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.

Education Apps

We looked at many, many educational apps over the past month. There were lots of neat apps but most just didn't fit our needs. Many had the letters/numbers too small or too close together or where just too confusing for our differently abled kids.
Here is a list of the ones that worked best for Junior. I put a star by our favorites, most are free or have free versions to try.

Word Magic *(Junior did really well with this one)

First Words: Sampler

ABC Tracer Words *(this app has the child trace letters and words)

Teach Me Kindergarten *(this is an excellent app with various reading and math activities. It also keeps track of how the child is doing and what has been learned)

PreK Safari Lite

Words *(simple activities)

Smiley Sight Words *(this is for the child learning simple words)

Math Train ( I listed this because I like the idea, the numbers are too small for Junior)

LunchBox *(simple and fun educational game)

Animal Sound Chase *(Has the child match the animal to the sound it makes)



Here are a few links for read along book apps.

Toy Story ***(Junior watched this several times and it was perfect when we were out at the doctors appt. I sure wish the other books like this weren't so expensive)

The Cat In the Hat (not one we have tried, since Junior thinks it is too babyish, but thought I would list it)

How to Train Your Dragon (another that we haven't tried but I am sure Junior would love this one)

Jack and the Beanstock (not tested by us)

How the Grinch Stole Christmas (not tested by us)

Alice in Wonderland Lite (free version of the book, we have not tried this one)


If you put Children't books in the search box at the app store there are many more available.
Has your child found a favorite book on the ipad?

I have lots of fun game apps and some misc. apps to share in my next post.























Please share your favorites. I am going to try to keep this updated as we find more. I will be placing a link on the sidebar so you can click directly to these posts with lists of ipad apps.

I-Pad Apps

I will postpone my planned posts for when my brain isn't completely fried. Our fabulous neuro is helping us work out the sleep issues Junior is having but for now we aren't getting much sleep at all.
So this week I thought I would share some of our favorite ipad apps. Junior's teacher's ipad test run ends today so Junior is so very sad to say goodbye to it. We aren't giving up though and are working to get it funded through the district as an educational & communication device.

These are for the most part cause and effect type apps. I put a star beside the ones that are favorites of Junior. Clicking the name should send you to the app, please let me know if any of the links don't work. Most of these are free or have free versions to try.

I-Beams Lite *

I-Love Fire Works *(this would have to be in Junior's top 10 favorites)

I-Glow Stick *(this is fun but does require the child to shake the ipad)

I-Horn *(very loud but who doesn't love playing with an air horn)

Sponge Bob Lite

Doodle Kids *(technically this might be considered an art app but Junior loves the multiple colors and shapes which you can draw with)

UP (you will need to get the right spot to start this one for your child but Junior really likes popping all the balloons)

Vocal Zoo *(another top ten for Junior)

ClickySticky *(This is technically an art app, it has a background and then you add stickers, many of the stickers move and make noise)

Fart Piano *(Junior's number 1 "just for fun" app, not sure what category it should go in)


I will be doing another post later this week with our favorite educational apps as well as a post with our favorite games and misc apps. There are so many apps out there, what are your childs favorites?

Foot Painting

Most kids love finger painting(Junior sure does) so we decided to try letting Junior "foot" paint.

We put something on the floor to protect it then put down a very large piece of paper. Added some paint and put Junior's feet on the paper. He had a blast and loved the feeling of squishing his toes in the paint. Works great for sensory input.
We had a second piece of paper for him to step on the make foot prints
Ahhh love the feel of paint between the toes.

Trouble Game

I know I haven't posted a game adaption in awhile but I do still have a few to share. I also have lots more arts and crafts projects to share if I can find the time to get them posted.

Trouble was one of the first games I adapted for Junior. Pushing the little dome to roll the dice was not something he could do so we cut the dice dome out of the game.
I found this adapted dice on Ebay and now wish I had bought a bunch of them since I have not been able to find them again. I am having trouble even finding this size electric dice that has not been adapted. If you are able to locate some of this type dice here is a site that shows you how to switch adapt them. You could also use the adapted game spinner which we use in many of our games.
I attached the adapted dice in the center of the game where the dice dome would be. I used a strip of duct tape across the back to hold it in place.
Strips of velcro were added to the back of the game board so it can be hung on the game easel or any other board with velcro(I have started using Junior's puzzle/felt board for many of his games).
A small strip of cloth/medical tape was wrapped around the base of each playing piece so that it fit snuggly into the spaces. Doing this allows the game to be on its side while on the game easel and not have the pieces fall out.
Now you are ready to play(in this pic the game is on his book easel).

not feeling well

Sorry for the lack of posts. Junior has been dealing with sinus issues(very bad headaches) and then the past couple days it has been his asthma. We saw the ped and he started Junior on something to help those plugged up sinuses which has helped a lot.
Now we are praying that this weather will stay warm so the asthma episodes will stop.
I hope to be able to get back to regular posts very soon. I am way behind on this blog as well as Junior's blog.

