Thursday, May 26, 2011

Using Apps for Evaluating Posture


Here is an interesting way to evaluate a client's posture - try using your iPhone or iPad. Basically what you will do is create an image with a picture of the client and a grid over the picture. With the grid you can measure angles to determine progress. Here is how you do it:

Step 1: Download a free app to your phone that can alter photographs. I used a free app called SketchBookX for the purpose of this tutorial.

Step 2: Download and save a copy of this transparent grid that I created below (right click on image to save).


Step 3: Email yourself a copy of the grid and save the grid image on your phone.

Step 4: Take a picture of your client with your phone to assess his/her posture. See example below.



Step 5: Open up the SketchBookX app on your phone. Touch the circle at the bottom of page. Touch the icon with the three pieces of paper on it. For Layer 1 touch the icon with the flower and plus symbol to acquire your image from phone. Choose from your photo library the picture you took of the client. Now touch the two plus symbols to create another layer. Touch the flower/plus symbol to acquire the image of the grid that you emailed and saved the copy of on your phone (it will appear black because it is transparent). Now press the down arrow and touch merge. The grid will now be merged on top of the photo. See below.



Step 6: Print out your image or store online for your photo documentation before interventions. Using a protractor and the grid as a guide you can determine different angles of the spine.

Step 7: To assess progress, repeat the process showing improvements in the angles over time.



Now maybe you are thinking that you could just take a picture to indicate postural changes or use a goniometer. This is true but, by actually measuring the angles on the grid over time you can document small progressions that may not be as noticeable in a regular photo. A picture is worth a thousand words too. It can be difficult to get a true goniometric measurement of a child's posture who moves frequently whereas a photo can capture that moment in time. In addition, it can help with goal writing - Jane will improve her upright posture at her desk by 10 degrees. It certainly is not exact but not a bad free tool if you ask me.

Have any questions about how to do it all? Email me at mrice@yourtherapysource.com.

Can you think of any other ways to use the grid over photos to indicate progress?

Wednesday, May 25, 2011

Children Are Getting Weaker

A recent study published in Acta Paediatrica indicated that English children have become weaker over the last decade. In 2008, the physical fitness of 315 ten year olds was compared to 308 ten year olds in 1998. The height to weight ratio (BMI) was the same for both groups of 10 year old children. The results indicated the following:
  • number of sit ups decreased by 27.1%
  • arm strength decreased by 26%
  • grip strength decreased by 7%
  • twice as many children could not hold their own weight when hanging from bars
I know this is just one study but it brings up some questions... Is the same true for children in the United States or is it even worse? What does this mean in terms of pediatric therapy evaluations? If the tests we use are more than 10 years old are we getting a true comparison for a child today?

Think about the general population of children. For example, the Presidential Physical Fitness test that is frequently used throughout schools is based on a 1985 School Population Fitness Survey. It was validated in 1998, by means of comparison with a large nationwide sample collected in 1994. Therefore, the data was validated in 1998 but the initial data is over 25 years old! Does anyone know if fewer and fewer children are receiving the awards? Interesting...

Reference: Richard Alleyne. Modern life has made British children weaker in the last decade. Retrieved on 5/25/11 from http://www.telegraph.co.uk/health/8529071/Modern-life-has-made-British-children-weaker-in-the-last-decade.html

Tuesday, May 24, 2011

Standing Program and Cerebral Palsy

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on the effect of weight-bearing in abduction and extension on hip stability in children with cerebral palsy. Three non ambulatory children with cerebral palsy post surgery participated in a standing program with hips in maximum abduction and hip and knee extension. Following one year of the standing program the three children exhibited the largest decrease in hip migration percentage compared to 20 children in the control group. Eight non ambulatory children who did not undergo surgery also participated in a preventative standing program for one year. The eight subjects also exhibited a decrease in hip migration percentage compared to the 63 controls. Only the control group had hip and knee contractures.

The authors concluded that:
  • standing for one hour per day in maximum hip abduction and hip and knee extension may reduce hip migration percentage post adductor-iliopsoas-tenotomies
  • standing for one hour per day in maximum hip abduction and hip and knee extension may prevent an increase in hip migration percentage and prevent muscle contractures in children who have not had surgery
  • larger studies need to be performed to confirm the findings.

