Stop the presses! This just in... the latest in gripping products has just hit the shelves! Once thought to be a “Blinder Duster” (see attached picture), this product is also very useful to help those with fine motor skills pick up delicate objects such as CD’s or DVD’s without scratching them. The cloth cover on the tong-like parts of the gripper ensure that the CD/DVD does not get dust, dirt, or fingerprints on it. Also, the large surface of the handle allows the user ample room to grip and handle delicate items. Squeezing the handle requires minor effort to utilize this tool properly.
Individuals with fine motor difficulties would benefit from using the gripper to help them pick up delicate items. When picking up and handling a CD or DVD, it might be helpful to have the item in a large envelope so that someone retrieving the CD could do so independently or with minimal assistance. Using the gripper, a person could scoop up and place the CD into the machine either independently or with minimal assistance. This would help in keeping the CD free from dust, dirt, fingerprints and minimize the possibilities of scratches. It should be noted that this does require some ability to grasp at the midpoint of the gripper.Two new inventions......
Introducing the PERSONAL MAGNIFYING BOOKMARK. The regular model incorporates magnifying technology and a border that can personalized with individual artwork or reading strategy reminders. Lightweight and compact, this product will be a useful addition to those who may have visual impairments or attentional issues. The deluxe model incorporates the same principal, but has space on it to record observations, ask questions, etc. on the sticky-note portion of the bookmark.
Low rollers.....
Introducing the “Low Roller,” a personal die roller for those with fine motor control issues. There are a few versions available as modelled in the attached picture. For greater ease, students can roll the dice by shaking the smaller containers. This will help those who can manage the containers independently, but still need some support handling the dice. The “Low Roller” bottles contain pasta and dice. Simply roll or shake (using the handle of) the bottles to determine the number on the die. The pasta (or rice, etc.) is placed in the container to stabilize the dice. Other options instead of dice could be words of the week, the alphabet (create words from the letters that emerge), or a “Magic-Eight Ball” version. (Will my teacher give me homework tonight?)
LOW TECH AT DEVICES at the Dollar Store in New Minas
1.Big pen – fine motor
2.Bubble wand – fine motor - These large wands do not require a student to blow into them, but as they have a thin handle, they may need a grip on it for a child to use.
3.Salad spinner – fine motor - Baking, anyone? The lid and the handle help students stir ingredients. There are plenty of Spill proof containers to chose from - to mix instead of stirring for fine motor work.
4. Plastic cups – fine motor ***********Want to play a stacking game?
5. Buckets – fine motor *****Practice fine and gross motor skills by catching a ball with a bucket.
6. Straws – fine motor - For students with autism who may need to work on fine motor skills, etc. they can use the straws to pick up objects in a game/activity as requested. For example, “Can you move the picture of the blue car?”
7. Ice cube tray – fine motor Sorting, pinching, target selection
8. Dish rack - organizational - Store files/papers, etc. for those that are organizationally challenged.
9. Frisbee- organize – spatial – fine motor
There are a myriad of uses for a frisbee! For those students who need to keep their supplies together, this is a simple remedy. If it doesn’t fit on this, it doesn’t stay! For those with spatial or fine motor difficulties, containing items or passing objects may become easier using a frisbee to hold onto.
10. Glue gun – instead of glitter gun – fine motor projects
11. Hands / sticks/ wands – for help – assistive The dollar store has quite a few options in terms of objects that can be used to catch someone’s attention. They could be used by one student or the whole class as a means of either getting a teacher’s attention or to check in whether or not anyone has any questions. As a means of “checking in” with a class a teacher could ask everyone to use their wand. If you use two sides of a flower stick (see the craft aisle), one side could indicate “I got it” while the other side means “I need help here.”
12. Apron – assistive tech painting, eating
13. Headphones – assistive tech - noise reduction re: distractions
14. Squeezy balls, etc. – behavioural
*************************I need to keep my hands busy!
15. Timer – behavioural
*******The age old answer to, “How much time is left?”
16. Pylon - behavioural
“Work in progress” or ”I’m stuck, I need some help here.” The dollar store has larger sizes as well as smaller ones that would fit on a desk quite easily.
LOW TECH - to be made with things from the Dollar Store
1. Office – Create an office for those who need to take time away from the class to minimize noise or distractions. Create and “office” using poster board or cardboard and big clips. You can attach schedules, behavioural/organizational checklists as well as other visual organizers.
2. Cardboard with Velcro pennies – To help keep track of completion of activities you could affix pennies to cardboard. This could be used as a reward system (cash in the pennies).
3. Inquiry box - Cover a box and decorate it to create an inquiry box.
4. Talking stick - Whose turn is it to talk? During group or class meetings, the only person whose turn is to talk is the one holding the “talking stick”. There are plenty of options here to create a stick. There are many types of bottles or cylindrical objects that you could add rice, etc. to to create a talking stick.
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