Therapy Thursday: Superflex Exercise Academy

Yesterday, I developed an exercise program for two of my students with high-functioning Autism.



Well, it was a semi-exercise program.

There was a mini-trampoline, jump rope lines to run between, hula-hoops to jump in, balls to toss.



But these exercises were actually intended to develop brain strength and flexible thinking. Based on Michelle Garcia Winner's Superflex program, this activity tested a student's ability to change activities rapidly and without warning. I told a student he was to jump on the trampoline for 15 seconds. But 5 seconds into the jumping, I "changed my mind" and had him run between the jump ropes.

What was interesting to me was that the students did not respond as I expected them to do. The child who is very rigid, requires a picture schedule for every part of his day, and will obsessively tell you parts of a routine, was able to transition between activities very well. His brain was being "super flexible". The child who appears to transition fairly well, has genius level IQs, and can tell you all about "flexible thinking" was irate at the activity transitions. He declared that I had "tricked" him and I was "out to get" him. He was so agitated that he continued to mumble and complain about the exercise for the next hour.

Fortunately (or maybe not!), I video-taped the events. Next week we will review the videos and the students' flexible thinking. We will decide together whether or not they "passed" each event. Should be interesting...

Teaching Tuesday: Animal School

Video from: Raising Small Souls

And next week, 3/2/09, Marvelous Monday Children's Book will focus on the Birthday Boy: Dr. Seuss. Review a Dr. Seuss Book and join in on the fun! I may even have a little contest....

Marvelous Children's Book Monday: Snow

I accidentally* came across the most marvelous book last weekend.

*If accidentally means that I was looking for Caldecott Honor books that contain many "s" sounds.

This is a seasonal book full of amazing illustrations, simple prose, and many opportunities for speech activities.

Snow by Uri Shulevitz (and since I discovered he has written/illustrated several Caldecott Honor books, I may do more reviews about his works!)


Although our NorthWest weather is turning spring-like (read: rain), and crocuses (or it is crocii?) are popping up from the ground, it is still technically winter. And I know some less fortunate areas of the world are living amidst a cold, white background. This book is appropriate all year long.

It is a simple story of a little boy who declares that "It's snowing", in spite of the adults' disclaimers that it will never last. But it does. Together, the boy, his dog, and some magical creatures begin floating, falling, circling, dancing. They come alive in the wonder of winter.

Speech Therapy Ideas
1. For kids with limited verbal skills, use a template (such as the one below) to help the child participate in the book reading. They can point to the appropriate pictures as they are read in the book, or if developed for a Voice Output device, the child can actually help read along.



2. Practice "ing" verbs. There are a myriad of "ing" words to describe what the snow is doing: snowing, circling, swirling, spinning, twirling, dancing, playing, floating.

3. Practice /sn/ blends. I have several students who leave the /s/ off of blend words. This book provides a great time to practice those words, as it is clear that the story is not about "no". Have them repeat the word over and over after the narrative. Help them to read all the "snow" words aloud with good sounds.

4. Make snowflakes together. I found a great resource for easily making gorgeous snowflakes. Yep, even I can do it. Check out these beauties:



As you are making the snowflakes, have the child work on following directions, sequencing, and retelling directions. Afterward, have them retell all the directions to another family member to see how accurately they can remember the steps and vocabulary.

Enjoy this magical book together!



Don't forget to enter my Giveaway:

Win a pair of iHearSafe headphones by entering here.


And next week, 3/2/09, Marvelous Monday Children's Book will focus on the Birthday Boy: Dr. Seuss. Review a Dr. Seuss Book and join in on the fun! I may even have a little contest....

Forever Ours

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

We pray for the ones who gave you your smile.
We pray for the ones who rocked you to sleep.
We pray for Korea, many-a-mile.
Help us raise this blessing, forever to keep.



Happy Homecoming Anniversary Flash!
We've loved being a family for 5 amazing years!!!

Therapy Thursday: Noise Induced Hearing Loss and a Giveaway!

Don't your kids hate it when you neurotically pull the headphones from their heads to check the music volume?

*crickets chirping*

Oh. So I'm slightly more anal than the average parent regarding headphone usage?

But rightfully so! Noise induced hearing loss is completely preventable if your ears are protected.

A normal conversation is at an approximate volume of 60dB. Chainsaws and bulldozers are at around 100dB. MP3 and other personal music devices can reach volumes of 120+dB! Exposure to noises of 85dB+ can damage hair cells and hearing nerves. The damage may be temporary or permanent and can affect both the volume and clarity of what is heard.

