Monthly Archives: November 2020

Green Screen Teletherapy

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I spy, dinosaur hunts, and apple picking, oh my! As pediatric therapists, we have been faced with the challenge of engaging children of varying ages and diagnoses over teletherapy. Children, families, and even therapists are still getting used to this virtual format. I want to walk through some ways I have utilized green screen technology for speech therapy during my time as a graduate student clinician at PlayWorks Therapy, Inc. I have found that using the green screen technology creates a fun and engaging way to target goals, while keeping our clients’ attentions for longer periods during our virtual telehealth sessions.

How do you use green screen technology?

Green screen technology is easily utilized over Zoom (PlayWorks’ medium of delivering teletherapy).

To set up the green screen: You need a green screen, or another brightly colored background. Mine is a plastic green tablecloth hung with command hooks. Next, log into zoom. Click the up arrow in the “stop video” button on the lower left corner of the zoom window and click “choose virtual background…”. Now, in your camera view, there is a small circle in the bottom right that has a color. Click that circle, then click your mouse on your background in the camera view. This tells Zoom what color to detect as your background, so it can transfer your given image to your green screen.

To transfer activities to Zoom backgrounds: Download/export your activity in a “.jpg” format to your computer. Follow the above directions to get to the virtual backgrounds settings. Then, click the plus sign (+) to upload the background images.

What goals can be targeted in green screen teletherapy?

I have targeted my clients’ speech and language goals using elements of the green screen. I have even used the same green screen activity for clients of varying ages and goals by modifying the way I use the activity, my language level, and my prompts. Using green screen activities is a great way to create a “theme” for each week. Being fall, my clients have enjoyed a variety of fall-themed activities from apple picking to exploring a spooky mansion for Halloween.

Articulation

Articulation is easily targeted using these curated, story-like green screen activities. For example, for the apple picking activity, courtesy of “GoGo Speech”, I will have the client say their given target word 5 times, put the word in the sentence, and then we pick the apple together. You pick all the apples this way, but watch out for the worm who just might eat all our precious apples!

Language

Language goals can be targeted as well, including expanding language to age-appropriate utterance lengths, spatial concepts, pronouns, wh- questions, and more. I have used “I Spy” to practice expanding a child’s phrase length. I have used “GoGo Speech” materials for spatial concepts, where the clients must tell me where they see the chipmunk during our picnic: “is it behind me? Is it on top of the rock? In the tree?” I have used a “fall hunt” activity, modeled off of the classic “we’re going on a bear hunt” story, to target wh- questions and expressive language. The opportunities are endless!

What are some go-to resources?

My go-to resources come from a private Facebook group, entitled “Green Screen Speech Therapy”. Speech-Language Pathologists post many resources that can be downloaded, personalized to meet your client’s speech and language goals, and then added to Zoom for use during a speech therapy session. This Facebook group also has an incredibly useful video explaining how to set up a green screen and how to use it. My other go-to has been “GoGo Speech”. If you subscribe to their services, they send activities for free (and videos on how to use them) to your email inbox.

Is green screen technology only useful for speech therapy?

Other disciplines can use green screen technology to keep their client engaged and target goals simultaneously, too! This means that physical therapists, occupational therapists, social workers, and developmental therapists can use green screen resources as well.

Do I have to have a green screen to use these resources?

No, you do not. You can download the resources in a PowerPoint format. Then, share your screen during your sessions to take advantage of the same resources without having a green screen.

 

Gwen Berglind, B.S.

Speech-Language Pathology Graduate Student Clinician

 

Credits: “GoGo Speech”, “Green Screen Speech Therapy” Facebook Group

Express Yourself: Building Self-Esteem

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Self-Esteem and self-confidence are something we think of adults either having or lacking… but can kids either have or lack these skills? (Answer: Yes and yes!)  And if so, how do we help boost a child’s confidence and self-esteem?

What is self-esteem?

Self-esteem is having the confidence in one own’s worth and abilities, in addition to self-respect.

What is self-confidence?

Confidence is the trust in oneself, a measure of faith in one’s own abilities.

Why is this important for children to develop?

A positive sense of self is important for children to develop in order to establish and maintain a healthy lifestyle, coping skills, and interpersonal relationship skills with others. Having increased self-esteem and self-confidence is essential for children to grow up with a positive mindset, have the ability to try and complete new challenges, and identify their strengths. Children who are mindful of their self-esteem and self-confidence levels, have the potential to manage unexpected stress with more resiliency and the ability to accept and forgive themselves and others.

How can I improve my child’s self-esteem?

You can increase your child’s self-esteem at any time: during the day, when they are trying something new, or picking out their clothing.

  • Start by giving your child lots of praise (“I’m so proud of you!”)
  • When giving your child praise, explain what they did and why you are proud of them (“I’m so proud of you for cleaning up after yourself by putting your dish in the sink.”)
  • Identify their differences and support their choices (within reason), even if they are not always correct. (“I love the way you used *pipe cleaners* to build the wall, very creative!”)
  • Try as much as possible to stay and remain positive with your child. They will imitate and learn from your reactions. (“It’s so frustrating we are lost, let’s do some teamwork to solve this together.”)
  • Identify and comment on positive traits and characteristics about your child (“Wow Johnny, you climbed all the way to the top, you are so strong, brave, and determined!”)
  • Be supportive, understanding, and caring when your child fails. (“I know learning how to ride a bike is tricky. You are tough, hard-working, and intelligent! We will keep practicing together when you’re ready.”)

