TinyEYE Blog

Online speech-language pathology and occupational therapy are a magical experience for our students. No two days are the same as TinyEYE Therapists from around the world log in to their online office and begin a new day’s adventure.

We believe that student engagement is the key to success. Engagement begins with a strong sense of belonging, and then grows into student involvement and investment in their work. Engagement requires deep and critical thinking, and a self-motivated commitment to learning. For this reason, we first help our students feel safe and joyful about participating. Next, we show our students how capable they are with their skills. Finally, we consistently engage our students in activities that leverage their ability to both participate in their daily lives and explore their wildest imagination. 

When I had the opportunity to take a tour of some of the tools used during a TinyEYE therapy session, I was immediately fascinated by the adventure activity stations.

You’re not in the room with the student?  You can’t touch the student?  How do you keep their attention?  How does it work?  How do you provide speech therapy online?  Do the students make progress?  Is it like Skype? 

Guest Post: Wendy, TinyEYE Occupational Therapist

Hello everyone!

I am excited to be able to share some of the typical challenges we see in fine motor development with you today. Fine motor skills are skills involving the small muscles in the hand. When a child has underdeveloped fine motor skills, you will notice a lack of control, dexterity and/or strength. He or she may have trouble stringing beads, drawing, writing, or turning pages. If left unresolved, children with fine motor development delays may struggle with basic life skills such as buttoning, zipping, tying shoes and using utensils, as well as skills necessary for school such as writing, turning pages, and typing.

This is a picture we’ve held in our minds for over a decade. Some of us picture the classic TV show “The Jetsons” where Elroy’s class is taught by a robot. Others picture the scene from “The Matrix”, where upon downloading the information into his mind, Keanu Reeves announces “I know Kung Fu!” But aside from these futuristic examples, our real-life experience with robots has been limited to our household appliances and remote-control cars.

So, why can these robots teach our children where none could before? Simple. They aren’t just robots.