Interactive metronome

[Kat w]

Can anyone tell me please ( please God let there be lol) an IM program to do at home? I know they have the at home use being overseen by a specialist. We are in transition with therapy organizations. I REALLY need something for home for now while we wait. My boys respond really well to this . I know there are different cd's/types ir areas of brain it works. We have it all ( not kidding) so....anything I could use at this point would be extremely helpful.

 

2nd question. Does anyone have a listening therapy system they want to sell? I am good with an older version ( pretty sure the one my older one used was older version anyway) . cost is a factor, that's also why I mentioned an older version.

Thank you

[Kat w]

http://www.addforums.com/forums/showthread.php?t=60674

[Kat w]

Ha-ha! Hey! I just did my first link post!! ( electronically challenged here lol)

 

Ok so, what is described in the first 4 or 5 posts to that forum is exactly what my kids 1st spec ed teacher used to do with them every morning and again after lunch . it worked for mine. Still would like to find maybe something a little bit more comprehensive if possible . But for anyone looking to do metronome work...maybe an option. I am going to do this with those exercises plus some spoons and rhytmic sticks then later hopefully handbells.

 

My guys still work on keepin steady accurate beat in the movement crossing midline utube videos we do so... Yea. Handbells may take awhile lol

[Heathermomster]

http://forums.welltrainedmind.com/topic/496612-calling-heathermomster-or-another-metronome-guru/

 

[Kat w]

Thank you very much Heather. I was hoping you'd chime in. I heard someone mention once you had done some work like this.

 

I'll do it . :)

[PeterPan]

Kat, so you're going to try Heathermomster's protocol?  Even just the trying will be informative.  My, only ADHD, dd could just sit down and do the metronome work.  As the tasks got easier, we began adding in digit spans, etc.  My ds, the complicated one, well he couldn't even clap one time.  He would hyper-clap, but he couldn't just CLAP and stop.  So with him, MUCH more challenging.  We did hand on hand where we'd try to slow it down.  Like hey, can you clap to this row of the alphabet as I touch it on the alphabet puzzle?  (We'd get through A, B, C, and he'd go into hyper-clap, and that's WITH the support of hand on hand!!)  Slow road, but it came.  Now admittedly he has some obvious ADHD-combined as part of his mix, but it's just his brain.  As we did the metronome work, his jumping on the trampoline for gymnastics got better.  His rhythm was getting visibly better.  

 

Actually I never got through Heather's homework protocol with him.  The most we ever got to was just being able to clap to a beat, any beat.  Then we started bringing in things like clap while you read aloud the colors (from the RAN/RAS dot charts) with the metronome.  That's as far as I've taken him.  That took a LOT of work to get to.  Now, alas, other things are more pressing.  He isn't forming questions, so it's making for all kinds of behavioral problems.  So lots of fires to put out at once, and things move forward or backward in priority.

 

I tend to think that for the price (FREE!), you can't go wrong trying Heathermomster's protocol.  No matter what, you'll learn something.  If it's not hard, up the ante with more distractions, working memory, etc.  If it's so hard it's not even within reach, then you just found some foundational skills to work on.  Obviously it's a problem if a dc can't even clap in a controlled fashion, which is where my ds was.  So it's something to try for free.

 

And yes, yes, yes to the self-therapy they do!  But that doesn't mean their self-intuited methods are the most efficient.  It just clues you in to stuff that's going on.  But yes, I think it's GOOD to RESPECT that process.  I think you can respect that process and add some supports too.  Not like it's either/or.

[Kat w]

Awwww OhE ....that painted such a sweet picture in my mind. How sweet that struck me. I'm sure it didn't feel sweet for mom at the time lol :)

That so cool the gymnastics and rhythm have improved some. That's encouraging to me.

