Hungry to Try a New Game with your Preschooler?

I was lucky enough to be approached by Think Fun to try out their new game: Snack Attack!  So in the mail today I received my happy little package, and the kids were eager to try it out.

Snack Attack is rated for 4 and up (though Mudge is 3 1/2). The basis of the game is to scan and match food items from the spinner tray to those on your plate, and once there are no more matches to make, you can yell "Snack Attack!" and play again.

It was easy enough to play with my 3 year old, but I do recommend that you do not try to play it with a competitive 6 year old, as they both may get frustrated.  It took them a few turns to understand to flip the 2 sided disc so that the matches touch, but overall, it was a quick game that the four of us played as a family for about 10 minutes.  Boog could have gone longer, and it was enough for Mudge.  Mind you, this was just before bedtime...  Either way, I got 2 thumbs up from the boys.  When asked what they liked best, it was being able to "yell Snack Attack" and being the chef.

It was super easy to set up, which is nice because games and toys now-a-days are not parent friendly.  There are not a lots of parts to lose, but I can see losing the food discs.  Think Fun did try to limit the loss with their plastic tube in which to keep and spin them around its track, though.

Therapeutic uses:
Language development-  Snack Attack promotes food related vocabulary expansion, categorization, articulation, social pragmatics, and turn taking through a playful matching game.

Visual Perceptual Skills- Snack Attack can be used for scanning activities, matching, figure ground, visual discrimination, visual memory and more....

Special Needs- The game can help or be adapted for fine motor development, and can be easily used by those with upper extremity issues by having them be the "Chef" and having them turn the spinner with little resistance.  Through some dycem or other non skid under the plates and serving platter piece to keep it more stable on a slippery surface.  You could also adapt a universal cuff to hold a suction to pick up the discs.

One of the only flaws I see with the design is the slipperiness of the the food discs on the plates.  As they are both a glossy finish, the items do slide around a lot.  And occasionally I got a too few many discs to come out and be "served" on the platter.

Overall, the game will definitely be coming to school with me for sessions and it is a nice addition to our family game closet.

OT Soapbox: knick knack iPaddy wack....

iPad, oh iPad, how do i love thee? Let me count the ways....

On Mother's Day I received a gift that keeps on giving, my iPad.  Granted, I was planning on getting one away, but the excitement of receiving one is just as fun.  One of the reasons I was so excited was the potential therapeutic uses for which I could use it at work.

Most of the children with whom I work are non verbal and have a lot of special needs and accommodations due to multi sensory issues.  What I was hoping for was a little miraculous device to help them communicate, play and show what they know.  And that is what I got.

The iPad and its infinite number of available apps has opened the door for many of the students.  I am seeing kids grab at my hand to make lines.  Some kids are using their voices to make the little Rex talk back, and others are showing me that they actually know their letters.  Recently, one set of parents purchased a Tablet because I had shared with them how wonderfully their daughters were engaging with games.  

It does frustrate me that for a fraction of the cost of a laptop or Dynavox, kids could have access to a socially acceptable piece of equipment that could help them communicate and interact with peers and adults.  Some counties and schools are beginning to purchase them, and maybe slowly it will trickle down the pike to my system, but I won't hold my breath.  So in the mean time, if you are looking to get an iPad for yourself or child (whether they have special needs or not) here are some great places to keep in mind to help you search for apps that are appropriate (but please don't forget about Angry Birds. I can totally justify it!)

Moms With Apps is a collaborative group of family-friendly developers seeking to promote quality apps for kids and families. Their app catalog is now available on iTunes.  And if you sign up with them, you get perks like Free Friday where you can download apps for free

Apps in Education is a educational search engine developed by parents and educators to help people  looking for educational apps available in the Apple App Store.

iPodsibilities has a great list of apps used in/for special education


Please keep in mind these are just 3 of the umpteen million things you can find on iTunes, new apps come out every moment and you just have to find some, try them and see what works for you and your kids...

OT SOAP BOX: Being on the other side of the meeting table

I have participated in many many many staffings and IEPs over the past few years, and I always made it a point to be compassionate and sympathizing.  I recently have had the luxury of empathizing as well.  


Mudget has always had a nasally sounding voice.  Our family often mocked him (I know it is terrible) Like when he asked "Auntie Tata for a nyack."  She replied, "You want a nyack?" "No! I want a nyack!"  And this would go on like a Laurel and Hardy skit.  He's had ear tubes placed twice and adenoids out.  And every visit to the ENT, I say, boy doctor, he is really nasally and he can't blow bubbles or a pinwheel without holding his nose.  And that doctor would reply, "oh he doesn't have a problem. If he did, he would sound like this..."  And he would talk in a voice that sounded just like Mudget's.  So needless to say, I switched ENTs, got a second opinion and a referral for a speech evaluation.


