I
have worked for over twenty years developing activities for
children
and adults with developmental and learning disabilities.
It all began
after graduating from the State University of New
York at New Paltz
with a B.A. in English. This was back when
Watergate was a household
name. A human service job fell
into my lap and my career path
began.
In 1977 the
deinstitutionalization
movement was in full swing. I landed
a job living in a former country doctor's
house with nine developmentally
disabled men who had previously
lived in the notoriousWillowbrook State
School in New York. My job was to teach them everything
about living in a home- from table manners to making a bed,
mailing a letter and how to behave in public. It was a time
when the mentally disabled were beginning to earn respect
and be treated as adults.
After working with developmentally disabled adults in
community
residences, day habilitation centers and sheltered
workshops, I
realized that the field of occupational therapy
would offer
opportunities for professional advancement and creativity.
While
working as an occupational therapist at the Hogan Regional
Center in
Danvers, Massachusetts I observed that many of the
activities designed
for children were not appropriate for the
aging population of
developmentally disabled individuals. Yet,
these individuals did not
possess the motor and cognitive
abilities to perform activities
designed for adults. The solution
was to make my own activities and the
cheapest way to do so
was by using common household recyclable objects
such as
soda and laundry bottles, card-board boxes, rubber bands and
newspaper.
The activities were so successful I decided to them into print and
thus, my writing career had begun with the publication of The Recycling
Occupational Therapist Cutting
Gluing
Taping Tying Stapling
My young son, David
loved to imitate my
cutting, taping and gluing and became the
model fine-motor
child. A photo gallery of
his creations are presented to inspire
parents,
teachers, therapists and all other
interested parties to turn off the screens
and
bring out the "stuff".
David's Creations Ten years
ago I switched career gears and
began working in the Ipswich, Massachusetts
Public Schools. This opportunity allowed me
to evaluate children
with varied disabilities,
but mainly learning disabilities. It became
apparent
that many parents did not understand
normal hand development and often
asked
what they should do at home to foster their
child's fine-motor skills.
After studying the literature, it seemed that
there were lots of books available that taught arts and crafts and
games. There are also lots of technical
books that discuss sensory
integration and fine motor development.
However, few books are written
that are fun, but instructional;
easy to read, yet comprehensive
and full of the very activities that help
children learn hand skills.
My soon to be published book From
Rattles to Writing will fill this
niche.
After
working a short time in pediatrics, I realized the importance of
further training in Sensory
Integration theory and treatment techniques
and became certified to
give the Sensory Integration and
Praxis
Test (SIPT) in the year 2000. During
the winter of 2007 I began
learning about hippotherapy. This
involves using
the horse as a
treatment tool to work on
therapeutic objectives with
disabled children. Patting, brushing,
riding, playing games while
riding and bonding
with the horse
addresses many sensory,
motor, social emotional and other
developmental needs of
clients. Visit Hippotherapy Information
to learn
more about this exciting treatment method.
After a long career working with individuals with developmental
disabilities, I decided in the fall of 2007 to learn something new
and
trained to be a low vision therapist. This work entails evaluating
and
treating a growing elderly population that has age-related
visual
problems such as glaucoma or macular degeneration. I
have discovered
that it is a pleasure to help individuals maintain
their independence
in their homes. Please visit Low
Vision
and Barbara's Low Vision Services
for more information.
My
mother, Sarah liked to to manipulate the
soft strands of fleece fabric
tied onto a furry
squeaky toy. Socks filled with marbles, foam
and
pennies are also attached for sensory
stimulation. But singing remained
her favorite
activity. Click
on Sarah to see her favorite large print,
easy to read songs. More
activities and information
for the geriatric population can be found
at: Geriatrics.
