Activities

Here are a few activities we are doing at home these days

This is the Lucky Duck game and Olivia practices grasping with it.   Taking ducks off the pond and either handing them to me or placing in basket. This seems to be helping her gain control over her cup and fork and plate. Much less tossing and more handing them to me.

We are trying stickers on paper, but it is still very hard for her.

These are counting bears but I am using then to encourage her to use a pincer or tripod grasp and place them into the small hole.  She uses a palmar grasp a lot still.

We are talking about shapes.  Here is one exercise we did with circle.

This is a sand table. At first she hated it!  Now she loves to go up to it and play and scoop. We are using moon sand.  Yes it is messy, but it took her all summer to get accustomed to playing in her sand box and I did not want to loose that sensory adaptation over the winter.   We have sand all over the house some days. But we keep saying that sand box play makes kids smarter!  We believe that!   Children develop their brain through their senses.

This is a grasping transfer exercise.  Two small bowls and some pasta. She likes to do this and is rather good at it.
   She also likes to throw the pasta.  But such is progress.

Again encouraging pincer grasp. Putting penne pasta into the large hole of a salt shaker

Gee!  Guess what! Pouring!  We use pasta.  Beans and rice go right into her mouth and water gets dumped to the floor immediately.

Again encouraging pincer grasp with pasta into a small hole in a mustard jar.  She also likes to put the cap on and off.

This is her practical life box.  I just have some kitchen things in it and she loves to explore.

This is a better photo of the Lucky Duck game.

This is a splurge! A zipper dressing frame from Neinhuis!  I don't buy much at all from them but I really like three of their toddler dressing frames and could not find a comparable else where.  She will be using these for some time to come as these activities are tough ones and so very important.

This is how I have one shelf set up for her to choose her work and put things back.  I don't know if you can see the bristle blocks and duplos. She likes to work with them taking them apart mostly, but it encourages her to strengthen her hands and use them.  With Ds the hand work is tough!  I am always thinking of new ways to get her to use her hands.  I welcome suggestions!!!!!

Breakfast of Champions!

What is for breakfast?

Oh Boy! Rice Chex with Milk!  Who would have thought of  cereal and  milk for breakfast! Way to go Dad!

Oh! This is going to be Yummy!

Almost in my mouth...

Oh! I can taste it!

Ummm!!!! Yummm!

Delight!!!! Absolute delight!!!

Olivia is working diligently on self feeding with a spoon.  She has become very good at getting the spoon to her mouth and knowing to go back to the bowl for more. Tonight at dinner she ate nearly her entire dinner with her spoon, although she ate her cauliflower and daikon radishes (large mild radish, looks like a big carrot, thought of as a Japanese vegetable, we slice them and steam) with her hands.

We are using the Boon bowl with suction cup and the Nubby spoon.  It is not beautiful (as my Montessori training predisposes me towards choosing), but it works and that is what Mommy has to just accept.  I have some beautiful silverware  for toddlers and some attractive plates, bowls and placemats that I have used with typically developing children of this age. But Olivia has motor control issues, and so the bowls, and spoons tend to go flying.  The placemat would surely be seen as a Magic Carpet! Sure to fly! The important thing is that she is having success!  We still need to hold on to the spoon, so that it doesn't go flying, but I think that as we keep working on grasp/ release,  give/ take, and placing that we will make better progress and be able to  not hold onto the spoon and have the spoon not go flying constantly.   

(I have gotten used to the fact that Fisher Price and Playskool, Leap Frog and Vtech make some great toys that really are what Olivia needs, so I think that I will cope with our table settings also!  Silly Mom!)

Playing with Crayons

It is harder for children with Ds to learn to use crayons and do most fine motor activities do to sensory issues, neurological issues, motor control, hypotonia and ligamous laxity.  Some fine motor development that one would expect to see in a 12 month old or younger, one may not see in a child with Down syndrome until closer to 4 years old.  There is great variability amongst children with Ds in their development of fine and gross motor skills, as each child with Ds is unique as to what extent the factors I mentioned above are issues for them.  I have seen children with Ds with truly amazing moms who are unbelievably devoted to working with their child, and yet they are still struggling.  It  is humbling for me as a "preschool teacher" to be working tirelessly with my child and not see results.  I am so grateful for the people in my life who cheer me and Olivia on, even when we are not achieving the desired results yet.  Some days I could just cry! But the people in my life who cheer me on make all the difference.  Children with Ds struggle with grasp/ release and motor control and this causes a lot of throwing and "clearing off the table".  It gets better over time, but lasts incredibly longer than with typical children. Our kids are not being "bad" when they throw. They are just still with out the needed motor control/ grasp/release development. Rest assured we work on these issues tirelessly.  Here is a video of me working with Olivia with crayons.  (Marcos, thanks for the picture you made, and Olivia has a picture for you that she will send soon!  XOXOXO)

Working Hard!

Olivia and Mommy have been working very hard these past many months on her fine motor skills and her gross motor skills. She received two drop box toys for Christmas and has now mastered both of them. She can do both of them sitting up, and now she is interested in doing this box while on her tummy! It is good to see her have the strength and endurance to do this!

Olivia is doing better on her pre-crawling skills. We are doing lots of kneeling at a sofa cushion placed on the floor and lots of bench sitting. We are doing lots of tummy time and lots of encouraging her with toys to move, pivot and roll. She is very interested in moving forward and tries with all her might, but not much success so far. She is making progress though! She started sleeping in child's pose, so we know she can get those legs and hips in the right position. In this photo, you can see how she is working hard and making progress. Topics in Ds books are the best!!! Get the Gross Motor one (and all the rest!) if you have not purchased them yet!
Olivia is giving up her morning nap, so I am readjusting my housework and cat care activities. I had been able to get tons of stuff done during the morning nap. Now I am reworking my schedule, which means more happens after bedtime at night. Always readjusting as a parent! Olivia is so very interested in working on all of her skills these days, so when she is awake and wants to work, I drop everything and work with her. I guess it is that Montessorian in me who sees that Sensitive Period for a skill and I don't want to waste the best time to develop her skills. I hope for her sake that she can get moving where she wants to go and get what she wants to get soon. Typical children would have had this ability for a long time now. I want her to have that ability, too. People tell me it is easier for me since she cannot go get EVERYTHING that she wants, but it is sad for me to see she cannot do for herself yet and doesn't have the independence that we all enjoy. Soon enough she will be getting things for herself as she wants. And although it will complicate my life a bit, I cannot wait to see her enjoy that independence!

Ds Tutorial 101- Fine Motor

Just some simple information about Down syndrome. This is just an overview of this particular issue. If you would like more information, please comment or email me and I would be happy to post more in the future on the topic.

Some of the possible causes of delay in the development of

Fine Motor Skills in Down Syndrome include:

• hypotonia (low muscle tone) Just try to get your fingers to work while your large muscle groups are extremely weak, let alone your fingers also being weak
• loose joints and ligaments
• hand shape (hands are smaller and fingers are shorter than typical)
• decreased cognitive skills (making it more difficult for the child to reason things out and to learn to coordinate his movements)