[blindkid] never stands still

Mon Jun 14 13:41:19 UTC 2010

At Serena's middle school, they set up a long rope with a cardboard 
cylinder over it which Serena could hold as she ran.  The cylinder 
moved easily over the rope and Serena could go at whatever pace she 
wanted.  I can't remember how she was signaled that she was at the end.
Carol

At 12:36 AM 6/12/2010, you wrote:
>I suspect we are not quite up to the tandem running yet, but we will
>likely get there at some point.
>
>The trick is almost certainly to have a smooth enough surface that she
>won't feel like she is going to stumble. We have of course run across
>the yard and things like that, but generally at more of a guarded
>pace. LIke so many of the other things already discussed and like you
>mentioned as well, it is all about feeling safe enough to get past a
>feeling that she might fall or crash.
>
>Richard
>
>
>
>
>On Jun 11, 2010, at 11:51 PM, Heather wrote:
>
>>That's an interesting thing I noticed.  As a young child I was low
>>vision, but I did run a lot and only crashed spectacularly on
>>ocasion, but my sight deteriorated over time, and I lost most of it
>>by 16.  It didn't occur to me until later on, how much I missed all
>>out running, because, I, like many pre teens and young teenagers had
>>shifted to accademic and artistic focuses from more physical ones
>>and it was only when I was walking on a tred mill in the work out
>>room in college that I felt this pang of depression and a very
>>painful and real sense of loss, when I contemplated running on the
>>tread mill and felt a spike of concern about whether or not I could
>>or should.  I did, and it felt ackward at first, then I felt like I
>>was flying again, and I realized how much hurt I had been feeling at
>>an unconscious level, not having been able to run in almost ten
>>years, and knowing that I could never do that, in the same way, ever
>>again.  I am so glad that your daughter feels free and safe and
>>empowered enough to let loose and run on the tread mill. Perhaps she
>>might enjoy running with you, on a track or smoothe field where she
>>knows she won't run into anything.  I have been contemplating lately
>>either getting Jim to go running with me or taking up horseback
>>riding again, because I miss that freedom so much.
>>----- Original Message ----- From: "Kathy B" <burgawicki at yahoo.com>
>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)" 
>><blindkid at nfbnet.org >
>>Sent: Friday, June 11, 2010 7:45 PM
>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
>>
>>
>>>Richard,
>>>
>>>Do you mind me asking how old Kendra was when you first started
>>>having her use the treadmill?  And, how long will she stay on it at
>>>one time?
>>>Thanks,
>>>Kathy
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>________________________________
>>>From: Richard Holloway <rholloway at gopbc.org>
>>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind
>>>children)" <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>Sent: Fri, June 11, 2010 3:02:14 PM
>>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
>>>
>>>Darian,
>>>
>>>I think you're exactly right-- virtually all kids have this sort of
>>>energy. The thing that comes up with blind children more often is
>>>that some of them have more trouble finding enough safe-feeling
>>>ways to release the energy which must go somewhere. No doubt, ANY
>>>child who cannot (for whatever reason, it need not be vision- 
>>>related) move and jump and play as much as he or she feels
>>>compelled to is likely to begin to express motion and release
>>>energy in socially undesirable ways.
>>>
>>>My sighted kids can tear off and run and they're not afraid they'll
>>>crash into a tree. Kendra won't do that, but she'll put that same
>>>level of energy or excitement into jumping in a trampoline,
>>>swimming, or any number of other "safe-feeling" activities.
>>>Something else I didn't tie to this before-- back to the treadmill.
>>>Kendra is hesitant to run across a field, no doubt she doesn't feel
>>>sure-footed enough when running and/or she thinks she'll crash into
>>>something. However, on a treadmill she will walk briskly or even
>>>sprint at times and she loves it.
>>>
>>>Richard
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>
>>>On Jun 11, 2010, at 11:55 AM, Darian Smith wrote:
>>>
>>>>If I may-
>>>>I think (and I could be wrong) that it's really a matter of having
>>>>alot of energy that needs to be expressed in some way.  getting your
>>>>child to be activ with regards to running, playing in a playground
>>>>withother kids  the child's age, swimming anything that will burn
>>>>off
>>>>that energy might help. II feel  pretty confident  that sighted
>>>>children have just as much energy and run into the same things as
>>>>well.
>>>>Just my thoughts and they are as valid are as invalid as youmay like
>>>>to take them.
>>>>Best,
>>>>Darian
>>>>
>>>>On 6/10/10, Heather <craney07 at rochester.rr.com> wrote:
>>>>>Jeremy twirls, but he does not do it for prolonged periods, and all
>>>>>toddlers, sighted toddlers do that, although by three or four it