Listen to the following audio clips to demonstrate the effect of noise-induced hearing loss.

If your child has normal hearing, this is what they can hear:
Speech in a quiet environment
Speech in a noisy environment

If your child has a mild noise-induced hearing loss, this is what they will hear:
Speech in a quiet environment
But here is where the hearing loss makes a huge difference. Imagine your child at school trying to listen to others:
Speech in a noisy environment

If your child has a moderately-severe noise-induced hearing loss, this is what they will hear:
Speech in a quiet environment
Speech in a noisy environment

Now who's proud that they neurotically check the iPod volume? ;)

My children are extremely thankful for the package we received last week containing three iHearSafe headphones. These headphones do not allow dangerous volumes to reach your child's ears. Regardless of how high the child cranks the volume, the volume will not exceed 85dB. Which means that mommy will stop yanking the headphones off their ears.



Some of the great features included:
*The headphones were extremely comfy. Even my finicky daughter did not complain.
*The earclips were colorful and trendy. My son was especially pleased that they were shiny red.
*The earbuds were comfortable and easy to use.

Here is the best part. They are giving away your choice of product to two of my super readers.

To enter this giveaway, please visit iHearSafe and tell me:
1. One thing you learned on the website
2. If you would like the headphones, earclips, or earbuds if you win
3. Gain an extra entry by blogging about this giveaway, then come back and leave a comment with the link

Although you will not get an extra entry for following me, I'd sure love it if new readers stuck around for a while. ;)

Giveaway will close 2/28/09. U.S. Residents only. Winners will be chosen with Random.org and given 48 hours to respond.

My Valentine

In spite of a budget of zero and a fuzzy brain (our euphemism for horrid pain), Professor X stayed up half of the night to prepare for Valentine's Day.





He was quite disappointed that the kids discovered this "curtain" before I did.



Bonus points if you notice Professor X's hand shielding his eyes from the camera flash. He got to sleep in until 11:30am.



In return for my Valentine treats?

He received hearts full of yum!

Teaching Tuesday: Learning the States (A Follow-up)

After giving up on a few remaining stragglers, our Christmas Card wall is complete for the 2008 Holiday Season.



Thank you so everyone who helped us add more stars to the map, and thus learn more US states.



As The Flash starts his new map unit at school, I can proudly predict that he can locate more states than most others in his class.

For those of you who missed out, we'd love your help for the next Holiday Season! Especially all of your who live in those middle states. Even I could use some help remembering those. ;)

Check these links out: Recipes, Weight Loss, Organization, etc.

So many links that I haven't had time to share! Here are a few of my favorites:

Recipes:
I'm back to posting recipes, after a short break. Mostly because I love to bake (and love to eat even more!).

Peanut Butter Chocolate Cereal Treats: at My Little Gems. Some of my favorite ingredients. Packed together for a calorie-counters nightmare.

Chocolate Peanut Butter Cake: at Smitten Kitchen. Notice a theme going on there? This was the recipe I had intended to make for Professor X's birthday a few months ago. Sadly, I had never bookmarked it and I have not yet made it. :( Now I just need an excuse to try it out!

Potato Pancakes: at Smitten Kitchen. I love Latkes but had never successfully made them...until following this recipe!

Weight Loss:
Unfortunately, my baking is catching up to me and I'm in need a few more sites these days.

How to Lose 5 Pounds in 5 weeks: at Wikihow. Well, that's the goal at least!

My Plate: at Livestrong. Finally, a calorie counter that I can actually handle!

Organization:

Simplify the To-Do List: at MotherLoad. Reduce the list to just the novel and most important items. I really need to do this as my to-do list stresses me out more than just doing the chores!

Let's List and Item on Ebay: at STL Mommy. I have a number of items that I think are actually worth money, but no one is biting at them from my local Craigs List. Selling on ebay scares me, but maybe with a tutorial such as this, I'll get around to doing it one day. Let me just put that on my to-do list... ;)

How I Organize My Coupons: at Super Coupon Girl. You may (or may not) know that I am a coupon shopper fanatic. Today I scored 3 cookie-making packets, 2 tubs of frosting, and 9 Fuji apples for $1.57. Tomorrow, I'll go back and do it again. But all my coupns inserts need to be organized, and my old system (protective sleeves in binders) was litearlly bursting at the seams. So, I'm trying a new system with a milk crate and hanging file-folders. So far, so good!

