BALL GAMES

look and catch with 3 ways to catch at end

LOOK AND CATCH

This activity combines much of what they have already done into a new demanding procedure that is helpful in nearly all sports as well as setting the stage for success in reading.  This is best done with two helpers, one to release the ball and the other to act like an umpire. 

You begin with the same setup you have had for the catching activities.  Your patient is in the ‘T-man’ posture and you are holding the ball just below their eye level with both hands ready to release the ball.  Until this point we have not used the letters and numbers on the ball.  Now we want to develop not only the fine visual attention skills necessary to guide the catching of the ball but to specific locations on the ball. 

The first time the ball approaches your patient they are not to attempt to catch the ball.  They are to look at the ball and at the moment the ball reaches its closest approach to them they are to call off the letter or number that was turned towards them at that moment.  As soon as they have called off the letter or number you now reply with one of three commands: ’clap’, ‘fists’, or ’fingertips’ (as the ball continues to swing).  This tells your patient which way they are to catch the ball when it approaches them the second time.  As it approaches the second time they are to execute the one-movement elbow straight snaring of the ball with the correct configuration as practiced in prior weeks as Three Ways to Catch.

The ’umpire’ helper is to look over one of your patient’s shoulder to verify if they got the letter or number correct. 

As you can imagine this is working many new skills and abilities.  Visual attention on a moving object is worked on for a longer duration of time than before.  They are working with smaller areas of attention, which helps to develop the kind of ‘power-on’ attention skills needed for detail work in the classroom and in sports.  Rapid automated naming is also being worked on.  This is the ability to quickly recall the name of a symbol (letter or number) and to say it rapidly.  Difficulties in rapid automated naming have been implicated in dyslexia and attention deficit disorder.  There is a timing element here as well in that your patient will begin to learn that the faster they respond the longer they have to prepare for the catching part.  Since they do not get the verbal command for the type of catch from you until after they have said the name of the letter or number the longer they take to respond the less time they have between the time you say the command and when they have to make the catch.  As a result of the time demands of this part of the task they also learn to function better under time pressure and how to respond to verbal cues.

Now this may seem hard enough but you can turn the burner settings up on this even more.  Once your patient is getting very good at the task begin to alter the path of the ball for the catch phase of the activity.  You still release the ball nice and easy and straight towards them for the calling off phase.  However as the ball comes back to you redirect the path of the ball so that it does not swing easily back to the person.  This makes the catch phase much more difficult.  Be sure not to make the activity too difficult but it needs to be challenging enough or you all might lose interest.