 

Yes! I am going to start what Heather has laid out. I'm SO excited and so are they. After she posted it today we talked about it and I described it. They were both excited which, as we all know....helps :/ I bad them do some clapping today to a video we try to do in the mornings thst we got off utube. I assumed clapping would be easy. I was quickly reminded what we all know about assuming lol ;) o guess it never occurred to me. ...we never clap unless we go to a kids theater production or something like thst and they don't usually clap them. I assumed it was rudeness ha-ha :) they can clap, but not like I thought they would be able to. And yes!!! So love the price :)

Fits my Christmas budget quite nicely actually ;)

 

I thought that was you who mentioned they will seek the behaviours that 'sooth' or ' ease' them. Ice already put 'self OT'ing' in our schedule. Instead of him driving me ABSOLUTELY crazy outside banging and pounding and the like...Ive given him an entire hour a day to have at it. I will put in my headphones for that hour I guess. Won't stop the vibrations from the ground tho!! Lol. I remembered the private OT ( after you said what you did) that hammering etc. Was good for him oiy. :)

 

The wagon pushing and pulling, climbing trees higher than mom is comfy with and dad says is fine. Rrrr lol. But, the pounding on the ground with things found around our farm...oh my word...I will just have to suck it up . when he spends time like that. He does collect himself for awhile and seems generally happier. I've just decided, let him direct what he feels he needs at home . when we get back in OT ...nah....then they'll jus be more hell do ha-ha :)

 

Anyway. Thanks so much ladies. Appreciate it much. Gonna start in the morning. Hubby downloaded and metronome app for me. They are listening to it right now in bed. I'm just thinkin.....its the tick of a grandfather clock! That as I think about it was soothing to me as a child.

Thanks again! :)

[PeterPan]

Have fun!  Trying this stuff unlocks a whole new side of you, as you realize you have this POWER to get inside their brains and affect how they feel and function!

 

You know that hour outside pounding and banging is good, awesome, but then you're allowed to maybe create a little morning routine of 10 minutes that sort of gets the same effect.  So like maybe it's 5 jumping jacks, 5 push-ups, 5 sit-ups, and repeat that a few times.  Or maybe you decide to get a BalavisX video and learn that and do that with some homemade beanbags or raquetballs.  Anything cross body will do.  8s, exercises for retained reflexes.  Then you're getting that calming, coming into my world thing.  Meditation, mindfulness, prayer, yoga for kids, anything like that done for 10-15 min can work too.  Studies show that amount of time will bump EF by 30%.  Wow!

[Heathermomster]

kat, pace yourself with the IM becuase it is boring and try to manage the expectations of your boys. They may be thrilled about it now, but once they get started with the clapping, their attitude could change. I suggest you keep "no sugar added" fudge pops nearby as a reward for when they finish. DS would only complete the protocol for a limited amount of time. DS knew he would be working on IM for 8 weeks so was intrinsically motivated to get it over with.

 

IM was never about improving rhythm for us and was always about improving attention. Besides IM, working with an excellent pediatric PT for a few weeks performing balance, strength, postural, and cross body exercises helped DS realize noticeable changes with swimming, attention, balance, posture, and handwriting. My DS is primarily inattentive ADHD. In the fall. DS requested meds for attention. In spite of the meds, I feel like the IM and OT/PT work helped.

Edited December 2, 2015 by Heathermomster

[PeterPan]

The IM is targeting the EF portion of the brain, so you should get improvement in EF symptoms.  Any time you're working on EF, you're going to make ADHD kids more functional.  EF is a really big umbrella and can include working memory, rhythm/timing, self-regulation, meta-cognition (self-awareness), meta-linguistics (noticing the bits of language), etc.  The umbrella is HUGE and you'll can read four books on EF and find that ALL the things they're talking about are included!  

 

IM is kind of a funny field.  When I looked into it, a lot of the providers listed on the IM site were very down on it, not feeling like they got results.  I think it's because you have to be *functional*.  You have to say how can I take this and build something that is useful in real life.  So like distractions.  If you're targeting EF and you go ok, now you can do this basic task and we're going to bring in distractions, you just improved their ability to work in distractions!  That's real life, because there are siblings, dorm mates, that kind of thing.  I knew someone in college who could NOT WORK with the distraction in the dorms.  It was horrible.  So VT, IM, any of these therapies you're doing, you're going to target a part of the brain and then try to get it functional.  Functional means they can do it with distractions, while motor planning, with enough reserve that when the situation is more complicated the skill will still be useful.  And then, the things you've worked on, the skills you've developed, are self-reinforcing because they're actually getting USED.  Cogmed and some of these cognitive therapies, same deal.  The results stick when they're being USED and transferred into every day.  