At the evaluation, the speech therapist used a standardize test, as well as just talked with him to hear his typical voice and speech patterns.  And when we met the next day for the staffing, the meeting at which you determine if he qualifies for special services, she stated that he has nasal emissions (talking through the nose resulting in air coming through), and though it is at the end of the year, try some of these activities over the summer, and she will look at him in the fall when he enters the new local preschool to see if we need intense therapy to alleviate the problem.


But it got me thinking.  I am well aware and have many resources and supports to utilize to my advantage. I know and feel comfortable asking questions and advocating for my kids (birthed, and not birthed).  But for those new to the experience, it is very daunting.  So I wanted to share some info and apps so that people can better and more comfortably understand the process.


iAdvocate is a free app developed by Syracuse University with responses to problems, strategies and resources about how to advocate for inclusive services.


ASHA, the American Speech-Language and Hearing Association, has a number of resources on the development of speech and language.  According to ASHA, by the end of Kindergarten as child should be able to do the following:

Listening

• Follow 1-2 simple directions in a sequence
• Listen to and understand age-appropriate stories read aloud
• Follow a simple conversation

Speaking

• Be understood by most people
• Answer simple "yes/no" questions
• Answer open-ended questions (e.g., "What did you have for lunch today?")
• Retell a story or talk about an event
• Participate appropriately in conversations
• Show interest in and start conversations

Reading

• Know how a book works (e.g., read from left to right and top to bottom in English)
• Understand that spoken words are made up of sounds
• Identify words that rhyme (e.g., cat and hat)
• Compare and match words based on their sounds
• Understand that letters represent speech sounds and match sounds to letters
• Identify upper- and lowercase letters
• Recognize some words by sight
• "Read" a few picture books from memory
• Imitate reading by talking about pictures in a book

Writing

• Print own first and last name
• Draw a picture that tells a story and label and write about the picture
• Write upper- and lowercase letters (may not be clearly written)

Taken from http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/kindergarten.htm  This also has clicks for each of the grade levels through 5th.  

They also describe the differences between speech and language.  http://www.asha.org/public/speech/development/language_speech.htm

So keeping this all in mind, if you think your child has a problem, talk to your pediatrician and his/her teacher about your concerns.  You are the parent. You know the child.  And follow your gut. You are you child's best advocate, unless of course you suffer from Muncheusen's By Proxy....

OT Soap Box- Autism, yup there's an app for that

When the iPad was first introduced the first thing I said to Kyle was "wow, if they could make an augmentative communication application it would be way cheaper than the Dynavox."  Dammit if I only knew how to make an app. I contacted Apple. I contacted a few other sites to no avail.  I swear within a few days, though, people read my mind and I came across quite a few apps that could make children with autism and other speech and language difficulties be able to "talk" to their family and friends.

Go to the app store on you iPad or iPhone or even iPod and just search autism.  Tons of things will come up. Some free some not.  But it is really amazing the variety of things out there that can help anyone from stroke victims to autism. Not only that, there are apps for schedule makers, first/then boards, timers, as well as items like Proloquo-to-go which are set up similarly to a picture exchange system.

Traditional systems like the Dynavox are still very good, but they are heavy and cumbersome.  I had little ones who were no bigger than my three year old, not really able to use it on a daily basis because it was too damn big and heavy.  They may be sturdier but they are anywhere from $7-10 thousand dollars.  If the family can advocate and get down insurance throats or get special grants, maybe they might get it covered.  But for $499 and up plus the cost of an app, and cover, it all of a sudden makes it that more accessible for the child to have a more accessible world.

OT Soap Box- Daily Pint Size Inspiration

I love my kids. Not just the ones I gave birth to but also the amazing ones with which I work. Many of the children I get to play with on a daily basis are those with exceptional needs, including many with autism. Most of these kids are under 6 years old. They don't speak. But they can make me smile doing some of the simplest things that many of us take for granted with our own "typically" developing kids. 

The first time they exchange a picture to request more swing time...The first time they squish play doh.... The first time they jump on a trampoloine without me having to bounce it with my foot.... The first time they look me straight on the eye and give me a high five.  

These children are just a few of the approximately 1:100 that are diagnosed with autism spectrum disorder. April is Autism Awareness month. So I figured I might step on the OT soapbox for a few blogs to talk about it.  These kids are still just kids trying to make sense of a world that is trying to make sense of them. 

Check out www.BradyRymer.com for kids' music inspired by children at the Celebrate Children School in Wharton, NJ.  Part of the proceeds of the his album "Love me for who I am" will go to Autism Speaks and the Celebrate Children School.