Universal Visual Supports Binder

This post is likely more geared toward OTs, other professionals and OT students working with kids who require or would benefit from visual supports.  Often times, kids already have visual supports in place when they have already been in school the year prior to starting a new grade.  However, there are those kids that are preschool level, just entering kindergarten or who may have transferred in to your school district from another state or town and do not come with visual supports in place.  Case in point: Just had a little kindergarten guy who is on the autism spectrum move to one of my schools from another state.  His IEP stated that he used visual supports, but they did not accompany him to his new school.  So, new to kindergarten, new to the school and staff and no clear way for him or for us to know how to communicate best, how to transition from one activity to another and/or what to expect. Super smart little guy, though!  So, this was one of those times where it was very nice for me to have my book of "universal" type visual supports that I take with me everywhere I go.  Even when kids do have their own visual support system in place, those visuals may not include the types of things that I use in my interactions with them.  Things like:

Crayons, markers, pencils, glue, glue stick, scissors, paper, etc.

This was great for when we were following along with what the teacher was instructing in the classroom.  "Take out your scissors"- hand the child the picture card of the scissors so that he/she knows what is expected of them.  Kids with auditory processing problems may not process the request and then follow through on their own, but can do so with a visual.

I also use various concepts regularly, such as:

Color words, shapes, numbers, white board, etc

 Movement/actions:  catch, throw, stand up, sit down, up, down, over, under, jump, etc.

Various verbal commands: yes, no, stop, no hitting, help, please, etc.

Also: activities such as blowing bubbles, massage, puzzles, play time, wash hands, use bathroom, etc.

I personally make my own visual cards using Boardmaker, and add them to my "universal binder". That way, I do not have to rely on the speech therapist to make visuals for me to use with the students we have in common, and I always have them available to me and for the kids.  

Visual Perceptual Skills

Gosh, I am a slacker lately!  Trying to squeeze everything I can into my last days of summer vacation, so I haven't been posting as much lately.  But, back to work next week!  That being said, I have one more "find" to share with you-

OTs regularly address visual perceptual skills with clients, young and old;  from clients who have had strokes to children whose visual perceptual deficits are affecting their school performance.  We use a variety of modalities to address this, but one common modality is the use of "parquetry."  Parquetry is like a visual perceptual "puzzle" of sorts, and can be used by all ages.  It involves being shown a card with a pattern on it, and then having the child replicate the pattern using various shaped pieces.  We also do the same with colored blocks and pattern cards.  Visual Perception refers the brain’s ability to interpret what the eyes see. This is not the same as visual acuity, which means how clearly a person sees (what you would be measuring when you get your eyes checked by an optometrist).  Good visual perceptual skills are needed for reading, writing, cutting, drawing, completing math problems, as well as many other skills. A child who has problems with perceptual processing might have difficulties working puzzles, copying block designs, or discriminating shapes, pictures or letters.

Of course we have parquetry pieces and patterns in our inventory at work, but I recently found something similar at Barnes and Noble that are smaller and will be easy to tote around:

Tangoes!
Comes in its own durable small box, contains the pieces that you will need (both a red set, and a blue set), and pattern cards (cards are the size of a deck of cards, printed on both sides).  The insert explains Tangoes as follows:  "Tangoes® products are a learning tool that combines artistic and mathematical elements to enhance visual perception ability develop problem solving skills, creative thinking capacity, and teamwork.  The object of Tangoes® products is to form the image on the card using all seven puzzle pieces."

The box says ages 7+, but the description says ages 5-105.  $9.95 at Barnes and Noble.  I like that there are 2 sets of pieces, so that I can copy the pattern along with my little friends, as some of them can be pretty tricky!  All fits conveniently in the little case.
See also:

Tangoes Jr.
We have this toy in our inventory-  it is much larger than the Tangoes, being a bit larger than the size of a square cake pan.  You can find it online and it ranges from 23.99 to $30.  Extra pattern cards are also available for purchase for 6.00 to 12.99.

New Find for Practicing Pre Writing Skills

Remember this excerpt from an earlier post titled "Pre Writing Skills?":
"Copying pre writing lines and shapes is a precursor to learning how to print.  The same basic strokes and early developing visual motor integration skills that are needed to learn to copy lines and shapes are required to print letters and numbers.  Trying to learn to print numbers and letters before learning to form basic lines and shapes is like putting the cart before the horse!"

With that in mind, check out what I found at Barnes and Noble the other day:

It's a write on, wipe off box of learning cards of Shapes by FlashKids.  Using the dry erase pen that is included in the box, preschoolers can trace along dotted lines to practice drawing their shapes.  There are also cards that help kids identify shapes within pictures, and draw shapes to add them to pictures as well.

40 cards in all (each card is printed on front and back), for ages 3-5 yrs.  $8.95 at Barnes and Noble. There is also one for letters (might be good to make sure that the style of printing is what your child's school requires).  The box is small and will be easy for me to carry around in my OT bag of tricks.  Or throw it in your car or bag to keep your little friends entertained when you are out and about.

1000 Visits!

Today marks 1000 visits to this blog!  Wow!  Thank you, everyone, for stopping by and viewing my blog, I appreciate it that others take the time to check out my posts!  Hopefully you are finding some useful information on here!  Still no comments, but I really encourage you to do so~  Thanks again!  ~Joleen :)

School Supplies~

It's that time of year again~ back to school shopping.  Of course I take my kids shopping for school supplies, but I also pick up some things for myself to use with my students.  I get the standard stuff, and buy extra crayons and markers at the cheaper prices so that I have fresh ones throughout the school year.  Occasionally I will stumble across something to add to my tool box that I haven't found before- this year, I found this:

It's a ruler that has an extra ridge for kids to hold onto.  This would help kids get a little bit better grip on the ruler while they are attempting to stabilize it for classroom activities.  Often times, the kids that I work with have a tough time stabilizing or holding the ruler in place.  Here's a closer look at the ridge:

Right now, this ruler is on sale at Staples for $2. Pretty good deal, I think. Our office actually has this ruler that we often try with kids who have difficulty stabilizing a ruler:

This ruler was purchased through the Abilitations catalog.  Another thing that can be purchased at craft stores or fabric stores is a quilter's ruler handle.  It is a handle with suction cups that you can stick on a plastic ruler.  They usually run about $4.99.