Reference: Martinsson, Caroline PT, MSc; Himmelmann, Kate MD, PhD Effect of Weight-Bearing in Abduction and Extension on Hip Stability in Children With Cerebral Palsy Pediatric Physical Therapy: Summer 2011 - Volume 23 - Issue 2 - p 150–157
doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e318218efc3

Monday, May 23, 2011

Change the Task Not the Child

Developmental Medicine and Child Neurology published research on context therapy for children with cerebral palsy. Therapists were trained that in order to achieve parent identified functional goals for the child the therapist was to change the task and/or the environment rather than change the abilities of the child. A three step intervention process was established. The results indicated that the therapists were able to follow the therapy protocol and parents participated in goal setting and interventions. The researchers concluded that having a therapy approach that changes the task and/or environment is a viable intervention and needs further investigation. The article details the context therapy approach which can be replicated by researchers and therapists.

Reference: Darrah J, Law MC, Pollock N, Wilson B, Russell DJ, Walter SD, Rosenbaum P, Galuppi B. Context therapy: a new intervention approach for children with cerebral palsy Dev Med Child Neurol. 2011 May 13. doi: 10.1111/j.1469-8749.2011.03959.x. [Epub ahead of print]

Friday, May 20, 2011

Motor Activity, Memory and Attention in Preschoolers

BMC Pediatrics published research that analyzed aerobic fitness, motor skills, dynamic balance, working memory and attention in 254 ethnically diverse preschoolers (mean age 5.2 years). Baseline data was collected along with data 9 months later. The results indicated the following:
  1. a cross sectional analysis indicated that aerobic fitness level was associated with better attention
  2. cross sectional analysis also indicated decreased time on agility test was associated with improved memory and attention
  3. longitudinal analysis over the 9 months revealed that baseline aerobic fitness was independently related to improved attention
  4. longitudinal analysis also revealed that baseline dynamic balance was related to improved working memory.
Read the complete study here.

Reference: Iris Niederer et al. Relationship of aerobic fitness and motor skills with memory and attention in preschoolers (Ballabeina): A cross-sectional and longitudinal study. BMC Pediatrics 2011, 11:34 doi:10.1186/1471-2431-11-34





Get preschoolers active with ideas from Play - Move - Develop - Games and Activities to Encourage Motor Skill Development and Learning in Children.

More info at YourTherapySource.com

Thursday, May 19, 2011

Sensory Research

Came across this website that has a good compilation of research on sensory processing - sensoryprocessing.info. The author lists many sensory processing research reports over the past 10 years that were published in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy. It is an informative website for parents for activity suggestions in the home as well.

Of course you can visit the Sensory Processing Foundation website for more great research articles and information. Check out their library section at http://www.spdfoundation.net/library.html

Wednesday, May 18, 2011

Exploring Spaces and Body Awareness

Many pediatric occupational and physical therapists work with children who exhibit decreased sensory processing such as decreased body awareness, motor planning and proprioception. These difficulties of sensing where a child is in space can interfere with motor skill development, peer interaction and safety. We are all familiar with therapy sessions that focus on proprioceptive input, following motor commands and activities that encourage the children to learn where their body is in space. One additional activity to consider is fully exploring the environment where the functional skills are to be learned.

Let's take this goal for example: Johnny will negotiate the classroom without bumping into stationary objects 100% of the time. As stated previously, therapy may consist of body awareness activities, proprioceptive input (heavy work activities) and motor planning skills. If it is pull out therapy all of this takes place outside of the true environment. If it is push in therapy perhaps skills are practiced in during recess, physical education or sometimes in the classroom. BUT do you remember to explore and practice skills in the actual environment?

Remember to not only practice activities but how about really exploring the area where "Johnny" is having difficulties. When the classroom is empty, go inside and have Johnny walk in and around the desks and chairs. Johnny can crawl under desks, kneel down and sit in different locations in the classroom. Add in games or activities to keep it novel. Provide verbal cues as Johnny walks by items ie. this desk is wide or this aisle is narrow. This exploration allows Johnny to develop a motor map of his surroundings with him in it. He can develop a better sense of how big desks are, how tall are the chairs, how wide is the carpet and how far is the bathroom.

This can apply to different areas of the school or home. How about the cafeteria? Let a child explore it to help define a motor map for in between cafeteria tables, on the cafeteria line and around garbage cans. At home, if furniture is changed around allow time to just explore the new areas and obstacles without adding in the stressors of different goals. Now when you do start to add in the actual functional tasks that needs to be accomplished, Johnny should have a much better idea of what you are expecting of him.