 

Well that was a rabbit trail, lol.  Anyways, EF is very interesting to read about.  It kind of made sense to me that working memory, rhythm, chunking into parts, these things were EF.  But when you say noticing the bits of language (which resulted in our low language scores), self-regulation, emotional stuff, this is also EF, that's wilder.  So you get situations where the psych looks at my ds and says he can see the EF problems, and I'm thinking what??  Big umbrella.  Severe EF problems are correlated with ASD diagnosis.  It's not like you just have EF problems or don't, kwim?  You can have degrees.  My dd has challenges, but ds' EF challenges are *more severe*.  So that's why you can end up with scenarios where you're realizing wow, my dc can't clap 2 times and stop!  Because literally they can't.  And that's some pretty wicked EF challenges there and when you end up backing up and breaking it into steps and saying ok we're going to get here but it's going to take a lot longer.  The steps have to be DOABLE, no matter where they start.  Some kids start with a LOT more challenges than others on EF.  

[Kat w]

Heather and OhE, thank you for all of thst. OhE, not a bunny trail at all. I needed to be reminded/ hear that.

 

Heather, glad you pointed all that out. Here's the thing with my 11 yo. His balance agility and overall physical abilities are insane off the charts impressive ( small motor all together diff) he can do things grown adults can't like one day a teacher I didn't know pulled me aside and said, I could not believe what Micah was doing on the playground. I was like oh boy , here we go. But, she went in to say, thwy had tires mounted to poles in the ground ( were in the country lol) and I forget the distance apart they were but they intentionally made them far enough apart so the kids would do this:

 

He would climb on top of one and doing off and hop/ fly from one to the other. She said they all jus stopped n looked and were like. Wow. They let him do it when the other kids weren't on the playground b/c was good for him. He is amazing at gymnastics, swimming and anything related to sports. He was asked to join the travel soccer team. ( I can't make thst time commitments so we didn't) but he super xcells in the physical ( large) . clapping this morning? Not so much. ...still typing. Phones messed up...

[Kat w]

Interestingly enough. Last night I was thinking....fluke. But this morning has kinda confirmed it a bit with me.

 

Last night he asked to listen to it at bed. ( we always play something soothing) then, and here is the real and huge kicker.....he came back in my room after about 15 of the metronome and ASKED to listen to the libverox audio books. This,....is like...huge. I've tried A veral times a week to get them to listen to even anhalf ancgapter of any good lit thwy found attractive. Laid blankets n pillows by the back doors so they could see the beautiful girl een feild n hear the birds chirping. Nope. Nada nothin zip. You would have thought I just asked them to hang upside down by their toenails.

 

Now, he's actually asking for anything audio? (Major auditory issues) he listened to entire chapter and could telle some of what happened. ( hasn't achieved this before) then asked for another one. He listened to 3 chapters of different books and could telle at least a couple things from each chapter. Then went to sleep , didn't forget in his sleep or going to sleep and slept the whole night and EVEN slept til 9:00 am! He's NEVER done any of that before.

Woke up...aksed for the metronome . I am in disbelif

[Kat w]

We used it along with our normal morning routine, and he was happy.

 

PhR I was gonna say , we do thst in the mornings , crossing midline, jump jacks, etc. ( were still working on the smaller finer techniques lol ;) but I'm glad you mentioned it cuz for awhile I had gotten away from it in attempt to get SOMEWHERE, ANYWHERE in academics. I just added it back in when our facility close d. Mom needs reminders and accountability too :)

 

We got done. He asked

[Kat w]

To do math, and not just any math, the MIS division which up to this point has been lime....Satan to him ha-ha. And....he could do the sheet when he finished the video. He said. I didn't even know I could do division. Lol

 

Blowin my mind. Yes Heather, glad you pointed thst out, they did tire quickly of of he clapping. I brought out spoons and did feet then ended on a good note with success so they want to do it again. At this point. My boys need to feel some success.

