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NMSBVI Presents...
The 'Shroom

Mobile is the root word of mobility and, thus, of particular interest to Orientation & Mobility (O&M) specialists. O&Ms have traditionally thought of mobile mainly in terms of walking, particularly as it relates to walking from Point A to Point B. The field has adapted to include training techniques for individuals who walk with the assistance of devices like support canes or travel via wheelchair/scooter. The field has also become steadily more inclusive in terms of the age of individuals served. Concurrent with the expansion of age levels served, the field has recognized that O&Ms have a role in the education of students with multiple, sometimes severe, disabilities.

While university level training lags in the area of O&M as it relates to multiply disabled preschoolers, some in the field have taken the lead. Mary Tellefson at the Wisconsin Center for the Blind and Visually Impaired and Marjorie Wood at Austin Independent School District are just two of the O&Ms who have pushed the envelope for O&M services with this population. With the ‘bottom-up’ approach in mind, the sharing of ideas developed by O&Ms to draw movement from these students seems particularly useful.

Lili Nielsen’s “Little Room” is well known in the field and is generally part of the university level training of teachers of the visually impaired (TVIs). For many years TVIs have used the Little Room to stimulate reaching movements in students, including those with multiple disabilities. The basic premise of the Little Room is that a little movement can lead to contact with items of interest, the generation of sounds, and modest flexing of the resonance board on which the student is situated.

A question arose while watching a student in the Little Room transition to a stretching exercise on a large therapy ball: what if a little movement led instead to a big movement? On the therapy ball a student could, when balanced atop the ball in ‘neutral’, use a small weight shift to start the ball rolling. Naturally, a staff member had to arrest the motion almost immediately to keep the student from falling off the ball.

A 2’ diameter disc, used to slide down the dunes at White Sands, happened to be propped up against the wall nearby. When balanced on a pivot (a fist, in this case), the disc was able to revolve and also dip at any number of angles. The disc was attached to a circular board which was in turn attached to a pivot (the rounded, weighted bottom of a chicken toy that always returned to standing when pushed down). A hole was cut in a board that was large enough to allow some of the pivot through but not all of it. That board was screwed to some pieces of 2’x’4s which were used to form the base. The disc (inverted so the surface the student was on curved downward) was placed onto the base and found to be sturdy enough to support adults. A Velcro strap was added to the disc and the ‘Shroom (it resembles a giant mushroom) was ready to go.

To date, four students have tried out the ‘Shroom. When placed in ‘neutral’ (the balance point can be tricky to find) virtually any movement or shift in weight produces a much larger movement. The students, all male between the ages of 3-6), appear to enjoy the speed and degree of motion the ‘Shroom affords. Because the student is strapped in the staff member doesn’t have to stop the motion (as with the therapy ball); the ‘Shroom has a stopping point. The staff member can then return the student to that neutral balance point or let the student continue to try to move and change the position without intervention. Because the ‘Shroom can revolve, the student can work to move circularly (left/right) or tip the ‘Shroom back the other way or on some other angle. Any movement or shift in weight should translate into a greater movement by the ‘Shroom.

Staff have noted that students who are generally rigid open up dramatically when placed supine on the ‘Shroom—even more than when placed on a similarly curved therapy ball. A student whose legs are usually extended, generally tense, has been seen to pull his knees up towards his chest in order to stimulate movement. When prone, the same student has bent his knees to then ‘push off’ of a staff member’s hands that were placed on his feet.

Thoughts for future use of the ‘Shroom include the incorporation of handles on nearby objects. By grasping the handle the student should be able to gain experience with stabilizing balance, pulling/pushing himself off balance and pushing/pulling in order to change his orientation. The student could similarly use her feet to stabilize or push off of an object. Staff members can attach a ring or bar to a rope and pull the student in a circle so long as the student held on to the ring or bar. Naturally, it’s assumed that other O&Ms will come up with other ways of making use of the ‘Shroom to meet the needs of their individual students.

The ‘Shroom clearly has limitations regarding the type of movement it can stimulate. The student is either prone or supine, with center mass right above the pivot point. While the student can revolve and change his attitude (in aeronautic terms as opposed to psychological), the student can’t leave that particular point in space. Instead, the ‘Shroom was built so that the reward of movement would be more (and hopefully more exciting, to the student) movement. Students can develop an awareness that shifting weight can cause movement along with motions of the four limbs and head.

The ‘Shroom is fairly easy to build and not terribly expensive.

 

Educators:  Please feel free to construct and use this device at your discretion. However, NMSBVI assumes no liability regarding this innovation or its use/misuse.