In summary, keep it simple sometimes and start out with just simply exploring the surroundings without adding in any other functional tasks to help build a strong foundation.

Tuesday, May 17, 2011

Make Your Own iPad Apps

I was so excited when I learned from @lloydcrew on Twitter about this app that allows you to mark up pdf's on your iPad. Basically this free app allows you to mark and draw on the iPad with pdf documents. Therefore, if any of you have ordered some of our visual motor electronic books you can now store them on your iPad and have the children practice visual motor skills using the iPad instead of paper. Here is how you do it:

Step 1: On your iPad download the free pdf-notes app from itunes.

Step 2: Email yourself a copy of a pdf document. Try our free sample page from Visual Motor Workbook.




For large files, ie Visual Motor Workbook, click on the download link you originally received from us. If either of those don't work try using a free service like sendthisfile.com to email yourself the larger document.

Step 3: Open the pdf document on the iPad. In the upper right hand corner the option will come up to "Open in pdf-notes". Tap on that option.

Step 4: Wait a few seconds and your document will open. Now you can mark up the pages directly on the iPad. At the top of the page is where you can change the thickness of the mark, erase, change colors, undo, redo and more.



Step 5: Tap at the bottom of the page to email or print the document. Tap on the books to return to your bookshelf of other pdf documents.



Step 6: Try out some of our other pdf documents that you could use on the iPad like What's Missing? Patterns, Patterns, Patterns or Follow the Path. Here is an example from Follow the Path:



Step 7: Think up other uses - If you have iPad2 you could take a picture of worksheet using app which converts it to pdf and let students complete the worksheet on the iPad. Text can not be written on the pdf's but it does say it is coming soon!!! Imagine that - you could scan in tests, job applications, etc and someone could create fillable forms right on the iPad. Amazing! Email us at contactus@yourtherapysource.com if you have any questions on how you can turn our ebooks to use on the iPad.

Monday, May 16, 2011

Oral and Fine Motor Video Activity

Here is a fun outdoor activity to encourage oral motor, fine motor and eye hand coordination skills using bubbles and household items.

Saturday, May 14, 2011

BMI and Gross Motor Skills

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and gross motor skill level in children. Fifty typically developing 3-5 year old children were evaluated with the Peabody Developmental Motor Scales. Of those 50 children, 24% were overweight/obese with 54% scoring below average on the PDMS in that group. Whereas only 15% of the non overweight group scored below average on the PDMS. The researchers concluded that 3-5 year old children with a high BMI may have difficulties with gross motor skills. More research was recommended.

Reference: Nervik, Deborah PT, MHS, DPT, DHS, PCS; Martin, Kathy PT, DHS; Rundquist, Peter PT, PhD; Cleland, Joshua PT, PhD The Relationship Between Body Mass Index and Gross Motor Development in Children Aged 3 to 5 Years. Pediatric Physical Therapy:
Summer 2011 - Volume 23 - Issue 2 - p 144–148 doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e318218d356

Hippotherapy and Gait

The Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation published research on the effects of hippotherapy on 32 children with bilateral spastic cerebral palsy. The children received 2, 30 minute sessions, of hippotherapy for 8 weeks. Walking speed, stride length, and pelvic kinematics (average pelvic anterior tilt, pelvic anterior tilt at initial contact, pelvic anterior tilt at terminal stance) improved significantly following the hippotherapy sessions. In addition, scores for dimension E (walking, running and jumping) of the Gross Motor Function Measure (GMFM), GMFM-66 and PBS (Pediatric Balance Scale) also showed improvements.

Reference: Jeong-Yi Kwon, Hyun Jung Chang, Ji Young Lee, Yumi Ha, Peter K. Lee, Yun-Hee Kim. Effects of Hippotherapy on Gait Parameters in Children With Bilateral Spastic Cerebral Palsy. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation - May 2011 (Vol. 92, Issue 5, Pages 774-779, DOI: 10.1016/j.apmr.2010.11.031)

Friday, May 13, 2011

Grant for Inclusion

The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation (MEAF) is offering grant money of up to $90,000 if you are a non profit 501(c). Here are some details:
The Mitsubishi Electric America Foundation is dedicated to helping young Americans with disabilities maximize their potential and participation in society. The Foundation supports organizations and projects within its mission that address important needs, have broad scope and impact, and demonstrate potential for replication at other sites.

