Every so often friends in the community will ask me what kind of tools I recommend for their home therapies and it’s a joy to send all my favorites. A few months ago, my team helped me make an Amazon list. So to balance it out, we have compiled a list of our Top Ten favorite items for the brain injury survivor in your life:
Sensory kit: Wood/Waldorf Tool
I love this kit for several reasons. I am like the subtle, no-gimmick vibe. It doesn’t have the usual flashing lights or noises that often come with these types of sensory tools and it’s something I could see my dad using during therapy or at home. Pro tip: this is also better for the survivor who can be visually distracted.
In terms of sensory needs, rice is a great place to build sensation. I like to begin with dried beans, but then I move to rice. It sounds crazy, but did you know that there are small cells called mechano-receptors in your hands, face, and feet that respond to light touch and pressure differently than anywhere else on your body? It's true, so how does it work?
Just fill a plastic tub with dried beans or rice and run your hands through it as best as you can. Yes, if you have neuropathy you can do this. It will not hurt you. If it feels silly, let it be silly. Babies do silly shit all the time and develop fine motor and new neurotransmitters faster than humans at any other age.
Anyway, back to this kit. This has everything! You can learn to scoop, while learning to moderate your force when you pick up the large bowl versus the small bowl. Did you know that is a learned skill? Yup. It is.
Finally, tongs are rad. These are a good place to begin your lateral pinch, when your thumb is pressed into the side of your pointer finger. This is typically the first pinch that comes back as you recover. Tongs can be great to start increasing your lateral pinch and general grip strength. It is also a great place to start your pincer grasp. This is the Grand Poobah of Pinches. This is when the pads of your thumb and pointer finger touch to pick up a pencil or a penny. This is a toughy, but worth the time in.
The ‘Pincer Grasp’ AKA the Grand Poobah of Pinches can be a tough skill to relearn. The good news is that you can have fun while you are working on it or just have fun calling it, the Grand Poobah.
This has a very cool, zen vibe for those hippy survivors who need to chill out while they are practicing their writings. Let’s be honest, it's not just for the hippies. It's for the miserable discontents who hate practicing their writing or fine motor skills too.
My suggestion: put on some Enya, grab a cup of tea (or whatever) and get into a flow zen vibe with your practice.
3. Rainbow lacing: adult lacing tool
If you are a part of the Heal the Brain community, then you already know I am a big fan of rainbows. I don’t have anything more to say about them, except they are happy and I think if you put it in your visual field you might smile, so that is a win.
Lacing is kind of like early sewing, but it has some overlap with a lot of skills that can be difficult post brain injury. If you have trouble planning, sequencing, or with visual perceptual skills, lacing can be a challenge for you and a great therapeutic tool. It is also wonderful for building grasp and release. Remember the Grand Poobah of Pinches? Lacing is a great way to work on that tricky pincer grasp.
It might be cliche but I’ve grown to love the symbolism of rainbows. When you’re trudging through the rain and the mud, it’s important to look for the rainbows.
Full disclosure I am not a big sudoku person, but I have had hundreds of patients who love this game. It is a great brain stimulator and I like this board, because it looks beautiful and it challenges your fine motor. Do I hear a: Win Win Win--no matter what?
Yes. Yes, I do.
Similar to the other alphabet tool, this is not gimmicky but very practical if you are trying to relearn how to write.
I like that this can be a wooden form and a digital form. I think this tool places the focus on the practice of using the wooden pieces to form the letters rather than just looking at the end product. This tool takes away the pressure of making a letter on a piece of paper and really allows you to practice the formation.
6.Using tools manly man/woman tool set tools
I bought this for my private clients and I love it. You can buy these through fancy therapy brochures for 3xs the price and they have the EXACT same purpose.
Even if you are fumbling hard with holding a tool, this is still a great practice. It won’t be perfect by any stretch of the imagination at first. If you can bring the tool to the target without any precision several times a day you are doing it right. Sometimes when you are challenging yourself it is important to remember that therapy is the EXACT opposite of Machiavelli's approach. The means: how you do something: matters. Ruthless short cuts and making it easier does not always account for a great outcome.
7. Rubber band pattern board: Great for vision and planning
This tool is wonderful for motor planning, but also for visual perceptual awareness. I know that was a string of a lot of words, but using your hands and eyes together is a VERY coordinated endeavor. Here is a good article from the OT TOOL BOX about vision and fine motor skills.
8.Super challenging brain puzzle.
Full disclosure I kind of hate puzzles, but they are incredible for your brain. Basically when you are thinking of your OT home practice think fine motor + vision+ motor planning. Hence, puzzles are incredible.
9. Grasp and release with sorting
Grasp tends to not be a problem post brain injury, but release is a huge obstacle. Opening your fingers may be a long term challenge. Grasp and release with an assortment of items with different weights and sizes is a good way to begin this process. I like this little matchstick guy because it has a target and you have to work a bit on your vision.
This can be really tricky if you don’t have your pinch quite intact. Pro tip: don’t use the lid for a bit and practice dropping several of the pegs at once then grade up to placing them!
Okay, yes the pinch is hard but how about the release?! This is both literally and figuratively one of the hardest parts of recovery…
Finally, if you are feeling a little creative but also want to take it slow, I have just the thing for you! This minimalist coloring book is a great way to practice your fine motor skills while you are having fun making art. There are awesome coloring books with elaborate designs that you can build up to with one of these bad boys.