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What a great idea! Thanks for posting on Saturday ...

2012-05-24T19:13:51.771-07:00

What a great idea! Thanks for posting on Saturday Show and Tell. I love that the kids are standing up too, it helps with their development. I hope you'll post this week too.
-Mackenzie
http://www.cheeriosandlattes.com

Check out OTExchange.com. If you are a member the...

2012-05-21T19:14:50.540-07:00

Check out OTExchange.com. If you are a member there (free to join) you can view a document entitled Strategies for Teaching Nose Blowing. It is a 2 page collection of strategies such as blowing feathers when exhaling through the nose and more.

Once on OTExchange go to documents - self care - Strategies for Teaching Nose Blowing.

I am an OT. A mom wants me to teach her daughter t...

2012-05-21T15:38:02.977-07:00

I am an OT. A mom wants me to teach her daughter to blow her nose. Any SP or OT out there found a way to teach this?

Mary

Many wheelchairs do fall apart so easily so I agre...

2012-05-10T19:22:20.119-07:00

Many wheelchairs do fall apart so easily so I agree. Only comment is that we want them so lightweight that we have to make a trade off (or perhaps that is just what I have told myself over the years).

The bottom line is the children and their families are left to deal with the fall out which can be very difficult.

Thanks for the comment.

because they make them with crap. For what they c...

2012-05-10T19:06:28.841-07:00

because they make them with crap. For what they cost (often the cost of a new car) they are all lemons. We would not put up with our new cars falling apart so often! We can send people into space but cannot make a decent w/c????

Thought this was interesting, but I've found t...

2012-05-04T05:40:31.500-07:00

Thought this was interesting, but I've found that after cursive writing is introduced in 3rd grade, it's not required to be used. Keyboarding is also not a daily activity for most students. I find it hard to improve accuracy and fluency without daily practice.

Thank you - fixed it!

2012-04-30T12:22:39.226-07:00

Thank you - fixed it!

Bad link!

2012-04-30T12:09:33.037-07:00

Bad link!

Yes it is similar to reducing images on the iPad s...

2012-04-20T18:13:17.819-07:00

Yes it is similar to reducing images on the iPad screen except you have to keep your fingers together in order for it to work. I see your point about the word grasp insinuating force. But when referring to pincer grasp it does not only refer to holding a pencil. It refers to holding (grasping) any object with the thumb and index finger. It helps to distinguish how an individual grasps an item. Thanks for your comment.

So Smart, love this idea!

2012-04-20T12:09:18.818-07:00

So Smart, love this idea!

Sounds like a neat app, driven no doubt by the way...

2012-04-20T11:07:49.725-07:00

Sounds like a neat app, driven no doubt by the way we use enlargements and reductions on adult apps.

Because we aim for a relaxed hand, I dislike the words, "pincer"and "grasp." How about pen hold, pencil hold, or even writing instrument hold?

Nan Barchowsky

Promoting Occupational Therapy Because Maddak valu...

2012-04-09T07:22:42.238-07:00

Promoting Occupational Therapy Because Maddak value and admire OTs

“We Love OTs!” is a phrase often heard around the halls at Maddak. Whether it’s an article we read, a conversation we had, or a trade show we just attended, we continue to be ‘wowed’ by the experience, knowledge and dedication that occupational therapists bring to their quest to improve the quality of life of their patients.

Like you, Maddak is committed to enhancing the lives of seniors, those with disabilities and those recovering from injuries by providing products that make the daily tasks of independent living easier. We have created the Maddak OT Circle™ Program, a partnership between Maddak and occupational therapists to communicate and work together. The goals of this program are to facilitate opportunities for occupational therapists to connect with each other, educate and promote the role OTs play in care and treatment, and work more closely with OTs to further independent living with products and services.

The Circle includes opportunities to:
• Evaluate new products in development
• Sample new products
• Receive ‘Inside the Circle’ monthly e-news from Maddak
• Participate in ‘Inside the Circle’ webinars
• Network with other occupational therapists
• And more!

http://www.maddak.com/pages.php?page=maddak_ot_circle&osCsid=b0d937df00fdd267dd971265549a1ac8

That looks like fun.