MEAF's funding priority is inclusion: enabling young people with disabilities to have full access to educational, vocational and recreational opportunities and to participate alongside their non-disabled peers.

You can get more information at MEAF.

Wednesday, May 11, 2011

iPad App for Switch Use


Wow! A new app was released for the iPad from Attainment called the Attainment Switch. For only $4.99 you can turn your iPad into a wireless switch device. I tested it out today and it works great. I only tested it on some simple games to play but was very pleased. Basically you download the Switch Helper Application to your computer. This allows you to run the app on the iPad. Once downloaded on your computer and you have purchased the app for your iPad, the computer and the iPad communicate over a WiFi network. You can customize the iPad to either have one switch or two switch access and you can change the colors of the switch. The company states you can even choose your own png image but when I tried this it did not work. I was satisfied with the color switches anyway.

I started playing some simple games with one switch access and it was very accurate. Then I tested out using two switches using one to scan and one to select. Again, the application worked great.

This is a great little app for only $4.99 if you have WiFi access. It is different than a regular switch due to the flat surface of the screen therefore there is less tactile input and no movement to indicate that the switch was activated. It would be even better if it would was Bluetooth enabled. Many schools do not have WiFi access. Overall, I give this app a thumbs up. You can get more information from Apple or Attainment.

Review of Crazy Bones Toy by OT


Thanks to Jessica Helvey, MS OTR/L for this guest post:

Occupational Therapy with Gogo’s Crazy Bones
A product review of a new occupation-based toy


I’ve been an occupational therapist for six years and I have worked with a variety of clients. I thought my “toolkit” for engaging clients in purposeful, meaningful activities was pretty well rounded—until I became a mother myself. When it came to my own son, Nathan, I couldn’t seem to engage him for any length of time on tasks that targeted component skills, such as hand dexterity, finger isolation, pincer grasp, or in-hand manipulation. Nathan, who is four-years old, frequently became bored with pencil-and-paper tasks targeting handwriting, and zipper and button activities seemed meaningless to him. I quickly realized we needed something fun and engaging that wouldn’t be interpreted as work.

One day while waiting in line at Walmart, Nathan became captivated by all the toys and candies lined up near the register. He was drawn to one fun and colourful package in particular—Gogo’s Crazy Bones. He asked me to buy it and at $3 each I grabbed a couple without thinking much about it. It wasn’t until we got home and I watched him play with the quirky little characters that I realized what a fantastic fine motor skills toy we had found.

I immediately Googled the Gogo’s and discovered that there was so much more to the toys than I would have imagined. The Gogo’s come in hundreds of shapes, colours and designs and kids can play dozens of games that are not just fun, but educational, too. The web site, gogoscrazybones.com, was a great resource and I downloaded several game ideas for Nathan. Better still, now that I knew more about the Gogo’s I was able to come up with my own activities that we could play together or that Nathan could play independently.

For example, to help Nathan with stereognosis, hand dexterity and in-hand manipulation, we invented a game called “In the Box.” We put several Gogo’s into an empty tissue box, along with some random sensory items (a small fuzzy ball, several dry beans, a ball of Play-Doh, etc.). Without looking, Nathan puts his hand into the box, feels for the Gogo and then guesses which character he is holding.

Another fun game that helps Nathan develop body awareness and pre-writing skills is “Build a Gogo.” To play, Nathan selects various shapes cut from construction paper and assembles them to form his own Gogo creation. By using prepositional phrases such as “on the top,” “under the circle” and “beside the square” Nathan is learning how to use and follow directions.
I’ve found that every component skill I want to address in our daily “OT sessions” can be included in our Gogo’s playtime. Since our games are occupation-based and purposeful to him, Nathan never asks to stop playing and the range of games is limited only by our imaginations.
As an occupational therapist, I know how important the role of play is in the development of a child’s cognitive, physical, social and emotional well-being. I can also relate to the frustration occupational therapists (and parents) sometimes have when it comes to finding engaging activities for young kids who need practice in component skills. After my “by chance” encounter I realized what an efficient and effective tool Gogo’s Crazy Bones are. Who knew something so useful could come from an impulse buy?

Visit www.gogoscrazybones.com for more info.

