RecyclingOT

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!

This Flannel board Velcro activity is fun and helps engage the most distractible clients. I wedged the top of a large piece of white fabric into the space between the wall and board. The shapes with Hook Velcro on the back came from various games that were no longer being used and they attached to the fabric. I also happened to have a vibrating cushion with Loop Velcro pieces attached and an outlet below. Now my clients can 1) attach or remove shapes or pictures attached with Velcro 2) press a hand to feel the vibration 3)work on using hands together by holding the container I love how clients are more easily engaged when working with materials at eye level. The individual in the video loves to move and this adaptation enables him to visually attend, develop bilateral hand skills -while standing and moving. When finished, staff folded up the fabric for easy storage. Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

I found this thick foam in a storage closet at work and thought --"that would feel nice to use in fine motor activities" I first used it on a table for individuals to insert shakers made out of pill containers. Then I thought of the magnetic pegs and white board in the program room. I tied the foam onto the board and demonstrated how to walk to a table, retrieve a peg and walk to the board for insertion. This is shown in the vide...…..This was beneficial because: 1) this client loves to walk. 2) this client tends to hunch over so reaching up to place the pegs helped her posture 3) she worked on a multistep task which is a bit more interesting and challenging (in my humble opinion) 4)she has poor motor control and these large pegs are easy to push into the deep foam holes. Pulling strips of fabric in and out of the foam is not quite weaving and its not quite lacing. But its very wonderful because - as you know-the foam feels great. In addition, she is wheelchair bound and this is relatively good exercise with all the reaching. But most importantly, the client is doing meaningful occupation. She had a stroke and now has dementia repeatedly telling me that she used to love quilting. This is every occupational therapists dream- being able to help her patient to resume a leisure activity that is similar to what she previously was able to do but adapted to much easier and successful . Also shown in the video is a woman with hemiplegia who is able to use her affected left side to stabilize the foam. I love when my clients STABILIZE! Notice the clever blue needle adaptation made out of a plastic piece cut from a coffee container. I didn't notice until one of the clients pointed out that the needle had a picture of coffee on it. I just happened to luck out and it smells great. Cut a simple opening to push the end of a fabric strip through. This makes it easier to grasp and push through the foam holes. Options: Making the task more cognitive challenging 1) teach specific types of stitches or a design 2) do a color sequence knotting strips of red, white and blue perhaps for a United states flag theme 3) Provide a model with color patterns to copy. If you come up with any more ideas on how to use the foam please share….. Oh..... and in case you are wondering- I am really fast at cutting fabric strips out of the piles of unwanted tubes and piles of folded cloth retrieved from a Recycling program . Most of it is fleece which gives us really nice tactile touch sensory stimulation which weaving or lacing or whatever...... Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

A girl with developmental disabilities enjoys pressing a switch that activates sensory stimulation. In this case, I connected a massager inside a cushion and fan. She requires a lot of time to process what she wants to do motorically. I can see her thinking about whether to press the switch using the toy in her right hand or her less preferred left hand. She clearly does NOT want to release the toy and involving both hands is the solution! Activating sensory devices like fans, massagers, bubble machines or radios gives the client or student control over their environment. It helps them to involve their hands in functional activities and teaches them about cause and effect relationships- such as "I touch the yellow panel and the fan blows. " Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

The swiveling grasping handle to a Push-Up exercise tool is perfect in opening up my client's hand and promoting active movement. She had a brain injury and her right hand has limited active range of motion and motor control. However, this tool seems to compensate for her movement impairment by swiveling as she moves. Her movement is more fluid than when simply grasping a rolled up towel and attempting to touch my finger. I’m sure that I will discover other fun and unique uses of this tool. Let me know if you do, too! Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

Carrying a pack and dragging a towel across the beach can be.... well.. a drag. Here is my simple solution to avoid tripping and lower back pain caused by carrying a heavy load. The lumbar area is your lower back and lack of adequate support may result in lower back pain. A "Lumbar support" may be a cushion pressed between the lower back and back of chair. Some backpacks are ergonomically designed to support that area while walking but this one is not. This may be especially helpful when carrying a heavy load. Benefits to using a rolled up towel for lumbar support is 1) you won't trip on the towel 2) you won't have to carry the towel 3) the towel is not as sweaty as the backpack and can be soaked in water first. Have a cool summer ! Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

