E loves music. She (currently) requests The Beatles (when we're driving in daddy's car) and Colin James (when we're in mommy's car). She's been curious about instruments, so I contacted one of our locals to see if she could observe a rehearsal.
Imagine my surprise when he invited us to his studio! He said he'd love to show E some instruments, and give her an opportunity to play them. E was very excited!
She first wanted to try the piano. She played it with both hands and all fingers. John started to play his trumpet while E was playing, and they both just kept going...it was such a treat to see. None of us--our family--had experienced anything like it. E's interest in the sound and feel of the piano, and John's encouragement was so...organic, natural, flowing. What a special treat!
E tried the trumpet. She got a teeny sound out of the mouthpiece. She kept trying to talk through it, or use it like a kazoo. She was a little dissapointed. Then she got the opportunity to try out the drum set. She definitely likes the loudness of it. I held her so she wouldn't accidentally fall.
E left the session saying, "I want to be a musician when I grow up!"
Thank you so much to John D'earth, for taking time out to share this musical experience with us!
Showing posts with label coordination. Show all posts
Showing posts with label coordination. Show all posts
Monday, January 18, 2010
Sunday, August 23, 2009
PT recap: Musical Chairs, Move to Independent Toileting
One of the reasons I've been pushing for E to be more independent with maneuvering her sitting position is for her to be able to use a slide. Another is to have her be able to get in/out of a chair during mealtimes at school. And another--the Big One--is for her to be able to use the toilet independently. The fact that there is a hole in the middle of the toilet seat changes EVERYTHING. I know some of you parents of kids like mine know EXACTLY WHAT I'M TALKING ABOUT!
Anyway--Theresa thought of introducing E to Musical Chairs. It was a GREAT idea! Notice E's positioning when she almost has her feet on the ground when getting off the chair--I think doing bridges every night during our stretching regimen has really helped this motion.
We walked to the bathroom at the therapy center to try to see how E gets on the potty. This one has sidebars; this is the first time she's tried getting on a regular-size toilet seat (and the first time she's had one with sidebars).
We've actually been working on this (when we can--usually we don't have lots of time) since this session. Most of our efforts are for her to try to reach to the toilet paper, tear off some, and wipe herself (there is not much success with any of this yet), then for her to get down from the potty herself (most of the success is here, depending on her confidence) and then pulling her clothes back on (needs heavy assistance for balance at this point, but she gets the idea). The good news is the fundamentals are there, but the toilet size is the big problem. In some shopping malls, they have a "family bathroom"--where there is a miniature potty and sink. She can actually do ALL THAT HERSELF (two times, in two different malls)--it takes a lot of time and contact guarding, but she was SO PROUD of herself (and I was too!)!
Anyway--Theresa thought of introducing E to Musical Chairs. It was a GREAT idea! Notice E's positioning when she almost has her feet on the ground when getting off the chair--I think doing bridges every night during our stretching regimen has really helped this motion.
We walked to the bathroom at the therapy center to try to see how E gets on the potty. This one has sidebars; this is the first time she's tried getting on a regular-size toilet seat (and the first time she's had one with sidebars).
We've actually been working on this (when we can--usually we don't have lots of time) since this session. Most of our efforts are for her to try to reach to the toilet paper, tear off some, and wipe herself (there is not much success with any of this yet), then for her to get down from the potty herself (most of the success is here, depending on her confidence) and then pulling her clothes back on (needs heavy assistance for balance at this point, but she gets the idea). The good news is the fundamentals are there, but the toilet size is the big problem. In some shopping malls, they have a "family bathroom"--where there is a miniature potty and sink. She can actually do ALL THAT HERSELF (two times, in two different malls)--it takes a lot of time and contact guarding, but she was SO PROUD of herself (and I was too!)!
Monday, August 17, 2009
Review: Feldenkrais
I had heard of Feldenkrais as a therapeutic activity through one of the newsgroups I belong to; I have to admit, I had low expectations. I figured, if I walked in some place and they started burning incense and ringing bells, I was outta there. I wasn't sure if it was some new-agey hocus-pocus snake-oil miracle cure some crazy was trying to put on me. Still...I figured, well--it's worth a try. It couldn't hurt, right?
I looked up to see if there were any practitioners in my area; there are four. That surprised me. I called a few and left messages, and two called me back. One called me back twice--this is ALWAYS great for me, b/c it means 1) they are interested in my business and 2) frequently I forget to do things, and I like people remembering for me. I made an appointment with the gentleman caller. I also gave Keith this blog as a reference, which he checked out. AND he saw us on TV the night before our visit--bonus!
After entering his workspace I was immediately relieved. I saw lots of familiar tools--foam rollers, all kinds of balls, mats, etc. He was always focused on Elena and how she was moving, and took time to see how E reacted to having him around her space. He gained her trust before trying to move her, touch her feet/back/legs, and Elena had a great time--so great, in fact, that she exclaimed later in the session--"Mr. Keith you are SO COOL".
Keith explained to me what Feldenkrais was about--I'll try to get this right--it's about improving body awareness by helping the client realize how to move in a different way. As opposed to our traditional PT, where we work on strengthening and using weak muscles through repetition, bargaining, and pressure, Feldenkrais is a gentle approach where the client is in charge, and the practitioner (if allowed) will try to show the client a different way to utilize their muscles as they move about freely. Keith ran the session so that when he spoke, he commanded E's attention so that she knew every time he talked it was beneficial to listen. For instance, Keith showed how he controlled a whiffle ball with the bottom of his foot, and asked Elena if she'd like to try. She did, and did it fine on her left foot. The other foot she couldn't do--so he told/showed her that she could use her right foot if she stopped leaning on it (and her right arm) for balance. It's a small nudge of change--but she was very receptive to the message. No magic light bulbs went off, but throughout the session (which was long--about 90 minutes) she did move in a slightly different way, and enjoyed Keith's company and challenges. As an added bonus, he videotaped the entire session--and then sent it to me, completely annotated, for my review. WOW. My husband was impressed with the time, detail, and patience devoted to this session. I will ask if I can cut a clip and post it here.