SIDEBAR:
Gogo’s Crazy Bones have incredible practical benefits for occupational therapists who often have to travel to and from schools, clinics, homes and hospitals.
1. Size and portability. Gogo’s are very small and don’t take up much space in your toolkit.
2. Multi-client use. Gogo’s appeal to boys and girls from a wide range of ages, which means fewer tools for you to carry.
3. Replaceable. If you lose one Gogo, you can still play and the figures are very inexpensive to replace. (I can’t tell you how many games I have shipped to the game graveyard because critical pieces are missing.)
4. Reward. After a great session the child may be awarded a few Gogo’s to take home and practice with for the next session.
5. Variety. Kids don’t get tired of playing the Gogo’s games. They use their imaginations to create new scenarios or visit the web site to learn new games.
6. Child-led. Playing with Gogo’s is a child-led activity, which is so important!
7. Educational. Sorting, patterning and counting Gogo’s requires problem solving as well as fine motor and other skills.
8. Low maintenance. Gogo’s have no batteries or moving parts to break, which is critical when set-up and clean-up time is an issue.
9. Easy to clean. Infection control is important when the same tools are shared between many clients.

Tuesday, May 10, 2011

Exercise and Cystic Fibrosis

A small study from John Hopkins indicates that prescribing an individualized exercise program to children with cystic fibrosis improved lung function. Fifty eight children ranging in age from 6 to 16 years old received individualized exercise programs such as taking a stroll or playing the Wii. After two months of following the exercise regimen exercise tolerance increased. The children also exhibited small changes in pulmonary function tests and improved self image.

Reference: Ekaterina Pesheva. Simple Exercise Improves Lung Function in Children with CF. Retrieved from the web on 5/9/2011 at http://www.hopkinschildrens.org/Simple-Exercise-Improves-Lung-Function-in-Children-with-CF.aspx

Monday, May 9, 2011

Exercise, Academics and Autism

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research on the effects of aerobic exercise on academics in young children with autism. In the experimental phase of the treatment, the children participated in 15 minutes of aerobic activity prior to academic tasks. In the control phase, the children only completed the academic tasks. The results indicated a significant difference in correct responses following the exercise. There were no differences seen in stereotypical behaviors and on-task behaviors.

Reference: Oriel, Kathryn N. PT, EdD; George, Cheryl L. PhD; Peckus, Rebecca DPT; Semon, Amanda DPT The Effects of Aerobic Exercise on Academic Engagement in Young Children With Autism Spectrum Disorder Pediatric Physical Therapy: Summer 2011 - Volume 23 - Issue 2 - p 187–193 doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e318218f149

Friday, May 6, 2011

Strength and Balance Training - Down Syndrome

A randomized controlled trial on strength and balance training in children with down syndrome was published in Clinical Rehabilitation . Twenty three children with Down Syndrome were divided into two groups - an experimental group who received 6 weeks of progressive resistive exercise and balance training and a control group (no intervention). The results indicated a significant improvement in lower limb muscle strength in the experimental group. In addition, a significant improvement in balance scores on the Bruininks Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency (BOTMP)were also seen in the experimental group.

Reference: Sukriti Gupta,Bhamini krishna Rao,and Kumaran SD Effect of strength and balance training in children with Down’s syndrome: a randomized controlled trial Clin Rehabil May 2011 25: 425-432, first published on November 8, 2010 doi:10.1177/0269215510382929

Thursday, May 5, 2011

Outdoor Environments for Children with Autism and Special Needs

Here is some great information on creating and working with outdoor environments for children with autism and special needs or view below. This hand out gives an overview of autism and sensory integration followed by research on the role of nature in autism and design guidelines. The hand out was created based on a webinar that Kaboom offered which you can view here - scroll to bottom of page.

Wednesday, May 4, 2011

Using Task Analysis for Documentation

Pediatric Physical Therapy published research using task analysis and a scoring code for donning coats in preschool children. The 171 preschool children were scored three times per year and the data revealed the following:
  • at first scoring 22 children were able to put on coat independently and 149 required help
  • at final scoring 75 of the 149 children could now put on a coat, 14 still needed help, 50 received additional services and 32 had services interrupted
The researchers concluded that task analysis and scoring codes helped to standardize documentation, show small changes and and focus the task training.

Reference: Kaplan, Sandra L. PT, PhD; O'Connell, Melanie D. MSPT Task Analyses Identify Coat-Donning Delays in Preschoolers in Special Education Pediatric Physical Therapy:Spring 2011 - Volume 23 - Issue 1 - p 62–69 doi: 10.1097/PEP.0b013e318209429c

Dressing Skills Rubrics - task analysis of dressing skills with scoring

Download of 21 rubrics in pdf and Word format

Find out more.

