Archive for April, 2009
May 2009 Digital Magazine Your Therapy Source Inc
Thursday, April 30th, 2009Sensory Adaptations, Developmentally Disabled Children and the Dentist
Wednesday, April 29th, 2009New research published in the Journal of Pediatrics reports that 16 children (ages 6-11 years old) with developmental disabilities had decreased anxiety during dental visits when a sensory adapted environment was used. The study compared developmentally disabled children to typical peers. During the first dental visit, no environmental adaptations were used. During the second dental visit, each group experienced a sensory adapted environment of
1. color lamp
2. examiner wore LED headlamp aiming light directly at patient’s mouth
3. soothing music
4. wearing a heavy vest to give feeling of a hug
5. vibration in the dental chair.
During the second visit, anxiety levels were decreased in all children. The children with developmental disabilities experienced a more significant decrease in anxiety.
These are very simple adaptations to try during a dental visit. Keep in mind, that each child reacts differently to certain sensory stimuli. For example, one child may like the vibration and one child may find it to be noxious. A trained occupational therapist could offer further suggestions on an individual basis for children with developmental disabilities.
Reference: Michele Shapiro OT, MSca, b, , , Harold D. Sgan-Cohen DMD, MPHc, Shula Parush OT, PhDb and Raphael N. Melmed MD, FRCPd Influence of Adapted Environment on the Anxiety of Medically Treated Children with Developmental Disability The Journal of Pediatrics
Volume 154, Issue 4, April 2009, Pages 546-550
ASD, Google Sketch Up and Life Skills
Tuesday, April 28th, 2009Here is a video on 4 children with autism and how they use Google Sketch Up. This is a great program for visual spatial learners. If anyone has used this with older children on the spectrum please comment. I would love to hear how it worked.
How to Make Your Own Ink Dabber
Monday, April 27th, 2009Here is a slide show on how to make your own ink dabbers. The great thing about this idea is that you can modify the dabber for children with varying abilities. This works well with our electronic book DOT Letter and Shapes.
Brain Gains Documentary
Friday, April 24th, 2009If you are interested in how exercise effects learning in the classroom this documentary is a must see video. It is about 15 minutes long. It covers a special education classroom in Canada that use treadmills followed by academic sessions. The teacher reports excellent results. Here is the link – http://www.cbc.ca/national/blog/special_feature/brain_gains/brain_gains_2.html
Hippotherapy and Autism
Friday, April 24th, 2009Here is a video of one child’s story on hippotherapy and autism from CBS news.
Assistive Technology Links
Thursday, April 23rd, 2009I am not usually one to support a web page full of links but this is an informative one. Disability Info website has a great page of links for assistive technology articles and publications to access. It is jammed pack with links but it is easy to weed through the information. There are links for AT that are disability specific, links for parent guides, links to the laws and more. There are way too many to list. It is a great spot to check out. Go to DisabilityInfo.gov at http://www.disabilityinfo.gov/digov-public/public/DisplayPage.do?parentFolderId=187
Focus and Gum Chewing
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009Lots of news today regarding a recent study indicating that chewing gum improved students scores on math testing (read more at NBC).
Need some more justification to teachers and parents as to why you recommend chewing gum for certain children, check this out. Click on bottom right to view in full screen.
Self Regulation and Obesity
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009Archives of Pediatrics and Adolescent Medicine published research that indicated children who lack self regulation exhibit excessive weight gain. This was a longitudinal study of 1061 children. The children participated in self regulation tasks at ages 3 and 5 years old. They were then followed until 12 years of age with body mass index (BMI) being measured 6 times throughout that time. The children who exhibited a decrease in the ability to self regulate had the highest BMI and the most rapid weight gain.
Curious to know do you observe this trend in children with a lack of self regulation?
Reference: Lori A. Francis; Elizabeth J. Susman
Self-regulation and Rapid Weight Gain in Children From Age 3 to 12 Years
Arch Pediatr Adolesc Med. 2009;163(4):297-302.
Pediatric Physical Therapy in the News
Wednesday, April 22nd, 2009Visit msnbc.com for Breaking News, World News, and News about the Economy
