AJ's Occupational Therapist had to cancel their session for this afternoon. It's only for 30 minutes, but it is so helpful to AJ. He gets to do fun stuff that also strengthens his muscles, his mind and his abilities -- and his self-esteem. He has a wonderful relationship with his OT and works really hard to do the exercises well so that he gets positive feedback.
I gave a lot of thought to what we could do together this afternoon that would have similar benefits as his therapy. On the way home from school (I forgot to bring their DSs, again), we played a game of trying to say tongue-twisters faster and faster. Try saying "Sally sells seashells by the seashore" slowly, then a little faster, then much faster! Then try "Peter Piper picked a peck of pickled peppers!" And then there's "How much wood would a woodchuck chuck if a woodchuck could chuck wood?" Then we tried making up a few. This was the most fun commute we have ever had, and it went by so fast!
After we got home, once snacks and homework were all done, I sent AJ and JT outside to jump on the trampoline. In the past, AJ has tended to just enjoy how it feels to lay down while his brother jumps around him, but today they both jumped their little hearts out. They genuinely had a fun, proprioceptive, vestibular time!
Afterwards, we went inside to watch TV for a bit. But, I brought in a great distraction! I put a bunch of dried lentils in a small bowl between them on the coffee table, and I put a tall, narrow bottle in front of each of them and a pair of Zoo Sticks. (You could also just use tweezers.) I challenged them to see how many lentils they could pick up with the Zoo Sticks and put into their bottle before the timer went off. JT wanted to do it again, but with something bigger, so I thought of the small pop-beads from their Chicken Socks Pop-Bead Critters Activity Book (which I found at All Prints). I put all of the beads (minus the larger pieces, which are used to make the Critter heads and bodies) into the bowl between them. Then, as before, they had to pick up the beads with the Zoo Sticks and put them into their bottles until the timer went off. Then, I added another step -- connecting their beads into a long string. Whoever got the most beads won. All of this was a fun way to work on fine motor skills!
Can you think of other fun activities that double as therapy?
For our kids,
Karen
A resource guide for ex-pats living in Abu Dhabi, who have children with special needs.
Welcome to Special Needs Abu Dhabi
Raising a child with special needs can be, in itself, quite challenging. Raising a child with special needs in a new country seems to add much more to that challenge. I started this blog shortly after my husband and I, and our two sons, moved to Abu Dhabi in the summer of 2009. We lived there for under 2 years and are now living back in the United States.
Our oldest son, AJ, has Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder and Sensory Processing Disorder. Finding the resources in Abu Dhabi to help him with his special needs was an ongoing effort. In the U.S., the public school system provides testing, accommodations, and an Individual Education Plan (IEP) for students with special needs, so we were spoiled there -- and dismayed at the seemingly apparent shortage of resources available to ex-patriot families (aka "ex-pats") in Abu Dhabi.
There are resources available in Abu Dhabi -- you just have to know where to look. Which is why I started this blog. My hope was to bring together in one place information to help parents of kids with special needs... so you will at least have a starting point. I also wanted this to be a place where we can reach out and support one another with advice and sometimes just a shoulder to lean on.
We have been back in the U.S. for about a year now, and I haven't written on the blog since the move -- until now. There have been a few parents who found the blog and wrote to me for advice -- and I have been happy to give it. I'm glad that it continues to serve its original purpose of helping ex-pat parents to find resources in Abu Dhabi to help their kids with special needs.
Recently, I have begun feeling the need to write again, but I've been unsure how to move ahead with the blog. In hindsight, I don't know if life is any less challenging in the U.S. than it was in Abu Dhabi. There are still daily struggles. I continue to advocate for my son who has ADHD -- to get him the help in school and in life that he needs in order to thrive, learn and grow. There have been steps forward and backward. I have felt hopeless and hopeful.
If you are in Abu Dhabi, or considering a move there, please leave a comment. If you know of resources that you've found helpful, let me know and I'll add them to the list. If you come across an article or book that has made a difference in your child's life, please share. Most of all, I hope you will share your stories. Wherever you are, it's good to know you're not alone.
Thanks for coming by.
For our kids,
Karen
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