[blindkid] O&M for the young child

Sat Apr 10 16:22:01 UTC 2010

Marie, I tend to call it the pointer grip.  My son actually uses the whole
hand grip, but the cane position is correct and the use of the cane is
correct.  The cane should be at naval level griped by the fist with the
pointer or index finger positioned separately pointing down.  I think of it
as pointing in the direction that he wants to cane to move.  My son is 3
1/2.  Sometimes he chooses to swing the cane from left to right and back,
using the touch tap technique, usually on paved surfaces outside or tiled
inside surfaces.  He listens to the sounds to get feed back and
information.  However, when he is in a wooded or grassy area, he tends to
hold the cane a little off the ground directly in front of him.  The other
thing he does a lot is on a new and unfamiliar surface, he will bend down to
feel it and get additional information that way.

Just keep on working it.  Let him explore and learn.  The more experiences
the better.  It is so exciting to watch this new found skill unfold and see
the wonder.
Blessings,
Sue H.

On Sat, Apr 10, 2010 at 8:47 AM, Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net> wrote:

> Thank you for the encouragement and information!
>
> We are taking the cane everywhere we go except to Jack's school just yet.
> It is a private day care/preschool. We have told them that we will be
> sending the cane with him next week and they are very open to the idea.
>
> We are having lots of fun! I am not sure that I completely "get" the pencil
> grip. Do you mean held in front but not extended as far? So his grip would
> be further down the cane, not at the handle?
>
> Thanks for your patience in explaining. :)
>
> I hope y'all don't mind that I'll be asking questions as we proceed on this
> exciting journey!
>
> Marie (mother of Jack, 4 years old with Apert Syndrome)
> http://allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
> Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: Merry-Noel Chamberlain <owinm at yahoo.com>
> Date: Sat, 10 Apr 2010 04:29:41
> To: \(for parents of blind children\)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List<
> blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] O&M for the young child
>
> Marie,
> Young children, and children with additional disabilities, need to learn
> that the sound of the tip of the cane offers information.  When walking
> around, encourage him to stop and make extra taps in various settings - such
> as when you are passing a doorway - have him place the cane in the
> doorway, tap and listen.  Look for different types of floors, such as wood
> vs. carpet.  Also, open spaces vs. closed spaces.  Check out the sound of
> the cane tap in the closet, in different stores.  Take a special field trip
> just to listen to the cane taps in different places.  In the video you
> walked through a tunnel of sorts, I bet the cane sound was different in the
> tunnel vs. by the door.  If you also had a long white cane with a metal tip,
> you could do the same thing.  Through NFB, you can purchase one as a
> 'teaching cane'.  Get one that is taller than your chin but shorter than
> your nose.  Teach by modeling.  You tap your cane, too.  Be excited
>  when you do that - "Jack.  Come over here and listen to this!!  Wow!
> Doesn't that sound cool?"
>
> Marie, when children start to write, they are not perfect.  They scribble,
> right?  That's because they do not have their fine motor skill
> developed yet.  The same goes for O&M.  It takes time for them to develop
> their gross motor skill to be able to walk and tap at the same time.  Right
> now, he is 'scribbling' with the cane (so to speak) but with time, he will
> get better and better as he grows into his cane.  Just by having him have a
> cane at EVERY WALKING OPPORTUNITY outside his home environment, you are
> helping him develop his O&M skills.
>
> In grass, it is sometimes harder because the grass tends to grab the cane.
> So, when I walk in grass, I tend to use the pencil grip more.
>
> Merry-Noel Chamberlain, NOMCT
>
> --- On Fri, 4/9/10, Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>
> From: Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] O&M Parent Handbook
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)'" <
> blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Friday, April 9, 2010, 11:43 PM
>
>
> Thanks for the information. Jack loves using his cane to find curbs and the
> street. He does not like using his cane so much in the grass. I'm sure that
> most if not all of that comes from the way he likes to let it drag the