For additional information, please contact the inventor, Ron Later, at rlater@nmsbvi.k12.nm.us

Features & Usage:
	Shown here: This photo shows how a student is placed on the ‘Shroom in the supine position. The student curves along the surface of the disc in much the same way that he would when supine on top of a large therapy ball. Note the use of the (green) blanket for comfort and the use of a circular pillow (of the sort sold in airports) for head support. Some students require more support than others.
	The staff member is pictured setting the student in ‘neutral’. From that balance point virtually any movement or shift in weight by the student will be amplified by the ‘Shroom.
	By shifting his weight to the left, the student caused a total body movement to the left. Because the ‘Shroom has a natural stopping point, the student was able to experience the movement without the intervention of a staff member.  It is important to note that a staff member is nearby in order to ensure the student doesn’t begin to slide out of the strap that holds the student onto the ‘Shroom. This picture also shows the maximum tilt possible in the ‘Shroom. Should staff feel it necessary, the amount of tipping can be limited by placing objects or even a blanket around the base of the ‘Shroom.
	In this picture the student has moved from ‘neutral’ to the right. Movement to a side or at an angle can be encouraged by physical or verbal prompts, the placement of an item of interest nearby that will promote a reach or turn of the head, placement of an object the student can use to pull himself around or to a side, or other creative options that teachers will determine are right for a particular student.
	In this picture the staff member is rocking the student as might be done on a therapy ball. Placement of the hands on the legs and feet allows for reinforcement of the concept of their use for pushing. Note the use of a surplus strap from an old stander; the ‘Shroom was designed to be built cheaply and of readily available materials.
	In this picture the staff member is working with the student to demonstrate how the feet can be used to push off to cause the ‘Shroom to dip. The student also worked on moving the legs to the side to cause the ‘Shroom to rotate.
	The student in this photograph has been placed in the prone position. He has caused the ‘Shroom to tip from "neutral" to the left and also down towards his head.
	A staff member attempts to get the student’s attention with a noise making item known to be of interest. A head move or weight shift towards the sound source causes the ‘Shroom to tip to the left.
	A vibrating toy placed on the ‘Shroom provides physical (vibration) and auditory feedback. An arm movement towards the toy or shift of weight causes the ‘Shroom to tip in that direction.
	A staff member tickles the student with a vibrating toy in order to induce movement away from her. Just a little movement is all it takes for the student to escape since the ‘Shroom will magnify the movement.
Construction Technique:
	Here you can see that the ‘Shroom is built around a circular piece of plywood. The smaller circular piece of wood on top with the donut hole is where the pivot of the disc makes contact with the base. The 2x4 construction of the base is apparent as is the rounding of the boards to emulate the shape of the circular piece of plywood.
	The base has been flipped and photographed. It’s not easy to see but the layer of 2x4s immediately beneath the circular plywood is 4 pieces of wood, which supports the circular plywood piece all the way around. Each lower layer of 2x4s is only 2 pieces of wood.
	The cylinder is completed by a fourth layer of 2x4s.
	The cylinder inverted.
	A pair of 2x4s are attached to the cylinder to give it more stability. The base of the ‘Shroom consists of pieces of 2”x4”, a circular piece of wood (1/2” thick) and the mounting point for the hard plastic pivot. The mounting point is a ¾” thick piece of wood with a circular hole cut to allow for placement of the hard plastic pivot. It is important to note that the circular hole is smaller than the diameter of the hard plastic pivot—only the bottom of the hard plastic pivot fits in the hole. This allows for the hard plastic pivot, and the disc to which it is mounted, to rotate and dip freely. That, in turn, is what translates little movements into big motions.
	The straps are mounted to 1x4 wood blocks which are screwed through the disc to the circular piece of plywood underneath. (The piece of circular plywood on the base is the same diameter as the circular piece of plywood screwed to the disc.) The black duct tape covers the flat head screws that hold the disc to the circular piece of plywood underneath.
	Another view of the block that onto which the strap is attached. The block is sanded and rounded on the side that is nearest the student.
	On the underside of the disc the screws which hold the disc to the circular piece of wood are visible. The pivot point is a piece of hard plastic in the shape of a bowl, which was taken from a toy chicken that returned to standing when knocked down. Almost any rounded piece of hard plastic would likely do the job.
	Another view of the pivot and circular board on the underside of the disc.
	Small wood discs were cut to fit inside of the piece of hard plastic and screwed to the circular wood base. The hard plastic piece was then screwed to the small wood discs to ensure the plastic was well supported. The tape was used during construction to hold pieces in place and wasn’t discarded.
	Small wood discs were cut to fit inside of the piece of hard plastic and screwed to the circular wood base. The hard plastic piece was then screwed to the small wood discs to ensure the plastic was well supported.
	Ready for action. Note the single point (the orange ‘ball’) where the disc connects to the base of the ‘Shroom. This is what gives the ‘Shroom the ability to rotate as well as dip at almost any angle.

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