2012-03-14T19:09:06.625-07:00

That looks like fun.

I agree. Kind of a "duh" moment for me ...

2012-03-11T10:36:42.310-07:00

I agree. Kind of a "duh" moment for me - why has no one tried this before? The slow motion would be very beneficial for the children with spasticity. Just makes sense. Hope someone does it again with more children.

Thank you Chris and Bea for commenting. That was ...

2012-03-11T10:29:53.504-07:00

Thank you Chris and Bea for commenting. That was exactly the type of research I was looking for Bea - vestibular stimulation effecting auditory hypersensitivity. To me, from a neuroanatomy perspective it seems as if gaining control over the vestibular system may help in auditory sensitivity. But that brings us back to the puzzle of what Chris mentioned - how do we single out those variables to show causation. On the flip side I do not "believe" (I know bad choice of words when discussing research) that auditory stimulation can change vestibular function from a neuroanatomical perspective. I do think it may help by providing rhythm to motion but that it does not change any neurological process. I just wish I could find research to back up my "beliefs" or maybe understanding is a better choice of words. Thanks again for the comments.

Hoping for some replication of this study. Would ...

2012-03-10T19:16:35.137-08:00

Hoping for some replication of this study. Would be good news if confirmed.

My son who suffered a stroke, is sensitive to soun...

2012-03-09T17:44:03.188-08:00

My son who suffered a stroke, is sensitive to sounds and also displays mild vestibular processing problems. I have used therapeutic listening techniques, SI, and Masgutova techniques with success. He started walking at 10 months and is on target with all his milestones.

In my experience, I have used vestibular based treatment to help with hearing sensitivity with good results. I have not yet seen research to support this, though it would be great if someone would study it!

Children who have hearing impairments are at risk ...

2012-03-09T10:54:48.040-08:00

Children who have hearing impairments are at risk for altered balance. There are also conditions like Meniere's disease where there is altered hearing sensitivity and vestibular function. There is also the (apparent) auditory hypersensitivity of children who have autism and their risk for lower performance on motor skills tasks. So, there seems to be evidence that hearing sensitivity and lack of sensitivity might be sometimes related to balance or motor skill... but there are too many confounding variables to say for sure. As you know, correlation does not indicate causation.

I have not seen any studies that control variables cleanly enough to support claims that auditory stimulation as an intervention will improve vestibular function, but that certainly hasn't stopped those on the continuing ed circuit and the droves of people who like those courses. Oh well.

Have a good weekend.

Chris

Very interesting post. I had a great time reading ...

2012-02-28T21:59:22.270-08:00

Very interesting post. I had a great time reading your post and also the comments.

Letter School is definitely one of the best handwr...

2012-02-15T19:20:24.642-08:00

Letter School is definitely one of the best handwriting apps out there! There is a lot of variety within the app that helps keep kids interested. Great sound effects and graphics!

Great! Thx!

2012-02-07T14:37:16.957-08:00

Great! Thx!

Extremity use is indeed greatly affected. I like t...

2012-02-04T07:44:57.477-08:00

Extremity use is indeed greatly affected. I like this post though as a common reader to such, I have to be reminded with the proper examples to illustrate the same.

That looks like fun. I am definitely going to do ...

2012-02-02T19:23:18.516-08:00

That looks like fun. I am definitely going to do this.

Wow, Fantastic article, it’s so helpful to me, and...

2012-02-01T07:10:58.034-08:00

Wow, Fantastic article, it’s so helpful to me, and your blog is very good,

Thanks for the comment. Would love to hear more f...

2012-01-30T18:16:51.307-08:00

Thanks for the comment. Would love to hear more from your vast knowledge of neurophysiology on why CIMT is more beneficial for UE versus LE. I know not for blog comments but would love to learn more from you regarding this topic. Maybe you will do a blog post expanding this on your website.