8 Simple Tips to Empower Students to Reach Their Goals

Here are 8 simple tips to help students reach their goals:

1. Change up the tools, toys or activities that you are doing. It may be just as simple as approaching the skill using a different tool or material.

2. Change the environment. Perhaps trying accomplishing the skill outdoors, in a quiet room or with a peer.

3. Be positive. If you assure the student that they have the ability to accomplish the goal you will provide them with the ability to believe in themselves. The power of positive feelings can go a long way. Check out Positive Affirmation Posters and Cards to provide your students with a visual reminder at http://yourtherapysource.com/positiveaffirmation.html.

4. Change your teaching style. If you are only providing verbal directions, perhaps offer a demonstration or a visual picture of what the student needs to accomplish. If you are always offering verbal feedback, perhaps try diminishing how often you provide feedback to see if that makes a difference.

5. Offer rewards. Some students respond very well to a reward system. Check out free positive reinforcement ideas to use during therapy sessions at http://yourtherapysource.com/blog1/2014/03/29/5-free-positive-reinforcements-ideas-to-use-for-therapy-sessions/.  Try using Punch Cards and Reward Cards for therapy.  Find out more here http://www.yourtherapysource.com/punchcards.html

6.  Set goals each session.  Work with the child to set mini goals each session.  This will empower the student experience small successes will help you reach the larger goals.

7.  Teach the child to focus on their strengths.  By educating the child on what they do best you can help them use different strategies to reach their goals.  The typical way to achieve a skill may not be the best way for each child.  Start off my keeping track of what the child can do.  Check out these free "I Can" cards to keep track off all of his/her accomplishments.  Get them at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/freeicancards.html.

8.  Teach the child to track their own goals.  The student can track his/her goals over
time, by monitoring the skills over the course of a day, week, month or quarter. This allows the student to get a visual picture of improvement, decline or maintenance of different skills.  By having the students track their own goals they will take ownership of their progress.  It doesn't get any easier than this to track progress.  Check out My Goal Tracker to get started.  More info at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/goaltracker.html.

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Title: My Goal Tracker
By: Your Therapy Source Inc

Summary: Download of materials to create a binder for student generated data collection on his/her goals. Two versions - Handwriting with Tears® and Zaner-Bloser® Style.

Find out more at http://www.yourtherapysource.com/goaltracker.html

 

 

Educate! Educate! Educate!

As pediatric occupational and physical therapists we always need to remember that one of the most important, if not the MOST important, aspect of our job is to educate.  We need to let students, teachers, school staff and parents know what we do and why we do it.  Without buy in from all team members goals can not be reached.  In addition, in order for therapeutic activities to be carried out all day long we need to educate people how to make that happen.  A 30 minute pull out therapy session may be beneficial but even better is to train someone else who is with that child all day, every day, on how to do what you do during a therapy session.

Hang up this sign in your therapy room or toss it into your folder to remind you to educate!  You can download it at http://yourtherapysource.com/freeeducate.html

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Gait Analysis and Visual Input

The Journal of Physical Therapy Science published research on the effects of the modulation of optic flow speed on gait parameters in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.  Optic flow is the pattern of motion perceived at the retina, which specifies the direction of locomotion and provides vital feedback concerning an individual's regulation of walking velocity.

Gait analysis was completed on 10 children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy under 3 different conditions of optic flow speed: slow, normal, and fast optic flow speed. The children walked across the walkway of a GAITRite system, while watching a virtual reality screen, and walking velocity, cadence, stride length, step length, single support time, and double support time were recorded.

The results indicated the following:

• fast optic flow speed (2 times the normal speed) significantly increased walking velocity, cadence, normalized step length, base of support, and single support cycle of both lower limbs.


• the slow optic flow speed (0.25 times the normal speed) yielded a significantly decreased walking velocity, cadence, normalized step length, base of support, and single support cycle for both lower limbs.

The researchers concluded that: gait training involving modulation of the optic flow speed is feasible and suitable for resolving abnormal gait patterns in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy.

I am wondering how this could be applied in regular therapy sessions?  Any ideas of off the shelf virtual reality to vary visual input speed?  All I can come up with is filming some video yourself with varying walking speeds?  The WiiFit has a Basic Run but the speed of the objects going by you is based on your own speed.  Any suggestions?

Reference:  Hyungwon Lim, PhD, PT. Effect of the modulation of optic flow speed on gait parameters in children with hemiplegic cerebral palsy. J Phys Ther Sci. 2014 Jan;26(1):145-8. doi: 10.1589/jpts.26.145. Epub 2014 Feb 6.

Full text article at https://www.jstage.jst.go.jp/article/jpts/26/1/26_jpts-2013-312/_pdf.

 

Collaborative Exercise Poster

 

Here is a simple collaborative group activity.  View the directions at YourTherapySource.