The 5, 10, and 15 minute Uncluterer: at Uncluterer. Oh, do I need to do these short uncluttering routines!


There are so many more, but it is time for bed. :(


Okay, just 2 more.

You must watch this video. You will be smiling all day afterward. Make sure to show it to your kids (but you might want to hide the title of the movie from them).
I discovered (the hard way) that it plays much better on very fast DSL lines and newer computers. But worth it no matter what you have.

And...
Tara is my awesome bloggy buddy and creator of kidz. She is a mom of a daughter with special needs, and she has devoted the site to all families of kids with special needs: inspiration, stories, fun ideas, etc. Plus, she gives away some nice stuff (such as the restaurant.com certificate I received from her!).

Check out kidz from 2/16-2/27 as she has a Kick-Off party! :)

I love you, and you, and you

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

The American Sign Language sign for "I Love You" is a combination of the letters "I", "L", and "Y" all held up at the same time. *


My "baby" girl started Preschool a few weeks ago. She is one of two hearing children in a classroom for kids who are deaf and hard of hearing. The class is bilingual--ASL and English. A few hearing students are admitted into the program to serve as speech "models".

Although Marvel Girl has no special needs that I am aware of, I have placed her into a special education classroom. Why?

Because of my hopes and dreams for her:

• I hope she will never judge someone for the way that they talk, walk, or move.
• I hope she will form friendships based on mutual care and interests and not on looks or abilities.
  
• I hope she will be compassionate, helpful, sympathetic, and genuinely interested in all people.
• I hope she will be confident and friendly when she meets others, even if they look or act differently than herself.
  
• I hope she will know that there are many ways to communicate, and each is beautiful.
  
• I hope she will grow up knowing that everyone is special in their own unique way.

Sometimes talking about family values isn't enough. Sometimes, you have to throw your children into situations where they can embrace the values for themselves.


* If you turn this sign palm down, and fly it through the air, you are now signing "airplane"!

Therapy Thursday: Word up!

I have a girl-crush.

Actually, I have two girl-crushes.

My 33 year-old self (I can't believe that I just admitted my age) is all about:



My 10 year-old alter-ego is so into:


Oh. yeah.

Word Girl.

And what's not to love about her monkey side-kick, Captain Huggy Face?


Animated super hero + Vocabulary builder = A wonderful animated speech and language builder

Check out her fabulous vocabulary online games and PBS show. Both are perfect for children with delays in speech and language, or not. And possibly even better for Super-Hero-Wanna-Be-Bloggers (not that I know any of them...).




Word up!

Teaching Tuesday: Educating the world about pain

I began this post 11 months ago and have been stuck with where to take it. In honor of my husband, on this Valentine's week, I try to finish my thoughts...




As he limped past the sliding metal door, he heard a creek. Professor X turned around, saw nothing, and continued on his way. Suddenly, a robotic, metal claw reached out of a small opening in the sliding door. It grabbed him by his shirt and pulled him through the door.

Inside, the light was dim. He noticed metal walls on both sides of a thin, long hallway. The body-less claw began to push him backwards. Back, back, back he stumbled until he was pressed to the far side of the hall. He heard the sound of metal sharpening metal.

And then he saw it.

A long, shiny, sharp ice pick emerged in the air. It was held by the claw and descending towards his face. Before he had time to blink, it had punctured his cornea. His eyeball burst with a pop. The pick slowly cut it's way through the tissues and nerves of his eye socket. It began to enter his brain.

At this point, the metal claw had disappeared, and the ice pick was being driven by it's own magical force. It moved slowly and methodically into Professor X. It knew it's goal was the back of the brain. Helpless, Professor X grabbed his eye in agony and collapsed to the ground.

And then he heard a noise.

More specifically, a whine.

"Daddy! I need your help in the bathroom! Help daddy!" Marvel Girl's voice echoed through the house.

As Professor X staggered through the metal hall, and opened the metal doors, he heard another sound.

"Beep! Beep! Beep! Beep!" His alarm clock was going off. It was time to pick up The Flash from school.

Everyday life did not care that an ice pick was sticking out of his eye. Or that his brain was punctured. No one could physically see see the sources of pain. And although he took a Vicodin, steroids, pure high-flow Oxygen, and a self-inflicted Imitrex shot, nothing truly relieved him of the agony.