All Purpose Toy Bar

As Junior has gotten bigger we needed something to get his toys up at eye level for him. A way for his toys to be accessible to him in his wheel chair and other seating/standing devices.
I picked up a bunch of PVC and put a giant toy bar together for him. We made it very large so even his recliner and stander can fit.
This was something I made several years ago so I don't have step by step directions but will share lots of pics as well as the dimensions. The dimensions could easily be adjusted to fit your own child's needs.
The sides are 12 inches wide and the bottom has an extra 5 inch piece of pvc plus a 3 way joint on each side for added stability.
To add to stability as well as give more area for hanging items we added a cross piece approx 2 feet from the ground and then a second one a foot from the first.
The top has a corner joint on each side(the entire toy bar is approx 5 feet tall)
The top of the bar is basically the same as the sides. There is a cross bar one foot from each end. The middle space between the two sides is 3 feet.
We added giant pool noodles to the upper sides on Junior's toy bar. In the past he was having seizures that caused his arms to jerk to the sides or straight up and he could bruise his arms on the pvc. If you want to cover the pvc to make it look nicer you could use colored duct tape or some kind of "safe" paint for plastics. Also it would be best to add pvc cement(needs to be done outside a few days before your child uses it) to the joints so the toy bar doesn't loosen from movement. We did not do this with Junior's and regularly have to be sure the joints are pulled tight.
You could use many different things to hang toys from the bar. For ours I used wide elastic with velcro sewn to either end. I wanted to be able to safely hang his heavier "big kid" toys from the bar.
We use the toy bar to hang all types of toys as well as other things. At Christmas it gets decorated with Christmas ornaments and lights. We sometimes even hang his portable tv on it.
In this picture Junior is in his stander playing with his toy bar.
Here he is in his recliner under the toy bar.
Today Junior's toy bar was turned into his own personal planetarium.

I-Pad

I have been hearing a lot about the i-pad and how well it works for those who are differently abled.
I couldn't wait to try it for myself and last night Junior's teacher brought one over for us to test drive, all I can say is WOW. The screen is huge, large enough for Junior to be able to use his eye gaze. There are apps with every kind of educational program along with communication apps and of course lots of games. The screen is super sensitive to touch so it was easy to help Junior with the activities.
The kids goofing around with the games this morning.

Aside from stiffening his arms Junior has no ability to use his hands so no he can't manipulate things on the screen but it keeps his attention and brings education to him(it is also much easier to move and get up close to him then a regular computer). For a child who is stuck in the house many months out of the year that is very important. Reading is a struggle for him and it takes a lot of work to keep him interested and focused. Today on the ipad we were doing exactly the same activities we had been doing on his boards but there was no struggle to keep him on task. He was totally focused and didn't miss one question. Some of the words were ones we had never worked on before. Sometimes it is all about finding the right tools to help your child reach their potential. I am so excited to find this tool and now to figure out how to get one for Junior(regardless of how much it would effect his educational progress the district will not purchase one for him because of his lack of movement).

I would love to hear what others think of the ipad and for those who have tried it with their child, how did they respond? Also is your school district considering the ipad as a communication/learning tool for their special ed population?

Happy Easter

Links

Here are several links for educational activities, games, symbol stories, books, art projects and more.
Several of these links came from Ellen at To the Max, be sure to go visit her blog, she is currently having a giveaway.
Some of these links I have explored and even tried out with Junior but some I have only had a chance to take a quick glance at.

Story Line Online This site has many stories for your child to listen to. They are read by people like James Earl Jones, Tia & Tamara Mowry, Mellisa Gilbert, and Amanda Bynes to name just a few.

OT Plan This site has lots of occupational therapy activities. You can even choose the supplies you have on hand and they will show a activity using those items. This is one I will be visiting often.

Tar Heel Reader You can find many, many stories at this site for all ages, and skill levels. I have not had a chance to explore this site but it says it can be accessed by touch screen, intellikeys, switches, and more.

Jumpstart games and educational activities, it is free for basic use but also has a membership program.

Jacob's Lessons This site was created for use with autistic children, it is made to be used with both the parent and child.

Do 2 Learn activities and resources for special needs

Symbol World I have only had a chance to check out the Learning link on this site. It has lots of stories and educational material, all with symbols.

One Switch This site has a listing for free switch accessible game downloads. I have not checked any of these out yet.

