Let's Get Messy!

Messy play is a fun and an easy way to expose your child to different textures!  Some children love to dive right in and get messy while others are more resistant and want nothing to do with it.  If your child is hesitant and scared, here are some fun, easy ways to get them involved!

You can start with using anything messy!
Shaving cream, paint, finger paints, sauces (ketchup, mustard, bbq sauce, chocolate syrup ect.), pudding, yogurt, apple sauce, glue, cooked noodles, cooked rice, oatmeal or dough! Usually you can just look in your fridge and find something that will work!

Art projects with paint are always a good way to get your child interested! A fall tree, a big white snow man, a turkey covered with colorful feathers or a big butterfly!

Glurch is a fun flubbery texture that kids love to play with!  Mix glue and liquid starch along with a food coloring or paint to add a fun color! Mix together with your hands to form a ball until it's not sticky! If it is too wet, add more glue. If it's too sticky, add more starch.

Once your child is comfortable getting their hands messy, start to add more textures. Get sand from the play ground and mix it with shaving cream! Rice pellets add a bumpy feeling to any smooth texture!

Encourage your child to be more exploratory! Keep upping the challenge but keep it do-able!

We'd love to hear any other suggestions you may have! Don't be shy!!!

Puzzled About Autism???

You aren't the only one! The Autism Society of Minnesota is offering a course entitled Puzzled About Autism Spectrum Disorders on various dates. The two courses available are Autism/PDD in 2011 and Asperger in 2011. Some of the topics covered include the definition of Autism/PDD or Asperger Syndrome, feelings experienced by parents, neurological findings, therapies, strategies for communication, addressing challenging behaviors, understanding sensory needs, and more......

It is suggested to register well in advance due to limited class size. The cost is $75 ($50 for AUSM members).

For more course information:
http://www.ausm.org/
2380 Wycliff St Ste 102
St. Paul MN 55114
651-642-1230
info@ausm.org

Is Your Child a Picky Eater?

We offer 12 week groups using the SOS approach to feeding which works on helping kids play with and try new foods. The group is run by 2 occupational therapists and incorporates sensory play activities to help the kids prep their bodies to explore new foods. Foods are presented in a playful manner and are described by their properties such as texture, color, shape, etc. The kids work on moving up the food hierarchy. The hierarchy has 29 steps that address the areas including tolerating the food, interacting with the food, smelling the food, touching the food, tasting the food, and finally eating the food.

Some of the children’s goals include learning how to have positive experiences with foods, learn mealtime routines, decrease resistance to touching tasting and swallowing foods, increase range of foods they will try, and increase the volume of food ingested.

Goals for the parents include: to tell their child’s story, learn the cues to eating and the steps involved in eating, understand the use of positive and negative reinforcement and positive and negative punishment, understand the ways children learn how to and how not to eat, recognize how they/others have contributed to the problem, create a feeding program for use in their home, and listen to other parents and provide support.

If you’re interested, have comments from your own experiences, or have any questions please comment below or call CTC for further information!

It's not too late!

Tenacity Fitness and Endurance is now offering an adaptive hip hop/creative dance class for kids with developmental disabilities (ages 4-12). 

Adaptive dance fitness for children with developmental disabilities taught by instructors skilled with working with children with developmental delays. Open to children ages 4-12 years. Parent or caregiver needs to attend with child. Fun with music dancing and friends!

6 week session begins:

Wednesdays: Feb 16

and/or Saturdays Feb 19

Cost: $48

Where: Tenacity Fitness and Endurance

     1019 Helmo Avenue North

Oakdale, MN

Phone: 651-323-7445

*Limited to 12 children, reserve your spot as classes fill quickly!

Adapted Sports Opportunities in Eagan

Eagan Parks and Recreation department offers a great opportunity for kids with special needs, ages 6-13 years old, to learn skills and particpate in sports like; Basketball in the winter, Softball in the spring, Bolwing in the summer, Soccer in the fall and Floor Hockey in the late fall early winter. 

Check it out :>  To get further information and application forms please check this link http://www.ci.eagan.mn.us/live/page.asp?menu=1726

Happy Valentines Day

The holidays are a great time to use themes to address fine motor skills and messy play. Crafts or art projects involving cutting, coloring, gluing, finger painting and folding are perfect to create interest for working on fine motor and sensory play. You can grade the level of difficulty by making it more or less challenging based on their abilities. You want to make it just the right amount of challenge that makes it fun without frustration. Here are just a few suggestions: create thick boundaries to color within, use spring loaded scissors for beginner cutting, short or broken crayons for improved grasp, cutting either thin or thick paper (increased strength), or use slanted surfaces to promote development of grasp through wrist extension either with paper taped to the wall or on an easel. Adding tweezers or tongue use to a game with small pieces is a great pre-scissors activity. Aim for fine motor activities once a day or several times a week if your child is not in school.

Brrrr! It's too cold to play outside. Heavy work ideas for the indoors!

Are your kids are going stir crazy indoors?  With such frigid temperatures outside it hard to get your child to burn off all that extra energy.  If your child enjoys crashing, jumping, and banging around, here are some good heavy work ideas for in home play!

Jumping on trampoline
Playing catch with a heavy ball
Tug of war with bed sheets
Animal walk relays
Play wrestling
Crashing into pillows or cushions
Sock Tunnels
Push a laundry basket full of toys around "track"

Get creative, and make it fun! Try an obstacle course with a puzzle so there is a clear expectation of when the activity will end!

Please comment below with ideas that have worked for you!

Welcome!

CTC has started a blog for parents and caregivers of children with special needs!  This site can be used as a forum to ask questions, get information and connect with other families for support.