I prefer to teach money skills by incorporating them into fine-motor activities. Laminated pictures of coins or paper bills may be sorted into containers or stuffed into envelopes. They can match and attach two pictures using paper clips or squeeze clips. The money shown in the video has holes punched so that they can be hung on hook boards, strung on cord or used in ring stack tasks. (Make the pictures and holes larger when using on ring stacks) Individuals with developmental disabilities can work on skills such as: 1) Identifying coins 2) Naming the value of coins 3) Naming the person in the picture on the coin 4) Saying the value of the coin 5) Adding up the coin values at any point while stringing or stacking them. Notice the blue bag attached to the board. I filled it up with the laminated money pictures along with sensory items such as pennies, cotton balls, beads, pom poms, foam pieces or beans. Of course, do not use this adaptation with individuals who may put them in their mouths. However, its fun to sift the fingers through the materials while selecting the laminated pictures. Clients who do not have the cognitive skills to identify, match or sort money may simply enjoy stringing or removing them to place back in the bag. Using money pictures to perform simple fine motor tasks is a great age-appropriate strategy to work on basic hand skills. Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com http://www.FromFlappingtoFunction.com

This "curvy ring stack" is made out of a bird mister found at a yard sale. Clients with autism or other developmental disabilities enjoy the visual stimulation experienced when watching the rings spiral downward. They need to reach, pay visual attention and use their hands together as they develop eye-hand coordination.

Children with or without disabilities often love vibration! Vibration stimulates the muscles and joints and this, in turn, helps develop body awareness and coordination. The sound and feel of the motor often motivates individuals with autism or sensory processing disorders to grasp and manipulate objects such as ring stacks or stringing even though they typically avoid using their hands. I adapt many activities to vibrate when I work as an occupational therapist with both children and adults with developmental disabilities. This video demonstrates just a few of my creations. There are many more strategies in my book From Flapping to Function: A Parent's Guide to Autism and Hand Skills. Learn more 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.

This video demonstrates the types of cues or prompts that may be used to support learning in educational or training settings. These include: 1) Hand over hand assistance 2) physical assistance 3) touch prompts 3) point cues and 4) verbal cues. I frequently use a combination of these supports. For example, I might give physical assistance to reach toward the spoon and then a touch and verbal cue to bring it to his mouth. As a person practices a skill, try to provide the least amount of prompting needed in order to be successful. In addition, pictures may be used, especially when teaching a multi-step task such as laundry or setting the table. Learn more about activity adaptations on my website at: http://www.RecyclingOT.com

This video demonstrates a variety of fidget tools or toys designed to help children or adults with sensory processing disorders and/or anxiety to promote focus and decrease agitation. Learn more about sensory processing disorders, autism and activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com

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

Zoom Ball (also called "Forward Pass") is a great activity for all children and especially helpful for those with visual attention and/or motor coordination challenges. How to play: 1)Each player holds a handle in each hand 2)One player keeps hands close together while the other player moves arms apart. 3)The "ball" flies across to the other player 4) Reverse and repeat over and over again This activity strengthens shoulders, arms and hands. It develops coordination between the right and left sides of the body and rhythm as the ball moves back and forth. Visual attention and tracking skills may improve as children or adults watch the "ball" move quickly back and forth. My clients on the autism spectrum and those with other developmental disabilities have really enjoyed playing this partner game...... Tip: the shorter the cord, the easier to play.... Learn more about activity adaptations at: http://www.RecyclingOT.com

My "sensory pegboard" is easy to use because the "pegs" are actually bottles, large and easy to grasp and insert into the large holes. These "pegs" do not easily fall out! This helps children with decreased motor control. But the best part is the sensory stimulation provided by the weight of the water bottles, looking at colorful objects moving inside the bottle, the vibration and the music. These types of sensory-based adaptations help children and adults with developmental disabilities to engage and develop hand skills. Learn more at RecyclingOT.com

Children and adults on the autism spectrum often benefit from sensory stimulation that promotes calm, focus, engagement and decreases agitation. Walking and moving up and down stimulates the vestibular (balance) system. Wearing a weighted or pressure vest and moving weighted objects stimulates the proprioceptive sensory receptors in muscles and joints. These types of sensory-motor activities help children to develop coordination and body awareness. Parents and teachers may set up play and learning centers incorporating these types of sensory stimulation. Learn more about activity adaptations at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

This activity teaches children the spatial relationships between small and large letters and how they fit on writing lines. Practice this activity with children before offering paper and pencil. Pulling the shapes off the Velcro "lines" and wiping them clean requires using force and force provides sensory stimulation to muscles and joints. Learn about other easy to make and effective adaptions that help children and adults on the autism spectrum or with other developmental disabilities at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

