A perfect trio of products to celebrate April as National Occupational Therapy Month & Autism Awarness Month!

Product Description:  

The Pocket Occupational Therapist for Families of Children With Special Needs by Cara Koscinski

• Paperback: 144 pages
• Publisher: Jessica Kingsley Pub; 1 edition (December 15, 2012)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1849059322
• ISBN-13: 978-1849059329
• Product Dimensions: 5.4 x 0.3 x 8.5 inches

If you are unsure about what occupational therapy (OT) is and how it can help your child, this accessible overview is for you. Answering all of the common questions about the issues an occupational therapist might address with a child with special needs, including core muscle strength, feeding, fine motor skills, sensory sensitivities, transitions and life-skills, this book also offers simple activities to practice at home that are inexpensive, fun and, most-importantly, OT-approved.

This will be an illuminating and essential guide for parents and carers of children with physical and developmental disabilities or parents of children in rehabilitation from illness or injury. Professionals who want to learn more about the principles and practicalities of occupational therapy will also find it useful.

Table of Contents

See a fabulous review on Special Needs Book Review : http://www.specialneedsbookreview.com/2013/03/27/interview-cara-koscinski-mot-mom-of-children-with-special-needs-speaker-author-and-entrepreneur/

Here’s what I love about the book:

• includes important details in a concise, easy to understand format that makes this book very parent-friendly. I’ve worked with lots of great OT’s over the past 23 years of being a SLP so I know quite a bit about what they do & why they do what they do. But even I learned some new things reading this book. Don’t let the small size fool you. This 144 page book is packed with loads of info!
• explains “why” certain skills & activities are important.
• explains “why” kids engage in certain behaviors.
• lots of info about picky eating & food aversions
• lots of info about sensory processing
• great developmental checklists
• large easy to read font
• it’s filled with tons of great “Out of the Pocket Activities”….. these are the real gems in this book! I work with lots of kids with Autism Spectrum Disorders & Sensory Processing Disorders. The “Out of the Pocket Activities” will be great to incorporate into my therapy sessions & to share with parents.

Sound-Eaze CD

This CD was written by Cara Koscinski (an Occupational Therapist) and Kimberly Josephs (a Music Therapist) as a fun way for parents, teachers and therapists to help children with auditory sensitivity and fear of loud noises. It combines vocals and rhythm with sounds that can be upsetting to many children. The music and rhythm are eased out until only the sound remains. Allowing your child to adjust the volume may give the feeling that he/she is in control of the sound.

Encourage your child to begin at a low volume and gradually increase it. It is our goal that your child has fun while developing tolerance for loud noises.

Sounds included are: baby cry, vacuum cleaner, fireworks, dog bark, siren, phone ring, thunder, fire alarm, blender, hairdryer, lawnmower, toilet flush. Each is about 3-4 minutes long.

School-Eaze

This CD was written by Cara Koscinski (an Occupational Therapist) and Kimberly Josephs (a Music Therapist) as a fun way for parents, teachers and therapists to help children with auditory sensitivity and fear of loud noises. It combines rhythm with sounds that can be upsetting to many children. This unique collection gives children control of the sounds and lets them know exactly what to expect to hear at school!

Encourage your child to begin at a low volume and gradually increase it. It is our goal that your child has fun while developing tolerance for loud noises.

School-Eaze includes the following sounds: school fire drill, cafeteria, bus ride, gym class, changing class bell, swim meet, classroom noise/group of people talking, and field trips such as baseball game, restaurant, carnival, walking to school/construction site, parade, party, movies, and stock car race. Each is about 3-4 minutes long.

Here’s what I love about the CD’s:

• love that each song is a new twist on a familiar tune. Building upon a familiar tune will help pair something a child may already enjoy with something that they are learning to tolerate.
• many kids with ASD, SPD and other special needs are fearful of or sensitive to particular sounds. I love the concept of the child being in control of the volume so they can experience being in control of the sound.
• love that each song starts out with just the tune & rythym. The sound that the child is learning to tolerate is gradually faded in. And then the tune/rhythm is gradually faded out until only the sound remains. This transition starts happening about halfway through each song.
• The company is very clear that these CD’s are NOT part of a formal therapeutic listening program but rather are a fun way to help kids develop a tolerance for noises they may encounter in their lives at home & school.

Purchase: book publisher’s website: http://www.jkp.com/catalogue/book/9781849059329, CD’s: http://www.route2greatness.com/ & http://pocketoccupationaltherapist.com/Products.html (via PayPal)

Also available on Amazon:  book – http://www.amazon.com/Occupational-Therapist-Families-Children-Special/dp/1849059322; CD’s http://www.amazon.com/Autism–Sound-Sound-Children-Noises/dp/B000B5UIOW & http://www.amazon.com/Route-Greatness-School-Eaze-CD-Route2Greatness/dp/B000B5SYDY

Websites: http://pocketoccupationaltherapist.com/, http://www.route2greatness.com/. Also connect with them on Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/PocketOT, https://www.facebook.com/pages/Route2Greatness-LLC/131330716891115; Twitter: https://twitter.com/pocketot; Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/pocketot/; Teachers Pay Teachers: http://www.teacherspayteachers.com/Store/Special-Needs-Kidstore; Blog: http://route2greatness.wordpress.com/

Cara has two sons with special needs. See more about Cara’s story here: http://pocketoccupationaltherapist.com/Author_Info.html and on pages 30-31 in this e-magazine: http://somethingspecialmagazine.squarespace.com/spring-issue-savannah

Disclaimer: I received a free sample of this product to facilitate my review.  Opinions expressed are my own.Starting in 2013, a new component of reviews & giveaways hosted on OMazing Kids is that a review will be added on Amazon.com (for products sold on that site). See my Amazon profile at: https://www.amazon.com/gp/pdp/profile/A1JKVLELLSX7FD?ie=UTF8&ref_=cm_aya_bb_pdp.

