Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders

I have been seeing more and more information being posted about Fetal Alcohol Spectrum Disorders being an under recognized issue.  I thought I would share an article that has a brief overview regarding what this is, as I myself wasn't quite aware of the scope of the umbrella that is FASD.

Learn more about it here:
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC1472723/

A Different Perspective on ASD "Obsessions"

A wonderful instructor of mine posted this on Facebook recently, and I found it to be a very interesting perspective on the obsessions and flapping that many kids with ASD display.  Who could describe it better than someone who experiences it?
http://juststimming.wordpress.com/2011/04/05/the-obsessive-joy-of-autism/

Vertical Surfaces and Painting Activities

Stamps from a craft store

There are all kinds of activities that you can do with your child/students to work on improving fine motor skills-  of course there are the obvious activities of coloring with markers/crayons and using pencils/paper, but you can also change it up a bit with painting.  When my kids were little, I used to buy Crayola poster paint and a ream of plain paper and set them up in the kitchen with their Step 2 easel. For a color palette, I would cut the bottom of an egg carton in half and fill each of the six spots with colors of paint.  It was one of their favorite things to do, and something they all still remember. Developmentally, painting on a vertical plane such as an easel is a good way to start.  Vertical surfaces encourage the following:

• encourages an upright position
• strengthens shoulder and arm muscles, as well as use of intrinsic hand muscles
• encourages wrist extension, which is good for developing mature grasp patterns
• encourages eye hand coordination
• encourages bilateral coordination

There are also several different ways to explore painting using various items as tools.  Here are a few ideas to use for painting tools in addition to use of fingers and paint brushes:

• sponges- you can buy shaped sponges, or cut a chunk of a sponge and pinch a clothespin to it for a handle
• stampers (see picture above)
• Use veggies and fruits as stampers- cut an apple in half and use as a stamper, potatoes, a pepper, broccoli or you can push a corn cob holder into one for a handle
• use cleaning brushes, such as a bottle cleaning brush or a toothbrush
• use plastic utensils
• dip a piece of yarn in paint and paint with it
• drive match box cars through paint and drive on paper
• use q tips or pinch a cotton ball with a clothespin for a handle and paint with it
• paint with spiky balls/koosh balls- pinch with a clothespin for a handle

Rhythm Sticks

Using rhythm sticks as an activity can address a variety of skills:

• gross motor movements 
• fine motor movements
• bilateral coordination
• eye hand coordination
• crossing midline
• directionality 
• motor planning/sequencing of movement
• following directional concepts
• body scheme and position in space

Using one stick:
-hold in hand and maneuver your hand along the stick from top to bottom and bottom to top
-toss stick back and forth from one hand to the other
-hold stick stick vertically in the air, drop it, and catch it with the other hand (can also try doing this     with the same hand
-pass the stick around the body, exchanging hands to do so (do it at the neck level, the midsection level, the knee level and the ankle level
-touch the stick to various body parts (touch your knee, touch your elbow, etc)- vary the activity by   adding the concepts of left and right (touch your right ear, etc)

Using 2 sticks:
-hold sticks and tap together- have the child imitate a simple rhythm, moving toward more complex
-tap the sticks in front of the body, behind the back, behind the knees, overhead, etc.
-hold a stick horizontally in each hand and tap the ends together
-use one stick to "hammer" the end of the other (like pounding a nail)
-touch both sticks at the same time to various body parts (touch your knee, touch your elbow, etc)- vary
the activity by adding the concepts of left and right (touch your right ears, etc)  You can also vary it       by having each hand do a different thing (ie: touch your ear and your knee)
-use the sticks as drum sticks and drum on an upside down plastic pail.  Tap out a rhythm for the child
to imitate
-tap the sticks together, tap the floor, cross forearms (like an X) and tap the floor, etc
-try some of the tasks with eyes closed, while in a tailor sitting position on the floor, or while in a tall kneeling position

I also like to use rhythm sticks for group activities.  There are CDs of rhythm stick activities available that you can use for working with individuals and with groups- you can buy a group of 3 of them for $20.99 through Sears.com (individually they are often 14.99 a piece).  Find that link here:  http://www.sears.com/shc/s/p_10153_12605_SPM6276385602P?ci_src=184425893&ci_sku=SPM6276385602&sid=IDx20131030xMPAPxCPA28