Rylee's Weighted Crayon
Another apology for not being consistent in my blog postings, but it is a challenge for me to find the time to post. This is another side post regarding a recent creation for Rylee - a weighted crayon. Recently, she was watching a cartoon about animated crayons and she expressed to me how much she wanted to learn how to draw. Throughout the years we have tried many adaptations without much luck.
In the early years, the dreaded technique Hand Over Hand (that I strongly disapprove of) was widely used with Rylee. Hand Over Hand is the act of another person placing their hand directly over the learner's hand to complete a task. Research has shown this strategy is not efficient for students with developmental delays in gaining new skills. I would love to see this method eliminated in every special education setting across the globe.
This outdated approach is wrong for Rylee for many reasons but primarily due to the way she processes sensory input. Aside from the research that opposes this technique, I wanted to get Rylee's input on the topic. Here is what she had so say: "Grabbing my hand to make me do something is not a good way for me. Think really not great because it made my brain shut down and not think." Never again will I permit it for her.
Rylee also has very ataxic movements and therefore requires weighted objects to provide proprioceptive input. She needs time to explore and learn on her own with passive models as a guide. It is my job to provide her with the tools that enable her to make her own body do what she wants it to.
So, I browsed Pinterest (my go-to site) for DIY weighted adaptations. I found a couple of ideas that I had intended on using. Thankfully, I had my husband with me at Lowes or else we would never have come up with this idea. As we were browsing for the materials, the original idea began to change as it is Ryan's nature to improve ideas not follow directions. Ha!
In the early years, the dreaded technique Hand Over Hand (that I strongly disapprove of) was widely used with Rylee. Hand Over Hand is the act of another person placing their hand directly over the learner's hand to complete a task. Research has shown this strategy is not efficient for students with developmental delays in gaining new skills. I would love to see this method eliminated in every special education setting across the globe.
This outdated approach is wrong for Rylee for many reasons but primarily due to the way she processes sensory input. Aside from the research that opposes this technique, I wanted to get Rylee's input on the topic. Here is what she had so say: "Grabbing my hand to make me do something is not a good way for me. Think really not great because it made my brain shut down and not think." Never again will I permit it for her.
Rylee also has very ataxic movements and therefore requires weighted objects to provide proprioceptive input. She needs time to explore and learn on her own with passive models as a guide. It is my job to provide her with the tools that enable her to make her own body do what she wants it to.
So, I browsed Pinterest (my go-to site) for DIY weighted adaptations. I found a couple of ideas that I had intended on using. Thankfully, I had my husband with me at Lowes or else we would never have come up with this idea. As we were browsing for the materials, the original idea began to change as it is Ryan's nature to improve ideas not follow directions. Ha!
These are the materials you will need. Everything but the crayon and Coban can be purchased at any home improvement store in the plumbing department. You can see I bought two sizes of the steel pipe nipples. I wasn't sure which one she would prefer so I bought both to try. I plan on using the extra one to create a weighted spoon/fork.
In case you cannot read the packaging in the picture above you will need:
Materials-
1 Galv. Cap 3/8"
1 Galv. Floor Flange 3/8"
1 Galv. Steel Pipe Nipple 3/8" at either 3 or 4 inches long.
1 pkg. #31 O-Ring at 9/16" x 5/16" x 1/8"
1 roll of Coban
1 pkg crayons
All you do is screw the cap on one end of the steel pipe nipple and the floor flange on the other side. Place the O-ring around the crayon as pictured above.
Then secure the crayon inside until it is snug.
Lastly, wrap the Coban around until the texture is sponge-like. There you have it. This is designed to promote a palmar supinate grasp often used in the earliest stages of scribbling. To imagine what that grasp looks like, think of holding a knife in the palm of your hand ready to defend yourself with all four fingers wrapped around and your thumb on top. The movement associated with this type of grasp is a gross motor movement where the shoulder, arm, and hand all move as one unit.
Scribbling is such a crucial part of writing that many children with significant disabilities miss out on while their typical peers receive an excess of exposure to scribbling before learning to draw and write. Promote writing for all whatever it takes!