Ipod, Iphone, & Ipad apps for special education This site has a huge listing of special ed apps for the itouch products. Junior's teacher and I spent quite a while yesterday looking through some of them and many are free or low cost. Junior absolutely loved the Vocal Zoo app(animal pics with the sounds they make), Doodle buddy, and Doodle Kids(these two are art apps and one has silly sounds as well), each of those were free.

I would love to hear what your favorite links are for your child.

Skateboarding with Junior

When Junior was much smaller I would stand him on a skateboard and push him around. Now he is a little too big for that, though we do put him in his standing sling and let him get on his skateboard.
Now Junior likes to skateboard a little differently. We took a regular skateboard(make sure it is not the wide kind), folded a blanket on top of it and covered it with a small sheet. I then duct taped the bottom to keep everything in place. I lay him over it on his tummy and use a couple velcro straps from another piece of equipment to hold him in place. This is a fantastic way for him to do some weight bearing on his arms and shoulders as well as legs(he is in a partial crawl position, and you could add another blanket for more height with a larger child).
As you can see he loves this and I use a couple of the giant floor puzzle pieces to give him a firmer surface then the carpet. He likes to just hang out and push himself up on the skateboard but I also like to help him move his arms and legs to actually move the board.


With spring here our weather has been gorgeous and we are trying to get outside and enjoy it. I am not getting to post as often as I would like but just haven't had the time. I am so very thankful to have Junior so much healthier this year and we are making the most of every moment. I will try to at least get a post or two up each week.

Voice 4 U Review

We were recently given the chance to try out the new Voice 4 U app. on the i-phone/i-touch.
First off I want to say we loved it. I do not have an itouch or iphone so Junior's home instructor put it on her phone and used it with Junior and her two other home instruction kids(Junior as well as the other 2 children have significan motor control issues). So this review come from Junior's teacher and I.

The app was a little bit small on the iphone because of these children's motor issues but they all responded so well to the program and we can't wait until the ipad comes out.
There were a few things that could be changed/added which would be helpful in our situation. It would be great to have the ability to place 2 pictures on the screen at the same time(once the ipad is available with the large screen). We also had trouble getting the sound loud enough when we inputted our own pictures. It would be nice if there was a way to change the voice for the preloaded pictures and add more categories.

Junior's teacher and I were both very impressed with this app. It was super simple to use and the graphics are great. Being able to input your own pictures with sound so quickly and easily was a real bonus. Other communication programs we have used may have allowed you to input your own pictures but it was not an easy task.
It was great to have the preloaded pictures broken down into easy to find categories.
This was an excellent program to have on a heat sensitive device like the iphone because it made it very touch sensitive and easy to access for our kids with motor issues.
The Voice 4 U app definitely gets an A+ from Junior's teacher and we look forward to using it on the ipad.

Meteorite Math

Right now in school Junior is doing a unit on Space and we are trying to find ways connect all of his subjects to this unit topic.
Today we had been talking about meteorites so I decided to do some meteorite math with him.
It was a huge hit and I don't think Junior realized he was actually doing a math lesson.

I used a board with a piece of felt attached to it. This is also his puzzle board.
I attached little pieces of velcro to several lightweight plastic balls(you could also use the smaller balls but for Junior using eye gaze the larger ones work better). The more little pieces of velcro the better it will stick when thrown against the board.
These are the numbers and symbols we use daily in Junior's math lessons. I ran them off in a very large print and used contact paper to laminate them. Added a piece of velcro to the back and they are ready for use.

Of course you can adapt this to whatever your childs needs and level are but I will share how Junior used it.
I started out by telling him that for now the board is the moon and the balls are meteorites. We initially just threw the meteorites at the moon and then would count how many we had thrown.
Once Junior got into that part I started holding up two numbers and asking him how many meteorites he wanted to throw at the moon. He would choose a number and then I would place that number at the top of the board followed by a plus symbol. After we threw the first number of meteorites we would do the same thing for the second number and then count them all together.
I have been trying to introduce subtraction to Junior for awhile and it has been a struggle. He is slowly getting the concept but it just hadn't really clicked. Tonight we took some huge leaps forward and it seemed to really make sense to him.
I put several meteorites on the moon and then I told him that he was going in his space ship to knock the meteorites off the moon(I think I will make a little space ship cutout for him when we do this next). Junior got a big giggle out of that and then we discussed how many we would knock off into space.
After we knocked them off I told him okay you had 3 meteorites and your space ship knocked 2 of them into space now how many are left. I held up a couple numbers for him to choose from and he didn't miss a beat. I then followed with 3 take away 2 equals 1.

