Wednesday, December 17, 2008

A Squeaky Ball to Motivate





Its amazing that something as simple as a ball that squeaks can make such a difference. A 9 year old client I have been working with for 2 years was so excited by this ball and sound it made that she stood up into two point stand (with feet in stirrups) and put her palms on the horse's withers as she attempted to reach for the ball. She reached with one hand and then needed a small amount of trunk support to lift her left hand and reach bilaterally. Children seem to be hard wired to love balls!

I had previously used many different balls with varying sizes and textures, also a small cloth bag filled with foam and bells as well as many other auditory toys to encourage her to stand up and reach. This pet ball has a very loud and easy to produce squeak that seemed to do the trick. Furthermore, the horse didn't seem to notice it.
Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L author of, The Recycling Occupational Therapist
Horseot.com

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