I met Ben (alias), a cute 6 year-old with hemiplegic CP, when I joined his weekly physiotherapy session at an early childhood development center. I joined the sessions to guide his therapist on using Timocco in therapy. Ben was highly motivated to play the games and as a result, he used his weaker hand constantly and for longer periods of time. He played, succeeded, had fun and most of all, worked on strengthening his upper extremities and learned to believe in his abilities. … [Read more...]
Ask Sarit: How do I figure out which games are good for which child?
Hi, I started using Timocco not too long ago and it’s great that there are so many games, but how do I know which one to choose and what suits each child? Could you please help me with that? The online platform does indeed offer a wide array of games. When you're starting out, it can seem tricky to match the right game to each specific child. I’ll try to give you some pointers that can help you get started: First, on the main “Games” page, you can find two drop down menus called “Skills” and … [Read more...]
Ask Sarit: My daughter has verbal dyspraxia and still struggles. I was wondering if your software product would be a fit for her?
Verbal dyspraxia often comes along with general dyspraxia which affects motor planning abilities. Many therapists, including myself, believe that improving praxis abilities and motor planning skills in general have a direct and positive influence on the verbal praxis. Under this assumption, practicing motor planning and senso-motor skills using Timocco, such as: mid-line crossing, bi-lateral coordination, hand-eye coordination, organization in space and time and so on, can definitely be a … [Read more...]
Ask Sarit: I have been working with a boy who has moderate intellectual disability (ID). Last week I tried using Timocco with him in our sessions, but he could not understand what to do. Instead of moving his hands, he tried touching the screen or throwing the balls at the screen. Is this game suitable for him? Please advise.
Hi, You are raising an important and very relevant question. We often see these problems when we work with kids who have difficulties with spatial or visual perception or intellectual disabilities or delays. It is important to know that Timocco encourages abstract thinking and asks the child to understand that he is working in one space but is affecting a different one without actually touching it. Nowadays, most kids are familiar with all kinds of touch screens and are used to working with … [Read more...]
Ask Sarit: I want to work with my client on strengthening his upper extremities and back and improving his balance. When he plays soccer with his friends, he tends to fall or slip quite often. He does not seem to have the stamina to stand and play with his friends for a long time. This frustrates him and the other kids complain that he plays too rough. Could I use Timocco to work on that?
Timocco games can certainly encourage children to be active and to play using their arms often at shoulder height or higher. The different games can be adjusted to every child according to their needs. You can choose whether you want to work on motor planning, stamina, visual and audial perception, attention skills or communication skills. Because the games are played by moving the children's arms, it encourages them to use their upper extremities and core muscles. Some of the games require … [Read more...]
Do you have games for children with ASD? What kind of games could fit these kids?
Thanks for your question! With kids with ASD in mind, we at Timocco developed specific games for children with communication difficulties. The games were developed with the help of Dr. Ofer Golan, the chair of the pediatric clinical psychology program at Bar-Ilan University, who has done extensive research about ASD. These games, which you can find by using the skill filter and selecting the ‘Tim Duet’ games which include: Train Rail, What’s Next?, Ride Along and Aliens in Space. This group of … [Read more...]
Timocco Improves Limb Mobility While Playing and Having Fun
Hen-lee is a student at the “Beit Issie-Shapiro” school in Israel and is a lively and happy child. As part of her occupational therapy, she started using Timocco, a virtual reality based gaming environment where games are activated by the child’s hand movements which are detected by a camera and then shown on the screen. Hen-Lee has a visual impairment and has difficulties using her upper right extremity in addition to difficulty using her hand in ADL due to hemiplegic CP. She is highly … [Read more...]
Timocco: New and Improved!
Timocco has been working tirelessly behind the scenes in preparation for the debut of various new gaming packages, an improved interface, and the new Tobii Eye Gaze technology, now available on all of the Timocco games. The 3 gaming packages, Tim-Focus, Tim-Duet, and Cause & Effect, each contain a plethora of games, each geared toward specific mental or physical disabilities. Tim-Focus is a great tool for children suffering from ADD or ADHD, especially effective for primary or secondary … [Read more...]