Within ACL 3.2, the person might not even pay any attention to the effects their actions are having on the surfaces of furniture and tables. Ordinary household dust is a surface property that is noticed within ACL 5.2. All they may notice is the motion in a small spot. Dusting appeals to many women who will happily "dust" in one spot for 5 to 30 minutes. As their attention fades away, the back and forth motions are shortened, rounded, slower, less frequent and gradually discontinued.
The effects of highly contrasting colours are striking cues that might be noticed within ACL 3.2. Crayons, coloured pencils, pens, watercolours, acrylics, wood stains, glue sticks with colours, and cake and cookie icings in tubes all come in bright colours. The point is that lots of different materials have striking visual cues. The contrasts in the visual cues that capture attention within ACL 3.2 need to be as stark as you can make them.
Object Selections - Colour
The colours in a basic box of crayons are a good example of the colours that attract attention, because the box is limited to the three primary colours, three secondary colours, and black and white. Crayons and felt tip pens tend to sustain attention longer than a coloured pencil or a pen in one colour. Neon colours and glitter are also effective in capturing attention.
The primary and secondary colours look more "adult" when they are toned down a little with the addition of a small bit of black.
The hundreds of shades of colours are usually ignored until ACL 5.2 and are classified as surface properties.
Object Selections - Hand Sized & Habits
A hand sized object is easy to hold in the palm of the person's hand, i.e. not too big, too small or too heavy. Any object that is even remotely heavy is not apt to be lifted or held long. Both the lack of fine motor coordination and the risk of swallowing eliminate little objects.
Individual differences in the person's activity history can identify habits that the person still has stored in their procedural memories. Habits that include the back and forth motion include:
- Bilateral sanding
- Bilateral use of a rolling pin
- Rolling a paint roller
- Painting with a brush
- Colouring with pencils, crayons or felt tip pens.
- Scrubbing the sink
- Washing and dusting a table top
- Washing clothing by hand
Placemat Size
The placemat size is the size of the surface they are having an effect on. Where you put paper and other material objects has an effect on whether or not they pay any attention to it. In my mind, I have an image of a table top that is taped off with ACL zones. The ACL 3.2 zone is the size of a placemat.
You can get a good estimate by sitting close to a table with your elbows at the edge and your arms straight out. Bend your arm at the wrist with your hands pointing toward the centre. That is a placemat size for you. Objects must be placed within that space within ACL 3.2. If the object does not capture their attention, move it closer and tap on the table.
An example will help clarify this muddle of estimates. If you are offering a note card to colour, the card and the crayon must be placed on top of your imaginary placement. If the crayons are in a box in the middle of the table, people functioning between ACL 3.2 and 4.4 are not apt to see them. Within ACL 4.4, a person is apt to look at what the person sitting beside them is doing (usually to their right side) and ask for crayons, but they will not see the box in the middle of the table if it is a yard (metre) away. Within ACL 4.6, when they scan the environment, they find the box of crayons independently.
Where you place the objects affects their attention within ACL 3 and ACL 4 because their visual field is narrow. The size of a placemat is a practical method for applying knowledge and evaluating functional capacity. To avoid confusion or for research purposes, paper sizes can be standardised, but in practice approximations effectively capture their attention.
A standardised placemat size is ledger / tabloid (17 inch x 11 inch) or A3 (297 mm x 420 mm).
Fancy Objects
This is a novel activity that does not look childish. It can be purchased cheaply off eBay for a few dollars including postage. For facilities which have a decent activity budget, gemstone stickers of various designs are available for purchase which can be used in very attractive greeting cards. Card stock of very high quality is also available. These activities are useful for the person with a cognitive disability who may snub other "simpler" activities. We try to accommodate everyone.