Tuesday, May 3, 2011

Shoes4Kids - Needs Our Help PT 2011

Here is a guest post about a great charitable organization that provides shoes for kids at the APTA conference each year.

Bringing New Shoes and Smiles to Kids in Need


The mission of Shoes4Kids is to provide disadvantaged youth a new pair of athletic shoes and socks, thereby improving their health and wellness.

Since 2006, Shoes4Kids has been creating change by distributing over 2500 pairs of new athletic shoes and socks to underserved and disadvantaged children in 5 different cities in the United States.

Last year Shoes4Kids distributed over 1000 pairs of new youth athletic shoes and over 3000 pairs of socks to the children of Boston. Many of the children and families we met at the shelters made a lasting impression, but an encounter with a boy named Jamal was especially unforgettable. To be sure the shoes fit, Shoes4Kids volunteers help the children try on their new shoes. When I offered to help Jamal, he politely refused. Once Jamal picked out a pair of shoes I persisted, explaining that I just wanted to be sure the shoes fit him properly. Eventually Jamal quietly admitted to me that his socks were dirty. I recall Him having so much pride. He didn't want me to see his socks, which were grey and full of holes. So, in addition to fixing him up with a great pair of new shoes, I made sure Jamal had a new pair of socks for every day of the week.

At another shelter, a mother and father brought in their two little girls for shoes. The mother told me that they also had an older boy and asked if he could get shoes, too. When they returned, I visited with the boy and asked him which sports he liked, He said basketball. I helped him find a great pair of Nikes. I remember Him just glowing. What touched me the most was when the father reached out to me and said, 'You don't know how much you've helped. What you've done for my family, I can't afford to do.'" By making such small acts of kindness possible, Shoes4Kids volunteers and donors are helping to restore some hope and happiness to families.

To view pictures of two of our visits last year go to these links:

http://www.ccab.org/unlinked/Shoes4Kids/index.php




Shoes4Kids will be visiting three different shelters during PT 2011 - June 8th -10th, those shelters being; St Margaret of Cortona Transitional Residence, Woodbridge, MD, Mondloch House, Alexandria, VA, and the Spring Road Family Program, Washington, DC. This year's goal is to distribute 600 pairs of NEW athletic shoes and socks.

While it may not be feasible for you to attend or volunteer at the shelters this year, it can be a comfort by knowing that your donation will have an impact on the children and families who call these shelters home. You can either mail your donation to my work address below or by making a donation online through my PayPal account at bthuring@brookings.net.

Deadline for donations, mail or by PayPal is May 25th. Checks can be payable to Shoes4Kids.

If attending PT 2011 - National Harbor, MD you can bring your donation with you. For your convenience, there will be several Shoe4Kids drop off bins located throughout the Gaylord Hotel and Convention Center. If you would like to volunteer at the shelters or have questions, you can contact me at (800) 657.4344 ext. 325 or email at thuringb@lakeareatech.edu.

Thank you for your generosity to Shoes4Kids. See you in DC!

Brad Thuringer, PTA

Instructor, ACCE
Physical Therapist Assistant Program
Lake Area Technical Institute
230 11th Street NE
PO Box 730
Watertown, South Dakota 57201
800.657.4344 ext. 325

Monday, May 2, 2011

Teacher Appreciation Week

Teacher Appreciation Week is this week from May 2 through May 6th during 2011. Why not show the teachers that you work with some appreciation. Here are some fun ideas:
  1. Teach a Class - offer to lead the class in sensory motor activities to wake up the brain for learning
  2. Relaxation Exercises - lead a class in relaxation exercise or stress relievers during a break between classes or tests
  3. Thank You Note - do you work with a teacher who always carries out your therapy suggestions? Write them a thank you note.
  4. Fidget Basket - make some homemade fidgets to give to the teacher for the classroom
  5. Indoor Recess Packet - give the teacher a folder filled with simple physical activity ideas for indoor recess. Kids will get their energy out and the teacher does not have to prepare (Check out Imagination Action Journeys)
  6. Bake some treats with students to give to the teachers
  7. Plan a breakfast for the teachers - The students will get great practice of functional skills when planning, organizing and cooking a meal.

Imagination Action Journeys -

Encourage movement with 10 imagination journeys to read and perform.
Great for indoor recess or mini movement breaks during the school day.

Find out more.
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