More from TheJocelynThomasProject;

In February, I posted about my mission as a mental health and suicide awareness advocate through theJocelynThomasProject; on behalf of my daughter Jocelyn, who we lost to mental illness and suicide in October, 2015.  You can find that original post here:  http://fabulousfriendsot.blogspot.com/2017/02/thejocelynthomasproject.html
Here is an update on what we have been up to the past couple of months since that first post:

My daughter Thea accompanied me to speak to grades 6-12
at Berthold School (Lewis and Clark 161 District) on 3/27/17.

I wore Jocelyn's Adventure Time socks to speak to grades 

6-12 at Sawyer Public School on 3/31/17.

The responses to our presentations have been very positive, and we are grateful that the schools in our area are making an effort to support their students and make mental health and suicide awareness a priority.  Let's keep going.  Learn More, Do More.  Much Love- Joleen,  Jocelyn's mom

Awesome Activity Blogs/Websites

 What a slacker I've been~ no posts in March??  Well, I haven't really been a slacker, but maybe focusing my time on other things...  Anyway, lately I have been relying on other fantastic bloggers and websites to add to my repertoire of activities, and some are just so well done, I wanted to share!
Check out some of these:

Life Over C's
http://lifeovercs.com/start-here/

Preschool Printables
http://owensfamily-gwyn.blogspot.com/

Tools To Grow~ Resources for Occupational Therapists
https://www.toolstogrowot.com/

Teachers Pay Teachers
https://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Match-Fishtank?gclid=CNuHp5Pcs9MCFQ9EfgodHrQGvA

These sites have free printables, and many available for purchase.  You can create an account, sign up for email alerts, or become a member to access all kinds of creative activities, crafts and resources. Check them out!

Here are some things I found for Earth Day:

From Life Over C's

By Adapting for Autism on Teachers Pay Teachers

Happy Valentine's Day!

Happy Valentine's Day from Miss Joleen and my Fabulous Friends!  

Painting some love on basic white paper~

TheJocelynThomasProject;

This post is a bit self serving, because it's a cause that is near and dear to me.  I am a suicide loss survivor.  Me.  Personally.  I don't like that label, but I do own it.  I lost my 18 year old daughter to suicide in October 2015.  Since that time, my family and I have tried to find ways to make something positive come out of the tremendous loss of our daughter and the destruction that suicide has caused to her family and friends.  And so, I have become a field advocate for the American Foundation for Suicide Prevention (https://afsp.org/), we have sold countless t shirts to raise awareness in and around our community, we have raised money for AFSP and participated in the Out of the Darkness Walk (http://afsp.donordrive.com/), and we have promoted and made ourselves available to our community and surrounding area to speak to others about mental health and suicide awareness.  All of these things we do in memory of and in honor of our daughter, Jocelyn, and we call our efforts TheJocelynThomasProject; (semi colon at the end intended, bc it indicates that her story isn't over yet).

Last Friday, I talked to a nearby high school about mental health and suicide awareness:

I spoke to grades 6-12 at Velva Public School on 2/3/17
regarding mental health and suicide awareness.

I do not know where TheJocelynThomasProject; will go from here, but we are on a mission.  Do your best to promote mental health and suicide awareness in your communities~  Learn More, Do More.
Much love~  Joleen

Fun with a Tape Line

As an OT working in the schools, there's nothing better than not having to drag large items or a super heavy bag to school after school-  so when there are simple activities that don't require this, you're in luck.  A roll of masking tape is an awesome, small and lightweight tool!  You can use it to work on a variety of skills, including balance, locomotor skills and crossing midline.  This makes for a good group activity, too, so you can try it with all of your students for a classroom motor activity.  Here are some activities that you can do with a tape line:

Balance and Locomotor Skills:

• walk backward and forward along the line
• walk heel to toe along the tape line; walk heel to toe backward

• side step to the left down the length of the line and then to the right

 

• jump over the line
• jump over and back down the length of the line- jumping forward and back, jumping side to side over the line

• tip toe down the line
• scissor step down the line

To further work on crossing midline:  

• cross the feet back and forth across the line as you make your way along the line
• on hands and knees, cross your hands across the line in a similar manner.  You can also put a tape line on the wall and cross your hands across the line, making your way up and down the line on the wall.  

To further work on motor planning:

• curve the line, make the line zig zag or make a shape on the floor with the tape, and practice the same skills above.

And Finally...Autism Teaching Tip Finale~

And finally~

Always Presume Competence

Autism Teaching Tip #8

Tip #8: 

“Work" can mean a lot of things

• Don’t get caught up in the “academics” of learning.
• “Work” can mean a variety of things or present in a variety of ways to a student with autism.  
• “Work” might be tolerating the school environment and following the routine of the day.
• “Work” might be engaging with peers in the classroom, attending a class with peers, learning to take turns or playing out on the playground amongst peers.
• “Work” might be completing a motor task or a sequence of tasks/events.
• “Work” might be tolerating a sensory activity or task.
• “Work” might be participating in self help skills or recreation/leisure activity.
• Refer to the student’s individualized education plan for specifics on his/her goals.