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PLAY Pen Article
Understanding Sibling Issues
Raising a child with a disability or chronic illness poses many challenges. Some of these challenges focus on the relationship between the siblings in the family. These crucial relationships are examined in this article.
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Assentive Computer Technology - Infrared Head Pointing
By: Renata Bursten, Dragonfly Staff
The Tracker and the Smart Nav AT can be helpful for users with carpal-tunnel syndrome, severe arthritis, quadriplegia, ALS, muscular dystrophy, and multiple sclerosis. Head pointing should be considered for computer users who have good head control and poor (or no) fine motor skills in their hands. Pointing is the quickest, most direct way of controlling the computer. Many people with disabilities have been forced to use scanning, mouth sticks, and other alternative devices when all they really needed to do was somehow point. One 'point' to remember when considering this kind of alternative mouse: you can use your head, but you don't really have to. You may use any body part that has reliable movement and control, like an arm or a knee, to place the dot upon. Also, you may use a hat, a headband, or a sweatband to hold the dot if you do not want to place the dot directly upon the skin.
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PLAY Tip
Crystal Drop Ball: Sensory Integration and Balance
Try sitting the child cross-legged on a ball. Hold their hips firmly, and slowly roll the ball from the center out in the forward directions on a gentle angle.
Watch to see how (and if) the child compensates for the new angle of their trunk. We want to see the chin tip back towards level with the floor. This signifies the understanding that "upright" is not always determined by the position of the hips relative to the floor, but rather is cued by the relation of the inner ears to the floor.
Prompt the child to "sit up straight" both with verbal and demonstrative cues. Once the rolling forward is mastered, work on backwards, side-to-side, and in a gentle circular motion. The see-through ball adds extra fun!