Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) RSS feedThis is an RSS file. You can use it to subscribe to this data in your favourite RSS reader or to display this data on your own website or blog.

Insights into neurocognition via clock drawing
Short version: Having a client draw you an analog clock (especially one pointing to a specific time) gives valuable insight into their current neurocognitive abilities with regards to problem-solving, sequencing, following directions, visual field, and more.  Longer version:Check out this clock. It was done by an adult artist with developmental delays. I saw it in an airport exhibit. Very cool and thought provoking. I learned during my fieldwork/internship days in the locked geriatric psychiatric ward and rehab hospitals that one of the fastest ways to get a handle on an adult's level of cognitive functioning is to...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - December 12, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Fuzzy/Rough/Textured Nail Polish for Soothing Tactile Sensory-Seeking Behaviors
Check out all the fuzzy nail polishes hitting the market. They literally have a sand-like texture. I'm a fan of the OPI sand, have not tried other brands. I know some non-texture people may hate it, but I think most texture people will love it. It could almost serve as a fidget, in the way velcro under desks can be soothing. Would be cool if they made a more white sand version for guys!  This could work for both children and adults. Give it a try and let me know how it works for the people in your OT circles who are constantly touching things! Even if they end up peeling it off...if that's calming to them, that...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - December 10, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Being seen - ICU
Sometimes people who are lonely, or feel ignored, or sad, talk about being "seen". They want to hear from someone "I see you."  They want to hear they are being recognized, existing, real.  I thought about the ICU, Intensive Care Unit. This is where the sickest of the sickest are, the nurses and caregivers tending to them carefully day and night. "I see you."  "I.C.U".... (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - December 6, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Life hack for OT: Key ring help
Occupational therapy life hack and nail saver. Use a stapler remover to hold your key ring open when adding thick new keys or onto thick ring. (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - December 2, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Verizon Wireless gives educators a discount on monthly plan
http://www.verizonwireless.com/b2c/support/employee-discount-email?cmp=KNC-58700000042501792 This is the link to Verizon Wireless's employee discount page. Educators typically get a discount, I guess I can't promise 100% but so far people have had good luck. You enter in your SCHOOL/WORK email address and it sends you an email where you confirm it and that's about it. Very simple, saves you some money. Certain other companies may get discounts too. And perhaps other carriers have this as well. Enjoy! Thanks,Karen  (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - December 2, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

I am thankful for ....
(I need to do one specifically for OT, maybe later tonight! Gotta go get ready to go to my aunt's!!) HAPPY THANKSGIVING!!I am thankful for...my ability to be concise and the people who crack up laughing at that statement. For love, light, bliss, berries, serotonin, and glitter. Peacock feathers, classy emeralds, gaudy purples, darkly turquoised blues. Angels shooting stars, Grandma's love and ice cream. The platypus and pangolin, artichokes and armadillos. Sauteed mushrooms, slowly moving sloths and slithering snails. Roly polys, caterpillars, dogerpillars. Burrito babies, irridescence and feathers. Tinsel and t...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 28, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Fwd: Expected Typing Speed (WPM) for Children, Common Core Standards
Hi all, SHORT VERSIONTyping Speed Standards are PROBABLY 5 words per minute (WPM) x grade level, so a 4th grader should be at roughly 20 WPM. LONG VERSION I know this is not coming from a formal Common Core Standard page, and I didn't research it enough to find an origin although I tried briefly. However, it sounds reasonable to me - 5 WPM per grade level. Thoughts? http://www.sheltonpublicschools.org/subsite/las/teacher/875/keyboarding-practice-84699 Most relevant paragraph although page was great for many pieces of information: How fast should kids type?As a general rule, keyboarding speeds should b...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 27, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Retro Baby :)
http://www.pediastaff.com/blog/retro-baby-a-book-review-16564An awesome book review of Retro Baby written by our very own OT blogger/awesome clinician/writer, Anne Zachry....can't wait to get a copy soon. :) I 100% agree with her...retro is the way to go, yo ;) (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 24, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Holding babies in NICU - video - OTs can work here too
http://www.cnn.com/2013/11/23/health/preemie-baby-viral-video/index.html?hpt=hp_c3I will come back to clarify more later, but this video has gone viral and it shows some of the NICU pieces...which is where i am headed right now, to go hold sick babies.  OTs can work in NICUs too, although it's advanced/skilled so nothing you can jump into. MORE LATER (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 23, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Multiple Choice Test Strategies and Problem-Solving
Many of my children with IEPs, as well as some prospective OT students who are taking the GREs, or even graduate school students, struggle with multiple choice tests. This is confusing to me as multiple choice tests are a GIFT - the answers are in front of you. I can do well on a multiple choice test when knowing almost NOTHING about the subject because it's just problem-solving and strategy. Hope these strategies help. It's a lot of words, four pages, and I will try to go back and make it just short phrases, but for now, this is what you get. Suggestions welcome on other ways to help people approach tests!HAVE CONFIDENCE!...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 20, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

