RecyclingOT

Children and adults with autism, sensory processing disorders or other disabilities often enjoy the sensory stimulation provided by weighted materials and activities that involve pushing or pulling. I filled some long stretchy socks with bags of sand and attached handles to each end. You may also use stretchy sleeves or pant legs from clothing instead of socks or tights. Cut some handles from detergent bottles and attach to the stretchy heavy material and see how much fun they have! I have used this with clients to motivate reaching, grasping, shaking, pulling and other movements. Some clients find this calming and it may decrease agitation. This activity can be incorporated into sensory motor games such as... Players hold an end while others run under or step over the "Sensory Socks". Try it, it's fun!

The "sensory pull bottle" is a fun way to help young children develop hand strength, coordination between right and left hands and to develop a hand preference. I incorporate this activity when working with children with developmental disabilities such as autism spectrum disorders, sensory processing disorders or other impairments that impact developing hand skills. It can be used while the child is sitting, kneeling, standing, riding a horse or moving in other ways. The combination of movement, pulling and vibration helps to motivate and engage children.

Hippotherapy involves using the horse as a treatment tool. It is used by occupational, physical and speech therapists to develop motor, cognitive, communication, social and many other skills. The movement of the horse and the emotional bond that riders develop help children and adults with disabilities to focus, decrease touch sensitivities and use their hands to develop fine-motor skills. Learn more at RecyclingOT.com

A seal swam to Cranes Beach in Ipswich, Massachusetts for some rest and relaxation next to the boats. An appreciative audience gathered to admire his calm presence as he wiggled, flapped and seemed to ignore the crowd. Nature's show continued for hours! Filmed by the Recycling occupational therapist at RecyclingOT.com

As an occupational therapist I made many meaningful activity for my mother to use when she developed Alzheimer's Disease. In this video I describe how to fill a binder with personalized stories, photographs, pictures and song lyrics. My mother enjoyed reading this all day long! Please visit my website to download photos and lyrics that you can use to make your own activity book for someone you love or care for who has memory impairment. RecyclingOT.com

Children or adults with autism and/or sensory processing disorders often love the sensory feedback provided by pulling. This video demonstrates how to make a "Sensory Pull" activity that motivates children to visually attend as they develop postural control and strengthen their hands while receiving the type of sensory stimulation they seek and love.

Individuals with autism and/or sensory processing disorders may find it challenging to engage in hand activities. The "paint roller ring stack" is fun, often motivating people because it meets their sensory needs while developing eye hand coordination and visual attention. It is made by wedging a paint roller handle inside a bottle; then secure in place with duct tape. As you see in the videos, it can be used in a variety of ways to meet the different needs of individuals. Please visit my website RecyclingOT.com for information about my books, CEU courses and blog.

This video demonstrates how to cut fruit shapes out of plastic bottles to make fine motor activities for children or adults with autism or other developmental disabilities, as well as typically developing children. Connecting and separating the bracelets from the plastic is a fun sensory experience and develops eye-hand coordination.

Animals and roads usually don’t mix. It’s not something you see every day. But when that happens, we always have a witness to capture that funny moment when they do. While most animals avoid humans and roads, some gutsy geese recently threw caution to the wind and decided to do some walking. Why did the flock of geese cross the street? So that they can be caught on video and become an Internet sensation! These very clever geese wait for the traffic light to change before crossing the street in front of the Isabella Gardner Museum in Boston. Such model citizens! Soon enough, one by one they start crossing and the cars stop for these feathery pedestrians! They look like the <a href="https://rumble.com/v2zgyr-3-year-old-sings-and-plays-harmonica-with-dad.-beatles-love-me-do.html" target="_blank">Beatles</a> on that crosswalk, only without the flair pants. If you are wondering why they didn’t just fly across, here’s an idea. Walking uses far less energy than flying. Conserving energy for fleeing danger and long migrations help them survive. Geese tend to walk to their feeding site from water. Since geese are grazing animals, they will do more walking than flying. It’s really interesting to see these flock of <a href="https://rumble.com/v3h529-geese-and-turkey-run-to-wish-owner-good-morning.html" target="_blank">geese</a> so calm and near people and cars, because geese aren’t the friendliest of creatures! It’s adorable to watch now, but it’s a good thing that these drivers were paying attention and let these little guys go! It’s good to know that we have such good drivers that pay attention on the road and didn’t disturbed this big family making it to the other side!

Students or clients with sensory processing disorders often engage best when using materials that require force. These activities provide "resistance" and heavy pressure sensory stimulation to muscles and joints. The video shows how motivated and fun it is to get sensory stimulation while also strengthening hands and developing coordination. Please visit my website for more information at RecyclingOT .com

Fidget spinners are the rage as a toy or as a therapeutic tool to promote calm, engagement and hand skills. This video demonstrates a few ways to use the spinner to develop hand skills.