 

Questions or concerns?

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s self-esteem, please contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Kelly Scafidi, MSW, LCSW, DT
Licensed Clinical Social Worker
Developmental Therapist

Photo Credit: Haydn Golden via Unsplash.com

The FUN in Executive FUNction

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Have you ever heard someone say that your brain is not fully developed until age 25? When someone mentions that, it’s usually to explain how teenagers can still make risky decisions, even when they feel like near adults because their “decision making warehouse” in their brain is still making new connections. That’s true! The frontal lobe of your brain is responsible for many of your executive functioning skills! So, what does that have to do with your child? Executive functioning skills that are required for all those complex adult decisions begin with foundational skills that emerge in early childhood that are necessary for your child to pay attention, finish tasks by themselves, and stay in control of their body and reactions. All children need to develop well-rounded executive functioning skills for success in the classroom and at home.

What are executive functioning skills?

Executive functioning refers to a complex collection of skills across areas of neuropsychological development that include how your child’s brain is able to focus on one subject, plan ahead, organize, follow steps in order, follow familiar routines, have self-awareness, hold thoughts in our memory, switch between activities, and control our responses to events. In general, executive functioning skills are responsible for our general external and internal organizational and attentional processing. In general, executive functioning skills help us make a decision or goal, plan how to achieve that goal, carry out the steps in the plan, and check that we were able to do it right.

What does it look like when a child has difficulty with executive functioning skills?

Executive functioning develops typically in children who are participating in learning opportunities with gradually decreased support from an adult, everyday social interactions, games that challenge inhibition or memory, and lots of trial and error with activities. Early signs of difficulty with executive functioning skills may look like any of the following:

  • Having difficulty staying on task and avoiding distractions
  • Becoming easily frustrated, at times resulting in outbursts
  • Needing frequent reminders to slow down with work or think before acting
  • Forgetting directions almost immediately
  • Skipping steps from directions with more than one step
  • Trouble getting started with instructions or finding the materials they need for an activity
  • Disorganized when re-telling a story or event that happened
  • Getting stuck on one idea, or becomes frustrated when having to transition from one activity to another
  • Needing more reminders to complete daily routines than same-aged peers
  • Difficulty adjusting to in the moment changes

What can I do to support my child’s executive functioning?

Infancy:

  • Anticipation games such as peekaboo, “1-2…….3!” with any silly action, and this little piggy
  • Pausing during their favorite familiar fingerplay song for them to fill in the blank with a gesture or word
  • Hiding games with their favorite toys to search beneath a cup or cloth for them

Toddlers:

  • Increasing gross motor challenges such as a one-step obstacle course for them to control their bodies during movement
  • Movement songs and dances that they can follow along with and remember all the steps
  • Exposure to emotion words such as happy, mad, sad, and scared on themselves and on characters in books
  • Completing simple matching puzzles or sorting games

Early Childhood:

  • Have your child “read” a familiar story to you while looking at the pictures
  • Play freeze dance
  • Sing backward counting songs such as the three little ducks and have the child keep track of how many ducks are left
  • Play games where your child has to identify which object is not like the others

School Age:

  • Help follow simple cold meal recipes with a plan ahead of time. Your child can help gather the materials and put them together in the provided order.
  • Play games such as Spot it, Quick Cups, and cooperative board games
  • Play Red Light, Green Light, Musical Chairs, or Simon says to increase the child’s attention and impulse control
  • Play games such as Guess Who, where your child has to keep track of characteristics already said

Executive functioning challenges are common in children with Attention Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD), autism, anxiety disorders, and learning disabilities. However, not all children with difficulties in these areas may have one of those diagnoses. If your child is demonstrating persistent problems with some of the skills above, consider contacting one of our occupational therapists, who can provide your family with helpful tips and tricks to build your child’s executive functioning skills.

Questions or concerns?

If you have questions or concerns about your child’s executive functioning skills, please contact us at info@playworkschicago.com or 773-332-9439.

Caroline Stevens, MS, OTR/L
Occupational Therapist

References:

Center on the Developing Child. (2020). Enhancing and Practicing Executive Function Skills with Children from Infancy to Adolescence. Retrieved November 5, 2020, from https://46y5eh11fhgw3ve3ytpwxt9r-wpengine.netdna-ssl.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/05/Enhancing-and-Practicing-Executive-Function-Skills-with-Children-from-Infancy-to-Adolescence-1.pdf

Cramm, H., Krupa, T., Missiuna, C., Lysaght, R., & Parker, K. (2013). Broadening the Occupational Therapy Toolkit: An Executive Functioning Lens for Occupational Therapy With Children and Youth. Retrieved November 06, 2020, from https://ajot.aota.org/article.aspx?articleid=1863088

Photo Credit: Olav Ahrens Rotne via https://unsplash.com