> ground. How do you encourage your very young students to begin to tap tap?
> Marie
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Merry-Noel Chamberlain
> Sent: Friday, April 09, 2010 8:14 AM
> To: (for parents of blind children)NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List
> Subject: [blindkid] O&M Parent Handbook
>
> Marie,
> I loved watching the video of your son using his cane.  It is also great to
> have a parent using the Bamboo walking sticks to help model.  I'm a NOMCT
> (O&M) instructor at Virginia School for the Deaf and the Blind and I am
> also
> blind.  I wrote an O&M Parent Handbook to assist the parents of the
> students
> I teach.  Attached is a copy of that handbook for you (and anyone else
> reading this).  Some things do not apply but you may find some things
> helpful within it.
> Thanks again for sharing.
> Merry-Noel Chamberlain
>
> --- On Thu, 4/8/10, Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net> wrote:
>
>
> From: Marie <empwrn at bellsouth.net>
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Jack and his new cane
> To: "'NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)'"
> <blindkid at nfbnet.org>
> Date: Thursday, April 8, 2010, 2:24 PM
>
>
> This is soooo exciting. We have been reading and re-reading articles on the
> NFB site. We took Jack out for his first cane outing yesterday! We went
> over
> to a local school after hours. There is a big wide sidewalk with cracks, a
> tiled area, flagpole, curbs up and down...very exciting place!
>
> Jack really seemed to enjoy using his cane. I have attached a video showing
> some of his cane use on our first outing. Dad (David) and I are holding
> bamboo walking sticks since we don't have canes.
>
> Because Jack is partially sighted he is figuring out how to use the cane to
> help him gain more information about what he thinks he sees. For example,
> when Jack comes up white lines in the parking lot, they must look to him
> like a curb or some sort of step up. He almost always tries to lift his leg
> as if to step up. Yesterday you should have seen him! He sat down on the
> ground (parking lot was empty) and he ran his cane across the white line
> over and over. He seemed fascinated that it was smooth unlike what it
> appeared to be to him.
>
> AND this morning he used his cane (and still our hand-holding assistance as
> always) to identify the steps as he descended the 14 steps to the garage of
> our split level home!
>
> -----Original Message-----
> From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org] On
> Behalf Of Carol Castellano
> Sent: Wednesday, April 07, 2010 8:53 PM
> To: NFBnet Blind Kid Mailing List, (for parents of blind children)
> Subject: Re: [blindkid] Jack and his new cane
>
> It's funny, because the teaching cane is one of Joe Cutter's ideas on how
> to
> get kids interested.  I think you'll like his book.  And, yeah, we figured
> out you meant pix.
> Carol
>
> At 06:27 PM 4/7/2010, you wrote:
> >LOL...sorry guys, I was a bit tired when I sent that email out last
> >night and I meant are pictures allowed through the list? I've been on
> >lists that don't allow attachments and I could not remember if this was
> one
> of them.
> >
> >Thanks for the resources, Carol.
> >
> >And my hubby is all over using this cane. He printed out several
> >articles for our son's teacher to read. :) My heart flutters....
> >
> >-----Original Message-----
> >From: blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org [mailto:blindkid-bounces at nfbnet.org]
> >On Behalf Of Marie
> >Sent: Tuesday, April 06, 2010 8:56 PM
> >To: Blindkid email
> >Subject: [blindkid] Jack and his new cane
> >
> >Are emails allowed through the list? I've attached a picture of Jack
> >and
> his
> >new cane. My brilliant husband picked it up and held it out himself in
> >the bathroom on the tile where it was sure to make lots of noise. Soon
> >Jack was running after him wanting to do it too!
> >I should have prepared better for this. What are your
> >recommendations/tips/books or websites to read for getting started?
> >Marie (mother of Jack, 4 years old with Apert Syndrome)
> >http://allaccesspasstojack.blogspot.com
> >Sent from my Verizon Wireless BlackBerry
> >
> >
> >_______________________________________________
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> >%40v
> erizon.net
>
> Carol Castellano, President
> National Organization of Parents of Blind Children
> 973-377-0976
> carol_castellano at verizon.net
> www.nfb.org/nopbc
>
>
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