 

I had to take a break after mus division. My mind was blown and processing. He wanted to keep going on any math like a steam engine. Well do more metronome listening in a bit n start back to math but. I'm shocked.

A little moving back and forth gadget, ' spoke' to my son. Man oh man.

[Kat w]

OhE, yes , EF is a big problem for us. And spanning the entire umbrella really. His old spec needs teacher let me borrow books on it and other things. I need to biy them yho. I like to highlight. Take notes on the sides etc. I make them my study guides I refer back to. I've forgotten alot of it actually.

 

And yes, we heard ASD very early on. Ita in his paperwork. One thing about the specialist we've dealt with , they haven't wanted to discourage us . I appreciate that, but if I don't have a firm grasp, makes it harder to help. They told me treating the symptoms would be the same but he did eventually he an ASD diagnosis. I've come to grips with it finally. I saw it early and knew it but hoped it wasn't. It is. And thsts OK. He can function, but hubby and I have resigned ourselves to the fact that eap him the 11 yo, will always need help. We live on a farm so he could have a small house built or mobile home put on it where he's close to us and can be monired and assisted daily. My oldest daughter has always has a special bond with him and asked me , mom. Pls met me have Micah when something happens to you guys. I said of course you have Micah. You 2 were always attached at the hip :)

[Kat w]

23 yo will always need help too. Mental issues. She is 'assisted" living lol . lives with grandma so she can monitor her and take her where she needs to go etc. Thst child does not need a car lol

[Kat w]

I had not registered VT separately from ...idk like passing a vision test until this board. I didn't recall someone mentioning it when he was bout 2. PS. Said vision and hearing were fine and I just really didn't get it as being separate from actually seeing and hearing.

But. I do believe he has cion and hearing issues. They just didn't show up on the PS basic testing.

 

When we go in Jan I'm going to bring both of these up.

 

When we got to the hospital when the der one was being born....I walked in the room and all the staff stopped n looked at me. Dead in the eye. I could feel something big was wrong. I was afraid he was born dead or was seizing , brain bleeding, cardiac arrest , something like that. I see now, thwy saw w their trained eye something I didn't see. big issues and esp down the road. I asked what was wrong , they were silent. Legally at that point they had to be.

But when we left the hospital and he was legally purs, one of the staff, forget who looked at us and said, I hope you know what you're getting into. I replied, we probably don't and thata good. For right now anyway.

[Kat w]

Heather, yes I love the bribery...I mean reward system ;) they respond very well to that and sugar, we have had to cut that completely out, glad you mention the sugar free fusgsicles. I used to eat them myself and use them for my oldest daughter. . completely forgot about it tho, thanks.

 

OhE, Balavisx I hadn't heard of til you on this board. I should Google it. Sounds like something my youngest would benefit from.

 

My notebook of notes is growing huger n huger by the moment :)

 

I kinda don't wanna do anymore school today and end on a really good note. He's begging for more math. Math. Who in the world woulda thought he would ever love math. His last year in PS they called me a few times to come up cuz he was have such a meltdown in spec ed math. ....math. My mind is just blown.

 

He was already loving it with the chance uo I did. Khan mus to introduce the session and have the visual then on paper to do Singapore . ...Singapore of all things. Never woulda thought he could do it.

 

Mind. Blown. ...hey...chocalotw! I need some ha-ha ;)

[Kat w]

Sorry for typos guys...very sorry.

Part of its my phone freezing. Other part is nerve damage to my arms down to the finger tips. I need to turn back on the lil thingy that gives you options of words when you mess up.

[PeterPan]

Maybe the metronome work is very organizing to him?  That's pretty wild that when he gets that input, he does better with his school work.  Maybe he can notice that and make that choice to do things that are organizing a few times during the day.  Even just 8s or the Brain Gym stuff or anything with crossbody, kwim?  

