Review U-Play mat created by a Pediatrician: giveaway linked

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I had seen an ad several times on Facebook for something called the “U-Play mat”  at first glance it looked interesting.  After seeing the ad several times I decided to check it out.  http://www.facebook.com/PLAYTHISWAY

Then I found the video about the U-Play mat:

The more I read and learned about the U-Play mat by Dr. Jen, the more I just had to try it for myself.  The U-Play mat was developed by Dr. Jen, a pediatrician, with consultation from Speech and Occupational Therapists. Dr. Jen is also a mother herself with 2 sets of twins.  Read more about the creation of the U-Play mat here: https://www.playthisway.com/about.php

The U-Play mat attracted me because, not only am I a mom of 3 boys, but I’m also a Certified Occupational Therapist Assistant (COTA/L for short). Personally, I thought of how I would love to use the U-Play mat with my 1 yr old.  He was on the verge of saying more words. He only had the “mama, dada, and no” down at the point that I was researching the U-Play mat.

On a professional level, I was starting to have Occupational Therapy treatment implementations pop into my head.  For instance: communication for daily tasks, increasing attention span, focused activity for sitting balance exercises, just to name a few.

Dr. Jen and the caring folks at  Playthisway.com  sent me a U-Play mat and 2 card decks to try myself.  I received the U-animal deck and the U-food deck along with the convenient storage tote.  There are additional card decks available: Additional Card Decks

This is everything I received. As you can see, my 1 yr old quickly started exploring.  I let him feel and look over the mat as I read through the 10 exercises listed in the “How to use your UPLAY mat” booklet.  I decided to start off simple.  I started with the U-animal deck. I placed all the cards in the clear pockets and seated my 1 yr old son in the center of the U shape.  This shape allows the child to see the cards around them.

My son looked over all the cards.  I started by sitting in front of him on the floor and pointing to a picture. I would then say the name of the animal.  To be quite honest, the first time all he wanted to do was crawl around all over it.  He’d stop and look when I pointed to an animal and said the name, but would move on.  This session only last about…oh 20 seconds and he crawled away to find the his sippy cup.  But, as the instructions state, you should find a little time each day to use the U-Play mat and engage with your child. Do it in a quiet spot with minimal distractions.

The next day was not much better.  After about 4 days however, his attention to the U-Play exercises started to increase.  I tried only placing cards in every other slot on the U-Play mat so as not to over-whelm him with animals.   I started to learn how to engage him more in the activity.  I would point to the cow for instance and say “cow..moo!”  He would laugh.  Then we’d go to the pig. I would say “pig…and snort” and he would laugh even harder.  By the end of the week he was looking around the U-Play mat. He began to place his hand on top of card.  I would then say the name of the animal and the appropriate animal sound of the animal card his hand was on. He would laugh. Then he’d choose another and put his hand on that.  By this point his attention to the U-Play mat activity had increased to about 1 min.

Then one of the most exciting moments (this is the mommy part of me talking). I pointed to the cow and said the name. He was looking at it.  I waited, then pointed again and said “cow”.  He put his little hand on top of the card and said “cow”.  I wanted to cry and burst at the same time.  By the end of trying every day for 2 weeks his attention to the U-Play mat exercise I chose had increased to 2 min and finally said another word.  It may not sound like much but progress is being made.  And for a 1 yr old, I’d say that’s pretty good.  It was 2 min of time you can tell he enjoyed.

There are 10 exercises in the booklet like: Matching (each deck contains doubles), Same, Different, Yes/No activities and more. They have clear easy to understand directions with examples.  You can also make up your own cards using index cards. Try writing a single letter on a card–maybe A, B, C, D etc. or numbers to use.  I even played a memory game with my 6 year old. (like the game Memory where you put the cards face down and each player get to take a turn flipping to cards over to find a match) when he made a match I let him put them into the pockets on the U-Play mat.

1. GROUP A – REQUESTING/MANDING: Works on request-making skills.
2. GROUP B – NAMING/TACTING: Works on skills for identification and naming
of objects in the everyday environment.”

That is directly from the U-Play mat autism manual from the link listed above.  I recommend reading over that section.  There is a lot of good information and ideas to use the U-Play mat appropriately with a child diagnosed with Autism.

As a COTA/L, the advice I would give, is to set realistic personal goals for you and your child.  This would be included for anyone using the U-Play mat.  Don’t expect to sit down your first session and have your child be able to interact and perform for 15 minutes.  An appropriate goal for the day may be to have your child attend to the task for 1 min.  Maybe not necessarily have correct answers the first time.

If your child is able, let them explore the mat and cards for themselves the first time.  If they are able, let them choose the card deck they would like to use. If they are using something they are interested in, they are more likely to participate.  As Dr. Jen points out, praise your child for correct responses.  Don’t forget to have fun!

I get to help choose the best answer!




Please do not leave entry comments here, they must be on the U-Play facebook page to be official. But I would love your feedback on the review!

Dr. Jen is also offering a coupon code to the readers of this review use:

COUPON CODE:      ANGIE10    to receive 10% off and free shipping on any purchase on Playthisway.com valid through July 30, 2010

****I received the U-Play mat in order to complete an appropriate review.  I received no monetary compensation for this post.  All opinions expressed in this post are my own.  ****

Author: Angie

I'm a wife and a a mom of 4: 3 boys and a girl. I also have 3 fur babies, cats named Soleil, Luna, and a Savannah cat name Malkia. I work part-time outside my home as a COTA/L at a local hospital. I cover Johnstown, Altoona, and Pittsburgh areas. I love to do reviews and host giveaways for my readers. Contact me: angwith4 at gmail dot com if you would like a review. View all posts by Angie