OT and Doctors agree - SCREEN TIME IS BAD FOR TYPICALLY DEVELOPING CHILDREN!
**I should clarify that I mean "typically developing" children as I know the iPad and other similar devices can be miracles for children who struggle in various areas!http://baltimore.cbslocal.com/2013/11/14/red-flag-doctors-warn-tablets-can-actually-hurt-a-toddlers-developing-body/I completely agree. I don't care how educational the game or show is - SCREEN TIME IS HORRIBLE FOR CHILDREN!!!!!!! They should not be interacting with screens! They need to develop via real life activities and play, lots of running around, spinning, jumping, crawling, carrying things, experimenting with textures and abstract objects, using their...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 18, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

"You're Miss Awesomeness?"
A little girl mentioned she was going back to her room, and the boy I needed was in there. I wrote a little Post-it note for her to give it to him, saying "Dear Kid X, Please come to Room 202 to see Miss Awesomeness. PS, I drank mean juice this morning!!!!" She skimmed it and looked at me and said "Ohhh, you're Miss Awesomeness?" in the tone of "Ooohhhh, so that's whose name I have heard." I was like ISN'T IT OBVIOUS!!!!!! ;)  I hadn't thought about it quite that way - many of my kids reference coming up or going to see Miss Awesomeness, so I guess for classmates who don...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 15, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Dinovember - Celebrate fun!
DinovemberI freaking LOVED this description/photographs of these parents staging elaborate dinosaur figurine events during November. Kids will remember that kind of silly whimsy all their lives. Kids these days seem to get plenty of screen time and structure time so it seems like they get more than enough play, but I would argue there is an INCREDIBLE deficit in more elaborate, unstructured, spontaneous play or appreciation of creativity just for the fun of it. (Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G))
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 15, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Super cool study on "occupation" with older adults
A MEANINGFUL ACTIVITY CAN MEAN THE DIFFERENCE BETWEEN SURVIVE VERSUS THRIVE!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! http://www.scilogs.com/next_regeneration/learning-digital-photography-improves-cognitive-function-older/ Great study done. Essentially asking older people to do puzzles and basic "cognitive" tasks didn't do much, but if it was made meaningful/intriguing, they did awesome after a 14 week study. The digital photography group did the best, although there were other great combinations as well. I recommend skimming the article above, the take-away message is definitely the philosophy that occupational therapy espouses ...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 12, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs

Sometimes our OT kids don't know what they don't know!
Fictional yet real-life typical scenario:Jack is in the first grade and he is having a lot of trouble with letter formation. He is left-handed and his right-handed teacher always sits to his left-side when teaching, because of how her chair and his desk are situated. She carefully shows him how to make the letters, how to hold the pencil, and the sequence of strokes. Jack tries, but can't seem to get it right. He grows frustrated with his inability, and she does as well, because she JUST SHOWED HIM. What she doesn't realize is that all her careful work means almost nothing, because she is blocking his view the enti...
Source: Occupational Therapy Students (B)e(LO)n(G) - November 6, 2013 Category: Occupational Therapists Source Type: blogs