difficult child 1's Great Idea

[TeDo]

difficult child 1 loved going to Occupational Therapist (OT) with the "good" therapist but quit when we had to switch to a different person that was NOT good for someone on the spectrum. His favorite thing to do at both places was various activities on a platform swing. He preferred a square one that he could swing AND spin. When we quit Occupational Therapist (OT), he was ok but now is really craving that kind of movement and he just can't find anything similar. So, being the hands on builder type, he's decided he's going to build his own to be "just like" the one at Occupational Therapist (OT). Today we bought just the right board (took an hour to find JUST the right one) and the rope to hang it with. He's going to get the hardware to mount it (and make it swing AND swivel/spin) once he has the board ready to go. He does realize that it will have to go out in our garage and that he can't really use it during the Minnesota winter because our camper and van pretty much fill up the garage. Our garage is not finished or heated so I doubt he'd want to anyway. He's so excited about doing this especially if he can get it to look and work JUST LIKE the one at Occupational Therapist (OT). He's got the picture in his head complete with all the details. I am so proud of him for taking on this project instead of expecting me to pay over $200 for one from a supplier.

Wish us luck.

 

[InsaneCdn]

TeDo... You tell that difficult child 1 of yours... You Go GUY!

Seriously. The biggest value isn't the $$ he's saving you. It's the accomplishment... which is worth way more than a million attaboys. Attaboys get wiped away with ohsh*Tourette's Syndrome. Accomplishment DOESN'T. Nobody can take it away.

 

[DDD]

I think that's simply awesome. Way To Go, difficult child! DDD

 

[TerryJ2]

Cool! What a great idea. And such initiative. You GO!

 

[lovelyboy]

Oh TeDo...I am glad he can put his energy in something constructive!!!
PLEASE let it be exactly like he imagine it....because if it was my son, oh boy, if its not exactly the same......you know.....Say no more!

 

[susiestar]

This is AWESOME!!!!!!!!! I am so proud of him!!!!!

Mom might put some thought into a stand for it or a way to attach it to a ceiling joist inside his room or somewhere. Just a thought. I think I have seen stands in Occupational Therapist (OT) supply catalogs.

I also am envisioning a seat for the swivel movement. Just a circle on top of a thick pvc pipe in some type of base. But the circle would sit on top of some mechanism with ball bearings, the type a lazy susan has for example, and he could spin and spin and spin. Sort of like a sit 'n' spin up off the floor. Do they still make those toys? I loved those.

 

[TeDo]

Thanks for all the "way to go's". This is the kind of the thing he's good at and will usually actually follow through no matter what.

You're right IC. It will be something he will remember and feel good about for the rest of his life.

Lovelyboy, I hear you. In some cases however, as long as it's close, he's content. In other cases, because of his limited viewpoint, I have to offer possible solutions to whatever the problem is because he simply can't see anything different. Between those two things, it should go pretty well.

Susie, I would love to except the boys share a room so it's already crowded in there. Our basement isn't finished and there is no other place to put it. Our rooms are just too small not to mention I wouldn't trust any part of the structure of our house (LONG story) to hold it up and still remain intact. He's content with the garage and if he asks, I can always move the van out of the garage so he has some room .... even in the winter if he really needs to. As for the sit-n-spin, yea .... I'm waiting for that idea to pop into his head too which would be more doable in the house since we could always throw it in a closet when not used. If he can figure out how to do it, I'll gladly support and help him in any way I can.