). Dip the yoyo ball in paint(or just put dots of paint on the paper), hold onto the rubber string and start bouncing.
You can use a different ball for each color or dip one in several colors and see what designs you come up with. We decided the patterns kind of look like fire works so I think we will add some glitter next time.

Happy Mother's Day

Happy Mother's Day to all you wonderful moms.

I am sorry to be MIA on this blog at the moment but Junior is sick.