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Volunteer Physio in Vietnam

9/13/2015

I had the opportunity to travel to Vietnam in February 2015 to volunteer as a physio at a government run orphanage in Ba Vi, Vietnam. I arranged the trip with VIVPS/Helping Hands. They are a group run by an Australian that places volunteers at the orphanage and assists with orientation, living arrangements, etc. while you are there.

The Ba Vi Centre houses 120 children with severe disabilities. The centre provides basic food and shelter, but no real rehabilitation services are available for the children.

VIVPS has been placing volunteers (physio and others) at BA Vi for the past 2 years. There is now a Rehab room, covered outdoor play areas for all the children, a covered playground, 2 teachers (one regular and one for the blind), full time rehab assistants, as well as a stream of volunteers to provide rehab, training of rehab assistants and much needed love and interaction for the children.

My two weeks were spent working one on one with a dozen children, as well as training the Rehab assistant with activities to carry on after I left. The assistant had no formal training, no previous experience and little English. That made for some interesting experiences.

It was amazing to see how much a child could learn and how much progress could be made in a very short time. Some of these children had experienced so little movement, but once they began moving, rolling and sitting up, the gains happened quickly.

It is really hard to describe the conditions that these children live in. The children are fed a watery rice mixture with a few vegetables (and occasionally meat) thrown in, three times a day. They have their diaper changed 3 times a day. They are given a bath once every 2 weeks. They are not given liquids to drink, as this may make them need more frequent diaper changes, and they only get 3. Many children are left lying on their backs in their cribs all day.They may be sat up in a chair where they are then required to sit for most of the day. They are not allowed to go outside in the sun: it might make them sick. They are not allowed to go outside if it's cold: it might make them sick. The children are fed lying on their backs, as it's faster to feed them this way.

There are too many highlights to mention here, but I know that I will never be the same person that I was before this trip. It was amazing to be able to give the gift of mobility to these children. The smiles on their faces as they learned new skills was their gift back to me. If you've ever thought of stepping out of your comfort zone and "having an adventure", I'd highly recommend a working holiday. I'm already itching to go back. If you'd like more information, please contact me through the website. Maybe we could go together!

Check out their website here: http://www.vietnamvolunteer.org/
and their Facebook page: www.facebook.com/VIVPS?fref=ts
Angela

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Just Right Challenge

9/13/2015

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I often encourage parents and teachers that work with children with gross motor challenges to provide a “Just Right Challenge”. What exactly does that mean? It is asking the child to perform an activity that is just slightly harder than what they can already do.

A child learns new skills or improves on skills they already have, by trying something harder. If they keep doing an already mastered activity over and over, they will not progress their skills. If they attempt an activity that is way beyond what they are physically capable of, they may become frustrated, decide it is “too hard” and stop attempting the new task.

What does this look like for you, the adult? You need to be a bit of a detective. You need to observe the child to see “what can they do”? Then you need to decide “what is the next small step that they have the ability to learn or accomplish?” This could mean you decrease the amount of physical support that you offer them: holding one hand on a balance beam instead of two; or holding their trunk while they go up a playground climber but no longer helping them place their feet on the next rung. The difficult part is knowing how much can I let go without compromising their safety.

The next step could also be to help progress a skill. If your child holds their hands close together, palms up and close to chest in preparation to catch, could you show them how to hold their hands further apart and slightly away from their chest? You may need to soften your throw to assist in their success.

Your child may benefit from learning small pieces or steps of an activity before attempting to put all the pieces together. Once the child can do all or most of the steps, they will have an easier time sequencing all the steps together. It is normal for a child to easily perform some steps but need more help with others in the same activity.

Your job is to help when they need it and let them be independent with what they have mastered. This will lead to success and a feeling of accomplishment, rather than frustration and failure. Now go out and play!