 

Well congrats on finding something that does some good!  Keep going!!  :)

[Kat w]

Thanks OhE, he is walking around proud today. It's a good feeling for a mom to see that. It's been obvious In his whole body language lately that....he's been discouraged and beating himself up mentally for it. He wants so badly to succeed and works so hard. That was a note his teachers used to make all the time. He works so hard and that child has alot of heart n soul.

 

Has just slayed me to see him like this lately. I quit after he did so well. Don't want to overwhelm him and I could feel he was approaching overstimulated and that's ALWAYS bad lol.

 

You're right. I don't think he's MD ethe connection thst the only difference was the metronome.

 

He was so proud he just came in from outside....banging!! Lol....to tell me another detail he remembered from Pinocchio. He's never been able to let his ears hear it. Bogs down the shuts down then meltsdown. I should point out it was the metronome .

 

So nice to see my son have a perk in his steps today :)

Happy mama

[Kat w]

Come to think of it....he's very tap tap tap....bang foot on desk bang foot on desk....etc oriented.

Have to say. Drives me bonkers. The intunive makes that better. Way better...its a med designed to remove 'ticks" , its for seizures...things that make the outside world...crazy!

 

But. I have to figure out a way around this. He needs the chewing . Taps I could do without lol....gonna have to find some sort of balance though.

Food question fjlir January.

 

No way am I taking him off of it. Too much anxiety. Esp at bedtime .

[PeterPan]

You give him chewing gum?

[Kat w]

Yes. All the time. He doesn't want it. Bothers him, I'm sure cuz it works on building the mouth muscles. He wants nothing to do with it. I've even bought big bags of sugar free candy( sugar send him through the roof) and told h he could just eat it :) thst should be fun n cool right? ...nnnnnope. Wants none of it. For same reason I'm sure. I even tried the candy WITH sugar in it. Nope .

[PeterPan]

That's curious.  And this is the one with diagnosed apraxia on top of the CAPD?  I may have gotten people mixed up.  Just thinking it could be oral tone issues.  But I don't know.  

[Kat w]

They both have apraxia and APD. BUT YES. AND the ST said cuz its hard and tho he sensory seeks orally like chewed clothing ,straws ,etc ....ahe said chewing gum is probably texture or taste he doesn't like. When they ...oh....SPD too....sensory kids will have issue with certain textures, etc.

 

Like he cannot stand to have a sheet on his bed. I bought him good aheets even hoping he would keep them on....will not.

 

I bought a big bag of the gum thst comes in the bubble gum machines with he hard outer shell. He didn't want that either after it was past the hard outer shell.

 

And yes, he has low oral tone. Rest of him? Very muscular, strong, agile, great at all sports....oral tone...whole mother story

 

Other one has low everything else tone.

[Kat w]

And really....I personally think his chewing the straws clothing etc was more of a 'tick' . he does have those. But....who really knows for sure

[Kat w]

Ya know, .....as I 'talk' about these things it makes me think more..sometimes jis talking helps with breakthroughs....but I just occurred to me...I wonder if he's afraid it's going to slide down his throat and get stuck and hell choke. He still gag like chokes sometimes....I don't think he's actually choking but more he's gagging and his brain is telling him hea choking.

 

I wonder..... He likes the rougher textures...meat but not mushrooms . things like that. When I ask him why he doesn't like mushrooms and quiz him...he says they don't really have a taste to him so ....maybe.

 

Just like I really think he had a negative association with speech. He would get carsick to and fro and had a serious aversion to speech. Granted...it was hard but other things are hard for him and he works hard at them. Hmm

Edited December 2, 2015 by Kat w

[PeterPan]

For the oral tone, you're wanting basics like crunchy food, straw bloks (you buy them online), whistles and things you blow, etc.  The really twisty straws that are hard to drink through can be good.  They don't need to be so hard he can't do them, just enough to make his mouth work.  The straw blok makes it so he has to use his lips and can't pull it way up into his mouth.  They're super cheap, like maybe $5 for a pack.  

 

ARK's Lip Blok 3 Size Hierarchy | Oral Motor Tools | ARK Therapeutic  This is the set we have.  ARK may have other cool things they'd like.

