We are frequently asked by parents which tongs they should purchase for their child. Below you will find some of our favorite tongs from least challenging to most challenging. Each of the tongs is good for overall hand strengthening; fine motor coordination, and improving pre-writing and pre-scissors skills by eliciting/strengthening a static or dynamic tripod grasp. These products can be purchased from therapy websites, such as www.pfot.com or www.therapyshoppe.com.

Strawberry picker:

The small size of these tongs is ideal for you child’s small hands. The circles at the tip are natural indicators for finger placement (one for the thumb and one for the index finger). To visually highlight where your child’s fingers should be, you can also place stickers in the circles.

These strawberry pickers are particularly helpful for strengthening the web space of the hand (the space between the thumb and index finger). Maintaining an open, rounded web space is an important component to proper pencil grasp.

Metal tongs:

The medium-sized length of these tongs makes them a good intermediary between the small size of the strawberry pickers and the tall length of the Zoo sticks. These require more hand and finger strength to use for picking up and placing small objects. Keep an eye on your child’s wrist. The wrist should be slightly extended to achieve the most functional grasp, an important component to a proper crayon/pencil grasp.

Zoo Sticks:

Zoo sticks are incredibly appealing and motivating to children. They are more challenging to control because of their length and the added weight of the animal at the top. Place a piece of colored tape around the bottom of the Zoo Sticks to indicate where your child should grasp them. Zoo Sticks are particularly great for snack time. Have your child use them to eat small pieces of food such as cereal, mini cookies, mini crackers, diced fruits or vegetables.

Plunger:

The plunger is a unique tool. When you push the top (the red part), 3 wire legs pop out to pick up objects. The wires are fairly thin, so using an appropriate degree of pressure is essential. The plunger is especially helpful to strengthen the thumb and maintain an open web space.

Suggested items that your child can pick up using any tongs:

• Mini dice
• Pom-poms
• Marbles
• Mini erasers
• Cheerios
• Beads
• Pegs
• Screws

Blog written by: Aviva Goldwasser, MS, OTR

Chaye Lamm Warburg, DPS, Director of POTS

Whether this is your child’s first summer at sleep away camp, or he/she is a veteran camper, the transition from home to camp can be intimidating. Given that children with sensory processing problems struggle with transitions in general, the transition away from the comfort and predictability of home can be daunting. Listed below are several tips to increase your child’s comfort level and ease the transition.

1.  Tour the camp grounds ahead of time, if possible, so that your child can become familiar with the physical surroundings and the layout of the camp. Alternatively, take a virtual tour online and view pictures of key sites on the camp’s website.
2. Get a sample schedule/calendar to review with your child to familiarize him/her with a typical camp day. While each day will likely have different scheduled activities, many key times of day remain constant, such as wake up, meals, and curfew. 
3. Involve your child in the process of packing and preparing for camp. It will be comforting for your child to know what is in his/her trunk. Place a checklist on the inside of the trunk listing every item that is packed. Have your child mark each box so that he/she knows with certainty that the necessary items will be there. Participating in the packing process will empower your child to feel ownership over the decision to go to camp. 
4. Help your child stay organized by clearly labeling all belongings, not just clothing. Consider using a bold color to help it stand out. 
5. Role-play scenarios that are likely to be anxiety provoking for your child. 
6. If you anticipate that your child will have difficulty falling asleep, send music and headphones along so he/she can tune out background noise. Stick to peaceful, relaxing music selections. 
7. Allow your child to bring familiar, comforting items from home, such as a favorite book or stuffed animal. 
8. Send photos of family, pets, and friends so that your child can personalize his/her area in the bunk. 
9. Plan ahead for downtime (e.g., rest hour, rainy days and send your child with games and toys so that he/she has available options to fill the time without floundering (such as books, games, cards, Mad Libs, etc). 
10.  Find out ahead of time whether your child’s camp uses a mail or an email system for communicating with parents at home. Plan in advance by either practicing how to use email and type a message, or help your child prepare envelopes that are pre-addressed and stamped to simplify the process once he/she is in camp. 
11.  Role-play scenarios that are likely to be anxiety provoking for your child.
12.  Camp counselors are teenagers, and division heads and head counselors are responsible for many children. Be proactive. Inform the camp and the counselors of specific strategies that work for your child. For example, if you know that your child is hypersensitive to loud noises, arrange for your child to have the choice to opt out of certain activities (e.g. fireworks).  

 Blog written by: Aviva Goldwasser, MS, OTR  

 Chaye Lamm Warburg, DPS, Director of POTS