OT: Day 11/30

OT was after MOPS (Mothers of Preschoolers) today. Of course, it was near lunchtime, and Turbo was off the charts in activity. HA! Now Ms. Renee can see exactly what I am dealing with starting at 5:30 am! SHEESH!

When we got there, I could see in her face that she was surprised and probably taken aback since most everytime he is active, but definitely not this active: antsy would be a better word. We got back to the "kitchen" to work on self-care again. This time, he sat on square board swing with a large innertube on it. Don't ask the reason, cause I didn't ask. Today's beauty candidate: a lizard - because yes, lizards need beauty treatments too.


It started out with Turbo using a little bit of lotion to put on the lizards face and belly. Immediately, he wiped it off of his hands using his pants and the carpet. SURPRISE?! After some encouragement that maybe if he rubbed his hands together really hard and fast that he would make the lotion warm and eventually rub it off. He did, and he actually really liked doing it. Next up, chapstick on the lizard...seriously...do they even have lips? Moving on. He put it on the lizard, and then me. I kissed a miorror, the lizard kissed a mirror and then when it was his turn, Turbo applied the chapstick, kissed the mirror and then used the back of his shirt sleeve to wipe it off. End of session.



While we were talking and preparing for the next activity, Turbo's engine got SUPER RED and SUPER FAST...as it always does when I am trying to hold a conversation...be it with myself or another person. We went over ways to help him calm himself while waiting:

1) Hug yourself really tight
2) Press your hands together
3) Blow out your candles (Hold up 5 fingers and slowly blow out the candles while putting each individual finger down)
4) Give mom and hard high five push
5) Sit Criss-Cross-Applesauce and press your knees to the floor
6) Using a tennis ball that has a slit in it - squeeze it (homemade stress reliever ball) or put pennies in it

These are just some of the tools that I have been given to help him, all work really well, but it is a matter of practice that will really show proof in the "puddin" as they say.

Have you ever met Mr. Beans? (not the actor) but the sock puppet? We bought a weighted frog that seriously weighs 5 pounds, and some days it is a really good tool. Some days it is just too heavy for Turbo. So we made a tube-sock puppet that is filled with dried beans (hence the name). This is much lighter for Turbo to use at times during transition periods and it is much more flexible than the frog - both have useful purposes.



Zoom Ball. You can't find these anymore, except for online, but it is great for gross motor skills and the development of sequential activities (the latter in which Turbo is lacking in). It helps because in order to get the ball back, he has to bring his arms together and bring the string down to the ground to let gravity work. Then when he gets the ball to send it back, he has to open his arms very wide and with force while standing up. He also receives that deep pressure feeling when the ball strikes his handles hard.



Afterwards, we moved on the Vision Program activities. Unfortunately, Turbo's eye movement muscles that allows his eyes to move slow (ability to read) is impaired and we need to exercise these muscles to help him. Ms. Renee also wanted to see how he does in a faster pace environment to see how well he does with finding his place while moving.

She set up the "peanut-shaped" ball and had him sit on it while reading directional arrows on the mirror. (she used window markers by Crayola - those will be in stockings this year!) Then while moving the ball a bit and with Turbo moving the ball a bit, he was to move his body in the direction the arrows were pointing. The purpose: Help him to read from left to right and then once at the end, jump down to the next line and begin again going from left to right. He did an amazing job here. His vision movement is great at a fast pace...HuH...hudda thunk? ;)


Then it was off to a little room for some slow pace vision therapy. She had him sit on the board while she spun him around 10 times. He was to look down (or center, really). Then he was to follow an object around with his eyes only and not move his head. Then she had him lie down again on his side, spun him around and had him track an object while lying down. After awhile, he wanted to stop because he was getting really dizzy! YEAH!!! YEAH!!! YEAH!!! That is a good thing because that means that some things are working and connecting in his brain that spinning excessively is not a good thing! He is beginning to feel that being dizzy isn't such a great thing! WHOO HOO! Although this was a break through, he still has trouble tracking an object smoothly and being able to go right to it rather than searching everywhere for it. It will come with time.


Our last activity for the day was for Turbo to come up with something on his own. He chose these squeaker "mushrooms" - if you will - for his activity. He decided to make a path so that he could walk the path and make them squeak. Good sequential activity for him to follow. I tell you one thing...those squeaker toys will NEVER make it into my house...NEVER....