Junior loved throwing the balls at the board and seeing them roll down a little as the velcro caught. I am sure just that part will be a favorite game of his now. I have considered attaching some type of bulls eye to the board. I am also sure there are lots more ways to use the velcro balls for math.

Decorating With Artwork

As I am sure you can tell by our posts here as well as on Junior's personal blog we do lots of arts and crafts projects. I would love to keep each and every painting and project Junior does but I would need an extra house to do so. We take lots of pictures and I do have boxes with some of the extra special projects.
Junior loves to see his artwork on the wall or fridge so awhile back we took several of his "sensory" paintings added a giant letter from his name. Then used strips of construction paper to create and border and laminated them. Now one wall in his school area has his name and art, and also looks very cute.
Here are his paintings ready to be put on the wall(you could also use real frames of course, but Junior liked making his own)
Hanging on the wall
Just in case you are curious
J- bubble wrap painting
U- bead painting
N- yo-yo ball painting
I- car painting
O- circles painting
R- brushes

To add the letters you can cut giant letters out of construction paper or for this project we used picture paper. First we cut out a letter shape with contact paper and stuck it to our paper. Then we did the painting, let it dry, and gently pulled off the contact paper. You could leave the letter area white but we decided to color it in(some of Junior's paintings still have a lot of white so the letters weren't as obvious as they needed to be)

What is your favorite way to decorate with your child's art?

Morgan's Wonderland

Todays post comes to us from Ellen and Max. Be sure to stop by their blog To The Max to read more about this amazing family.

March 11, 2010

Morgan's Wonderland: why it's such a big deal

There's been a lot of buzz on the web about San Antonio's Morgan's Wonderland, the first large theme park to cater to kids with special needs. Dave e-mailed me about it from London. He's there on a business trip and had seen it on the news.

The story's amazing: A real estate developer with a daughter who has special needs raised some $30 million to open the park. It has wide ramps for wheelchairs, a carousel with adaptive seating, and a sensory village where kids can interact with lights, colors, sounds and textures. It's even going to limit the number of visitors so as not to overwhelm kids. Admission is free for those with disabilities and $5 for friends and family. The Grand Opening is April 10.

I was psyched to hear about Morgan's Wonderland, but all the hoopla has left me vaguely troubled. Because if adapting places to kids with special needs were more of a regular thing, a park like this wouldn't be making international headlines. Morgan's Wonderland is a big deal not just because its the first of its kind but because this concept seems so novel to people. Wow! Lots and lots of opportunities for kids with special needs to enjoy themselves, as opposed to the slim pickings available at mainstream parks.

The topic's totally on my mind. We're headed to Disney at the end of next week, a place that is considered exceptionally accommodating to kids with special needs. Last time we went, though, we were limited by the number of rides we could go on because they scared the hell out of Max. Make that, we were limited to the race track. Everything else was sensory overload. I made the mistake of dragging him onto It's A Small World since I thought he'd get into it only he wailed the entire time as the robo-children in adorable outfits sang their hearts out. Max will probably run screaming down the Disney streets at the mere sight of it.

Morgan's Wonderland deserves all of the attention its receiving. I just wish that the Chuck E. Cheese's and Great Adventures and water parks and all the other mainstream kiddie fun places of this world did more to include kids with disabilities, you know?

Thank you Ellen and Max for sharing this with us

I am not sure why blogger keeps putting two videos up, and it is not letting me delete just one of them. You will need to pause one of them.

Website With Switch Accessible Games

I found this website through a couple other blogs I follow and just had to share it here.
www.helpkidzlearn.com
This site has simple games, stories, and more. Most of which are accessible by a switch and all you need is a switch interface to play. Switch accessible software can be very pricey but it also can easily become boring if you don't have lots of different activities. So nice to find a site where Junior can enjoy the activities without the cost.
There are several different switch interfaces available. This is the one Junior uses to access his computer. Click the picture to go to one of the sites that carries them. This type is very simple to use, you just plug it into a usb port on your computer and then plug you switch into one of the ports on the front any you are set. Though in the description it is considered a single switch interface we have used 2 switches with Junior's with no problem.

Sensory Board

This is something Junior doesn't use much anymore but when he was younger it was used daily.
It fits in his lap or on his wheelchair tray so anytime he moves his hands he is touching a different texture.
It is very simple to make.
We used a piece of foam board as the base, cut to whatever size you need.
Then glue on different textured items. For Junior's, I used a piece of a grass rug, the insert from a box of candy(turned upside down), a piece of rubber non skid shelf liner, a couple of brushes, duct tape(folded into little flaps), some crate paper, and a piece of floor puzzle.
You could use pretty much anything to make it work for your child depending on your their needs and abilities. The sky is the limit with the sensory board, you could even attach some sensory toys to it.