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Surfing on a Snow Day

11/28/2014

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So it's 10 am on a Snow Day, and your kids are already driving you crazy with cries of "What can we do?", "I'm bored" and "Jadyn hit me!".
Remember those pre-kid days when you could relax with nice cup of tea, listening to some jazz music, or doing some peaceful Yoga? Yeah, I can't remember those days either!
Well, doing yoga with your kids can be a rewarding activity with many benefits for both them and you.
Some of the possible benefits:

work on your child's core strength and balance in a fun and inviting way.
great way to target imitation skills.
your child will be practicing their motor planning abilities as they attempt to achieve the various poses.
use yoga to work on concepts such as over, under and behind as you give instructions as to how to move. You can also target learning their body parts.
yoga can be calming and regulating for many children. This is where you are rewarded for your hard work! After you're done yoga, you may just get that cup of tea and some peace.

Points to Remember With Yoga & Your Kids

"Close" is good enough. We're not looking for perfection in their poses. When you really see them "cheating" to attain or maintain a pose, it's usually a sign of insufficient strength. That means this is a good pose for them to work on. As they get stronger, they will cheat less!
Use kid friendly names for poses. The picture above shows Warrior Pose, but kids will have more fun when they get to go Surfing. Corpse Pose becomes Dreamer: don't want to scare them off.
Break poses down into pieces for them. For example: to get into Surfer Pose, have them start in Mountain pose. Then have them jump or step their feet apart. Next have them turn one foot towards the end of their mat, bend that knee, and finally raise their arms. This is all part of motor planning and will be easier than just seeing you in a complex pose and trying to copy you.
Repetition is your friend. Pick a few poses and repeat them over several sessions. Use the same name for the pose every time, as well as using the same verbal directions to assume the pose.

Some Great Online Resources

Now grab your mat, your kids and get Surfing!
Namaste!

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Back-to-School Transition: Tips for Parents

8/26/2014

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The start of the school year marks a significant time of transition and can be tough for many children. The end of summer makes way for the faster paced and more structured school environment and for many kids this can mean a new classroom, teacher, and a different group of peers. Here are a few tips to help your child smoothly transition back to school.

Contact your child’s school to find out any information you can about their new class. It can be helpful to let your child know their new teachers name, what room they will be in and some of their peers that they will know in their classroom. For some children it may be beneficial to create a picture book illustrating what their new classroom and teacher will look like or to create a social story about the start of school. For information on how to write social stories please visit the Gray Center online at http://www.thegraycenter.org
If possible take a visit to your child’s new school with them. Many schools offer designated days to meet the teacher and preview your child’s new classroom and other areas of the school they will be using (music room, lunch room, library etc). If you are making a social story for your child take this time to snap a few pictures.
Create a schedule (visual or written depending on the child’s level of development) for your child to outline what the day will look like for him/her. You can use the school visit with your child’s teacher to get an idea of what their day will be like. You may want to have separate schedules for the morning and night routine at home and one for the school day.
Involve your children in buying new school supplies. Many supplies can reflect your child’s interest (themed note books, backpacks, shoes etc) and help get your child excited to go to school and use their new materials. As back to school shopping can be hectic, early in the summer is the best time to tackle this task.
Establish a consistent and predictable home routine to ensure there is time in your child’s day to be active, to reflect and share with an adult, eat a nutritious meal, as well as get a good night’s sleep. These routines should be in place well before the first day of school.
Speak with your child’s teacher to set up a school-to-home feedback system (often a notebook in your child’s backpack works well) if one is note already in place. This can be used to facilitate regular feedback from your child’s teacher on how their day/week is going. Getting regular feedback (even a weekly note) means that you are better able to support your child if concerns do arise. It is also a good way for you to keep on top of areas of strength and accomplishments.
For younger children who are nervous about being at school, you can have them take a small item to keep in their pocket to remind them that their parent is thinking about them. This should be something quite small as to not be distracting to the child.

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Volunteer Physio in Vietnam

Just Right Challenge

Surfing on a Snow Day

Back-to-School Transition: Tips for Parents

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