Individual Tactile Boards

Credits to Bonnie Pedersen, resource room teacher extraordinaire at one of the schools that I go to for this idea:  individual tactile boards.  Mrs. Pedersen and I share a non verbal student who has limited play skills and very few interests that keep him motivated.  As a result, he doesn't often explore his environment.  He does, however, like to feel different things and different textures.  Hanging up individual tactile boards on a wall encourages exploration of different textures and the environment, encourages reaching and eye hand coordination and movement toward a preferred activity, to name a few.

• Buy some inexpensive frames at the dollar store, and remove the glass.
• Find various textures to hot glue inside the frames.  Vary the textures: smooth, rough, bumpy, shiny, sparkly, vary the colors, etc.

• Mount the frames to the wall using Command velcro picture hanging strips.  Once the strips are up, you will be able to move the frames around because the strips are universal.

Change the configuration on occasion so that you can start to identify what textures your student tends to prefer (ie: does he/she always seem to find the fleece frame, no matter where it is located?)

You can then find other fleece items that might be of interest to him/her, or put fleece on a switch to encourage him/her to touch it to activate it, etc.  You may remember a previous post regarding a DIY tactile board, and you can find it again here: http://fabulousfriendsot.blogspot.com/search?q=tactile+board