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PLAY Pen Article
Swimming Pool Safety Tip.
Special swimming concerns for the child with spina bifida!
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Remember to Laugh
By: Jodee DeFever, Proud Parent
Laughing and having a sense of humor, can be the perfect medicine.
Thank God we can laugh. I dare to think what my days might look like if I couldn't(or wouldn't) see humor in life's ironies - a special needs child for instance - mine, as a matter of fact - Nicholas. I have to laugh when he makes a new sound that sounds something like "drub", because he's almost four years old, and has yet to utter a consonant. I have to laugh when his stomach tube leaks all over the floor and the dog is licking it up -(well, at least the dog is getting fed). I have to laugh when I see his school pictures - (who is that little man down in the corner of the picture?), I have to laugh when he laughs - he is after all, the source of much pain, and much joy.
Welcome to Dragonfly USA.
PLAY Tip
Crystal Drop Ball: Sensory Integration and Balance
Try sitting the child cross-legged on a ball. Hold their hips firmly, and slowly roll the ball from the center out in the forward directions on a gentle angle.
Watch to see how (and if) the child compensates for the new angle of their trunk. We want to see the chin tip back towards level with the floor. This signifies the understanding that "upright" is not always determined by the position of the hips relative to the floor, but rather is cued by the relation of the inner ears to the floor.
Prompt the child to "sit up straight" both with verbal and demonstrative cues. Once the rolling forward is mastered, work on backwards, side-to-side, and in a gentle circular motion. The see-through ball adds extra fun!