TherExtras

It’s time for a poll.

Do you think I should change my template/background?

I’m pretty comfortable with this one, but here are a couple of other options I’d consider.

Oh, here’s one more to consider…..if you like it, tell me in comments. 

Measure the Effects

Are you measuring the effects of the methods you use to promote your child’s development? Reasonably, professional therapists are helping you by providing a variety of methods and telling you when they see discreet changes. Many of you are able to think through to a comfortable fit of method and lifestyle, both incorporating and questioning the recommendations of professionals. Your thinking might lead you to adopt non-traditional or alternative methods.

Determining the effects is a tough call for many parents.

Just waxing philosophical here…..

to make a couple of succinct statements about what I think are significant effects in the life of a child with a development-altering-diagnosis.

You get no sympathy from me about snow.

Choosing where to live is one of those big decisions in life. 

Living in the same place, surrounded by familiarity and extended family may be romantic idyllic, but people also benefit from the need to adapt grow as a person. 

[I really have no opinion about where people live, but I am one of those people who does not blame others externalize the reasons my life is the way it is.]

As a therapist, I work to make the most of what people have at hand. [Or on the ground.]

That’s really the message of this post – use the snow to your child’s advantage.

Preventing Cavities

The forces have collided
to compel me to write this post.

JoyMama gave us data revealing the consequences of not cleaning the teeth of children with intellectual impairments. And emma reminded me (in comments)

of my 2010 blog theme

The Year of Function. 

Where to start…..categories! [Okay, an outline.]  This is a list from which you can choose what is relevant to your child. Reminding myself that I might miss something. Pick-up the slack for me, please. If you think of something I missed, please leave it in comments for other mothers. Thanks in advance.

Subtitle: Everything I can think of regarding or@l hygiene

First category: believing in it.

I’ve often used brushing teeth as an analogy for other habits I suggest to parents. I assumed everyone else brushes their teeth daily, more than once, perhaps flossing also. Among your many daily demands if you are not already cleaning the mouth of your child with a diagnosis, the will to add this may come grudgingly. If so, garnering your will is the place to start.

Believe that cleaning his mouth is worth preventing cavities. Or as rhemashope said in comments on JoyMama’s post: very good micro-level advice! just survived a trip to the dentist. something as simple as brushing/flossing teeth can be a battle in our house, but better to "suffer" a little now than suffer a lot later.

Believe that the seemingly long road to teaching him to do it himself will be worth it in terms of his independence. And yours.

Your child’s therapists are primary resources for techniques and adaptations for cleaning his mouth. If you want more than the suggestions I provide, ask them.

A computer is like a closet.

Easy to shove-until-full of stuff, shortcut files to the ‘desktop’ or bury it on a ‘shelf’ in a misc file.

Easy to do, but against my basic organized-instincts.

So I make myself perform regular maintenance on my computer just like I should do on a closet or my not-virtual-desktop.

Computer maintenance is a cognitive task requiring intention, knowledge and time. What drives my intention is the thought of not being able to find something I created when I want it and the perennial fear of crashing.

Like spring cleaning but more often, I go into my files to purge, organize, defrag and scrub cookies. I’ve had to learn to the meaning of and the procedure for each of these tasks in order to do them.

Intention and knowledge are primary to organizing a computer closet. I would not expect young children to have the forethought to prevent disaster from opening a too-full closet producing an avalanche of stuff. [Heh. Teens seem to lose or lack this ability, too.]

What kind of knowledge do you think a child needs to organize a closet?