[Kat w]

I totally forgot bout those straws....yes. I'm going to get them . thanks for reminding me. I got away from buying them when he fussed bout it. Yes. He loves whistles. Ouy :) not my fave but I will let him use them sometime. I've run out. Il buy more n send them in the back feild ha-ha :)

 

I bought recorders too. ( have to blow ) they haven't come in yet I thought since they love music....

When we go to our hands on musical thing at the symphony downtown ( for kids) he can't even blow any of the horns :(

 

The straw blocks. I've never heard of those. I'll go to the link and get some. I'm trying any sort of trickery ast this point I can do ( recorder) tho...he really loves those dagone whistles.... Of course :/ :)

 

Anything else in your bag of tricks Mary Poppins? Lol ;)

 

I seriously need all the things like that I can do...he's so anti anything with his mouth.

 

If you think of a site that has inexpensive things please let me know. I'm gonna check this one out....

Everything is just so expensive when ' meant for therapy' rrrr

[PeterPan]

I think for the in mouth thing you really ahve to talk with the therapist.  Look for one who says they do feeding therapy *and* PROMPT.  That should give you a serious convergence of experience (hopefully).  

 

Part of the blowing thing is breath support.  I think core can affect that, not sure.  My ds' breath support made a HUGE leap when he started swimming.  Don't ask how much we swim, lol.  He takes 4 times longer than everyone else to get the same skill, so to me it's like OK, THEN WE'LL BE HERE 4 TIMES AS MUCH!!.  So that's what we do.  Year round.  And after enough months of that, his breath support started noticeably improving.  He no longer sounds like Minnie Mouse.  Now it might be core, because we're in gymnastics too, but I don't think so.  I think it's the swimming.  They are there, every time, going under water.  

 

If you're like Oh, time and money to blow, try your Y.  Our Y has adaptive swim classes and regular.  They bend over backwards for ds.  Love, hugs, and super smooches to our Y.  They have been AMAZING for ds and with ds.  He's in the water 2-4 days a week, depending on the term, and yes it has improved his breath support.  That way he can get a deep breath, control, it let it out.  Sounds really basic, but it's really foundational.  Or swim in the bathtub, I guess.

 

Mary Poppins was NOT a nice person.  I'm taking that title under advisement.   :D

 

PS.  You're brave with the recorders.  I loved dmmetler's idea of using color coding.  Here it would be a weapon.  Wham on the Mom!

Edited December 3, 2015 by OhElizabeth

[Kat w]

Baha!!! I forgot Mary poppin had...issues.

 

LOVED her in sound of music. There is the reason we watched sound of music so much more than Mary Poppins! You dear, are a very nice person. The sound of music mommy :) that Julie Andrews lol

 

My big kids did year round swim team for like...8 yrs. They competed tho. No way my boys ( esp right now) could do that.

As you mention it tho...I do think I remember someone saying another Y, not the one closest to me but another one had started a yr round team.

I know swimming is awesome for them.

It has taken us 2 summers ( our summers are long) to just....well. We haven't even gotten the basics. The older one does better but.....put the mouth in anything , like having to breath to swim, and man.

The little one still wants to hold on to the side...where he can stand up even! :/

 

Bathtub.....I'll have them start to practice putting their heads underwater in the tub then graduate to holding breath.

The 2 would be completely separate things for them.

 

I know, sounds basic. Not for mine tho. They don't want anything to do with having their face u derwatwr. Lil one gags and gags and gags. Poor lil guy. He freaks out.

 

And yes, the weapons....I mean recorders will be used for noninteded use here too :)

Here's my idea. Take em out...yea no...they'll still be weapons lol.

Hmmm. Maybe didn't think that one all the way thru :)

I'm thinking...oh happy day...wonderfully blissfully children blowing away in their recorders. Yup. Def. Momentary lapse of reason ;)

 

Hey. Maybe they'll jus break em all soon and be done with it!! Baha

In fact....that's probable even :)

[Kat w]

Wonder if that Y would just let us come swim.

They can't compete even if its not the real competive kind. Not now.

Ima call em :)

[Kat w]

.....no.....I'm gonna go there. Papers in hand and let em see what the deal is.

