This blog entry is in the beginning stages as I approach this project in two parts. The first part (this entry) will be on the Low Tech tools that Shelley and I purchased when we went on our shopping adventure to the Dollarama in New Minas.
The purpose of this trip was to find common, everyday household items that we could use as Low Tech tools for individuals with special learning needs or requirements. These items could be suited to anyone from a person with Autism to a person with Cerebral Palsy or just generalized motor skill difficulties, or sensory difficulties. The items were simply meant to be used in order to make a task or tasks easier for an individual to accomplish.
Approaching the project in this manner assisted Shelley and I in knowing what kinds of things we were looking for at the store. We spent a fair amount of time in the store and often picked up items that we could not really think of as particularly useful as a Low Tech tool, however, I am sure with some additional time or creative incentive, we could have come up with a function.
We did come up with 10 items that we purchased and would use for Low Tech tools. The following will be a listing of each of the items purchased, with a picture of each and a description of the use of this tool for a person with some sort of need, whether that be for a tactile, motor skill or learning need.
First, we purchased a blue, car mitt that is commonly used for washing vehicles. In class, Barb had showed us a bar of soap in a nylon, however when we saw the car mitt, we knew that this could be an adapted version of what Barb had created with the soap and nylon. You would not have to worry about putting the bar of soap in the nylon, nor worry about the soap getting all cakey. Instead, you just simply pour some body wash soap into the car mitt and you have an instant foaming washcloth! How nice and simple!
This could easily be used for someone with motor skill difficulties who may not be able to hold on to a bar of soap and a washcloth at the same time. So this car mitt allows for the 2 of these items to be put into one that simply slips over a person's hand! This could also be used for someone who enjoys the tactile feel of an object as this car mitt is very soft and fluffy. It can also easily be replaced for $1.25 when it becomes old or for that matter, it can simply be thrown into the washing machine as it is made of fabric and can be used over and over again.
The second item we purchased was a plastic cat scooper with a durable, thick handle. This item, we also borrowed the suggestion from Barb, could be used by an individual to move items toward them or away from them by pushing and pulling. They could also pick up light weight items with this tool, such as rubber balls, an eraser, or a pencil. We tried and it takes a bit of manoeuvring, but it can be done!
This item could be used for a person with motor skill difficulties. If they are not able to form a grasp with their fingers, then this item would assist them as they could use it to push or pull something. In addition, they could also use this to lift items closer to them or to place on their desk or tray of their wheelchair.
The third item we purchased was a hair elastic with purple balls on the ends (actually there were 5 different colors, but we chose purple as it shows up great on the background of our picture). These purple bobbles (as we referred to them) could be used to fasten up an individual's coat in an easier fashion. One end of the elastic with the bobble is affixed to the inside of their coat and the 2nd bobble is then pushed through the button hole and the jacket is done up in this way. This makes it easier for a person with fine motor skill difficulties able to more easily button up their jacket and also provides them with a sense of pride in that they are able to do this on their own, or work toward Independence with this task. The colored bobbles, depending on gender concerns that is, are pretty and visually attractive and can easily be distinguished from the material of a coat or jacket. You can always color coordinate as well, depending on the personality of the individual, in keeping with the MPTTT framework.
Our fourth item was an oven mitt that had a rubberized surface on the palm side of the mitt. This would be particularly helpful for individuals with fine and gross motor difficulties as they could slip this mitt on and be able to open up lids on jars, open up small items such as toothpaste tops, etc. The rubberized surface on the palm gives a gripping sensation and because the person puts their entire hand inside the glove, they are able to have more control over the ability to grip. This is a great tool for individuals with motor skill difficulties and I am sure we could all use this at some point or another when trying to open a lid on a jar or bottle that has been put on too tightly. We have all come across that problem before and you sometimes feel as if you have to be Hercules to get the top off. So, this would be helpful to many!