Am I sold? Not completely. I think it is valuable, definitely. My problem is two-fold: 1) It is expensive. I don't think it's expensive for the work done--I am happy with Keith's work (from my one visit), and especially impressed with his video commentary. It is expensive as another addition to our already pricey therapy/doctor/equipment list. 2) It is time consuming. E's school year starts at the end of this month, and our schedule is already pretty busy. I thought I might be able to commit a small amount of time to Feldenkrais, but I wasn't sure if that would garner any results.
Keith's suggestion is that we try a few visits in rapid succession, if time and money permits. He thinks that would be more beneficial than regular meetings spaced weeks apart. I agree with him. I am happy with our first visit, and I think I should give it a go. Our plan is to see what Elena's school schedule is--when she has a school holiday, we are going to schedule three visits during that week of E's school--one on the day off, one or two where we take her to school late or leave early, and/or ton the weekend (if Keith can swing it).
Overall--very positive experience. If time and money were no object, we'd definitely do this. At this moment, I'm unsure if it is worth changing/substituting Feldenkrais for something else in her current therapy schedule. We'll see.
INSERT PICTURE(S) HERE
I looked up to see if there were any practitioners in my area; there are four. That surprised me. I called a few and left messages, and two called me back. One called me back twice--this is ALWAYS great for me, b/c it means 1) they are interested in my business and 2) frequently I forget to do things, and I like people remembering for me. I made an appointment with the gentleman caller. I also gave Keith this blog as a reference, which he checked out. AND he saw us on TV the night before our visit--bonus!
After entering his workspace I was immediately relieved. I saw lots of familiar tools--foam rollers, all kinds of balls, mats, etc. He was always focused on Elena and how she was moving, and took time to see how E reacted to having him around her space. He gained her trust before trying to move her, touch her feet/back/legs, and Elena had a great time--so great, in fact, that she exclaimed later in the session--"Mr. Keith you are SO COOL".
Keith explained to me what Feldenkrais was about--I'll try to get this right--it's about improving body awareness by helping the client realize how to move in a different way. As opposed to our traditional PT, where we work on strengthening and using weak muscles through repetition, bargaining, and pressure, Feldenkrais is a gentle approach where the client is in charge, and the practitioner (if allowed) will try to show the client a different way to utilize their muscles as they move about freely. Keith ran the session so that when he spoke, he commanded E's attention so that she knew every time he talked it was beneficial to listen. For instance, Keith showed how he controlled a whiffle ball with the bottom of his foot, and asked Elena if she'd like to try. She did, and did it fine on her left foot. The other foot she couldn't do--so he told/showed her that she could use her right foot if she stopped leaning on it (and her right arm) for balance. It's a small nudge of change--but she was very receptive to the message. No magic light bulbs went off, but throughout the session (which was long--about 90 minutes) she did move in a slightly different way, and enjoyed Keith's company and challenges. As an added bonus, he videotaped the entire session--and then sent it to me, completely annotated, for my review. WOW. My husband was impressed with the time, detail, and patience devoted to this session. I will ask if I can cut a clip and post it here.
Am I sold? Not completely. I think it is valuable, definitely. My problem is two-fold: 1) It is expensive. I don't think it's expensive for the work done--I am happy with Keith's work (from my one visit), and especially impressed with his video commentary. It is expensive as another addition to our already pricey therapy/doctor/equipment list. 2) It is time consuming. E's school year starts at the end of this month, and our schedule is already pretty busy. I thought I might be able to commit a small amount of time to Feldenkrais, but I wasn't sure if that would garner any results.
Keith's suggestion is that we try a few visits in rapid succession, if time and money permits. He thinks that would be more beneficial than regular meetings spaced weeks apart. I agree with him. I am happy with our first visit, and I think I should give it a go. Our plan is to see what Elena's school schedule is--when she has a school holiday, we are going to schedule three visits during that week of E's school--one on the day off, one or two where we take her to school late or leave early, and/or ton the weekend (if Keith can swing it).
Overall--very positive experience. If time and money were no object, we'd definitely do this. At this moment, I'm unsure if it is worth changing/substituting Feldenkrais for something else in her current therapy schedule. We'll see.
INSERT PICTURE(S) HERE
Monday, August 3, 2009
OF COURSE YOU CAN
E saw this set up for another person at the therapy center. I tried to focus her attention elsewhere, but Teresa educated me by telling us "of course you can".
Emboldened, she saw a dolly pram (it normally isn't out) and went for it. This particular pram is very lightweight, so E can't lean into it to push. This is an issue, b/c she's not that good at independently stopping her forward motion. She tries to stop, but instead just takes smaller steps on her toes.
She went up a rope ladder again and into the sensory swing--see E's YouTube channel, The Doodle for the most recent vids.
E tried a new challenge today--using hanging rings. Takes core strength, coordination, and patience. A little bit of each ain't bad?
Emboldened, she saw a dolly pram (it normally isn't out) and went for it. This particular pram is very lightweight, so E can't lean into it to push. This is an issue, b/c she's not that good at independently stopping her forward motion. She tries to stop, but instead just takes smaller steps on her toes.
She went up a rope ladder again and into the sensory swing--see E's YouTube channel, The Doodle for the most recent vids.
E tried a new challenge today--using hanging rings. Takes core strength, coordination, and patience. A little bit of each ain't bad?
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