Ld and Gross Motor Problems

I had a student like that. He was in middle school and he literally could not sense the presence of a closed door in front of him. He would need to bang his body into the door and only then reach out and grasp the door knob.

HIs vision was fine. It was something about the way he processed - or didn’t process - his position in space.

There has got to be an intervention for that but I’m going to disappoint you by saying I don’t know what it is.

But maybe this would help and it couldn’t hurt. Get a dartboard with plastic/rubber tipped darts. Have her play with that. The “hit and miss” nature of it might help to give her a better sense of where she is in relation to the thing that is the dartboard. You could also try a plastic golf club and the many golf games they have for children. An indoor putting green kind of thing where hitting the ball toward the target also might help her to polish up her proprioception skills - which is really what we’re talking about.

What about having her crawl through a cloth tunnel or putting tape on the floor and having her walk through the “maze” you make for her?

All of these kind of things couldn’t hurt and might help her to help herself to be more aware and better process the “things” around her.

This sound like my five year old son’s problem. He has been diagnosed with receptive language disorder, and sensory integration dysfunction. My son is working with an occupational therapist to help integrate all of his senses. It was explain to me like this. He is over simulated by the sites and sounds of school. He hits and pushes other children because he preceives their touch or voice to be offensive. He has social problems at school, and was constantly falling down or out of his desk. His has fine motor skills, but his gross motor skills were below average. He is in a language skills workshop to help him learn how to get along with other. You may want to look into this topic of sensory integration dysfunction, and read about some exercises called the Brain Gym. All of these topics can be found on the internet search. I hope this helps.

Look into the program Interactive Metronome. I have talked to an OT that used the program for children in a private school in Florida. She said she could see how it helped with their motor skills. It is also supposed to help with ADHD. Check out their website: www.interactivemetronome.com.

Hi.
Read your request and although I don’t have the answer, there may be a few things to think about. When is the last time she had an eye exam. If she is supposed to wear glasses, does she, and are they regular glasses or bifocals. Bifocals make it more difficult to judge distance if the child is looking out of the bottom section.
Before she is ready to transition from one area of the room to another, talk to her about how she will do it. Remind her of obstacles that may be in her way. Talk to her about what she may have to do to get from one place to another. Most of all, try to keep her pathway as clear from obstacles as possible. If she is successful in not tripping/falling, tell her what a good job she did. This reinforcement may help her to continue to think before moving the next time.
Again, no answers, just some ideas. Hope they are helpful.

Robin

I had a student like that. He was in middle school and he literally could not sense the presence of a closed door in front of him. He would need to bang his body into the door and only then reach out and grasp the door knob.

HIs vision was fine. It was something about the way he processed - or didn’t process - his position in space.

There has got to be an intervention for that but I’m going to disappoint you by saying I don’t know what it is.

But maybe this would help and it couldn’t hurt. Get a dartboard with plastic/rubber tipped darts. Have her play with that. The “hit and miss” nature of it might help to give her a better sense of where she is in relation to the thing that is the dartboard. You could also try a plastic golf club and the many golf games they have for children. An indoor putting green kind of thing where hitting the ball toward the target also might help her to polish up her proprioception skills - which is really what we’re talking about.

What about having her crawl through a cloth tunnel or putting tape on the floor and having her walk through the “maze” you make for her?

All of these kind of things couldn’t hurt and might help her to help herself to be more aware and better process the “things” around her.

This sound like my five year old son’s problem. He has been diagnosed with receptive language disorder, and sensory integration dysfunction. My son is working with an occupational therapist to help integrate all of his senses. It was explain to me like this. He is over simulated by the sites and sounds of school. He hits and pushes other children because he preceives their touch or voice to be offensive. He has social problems at school, and was constantly falling down or out of his desk. His has fine motor skills, but his gross motor skills were below average. He is in a language skills workshop to help him learn how to get along with other. You may want to look into this topic of sensory integration dysfunction, and read about some exercises called the Brain Gym. All of these topics can be found on the internet search. I hope this helps.

Look into the program Interactive Metronome. I have talked to an OT that used the program for children in a private school in Florida. She said she could see how it helped with their motor skills. It is also supposed to help with ADHD. Check out their website: www.interactivemetronome.com.

Hi.
Read your request and although I don’t have the answer, there may be a few things to think about. When is the last time she had an eye exam. If she is supposed to wear glasses, does she, and are they regular glasses or bifocals. Bifocals make it more difficult to judge distance if the child is looking out of the bottom section.
Before she is ready to transition from one area of the room to another, talk to her about how she will do it. Remind her of obstacles that may be in her way. Talk to her about what she may have to do to get from one place to another. Most of all, try to keep her pathway as clear from obstacles as possible. If she is successful in not tripping/falling, tell her what a good job she did. This reinforcement may help her to continue to think before moving the next time.
Again, no answers, just some ideas. Hope they are helpful.

Robin