Thursday, March 20, 2008

Perception and Reality

Out of Mouths of Babes

Okay, maybe not babes, but middle school children anyway. This week, one of our parents subbed for a sick teacher and at lunch she told me she had an Out of the Mouths of Babes story she just had to share. She was right - she had to share it and so do I. Perception can be a funny, funny thing - and can come from who-knows-where!

As she was getting ready that morning, she was looking for something to wear and was debating about wearing a skirt. She apparently had this debate out-loud as when she added the "because I might have to shave my legs" her son, who is in my middle school class, told her to "Just do what Mrs. Barto does".

At this point I was more than intrigued, because I was quite positive that I have never talked about shaved or unshaven legs of mine or otherwise in either history or English class, to which he explained: "Just wear tall boots. Tall, leather boots like Mrs. Barto does".


Well, status of my legs withstanding, I was fascinated by his take on my fashion choices. Reality and comprehension are based on perception, and (apparently) perception can come from lots of different thought patterns! Out of the Mouths of Babes indeed......

Sunday, March 2, 2008

Resources for Sensory Integration

I was creating a resource tonight for our parents at school on sensory integration resources and decided to post them here as well. I haven't read all of the books, but I have found everything else to be helpful with my daughter and my students. I was at a meeting a few weeks ago with an OT coordinator that specializes in sensory issues who was amazing! One of the parts that I found most fascinating was the distinction between the kids who are tactile-needy and those who are tactile-defensive. I am looking for my notes presently and when I find them, they will be next up on the blog queue!

On the Web

* From Lindsey Biel, OTR/L and Nancy Peske (Raising a Sensory Smart Child)
o Sensory Diet Activities for Home and Away
o Tips for Helping Your Child with Sensory Problems
o Toys, Equipment and Gifts for Kids with Sensory Issues
o Seasonal Tips for Cabin Fever



Books
This is a list of books that I'd formed so far, but rather than take the time to link them all again, here is the link to one of the pages I created originally. Literacy of Teaching has links to all of these. Enjoy!

* The Out of Sync Child: Recognizing and Coping with Sensory Processing Disorder by Kranowitz
* The Out of Sync Child Has Fun: Activities for Kids with Sensory Processing Disorder by Kranowitz
* Sensational Kids: Hope and Help for Children with Sensory Processing Disorder by Miller & Fuller
* The Sensory-Sensitive Child: Practical Solutions for Out Of Bounds Behavior by K. Smith
* Too Loud, Too Bright, Too Fast, Too Tight: What to do if you are Sensory Defensive in an Overstimulating World by Heller
* Sensory Smarts: A Book for Kids With ADHD or Autism Spectrum Disorders Struggling with Sensory Integration Problems by Chara, Chara, Chara and Berns
* Helping Hyperactive Kids - A Sensory Integration Approach: Techniques and Tips for Parents and Professionals by Horowitz
o Many of the activities in this book and the illustrations are geared toward small children, but the information is applicable to older ages as well!
* Raising a Sensory Smart Child: The Definitive Handbook for Helping Your Child with Sensory Integration Issues by Biel and Peske
* the highly sensitive child: Helping Our Children Thrive When the World Overwhelms Them by Aron
* Raising Your Spirited Child: A Guide for Parents Whose Child is More Intense, Sensitive, Perceptive, Persistent and Energetic by Kurcinka


Some of our Favorite Products


* Weighted Blankets
My daughter and I found a lap-size blanket at Viking Fitness that is surface washable, but it is also microwavable! We warm it up before bed and lay it over her as she's been tucked in to help her calm her body enough to go to sleep. Love it! (P.S. This picture is from Viking's website, it's not my daughter)


* Theraputty
o A good fidget for stretching, pulling or rubbing (tactile stimulation).

* Water Bottles
Our OT told us that sucking is one of the most balancing activities our students can do throughout the day. This works with hard candy, but water is also a powerful restorative, so we ask them all to bring water bottles.