Rehabilitation
At Home Rehabilitation Exercises
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31- Map Use
LEVEL 1 - Connect-the-dots books can be found at most school supply retail stores or discount department stores. You can make your own connect-the-dots worksheets. It is not necessary for the dots to create a picture. The object of the activity is to find your way through the trail or path in an organized manner. The “dots” can be either numbered (i.e., 1, 2, 3…etc.) or lettered (A, B, C…etc.).
LEVEL 2 - Maps of local or unfamiliar places can found at convenience stores, grocery stores or downloaded and/or printed from most search engines on the Internet such as www.yahoo.com or www.expedia.com. Simply type “maps” in the bar labeled “Search for…”. The best type of map to view at this level is a map of the student’s home area. Have the student find their home’s location and then other points of familiarity.
LEVEL 3 - Orientation within buildings can be a challenge, for instance finding your way around a large library or store. This is particularly true in most large shopping malls, where you have to keep track of where you are within a store, but also where you are within the mall.
LEVEL 4 - In the car have the student (as the passenger!) tell you which directions to take in order to get to local places in your community. Also encourage the student to navigate the way home on the return trip.
LEVEL 5 - Have the student look up on a map how to get to places near by the home that he or she is not familiar with. Have the student call a business that you plan to visit and ask for directions to the business. The student is then responsible for giving directions as you drive to the business. Have the student tell you how to return home after the outing.
LEVEL 6 - Use a road atlas of the United States to plan imaginary (or real!) trips to vacation spots, such as the Grand Canyon, the Everglades, and Yellowstone Park. Pick any location you or the student might find interesting! The student must figure out the route to take when traveling by car to the location. This includes listing of the roads in sequence, making sure to provide the direction (north, south, east, or west). To make this more challenging, ask the student to figure out the mileage to the destination and how many days it might take to get there (assuming for instance that you can travel 400 miles a day). This leads to further questions, such as where you might plan to stop in the evening, the costs involved for gas and accommodations, and food expenses
Taken from Tasks for Home-Based Cognitive Stimulation Program, the Traumatic Brain Injury Model System at the University of Alabama at Birmingham, Dept. of P M & R, Birmingham, AL. © 1998-2003 University of Alabama at Birmingham