This blog has been left alone for too long.  I have moved along with my students.  Some of them have moved to new teachers and I am learning all the time.

New things in our classroom:   Less stuff.  We are down to 1 teacher desk, which we rarely use and 1 table for feeding, crafting and things.  We now have a Tap-it which is is 44 inch smart board on a frame that interfaces with a computer.  I am learning to use this.  I am able to get the computer hooked up with an enabling button so the students can turn pages.  Because their arms are so short and their aim is uncertain, I am not very successful in getting them to tap even small but not very demanding applications.  They seem to need to be able to tap more accurately.  http://www.teachsmart.org/tapit/  This is one of the research projects I am doing for myself.  I will also be making a application using powerpoint for the Tap-it which will allow the children to use a switch to turn pages on a book that I have downloaded.

I have observed in one program and one teacher and our physical therapist  have been trained in Project Move.  I have always maintained that children should be on the floor, but this modality starts with the premise that children should be upright, using normal chairs if possible and moving on their own--using gait trainers, physical assist, whatever is necessary to get the children upright and using their own muscles.  I am beginning this program and have 3 children who are put in gait trainers and standers 2X each a week.  We have also begun to use an electric lift for our heaviest child who weights about 70 lbs.    This has eased up our workload a lot and my back does not hurt after work.  We always use a 2 man lift when not using our electric lift.

http://www.move-international.org/