Other OT Blogs

Well in linking to other OT blogs you get to see alot of cool videos made by other groups.
Here are the 5 i chose to link to

Janine's
Amazingly awesome Alice's
A cool blog with relevance to Sensory Processing Disorders
The OT Toolkit blog
And a cool blog on assistive technology

Theres some cool stuff on these and can be worth a look if you're interested

Tutorial Eight and the end is in sight

Assistive technology generally refers to “broad range of devices, services, strategies, and practices that are conceived and applied to ameliorate the problems faced by individuals who have disabilities” (Cook & Hussey, 1995). So in real persons talk it pretty much includes everything used to help overcome challenges that people with disabilities have, or anything that makes it easier to do 'stuff'.

Well I was lucky enough to be in a different city when Dave came to speak about assistive technology. So I apparently missed out on a lot, especially considering all these other blogs have mentioned he happens to be an ex-model... Ah but that is life.

So instead of writing about the technology everyone else mentioned... Im going to link straight back to a wonderful thing i mentioned right at the beginning..... Word Q. This is a program that gets loaded onto your computer and makes typing easier. It predicts words from you typing in the first letter and means for people with reduced hand function they are able to work faster than they can unassisted. Success!

So, scroll down to my earlier posts and you will see all sorts of information (mostly just a video but it sounds better if I talk it up) about Word Q. 

Enjoy

Cook, A., & Hussey, S. (1995). Assistive technologies: Principles and practice. St. Louis: Mosby. 

Tute Six – Online communities and the interweb

So communities come in a number of different shapes and forms. From the people within the area you live, your classmates, your bowling club or other groups you may be involved in, each forms a community with people who have similar interests. Another form of communities are virtual or online. I get to tell you about three online communities of my choice that are relevant to either me or  to OT.

My first placement brought me into contact with a thing called Sensory Processing Disorder so I'm going to introduce three communities that are concerned with SPD. SPD is a disorder where sensory information is not 'normal' examples include being highly sensitive to touch or taste, bright lights may cause children pain that leads to tantrums, others need to feel pressure on their joints to be calm. It's such a broad classification that i advise looking through these communities and having a read to better understand what it is really like.

1. Firstly let me introduce you to www.sensory-processing-disorder.com

This is a website devoted to being a resource center for all things related to SPD from signs and symptoms to picky eaters pretty much everything is covered. Including a section for parents, stories about SPD experiences, a Q & A section and is choc-a-block full of information. This site is interactive and anyone can ask a question and be given feedback from others. This site is primarily to give help to desperate parents.

Heres an example of some of the input from people and it shows the importance of communities such as this, it is a place where other people understand and wont just tell you you're imagining things.

"My son has been diagnosed with Sensory processing Disorder and people are asking if the reason why he is acting like this is maybe it because of having tubes put in his ear is this possible or is it really SPD?"

with a response saying

"..People are constantly suggesting other diagnosis's or telling me he will grow out of it.. or telling me "we don't know yet and we should wait until he is older". Other people jump in to say, "my son does that... or my daughter does that.. why are you so worried". No one seems to get it..."

Ethics and all that

Site management state that they use tracking to moniter the movements and activity of users for the sake of analysing trends and gathering demographic data. There is a lack of identity and accountability but the nature of the site is primarily for the parents and provides information for them. Parents are going there to find other things that might work for their children and abuse of the resources are not overly likely.

2. Just as with everything else that exists today there is a Sensory Processing Disorder group on facebook http://www.facebook.com/group.php?gid=51964841184&v=wall

So, facebook is a very useable resource for members of the community in general to get together and discuss things. This group is providing a platform for parents to discuss and get new ideas and support for their children and how to deal with SPD. The group page is open to the public and it is conveniently located within facebook so for many people who do use facebook it is more conveniet than going to an external site for support. It's a world wide community with input from people from a range of cultures and backgrounds, offering more assistance than one could normally find in their local community. Members give input about everything including products that are useful or camps and retreats.

Here's an example of some of the member content

"Does anyone else's child clear their throat every minute or two? My son has been doing this for 3 days now and it is driving us all insane! He does it more when he is about to put food into his mouth"

"Yes, our daughter does (she has had to do since she was little). Constantly telling her to take a big cough. It got better once we put her on the GFCF diet. Just found out this week that she is allergic to soy, peanuts, and egg whites. So hoping it will get better soon. Hang in there.... it does drive people insane."

Ethical issues with facebook include the fact that your full name will be displayed to other people on facebook and information can be viewed by anyone with a facebook account. There could potentially be cases of people abusing the system however knowledge of SPD is not overly common so it is less likely to be stumbled upon by opportunists.

3. Last but not least is the Sensory Processing Disorder Foundation website www.spdfoundation.net

The SPDF's purpose is expanding knowledge, fostering awareness and promoting recognition of Sensory Processing Disorder. The website encourages members to participate in research and members gain a 10% discount on training programs with the foundation. As with the first community i discussed the is plenty of information but the first one had far more detailed and usable information. Membership costs $50 but does provide some added extras for members. There are newsletters and libraries of resources for both the public and for members. Member participation is hidden in the member only section of the website so i'm not entirely sure of what they have to offer but the site does seem seem to be well put together and has lots of useful information.

The ethics surrounding this website are not overly compromising. you have to be a registered member to access member only areas and it protects member information

Tada, this should be the end of a long post. Thankyou for bearing with me!

Tute Five... Videos!

Its really quite difficult to 'provide a brief summary of the services offered by youtube'... It's a place were people of varying levels of talent go and upload videos and some of them end up famous or famously hated. With a few mouse clicks you can see Justin Bieber before he got famous and you can see why most of the world seems to hate someone called Rebecca Black. Asides from 'music' youtube has a wide range of videos from clips off tv shows to people voicing their opinions on current affairs, tutorials on how to do things which i have used including how to hula-hoop and what on earth the newton rhapson method was for my statistics exam. The world is at your fingertips thanks to the worldwide user contribution from youtube.

One topic that is fairly close to my heart is music. I've chosen five different videos that are significant to me.

The first one is a song called Cinderella 

Steven Curtis Chapman wrote this about his little daughters because one night he felt God whisper to savour the time he had with them after a stressful bath time one night. A few months after this song was written his youngest daughter was tragically killed in a car accident involving an older sibling. I've listened to this so many times and have played and sung it on piano and guitar. One of the truly special songs in life that holds extra meaning and reminders.

For the sake of saving space the other four videos are listed as links.

Hillsong Chapel - You'll Come
One of the most memorable songs I've sung at church. Can lead to some rather emotional moments...

On a lighter note... The Lazy Song - Bruno Mars I think this kind of video is pretty amazing and has had me spending a few hours giggling and i have forced all of my flatmates to watch it. If you haven't watched it... trust me its amazing!!

This next one is a little treat "Star Wars" preformed by a choir... I saw a choir sing this at the Big sing in my final year at high school and it reminds me of a road trip with some awesome friends and a crazy teacher.

Finally a dedication to two of the reasons i may or may not be in love with Gerard Butler - I am aware i said five videos but this really warrants two. a scene from P.s. I love you singing Galway Girl, and another from Phantom of the opera, Music of the night. Lets just say I love a man that can sing and my brother banned me from ever renting phantom again as the first time i rented it it may have been played about six times...

My five (six) videos are all indicators of important times in my life and memorable moments.