Sit-ups to Strengthen Abdominals

Special thanks to Jane-Anne at MiraclesSudan for permission to use photos.


Sit-ups are a wonderful way to strengthen the abdominal and trunk muscles. These photos show what occupation therapy is all about- using activities to motivate the child to reach, visually attend, use hands bilaterally and strengthen all at the same time.




Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L author of, The Recycling Occupational Therapist
HorseOT.com

Horsebackriding for Beginners

Here is a helpful site I can appreciate since 3 years ago I thought the stirrups were what you kicked the horse with!!!
Horseback riding for beginners

Miracles at Sudan

1 comments:

Jane--anne said...

Very clever!!! I must try it out. I will let you know how I get on.
Looking forward to learn more good ideas from you.
Your site is very helpfull.
Well done.
JA

Jane,
I love your Miracles at Sudan site. Good job!
Barbara
HorseOT.com

October 12, 2009 10:12 PM

Magnetic Puzzle Pieces

Anyone who does hippotherapy knows that you need ten hands to work with the child and control the materials. I often use Velcro to keep my materials in order. Today I used a puzzle with small pieces of magnetic tape on the back of the pieces. I attached them to a cookie sheet.



An almost 3 year old child enjoyed reaching while standing on top of the horse for a puzzle piece. Then he squatted to place each piece in the board. This child is quite bright and was able to easily find the matching hole without frustration, so it worked well. I like teaching the concept of number one by asking the child to take only one when given several to pick from.




Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L author of, The Recycling Occupational Therapist
HorseOT.com

Horse Card Fun

I have been trying to get a 2 year old with cerebral palsy to tolerate being positioned over the horse's barrel prone and he always cries. Today he was so interested in a new toy that he forgot to be afraid. I gave him a picture card to hold that shows a moving horse when the card is opened and closed. He had much better head control in this position than I expected and he was able to hold the card with weight on his forearms while my side walker held onto his legs. We were even able to do this while the horse was walking.
The technique used to make the card is called scanimation and the book Gallop is filled with these moving animals.



Barbara Smith, M.S., OTR/L author of, The Recycling Occupational Therapist
HorseOT.com

Turning Around on the Horse

This brief video nicely shows the many postural adjustments required for a child to turn from facing backwards to sideways. Its always great to see a child scoot herself back up.

Massachusetts Occupational Therapy Conference

The hippotherapy presentation I gave with Monica Wu (from REINBOW Therapy) went very well. The only glitch was that we had so much information, we went overtime. That's something my Toastmaster's friends would not approve of. However, we did our talk from 3:30 to 5:00 -expecting the audience to be sleepy or eager to leave and they weren't, lots of good questions.
I will be sure not to combine coffee and Sudafed (for allergies) during my next presentation- a toxic mix that made me almost manic!! I will be talking at the Education Resources, Inc. Occupational Therapy in the Schools Conference in Framingon on November 20 about Realistic Goals and Treatment Strategies for the Child with Moderate to Severe Impairments in a School Based Setting.
Barbara
Horseot.com

Karma Anais said...

Would you mind sharing your presentation?

October 4, 2009 6:39 AM

barb said...

That is a good question! You may have noticed that I never mention where I work. I am not allowed to use any photos that enable my clients or where I work to be identified. My presentation is full of pictures from work and this was allowed because I was not paid to present at the conference and actually my presentation promoted my employer. My employer thinks there is a conflict when I earn money via my website/blog (an insignificant amount from the Ads) and their nonprofit status. So, unfortunately I am limited in what I am allowed to show on my website and blog. Very generous therapists from other facilities have given permission to use their photos and I have given them credit as due.
FYI, I greatly appreciate any photo contributions and will provide links back to promote these facilities with many thanks!!!
Barbara

October 4, 2009 8:17 AM