I have been using what I call "Velcro bottles" for over 30 years! They are easy to make and all you need is a bottle, sticky back Velcro and shapes, pictures or objects to attach. Screw the lid back onto large bottles to prevent losing small pieces. Removing the items to insert develops skills to use hands together, visual attention, eye-hand coordination and hand strength. Children with and without disabilities may begin developing hand skills playing with Velcro Bottles as soon as they can safely avoid putting small objects in the mouth. Adults with developmental disabilities will also benefit from this simple, repetitive fine- motor task that can be completed in a short amount of time. This makes it perfect for people with short attention spans! Learn more about activity adaptations at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

Occupational therapists love using cones to develop bilateral grasp, reaching skills and eye-hand coordination. Clients develop postural control and balance as they reach for cones while in a variety of positions such as kneeling or standing on top of a dynamic surface (such as a horse!). Clients with poor attention may be motivated to engage in hand activities such as the vibrating cone stacker. Try placing the cones on the floor and the vibrating cone stack on a high surface across the room to incorporate lots of movement into this sensory activity. Learn more about activity adaptations at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

This video demonstrates 3 different apple fine motor activities made out of plastic bottles. Bending and lacing plastic apples strengthens fingers and develops eye-hand coordination. Inserting or removing worms from apples is great pretend play and pushing the circles down hard to decorate the big apple develops the motor control needed to grasp a pencil. These activities are fun and help both typically developing children and children with challenges such as autism to build hand skills. Learn more in my books and website at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

Children and adults with autism, sensory processing disorders or other developmental disabilities often engage best when materials provide stimulation that meets their sensory needs. For example, it feels good to push and pull a ball attached to the table with elastic cord. This client needs frequent prompts to persist at most activities. However, he enjoys this type of sensory stimulation- the sensation to skin, muscles and joints as he pushes and pulls materials. Learn more about adapting activities for children or adults with autism, sensory processing disorders or other developmental disabilities on my web site: http://www.RecyclingOT.com

Children and adults with autism, sensory processing disorder and other developmental disabilities often seek out sensory stimulation to the eyes, muscles and joints. This unique stringing adaptation provides exactly this type of stimulation and its FUN! Simply take a coil type water hose and cut it to the desired length. Attach a sock or something to the bottom so that the user can stand on it, preventing the bottom from popping upward. This activity is great for developing balance, visual engagement and bilateral hand use (using hands together). Use rings that attach shower curtains, arts and crafts rings or cut your own out of plastic bottles. My clients love the sensation of pulling the coil upward and watching the rings spin downward. Learn more about adapting activities on my web site www.RecyclingOT.com and thank-you to Ben at www.Bensound.com for the lively music.

Pulling and unscrewing lids is sensory fun while developing eye-hand coordination and dexterity. First cut off the tops of containers and punch holes in them. I demonstrate how in the video.... Attach them to a sturdy board using stretchy cord or elastics. Young children will enjoy the sensation to skin, muscles and joints as they pull unscrew or pull the lids. Next you may teach how to match up the lids to the corresponding container tops and put them back together. But, remember..... taking apart is easier and a better place to start teaching a new skill. Learn more about activity adaptations at http://www.RecyclingOT.com

Children and adults with autism, sensory processing disorders or developmental disabilities often engage better and enjoy using materials that vibrate. The vibration provides sensory stimulation to muscles and joints and the sound helps them stay focused. This video demonstrates 2 different types of ring stacks made inexpensively from plastic candy canes and rings cut out of detergent bottles. As an occupational therapist, I look for ways to adapt activities so that my clients are motivated to engage, focus, use their hands together and develop new skills. Learn more at RecyclingOT.com

This video demonstrates how to cut up supermarket plastic bags to make "yarn" used for knitting. I knit bags of different sizes and shapes, usually to hold therapy materials or groceries. People are always impressed when I tell them that they are made of supermarket bags and they are super STRONG. Making yarn works on many fine-motor skills as a child or adult 1) rolls up the supermarket bags 2) snips 4-5 pieces from each bag 3) stretches them open into giant plastic rings 4) knots them into a long chain 5) rolls the chain into a “yarn ball” 6) knits The best part is that all the yarn is free and if you mess up, it costs nothing.... Learn more about activity adaptations on my website and blog: http://www.RecyclingOT.com http://.www.RecyclingOT.blogspot.com