>>>>>does
>>>>>usually decrease from what I have seen in the early childhood
>>>>>field.  We
>>>>>usually try to shape the spinning into something, I.E. Duck Duck
>>>>>Goose going
>>>>>in circles around one of us while we tap his head for ducks and
>>>>>pick him up
>>>>>and raspberry and tickle him for goose, and Ring Around the
>>>>>Rosey, which
>>>>>with only one child, is pretty much just spinning with a song and
>>>>>a planned
>>>>>fall down at the end.  Now he never spins without also singing
>>>>>the song, so
>>>>>I'm not terribly concerned.
>>>>>----- Original Message -----
>>>>>From: "Richard Holloway" <rholloway at gopbc.org>
>>>>>To: "NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List,(for parents of blind children)"
>>>>><blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>Sent: Thursday, June 10, 2010 6:46 PM
>>>>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>>Our 7-year-old still does that occasionally and has done it
>>>>>>since she was
>>>>>>
>>>>>>probably 2. I used to try to tell her to stop but we had far
>>>>>>better
>>>>>>results long term when we redirected her to something else.
>>>>>>Then once we
>>>>>>started offering her more and more movement alternatives  the
>>>>>>problem
>>>>>>decreased greatly. If she's spinning a lot at home now,  we'll
>>>>>>usually ask
>>>>>>
>>>>>>if she needs to go and jump. Generally, she'll stop  spinning
>>>>>>with the
>>>>>>question and walk straight to her trampoline.
>>>>>>
>>>>>>Richard
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>
>>>>>>On Jun 10, 2010, at 6:26 PM, L wrote:
>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My daughter does the same thing, she is 3.  SHe will spin in
>>>>>>>circles and
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>makes me dizzy.  We have just told her, stop spinning, most of
>>>>>>>the time
>>>>>>>she does.  But even while spinning she is holding her  favorite
>>>>>>>sensory
>>>>>>>toy, so I am not sure what to do either!  Thanks  for the
>>>>>>>question.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>________________________________
>>>>>>>From: Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
>>>>>>>To: Blindkid email <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>Sent: Thu, June 10, 2010 12:42:54 PM
>>>>>>>Subject: Re: [blindkid] never stands still
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>I'm no expert on this but I'm wondering if she is filling a
>>>>>>>sensory need
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>by this constant motion. Does she stop moving when you are
>>>>>>>talking with
>>>>>>>her or she is otherwise engaged? Perhaps providing her  with
>>>>>>>other ways
>>>>>>>to gain sensory input would help.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Marie (mother of Jack born May 2005)
>>>>>>>See glimpses of life with my determined son who is developing
>>>>>>>in his own
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>way at his own time at http://allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
>>>>>>>Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>-----Original Message-----
>>>>>>>From: Kathy B <burgawicki at yahoo.com>
>>>>>>>Date: Thu, 10 Jun 2010 04:18:43
>>>>>>>To: <BVI-Parents at yahoogroups.com>; <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
>>>>>>>Subject: [blindkid] never stands still
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Hi All-
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>My daughter (4), totally blind, has a real hard time holding
>>>>>>>still. She
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>is constantly in motion by fidgeting, wiggling, bouncing,
>>>>>>>etc.   She
>>>>>>>doesn't do a whole lot of rocking but she does need motion.
>>>>>>>How  do I
>>>>>>>get her to stop.
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Please help!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Oh, the swimming lessons are going great!
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Thanks,
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>Kathy
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
>>>>>>>
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>>>>>>
>>>>>>
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>>>>>
>>>>>
>>>>>_______________________________________________
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>>>>
>>>>
>>>>--Darian Smith
>>>>Skype: The_Blind_Truth
>>>>Windows Live: Lightningrod2010 at live.com
>>>>"We are not human beings having a spiritual experience. We are
>>>>spiritual beings having a human experience." - Teilhard de Chardin
>>>>
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>>>
>>>
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>>>
>>>
>>>
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>>
>>
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>
>
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Carol Castellano, President
National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
973-377-0976
carol_castellano at verizon.net
www.nopbc.org  