Our Y is very sweet and accommodating too. They close down the pool on the Monday before thanksgiving and open lime the first of March. I don't wanna wait that long

[PeterPan]

Oh wow, your pool closes?  Ours has indoor pools, and they run swim lessons all year long.  They have adaptive aquatics taught by an OT.  They have a preschool sequence, which is what my ds has been taking a year and a half.  He blends in socially and by size, but most of the other kids are 4-6, where he's 7.  The preschool sequence is incredibly gentle and they wait for the dc to be ready.  He pretty much takes 4 times as long as everyone else to get the same skill, so to me it was like ok, we'll just be here that much more!  But he was 5 when we started this, kwim?  For age 11, then you need an adaptive class or maybe a teen class IF they have the right person.  Our Y has a teen class, but that person wouldn't be able to handle severe SN.  They just don't have that skill set and experience as teachers.  You might need private lessons.  Maybe it's the kind of thing you put your feelers out for and then do it next summer, after you have some PROMPT under your belt, kwim?  

 

The PROMPT therapist has a way she has him take his breaths.  The problem with swimming with apraxia is that they might not be motor planning the jaw up, jaw down, kwim?  So think about all the motor planning that has to occur for them to do something as simple as closing their mouths and going under water.  They have to drop their jaw, take a breath, pull the jaw up, and blow through their nose.  All of that can be supported with PROMPTs.  They probably *cannot* do it on their own.  That's why I'm saying you could get some therapy first and *then* introduce that process.  Like maybe let the SLP work on teaching them that motor planning, then when they have enough therapy in (6-9 months) that the jaw control is easier, THEN start going in the water together and just trying it, kwim?  But that tightness you were talking about (and conversely the looseness) is jaw stability, and the jaw is what you need to close your mouth and go under water, kwim?  It's very complex!  Not out of reach, but it just may need some support.  That might be a good long-term goal.  For my ds it was very, very, very, very, did I mention very?, challenging, and he had the inhibitions of a young child and years and years of PROMPT.  It will take time.  But on the other hand, your kids are more mature and have that cognitive to bring.  

 

The Y has their swim teams practicing during one of our regular swim classes.  The swim team, at least right now, is WAY too chaotic for him.  Doesn't have enough structure.  A hundred kids all over, noise, being divided into groups, what a high energy mess!  I'm hoping we can just stay in our regular track of classes and later move over and try that.  I need him in a set-up that has the *structure* for him to succeed.  If he has down time where the expectations aren't clear and structured, his behavior can deteriorate.  That's just a rabbit trail, lol.  I'm just saying although many kids can learn to swim through swim team, that wouldn't be a good learning environment for *my* ds.  I'd like to try him next summer if I find a set-up that works for him.  But even that I don't know.  It's not as structured and controlled as the small classes of 2-6 he attends now.  For me that's more of a long-term goal to get him ready to go into something like that.  

Edited December 3, 2015 by OhElizabeth

[Kat w]

Yea. Our pool closes. :/ we are Florida babies. The cost of indoor doesn't justify the income thst would be made back later.

 

The Y pool closes. Swim team pools don't close...they just heat them in Jan. And Feb.

 

We do have one at UNF thsts about an hour and 40 mins from us. Thst would have to be a hotel stay for us...he could never do the long drive then do anything else. He gets way to carsick thst leaves him sick the rest of the day...like he doesn't recover easily from it . sigh.

 

All that makes perfect sense. Including the rabbit trail as you call them. I call them informative. I have learned lots from your ' rabbit trails ' ')

 

Yes. You're right. I do need to wait in PROMPT. As I thought about this today, swimming is the only sport my older one has ECER begged me not to put him in and why I haven't done it yet.

I believe he knows he can't do it yet.

