Making Deals

Breaks from the routine of school are tough for kids who thrive with routines. My kids are no exception to that. When you throw in cancelled physical therapy sessions, basketball games put on hold, and limited contact with the school mates you adore, some kids (e.g. Ronnie!) can get a bit cranky.

My solution - bribery!

For example, Ronnie does not want to continue to practice his physical therapy skills when he isn't going to have to deal with the weekly wrath of his therapist. But he still needs to practice standing with his new crutches and he still needs to work on stretching his back muscles so standing comes easier.




Here's the deal we worked out. For every 30 minutes of physical therapy practice, he gets 60 minutes of video game play.

So far it's working. What are your strategies to keep your kids on track during long school breaks?

A Full Dance Card

First there was the wheelchair. The chair and Ronnie were one.
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Then came a newer, sportier wheelchair - one that is great for wheelies and sharp turns.
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Hip to foot braces and a walker were next. Ronnie learned to walk upright for the first time ever, and won the crowd over at his adoption ceremony.
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Now? Crutches - bright, shiny new black crutches. While Ronnie has several month of lessons and practice ahead of him, last night he took his first tentative step. It was a tiny step, and the physical therapist was holding him up with a gate belt, but it was a step nonetheless.
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I predict dancing at the prom won't be far behind!

Retail Therapy

Black Friday - the quintessential day of olympic shopping. I haven't ventured out on this day of bargains and germy crowds since my now 18 year old son was just a toddler. I hired a sitter and hit the stores to find great deals on toys and other gifts, but I haven't tried it again since adopting Ashley almost 12 years ago.



Black Friday shopping is not for the faint of heart. I was worried that with Ashley's deafblindness, she would be easily over stimulated by the crowds. And with her tentative health, I worried that exposing her to such a large germ pool would be disastrous. But I changed my mind this year.

The lure of shopping is just as great for Ashley as it is for any other teenaged girl. So, we left home early, jockeyed for parking spaces, and joined the masses of people searching for bargains.

First, we went to Circuit City. This store was to be my litmus test since it is usually one of the most crowded on Black Friday. If Ashley could handle shopping there, she would probably be ok at the mall or other large stores. She did great! She never once got over stimulated, or if she did, she managed it very well. Buoyed by her smiles, we went on to World Market, Best Buy, Target, Petco and 5 and Below. We rounded out our day with dinner at Cracker Barrel, and still Ashley was happy and smiling. In fact, my son, Chip, said she was happier than he had seen her in a long time. It's amazing what a little retail therapy can do for a person, eh?

While I was very pleased with how Ashley handled her day, I was much less pleased with the accessibility with some of the stores we visited. I'll tell you more about that tomorrow...

Body Art

If your child has ever received occupational or physical therapy services, especially for a sensory processing disorder, you’ve probably heard of and seen Body Sox. They are like a very large pillowcase, and usually are made of a stretchy lycra-like fabric. Your child climbs into the Sox, and can then stretch all around. The stretching against the fabric provides sensory feedback, and can help some children get a better awareness of their body is space.

Ashley used one in therapy for a while, and she really enjoyed it. It was almost as if she was making an art piece while wearing it. She would pose herself in lots of different positions, hold the pose and look to her therapist for applause. I always thought I would like to have one at home, but when I found out how much they cost, I couldn’t afford it. But that little fact didn’t slow Ashley down.

While she was in her bedroom getting ready for bed one night last week, she decided to create her own Body Sox using her nightgown. When I returned to her room with her nighttime meds, there she was – posing once again. So, here she is in her own Sox creation, and quite pleased with herself as you can see.