How to enter the A Way to Give – Giveaway:

• Required Entry Method: Enter via the “Giveaways” tab on the OMazing Kids – Contests & Giveaways Facebook page (http://a.pgtb.me/plpbTf) & mention why this book would be helpful to you. Also nominate a friend, relative, teacher, therapist, school, clinic, library, etc… it can be any individual (other than yourself) or setting that you feel could benefit from having the book + both CD’s & tell us why they would benefit from having them (details will count in selecting the winner) (comments must be in English; must include full first & last name; must use respectful people-first language, 1 entry per person).
• Bonus Entry Option: Like all 4 of these Facebook pages: OMazing Kids, The Pocket Occupational Therapist, Route2Greatness, LLC & Special Education Resources from Jessica Kingsley Publishers (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did). Facebook fans of all 4 pages are then entitled to the following bonus entry options:

1. Invite some friends to “like” the OMazing Kids Facebook page (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)
2. Share this review on Facebook & include a @OMazing Kids to tag my page – (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)
3. Tweet the #SpecialNeeds #Autism #giveaway on Twitter with a @amoorad link – (comment here on this blog post to let me know you did)

• Helpful Info & Tips: I use the “Giveaways” tab because it saves me the step having to obtain your mailing address – the info you complete on the tab comes directly to me via an e-mail. FYI…. I use a free app from Shortstack for that tab and have no control over technical difficulties either on their end or on Facebook. The Facebook tab may not work on a cell phone. If you experience that, try again on a computer. Make sure you are logged in as yourself (not a page) when using the tab. In the event that you experience difficulties with the FB entry tab, please e-mail me specific details so I can attempt to fix it. E-mail to: amoorad1@juno.com . The entry deadline may be extended at the sole discretion of OMazing Kids in the event of prolonged entry tab problems

• Examples of “people-first” language are “children with autism” vs. “autistic children”and “children with disabilities” vs. “disabled children” (see more examples at: http://www.inclusionproject.org/nip_userfiles/file/People%20First%20Chart.pdf)

Entry Deadline: 11:59pm CST on April 15, 2013 .

Rules of Participation:

• Must be 18 years or older with a valid e-mail address.
• Only USA entries are being allowed for this particular giveaway.
• Employees or family members of OMazing Kids, LLC or the product’s company are not eligible.
• No purchase required.
• Comments submitted via the Enter Giveaways Here…. tab on Facebook may be copied & pasted into the blog post.
• Odds of winning will depend on the number of eligible entries received.
• The winner will be chosen via a drawing of valid entries on April 16, 2013.
• The winner will receive one copy of the book. One copy of the book + both CD’s will also be sent to the person or place they nominated in their winning entry (I know this is a bit out-of-the box & different than most typical giveaways where the person who enters wins all the “stuff”.  This is the new “A Way To Give” portion of giveaways on OMazing Kids. I was inspired to make giveaways more meaningful after this experience. Think of it as a way to plant some seeds.)
• The winners will be notified via e-mail, will be posted on the blog post & will be posted on the OMazing Kids Facebook page. The company offering the prize may also post the winner’s name on their website, blog, Facebook page and/or other social media sites at their discretion.
• The winner’s address will be forwarded to the company and they will be mailing the prizes directly to the winners. Any questions about the prize should be directed to the company.
• Prize Value: book: $19.95, CD’s: $16.99 each

Other Legal Stuff: I know it’s just a book & CD’s but just to be safe here is all the legal stuff…

This giveaway is in no way sponsored, endorsed or administered by, or associated with Facebook. You are providing your information to OMazing Kids, LLC and not to Facebook. The information you provide will only be used for our internal purposes in relation to the administration of the giveaway. Your information will NOT be sold to any outside parties.

Indemnification/Hold Harmless: By participating, entrants agree: (a) to the decisions of OMazing Kids, LLC, which shall be final in all respects; (b) to release, discharge, and hold harmless OMazing Kids, LLC and its respective representatives and agents from all liability, injuries, losses or damages of any kind to persons or property resulting in whole or in part, directly or indirectly, from the acceptance, possession, misuse or use of a prize, or from participation in and/or entry into the Contest or any Contest-related activity and for acceptance, delivery, or use of any prize; (c) that the foregoing parties have neither made nor are in any manner responsible or liable for any warranty, representation or guaranty, expressed or implied, in fact or in law, relating to any prize.

Angela Moorad, MS, CCC-SLP, IAYT, RCYP-2

Speech-Language Pathologist

Founder of OMazing Kids, LLC – inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities

Radiant Child Yoga Certified – Levels 1 & 2

E-Mail: amoorad1@juno.com

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OMazing Kids LLC is an organization that promotes inclusive wellness activities for kids of all abilities. The blog and social media pages share information about books, DVD’s, CD’s, games and other products specifically designed for kids wellness, mindfulness and relaxation, product reviews & giveaways, lesson plan & activity ideas, research, kids wellness in the news and a connection corner with listings of individuals doing adapted yoga and those offering trainings.

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