Our fifth item was a simple rubber ruler that was purple in color (are you sensing a theme here.....perhaps my favorite color is purple.....hmmmmmm!!!). Anyway, we thought the colored ruler would be great as a guide for a person when reading. This could be used by the person to slide down the page as a story is being read to them or as they are reading a story (if they are verbal). This would assist individuals in tracking words and following along. Perhaps they may have some motor skill difficulties which is why the rubberized ruler is so beneficial. It will adhere to the page quite well so that the person merely has to have their hand on the ruler and gradually begin to slide the ruler down. It will not stick to the page too tightly nor slip off the page completely. Consequently the individual is able to control the object in order to perform this task.
The next item we purchased was a wooden place mat with individual rectangles fastened together with plastic. This placement was very durable and heavy and at first we weren't sure to buy this or not as we were not sure of it's use. We thought it might be too heavy for a child to use in any way. However, then we remembered back to the Social Story for Miranda. So, we decided to use this as a weighted lap tray for a child who may have spatial difficulties with orienting their bodies. This could be placed on the child's lap and used to orient them to the seating position. The child would then have a frame of reference because of where the lap weight is and it might be effective in keeping them seated either properly, in a better position or for longer periods of time. The wooden place mat is also very smooth to the touch and therefore may be appealing for someone who enjoys the tactile feel of this object or the sensation of the smoothness.
Our seventh item is a fish that lights up in different colors when it is squeezed and or hit. This item is appealing because it feels soft, is rubbery and smooth as well as visually stimulating because it lights up! This would be great for an individual with visual difficulties as the lights would be attractive and bright. The feel of the object would be stimulating as well as it is smooth and soft. In addition, if the person is one who has gross motor skills, this would be good for them because they can manipulate this by hitting the fish on a table so that it will then light up.
The next picture represents 3 items in one simply because we ran out of room on the digital camera we were using and had to capture pictures of all items. We purchased these items as 3 separate things for 3 different purposes. The first of the 3 is the white object, which are ear buds, commonly referred to as ear plugs. These could be used for a child with behavior difficulties who may need to filter out noise from a classroom. Having quiet may work to calm this child down, so the ear plugs are effective. These also could be used as they are intended, to listen to stories on tape or music from a CD or to use with their iPod Touch.
The second item in this picture is a gold, sparkly pot scrubbing pad. The reason this was selected was because of it's feel (texture) as well as it's color. This could be used by a child who requires visual and tactile stimulation. The scrubbing pad sounds like it would be abrasive, but this is not. It actually feels quite nice when it is rubbed against your face lightly. The gold, sparkly color is great because it is attractive and would appeal to the visual sense of an individual who may have some of these difficulties.
Finally, the last items, the pink and yellow bookmarks were chosen. These were in a package and there was an assortment of very appealing colors. However, we chose these 3 as they contrasted nicely for the picture and against one another. These items, because they have a large shape attached at the top of the bookmark, would be great to use with an individual who has fine motor skill difficulty. For example, they may have difficulty turning pages and therefore could grab the tab at the top to turn the page. They also have a little slit in at the top under the shape that you can tuck the page into so they do not slip off. In addition, because they came in a package of I believe 50 or more, you could essentially use one for every page in a child's book so they can turn the pages independently. They could be staggered at the top of pages so that once one page is turned the next is available, but the page behind that one is moved over further so that when the child goes to move the tab to turn the page, he/she does not get two pages. You can also vary the colors so they can visually see the difference or you could color code them all the same depending on the activities. The last feature of these very versatile book marks is that they are made from a soft foam material and would be pleasing on a tactile level for children who may have sensory difficulties.
An additional use could be to use a bookmark such as this individually with a person as a calming tool for them in case they are anxious. They could use this to touch and rub so that they can calm down.
This was the result of our trip and it was a very useful activity. As I indicated earlier, I will look at items in the Dollarama and other stores for that matter in a different light...by looking for the multi uses of an item that we had once only thought of as a common household item!