 

Wish there was some fairy dust I could sprinkle on him and him not know hr struggles so much. :(

[Dmmetler]

For recorder, a Suzuki trick is to tape the holes so that the child is working on breath control on those lower notes first. Colored electrical tape works well, or the round dot 1/2 in color coding stickers. This avoids overblowing and screeching and develops the skills faster (and hurts parent ears MUCH less). If you tape the entire left hand but leave the right hand, you can do all the M-R-D type songs normally done on B-A-G, except on E-D-C. Again, color coding music works well, and you can use the same color system as the other instruments. If anyone wants to buy recorders (for future reference), I really recommend the Renaissance style over the Baroque for kids who have difficulty with oral/breath control (or, really, any young beginner). It is much, much harder to overblow a renaissance recorder, so it makes it easier to play the Lower pitches, and more easy to have success early. You do want to switch to a Baroque instrument once the student needs to play above the staff-but you can do a lot before that point, and since a decent Renaissance recorder, like the Peripole Angel, is only about $5-$7, it's not a big investment.

 

 

It's not an oral skills activity, but for beat competence (and active kids). Boomwhackers are awesome. These are color coded plastic tubes, not hard enough to hurt much of anyone, and the pitches are quite good. They can also beat them on the floor, their hands, each other (although I usually set rules against that!) quite hard without it getting too loud. Music therapists use them frequently, as do defelopmental music educators.

[Kat w]

Dmmetler, thank you so much for all of that.

 

The color coded electrical tape ...love it. I will do that. I am going to lock all our instruments up in a chest I decided last night and use only when I've deemed .

 

The boomwhackers....when I first googled them yesterday the initial pics I saw ....I thought were highlighters! Baha! I went back and took a more thorough loom last night and said...ah! Xylophones!! :)

 

As I investigated further I saw they weren't attached. At first I thought oh. This will be soook problematic with my boys but after I watched some utube videos of them used I'm music therapy classes I definitely saw their place and their benefits.

Boy, I'm biting the bullet on these things. I have intentionally avoided music here b/c well....the noise oh my.

But after I thought more, I NEED to do this for them . I also NEED to keep them locked up when not being used as prep for academics or as a reward.

 

I thought boomwhackers use could also be used for reward for doing phonics well and not being resistant. I'm going to use them in the morning to videos we use to cross midline, build tone w pushuos etc. in a fun way.

 

I am taking a huge leap with these boomwhackers. :/ my boys will be hitting each other with them. Depending on how hyper it makes them and not so to destroy the instrument ...I'm going to try letting them. Surely not suggesting it. I jus know they will.

 

Me thinks.......this needs to be a time of day when dad is with the boys and mom goes for a walk ;) dad works from home most days lol.

 

I wonder. I haven't ordered the boomwhackers yet...do you have some you think are more preferred than others that aren't too expensive?

AND.

The color coding on them. I wonder if it's a universal color coding. Like. Will my handbells be color coded the same? They haven't come in yet but I did order them.

 

And do you have books/cd's you like more than others esp. For the SN child?

[PeterPan]

Ok Dmmetler, now I'm curious.  What is the instrument Picard plays on the Star Trek Next Gen episodes?  And, if I wanted to get my dd one of those (because she loves all things medieval!!), would she play that Angel or something different?  Remember she couldn't even get her brain to process piano until 14.  Simple is good.  I'm just thinking this could be a really neat Christmas present!  :)

[Kat w]

Ohhhh, I forgot Picard played. Love next generation. :)

[PeterPan]

Ok, this is pathetic.  Turns out they called it a "ressikan flute" and it was just made up, not functional at all, hehe.  But still, a fun couple scenes!   :D

 

 

 

Edited December 4, 2015 by OhElizabeth

[Kat w]

Ya know as I think , didnt that 'play itsel' sometimes? Lol

 

Maybe DD can do another lil horn thingy ma Bob ( I don't know horns or blowing things , clearly lol)

:)

[Dmmetler]

The Renaissance recorder is one of the more common instruments seen at rent fairs (I have a beautiful handmade one I use when I do Renaissance gigs), and is one of the easier to play. A lot of the others are harder to blow. For an older DC, the alto size is a better choice than the "descant/soprano"-and is less ear-piercing.

 

These are the ones I like best http://www.peripole.com/items/category_view/159

[drjuliadc]

See brainbeat.com for something very similar to the IM Home only cheaper and doesn't require a professional. It was $249 when I last checked several months ago.