PeterPan Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 You might see if the YMCA has preschool swim lessons they would let him in. For my ds they've turned out to be a really good fit. He needs the slower pace and more personal attention compared to the big kid (Guppy, etc.) classes. They also have adaptive aquatics taught by an OT... Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 I was thrown myself when the OT mentioned motor planning. I questioned the OT and she demonstrated how DD could not mirror movements. The OT asked me whether I suspected ADHD and asked about learning issues. If DD has learning issues, I cannot tell. After struggling with DS, I've worked slowy and deliberately with DD to cover math and phonics. ETA: I just checked. DD writes 15-20 words per day plus about 1/4 to 1/2 of her math answers. You could use the bounce/sit ball. Maybe rotate the ball so that the handle is to the side and does not impede rolling. There are so many details to this. I did not fill the ball tight with air to reduce the bounce factor. Your child could also use an ottoman. Prior to seeing the OT, OhE mentioned the wheel barrow walking. DD wheel barrow walked for a few days prior to being able to perform the push ups with her knees on the ball. If you try out the slant board, please give us a review. Each time I see one of those things, I try to figure out a way to make one. Good idea about the ball. First I have to inflate it after finding the pump... :) I've made a game that we're going to build up the wheelbarrow walking to see how often we can go around our kitchen. We're up to two (after a break in between). DS also compensates by turning his hands outwards so we're working on that too. I did see a DIY slant board with hard plastic material... : http://alittlelearningfortwo.blogspot.com/2013/08/diy-how-to-make-slant-board.html I've also seen a lot of quick and dirty slant boards from the large 3" 3 ring folders but I want a wider one for DS. I think I'm going to try the one linked upthread as IDK where to find the type of material mentioned in the blog. And I don't want to run more errands either. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 Heather, I like your idea of deflating the ball just a bit! Yes, dd also cannot imitate. It's how we got in this pickle where she doesn't have a label that gets her out of foreign languages but really struggles (like gets an 82 on the final even when she works double to triple what everyone else does) but she can't do something like ASL that requires imitation either. :( Our OT said it was an indication of praxis, but then she didn't put that in the write-up. So it's enough to cause problems but not enough to get a diagnosis. Your ASL comment makes me wonder on the other thread about DS learning ASL as another language. I can imagine forming signs may be difficult for him but I wonder if it would help or just be frustrating. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
displace Posted October 28, 2014 Author Share Posted October 28, 2014 You might see if the YMCA has preschool swim lessons they would let him in. For my ds they've turned out to be a really good fit. He needs the slower pace and more personal attention compared to the big kid (Guppy, etc.) classes. They also have adaptive aquatics taught by an OT... Thanks. We were doing lessons at the Ymca but now the lessons are over for the summer. We transitioned from the preschool to the older kids and he was doing fine but just anxious. I might see if the youngers are still having lessons though. I'll have to look around for other types of swimming. Actually, that's a thought... they have daycare while working out so I could drop off DD in the play room and just work with DS swimming. Win win! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Our Y also has an adaptive gymnastics class. You might check. I agree if he's anxious I would either back off or switch to the adaptive, where there's more support for the tasks. A dc with praxis will have difficulty imitating the motions demonstrated to him, so unless you have a very verbal teacher the dc may not be able to imitate. He may have issues with coordination and strength. My ds does not evidence clinical praxis, though he does take a while to catch onto the motor planning. I watch and then I bring him home and talk it through with him, touch his body or have him feel where it is in space. For swimming, I had him on the floor, FEELING, where his body was when he did what they wanted. For one of the new things in gymnastics, I brought him home and went through each step in the task, one foot, one hand at a time. He has been doing it 2-3 days a week, and I think the *frequency* helps too. As far as the wheelbarrows, those are hard! You know I'm really impressed with the ball exercises Heather mentioned. Ball Exercises for the Chest | Ball-Exercises.com I think they're going to be a gentler way to work and I'm looking forward to adding them to our daily list. On the ASL, if it's praxis causing it to be difficult, I'd only do what he enjoys. My dd enjoys ASL even though it's hard for her to imitate. It's one of those great ironies of life, that sometimes the dc really enjoys something that is hard for him! We had talked about doing it at the cc (community college) for her high school language credits, and I became concerned that I couldn't guarantee she could get in the class and actually DO it. But that doesn't mean I won't allow her to try or that I've kept her from it over the years. I just made the judgment call the for someone who *didn't* get a dyslexia to give her the pass out of language, she was going to have to do a language I *knew* she could do. But she's had plenty of time and experiences over the years to pursue it on the level she wanted. If I had known it myself, I could have done more. I'll just rabbit trail here. I've spent a lot of time thinking I need to do a "good job". It's been what I said to my friend backchannel over the years, that I'm trying to make sure I do a "good job." Having some water under the bridge, I can tell you that the things you'll regret will not be whether you did a "good job" overall but whether you nailed specific, pesky things that trip up your ability to proceed later. So to me, now, it's more like "nail the foundational things" plus keep the child happy. And to me keep him happy MEANS having time and energy to do the things that enchant their imagination and make them light up. But as far as some hit list of being well-rounded and doing a good job, I don't know, I've sort of freed myself from it. It's really a trap, because it will DISTRACT you from the most important things. Unhappy child won't work for you and a child without the foundation (bodywork, learning to read, motor control for writing, conceptual understanding of math) can't progress forward. The irony is the child *may not* consider the "good job" well-rounded education even intriguing. He might be more brought alive by reading topical encyclopedias on things that interest him or pursuing some subjects to the exclusion of others. Free yourself of this hit list of what you think you have to get done. Make a list of the absolute most important things and do those plus whatever keeps him happy. Pick some things NOT to do well. Seriously. Like just make a short list and go "rats, those were the things we're NOT gonna do well this year" and give yourself permission. Own it. It's ok to do that, to cut things and have holes. A dc with a disability and SN *needs* that permission not to try to do everything well. He can't physically, mentally, or emotionally handle it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lecka Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 You can ask the OT about activities, too. They may have a really good idea of what skills are more/less difficult, and how much ahead/behind he might be than other kids his age. It is also too bad, if you try something, and he has a harder time, but then, if after 6 months of OT he could go in and have a lot better experience. But I think private swim lessons with mom sound like a great deal. It can be all at his level :) Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 The adaptive aquatics and adaptive gymnastics at the Y both have the parent in the pool or gym with the child. At our Y it's an OT teaching it, and she shows them something and then has the parents break off into groups with their kids to work. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Heathermomster Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 DD attends a swim class once per week with a scuba instructor at his dive shop. The instructor is very good and there is no pressure at all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PeterPan Posted October 28, 2014 Share Posted October 28, 2014 Heather, there's a dive shop up the road from our Y, and during the summer they came to the indoor pool to swim, sometimes during our lessons! Ds was very enchanted and kept saying he wanted to be a diver. :D Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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