Exponentially more painful than migraines, some women have reported that cluster headaches are more awful than child birth. Occasionally, chronic sufferers have committed suicide as a means of escaping the pain. Although most cluster sufferers must endure this pain for 15-20 minute stretches, Professor X's typical cluster lasts 12+ hours. Hours. Daily. For 9 months of the year. And he sleeps only a few hours each night due to his pain and treatments

And yet life goes on, with or without a chronic condition.

Tomorrow, he knows, the claw will drag him in again. And again. And again.

In spite of being in "survival" mode, Professor X is a great husband and wonderful father. We are so grateful to God for him, and daily pray for healing.




There are no known cures for cluster headaches, but there are still more treatments for Professor X to try. Please pray for relief for him. This has been a very difficult decade and he sometimes feels truly hopeless about what the future has in store.

Marvelous Children's Book Monday: Tuesday

To honor my sweetie, on this Valentine's week, I let him choose my Marvelous Monday book.



Being the graphic novel geek that he is, he chose a book rich with illustrative narrative. In fact, the book is basically a wordless picture book, except for the occasional current time appearing (a la 24). He was also drawn to the fact that it won a Caldecott Medal and The Best of 1991" by 2 different parenting magazines. He did not know it, but he may have honoring the life of a little girl as well.

What happens when one Tuesday night, hundreds of lily pads and frogs rise from a pond and fly through town? A lot of confusion... And one heck of a ride!

Speech Therapy Ideas:
1. Wordless picture books are perfect for telling and re-telling. Work on characters, setting, events, conclusion.

2. Describe pictures with as much detail as possible. Play "I Spy" on different pages of book.

3. This book is ideal for speculating. Why do you think the frogs began to fly? Why did they watch tv? What do you think will happen next?

4. Work on articulation. There are ample opportunities for "l" practice (lily pad) and "r" blends "frogs".

5. Finally, create a wonderful story out of this book. Make it richer and more elaborate every time you tell the story. Have the child add to the story each time they tell it as well, and share the story with siblings, aunts, grandparents, friends, etc.

Ode to a Mixer

Hosted by Cecily and MamaGeek

Oh Kitchenaid I love you, you're the best
My mixer certainly passed the test.
40 years old, it made cookies so sweet,
With this old machine, daily a treat.

Then tragic event, I dropped the glass bowl
They said "No replacement for it's soul".
So to ebay I went for a replacement
Shocked that at $100 they went.

For 9 months I lived without power
At Christmas I got a check shower
To Craigslist I went with cash in hand
And learned "gently used" is in high demand!

I scored on my "new" machine of fun
And brought it home for its trial run
Only to learn the bowl, shiny and sleek
Actually fit on my grandma's antique.

So now I question what to do
Cause working Kitchen Aids, I do have two.
One vintage, heirloom, and with no book
One sleek, like-new, and with a bread hook.

Therapy Thursday: Why oh why does she cry, cry, cry!

Ever had to deal with this?


Photo by blondie478

Or this?


Photo by chade2112

Or this?


Photo by Phenomenal Phrank

Yah. Me neither.

But if this were ever to become an extremely frequent issue for your precocious 3 year old preschooler, you might get desperate and feel like you can no longer handle it.

And you might implement positive behavior supports to help her the child visualize behaviors throughout the day.

You might print up a regular daily schedule with pictures, slip it into a sheet protector, and hang on the fridge with a dry erase marker.




Good behavior during each part of the day equals happy face written on the chart.

And each happy face equals chocolate milk/jelly bean/toy out of time-out-box.

Which might lead to a lot more of this:


Photo by carf

And that I can handle.

Teaching Tuesday: Learning culture through celebrations

I have tried to teach my children through experiential learning. This is quite ironic since my hope for graduate school was to find a program that required only book learning, no hands-on.

Ha! God laughs at my best laid plans.

Although we cannot join the masses in a major China-town or Korea-town for Lunar New Year, we have developed our own Asian New Year celebration.

We decorated the house in dragons, paper crafts, and lanterns.





We all dressed in our finest Asian attire (we bought The Flash's outfit when we were in Korea bringing him home at 7 months of age).



We invited guests over and all children at the party made Handprint Dragons.

Professor X played a "drum" and the children danced their creations around the house in a festive Dragon Parade.



We played "games". Such as sweeping out all the bad luck.



And practicing fine motor skills with beginner chopsticks... The kids raced transferring the most fish from one bowl to another in 30 seconds time.



and of course we ate and ate.

We made lots and lots of dumplings (about 150 of them!) and "sushi" dessert.






Next time you want to learn about a culture... try celebrating.

A party fosters memories, knowledge, and lots of great pictures. ;)